Remember, the last time you went shopping and ended up buying clothes at 30% off and then told your friend, only to hear that you spent 70% instead of saving 30%. This is just two sides of the same statement, and the concept of profit and loss in real life. And when it comes to banking exams, which is one of the most important or frequently asked topics, they want to test such real-life concepts to check whether you are ready for the job or not. Do you get profit and loss, as it is one of the basic foundations on which a bank runs smoothly? In this blog, we will discuss the tips and tricks along with a Latest Profit and Loss questions PDF to practice, as it will help you in understanding the concept of profit and loss in a better way, and also reduce your solving time.
Why is Profit and Loss Important for SBI PO?
Profit and loss are important for SBI PO as they will test an individual’s logical ability, ability to solve problems, and also help in understanding topics such as percentages, ratios, and are high scoring, plus easy to solve if well practiced.
Key Formulas You Must Remember while solving Profit and Loss
Here is a list of formulas that are used while solving questions. If you want to master Profit and Loss, then you must memorize them thoroughly. In the table given below, some acronyms such as SP, CP are used; their meaning are CP = Cost Price, SP = Selling Price, and MP = Marked Price.
| Concept | Formula |
| Profit | SP – CP |
| Loss | CP – SP |
| Profit % | (Profit / CP) × 100 |
| Loss % | (Loss / CP) × 100 |
| SP (for profit) | CP × (100 + Profit%) / 100 |
| SP (for loss) | CP × (100 – Loss%) / 100 |
| CP | SP × 100 / (100 + Profit%) (or –Loss%) |
| Successive Profit/Loss | (100±A)(100 ± A)% × (100 ± B)% – 100% |
| Discount Formula | MP – SP |
Types of Profit and Loss Questions for SBI PO 2025
In the table given below, we have given all seven types of profit and loss questions along with examples that are asked in the SBI PO.
| Type of Question | Description | Example |
| 1. Basic Profit & Loss | Direct formula-based questions using CP, SP, and Profit/Loss % | If CP = ₹400, Profit = 25%, find SP→ SP = ₹400 × 125/100 = ₹500 |
| 2. Marked Price & Discount | Successive calculation of discount and profit/loss on MP | MP = ₹1,000, Discount = 10%, Profit = 20% on CP. Find CP? |
| 3. Dishonest Shopkeeper | Shopkeeper cheats using false weight or cost manipulation | Uses 950g instead of 1kg and still sells at CP. Find the gain %? |
| 4. Successive Profit & Loss | Two or more transactions or layered gains/losses in sequence | Profit of 20% followed by a loss of 10%. Find the overall % profit/loss? |
| 5. Free Article / Quantity Deal | “Buy X Get Y Free” type trick questions involving the effective price | Buy 2, get 1 free. If CP of each is ₹30, find effective profit % if sold at ₹40 each |
| 6. Profit or Loss on SP Basis | % gain/loss calculated on SP instead of CP; requires conversion | Loss is 10% on SP. SP = ₹900. Find CP? |
| 7. Clubbed with DI | Profit & Loss combined with bar graphs, tables, or caselets in SBI PO Mains | The chart shows the CP and SP of 5 products. Calculate total profit % |
Smart Tips to Solve Profit & Loss Questions Fast
Many times, aspirants face problems in solving questions that are quite easy, but due to a lack of approach, they are not able to solve them accurately or in less time.
Memorize Base Percent Values
The basic trick that will help you in almost all the quant exams is the conversion of a fraction to a percentage and vice versa. This will help you save time.
Example- 10% = 1/10
25% = ¼
33.33% = ⅓
Always Compare with CP
Always calculate the profit and loss percentages on the basis of the cost price unless it is stated otherwise.
Use the Alligation Method for Successive Discounts
When two discounts are applied one after the other, then the alligation method is used. It is a successive discount. The formula and an example are given below-
Formula for Alligation (Successive %):
If two successive discounts (or profit/loss) of x% and y% are applied, the effective overall discount or profit/loss is:
Effective % = x + y – (x × y) / 100
Q: A shopkeeper offers two successive discounts of 20% and 10% on a product. What is the total effective discount?
Solution: Apply the formula:
Effective Discount = 20 + 10 – (20 × 10)/100
= 30 – 2 = 28%, So the total discount is 28% (not 30%).
Watch Out for “Loss on SP” Traps
If the question contains conditions such as a 20% loss on SP, then convert it into CP terms.
Here is an example-
Question: A trader sells a product at ₹900 and incurs a loss of 10% on SP. Find the Cost Price (CP).
Solution: Use the formula:
CP = (100 × SP) / (100 – Loss%)
Put the values in the above given example:
CP = (100 × 900) / (100 – 10)
CP = 90000 / 90 = ₹1000
So, the cost price is ₹1000.
Sample Questions for Profit and Loss
Here are sample questions for profit and loss, their answers are given in the PDF below-
Question 1: Average cost price of two articles A and B is Rs. 700. If A and B are sold at a profit of 25% and 30%, respectively, and total selling price of both the articles is Rs. 1792, then find the difference between cost prices of the two articles.
A) Rs. 180
B) Rs. 260
C) Rs. 280
D) Rs. 240
E) None of these
Question 2: The cost prices of pulse ‘A’ and Pulse ‘B’ is Rs. 75/kg and Rs. 80/kg, respectively. 3 kg of pulse ‘A’ is mixed with 2 kg of pulse ‘B’, and the whole mixture is sold for Rs. 78/kg. Find the profit/loss in the transaction.
A) Rs. 24
B) Rs. 5
C) Rs. 10
D) Rs. 15
E) Rs. 20
Question 3: A shopkeeper ‘P’ sold an article for Rs. 600 at a profit of 20%. Another shopkeeper ‘Q’ sold the another article and earned 20% more profit than the profit earned by ‘P’. Find the profit percent for shopkeeper ‘Q’ if cost price of article for both shopkeepers is same.
A) 15%
B) 30%
C) 20%
D) 28%
E) 24%
Question 4: Rajeev bought an article and sold it to Abhishek at a profit of 20%. Abhishek spent Rs. 360 on its repair and sold it to Vishal making a profit of 25%. Vishal spent Rs. 250 on it and sold it to Rajan for Rs. 2500 without making any profit or loss. Find the cost price of the article for Rajeev.
A) Rs. 1500
B) Rs. 2000
C) Rs. 1800
D) Rs. 1200
E) None of these
Question 5: An article whose cost price is Rs. 1680 is marked up by 25% above cost price and then sold after giving Rs. 600 discount. For how much less price than original selling price should the article be sold such that there is a loss of 25%?
A) Rs. 240
B) Rs. 180
C) Rs. 360
D) Rs. 200
E) Rs. 320
Download Free Latest Profit and Loss Question PDF
As Profit and Loss is an important topic, aspirants need to practice as much as they can. To help you with these, we have curated a free, latest Profit and Loss Question PDF. The questions are as per the latest exam pattern and previous year papers. The link is given below.
Conclusion
In this article, we have discussed all the important details regarding the Profit and Loss, and to practice and revise, you can check out our mock test series. The link is given below.
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FAQs
No, there is no sectional cutoff in SBI PO 2025; however, a penalty of 0.25 marks is there for every wrong answer.
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