How to Prepare for a Percentages Test?
There are many different jobs that will require you to take assessments that involve questions about percentages. Percentages can be a difficult concept for many people to grasp, and it is even more difficult to master them. Anything maths-related, for that matter, can be a tricky subject to deal with.
Recruitment companies will pay close attention to how well you can work with percentages depending on what career path you are following. Here you will find some useful information about percentages tests and how to better prepare for them.
You may even be able to learn and improve your skills from the sample questions that will be provided later on.
Table of Contents
What Is a Percentages Test?
Percentages refer to how much there is of something in relation to a whole thing. Percentages are used quite commonly in math equations and in real life. Percentages can be used for study results, restaurant tipping, taxes, and many other things.
The concept of percentages can refer to both less or more of a whole, with >100% being less than and 100%< being more than. It can definitely be a tricky concept to grasp at first, and you may need a good bit of preparation to understand them.
Many jobs require you to excel in many mathematical skills, especially percentages, to pass the hiring process. You will also find that a lot of assessment questions that involve maths will have questions revolving around fractions. They may be about working out percentage increases and decreases, converting percentages to decimals or fractions, and many other things.
Some may be simple questions like “What is 20% of 100?” while others may involve a drawn-out process that will be required to find the answer.
How to Prepare for Percentages Tests?
Studying is the best way to prepare for any test. Study guides like Job Test Prep can help you prepare effectively with their study guides and sample questions that will help you get familiar with the test. Some assessments may allow you to use a calculator while others will not, so you must be prepared either way.
Percentages are usually used to make fractions seem easier, allowing you to distinguish some things from an entire group. The questions can be stand-alone, or they can be calculation based. Recruitment tests will often have a variety of percentage questions for you to solve for you to be considered for hire.
Finding an excellent study guide like Job Test Prep will be the key to your success, so you will know exactly what to expect. With its sample questions, you will also learn which areas and what questions you are weaker in, so you can spend more time brushing up on those specific skills and knowledge.
What Is Included in Percentages Assessments?
There can be many ways that percentages can be evaluated in assessment questions. They may involve decimals, fractions, increases, decreases, and many more. You may also be asked to calculate the percentage from a known value working backward.
Converting percentages to fractions may be one of the most common occurrences for many assessments. It may be useful to find out beforehand whether or not you will be allowed to use a calculator for the test.
It is still important to prepare for the test and ensure your understanding of percentages is thorough and up-to-par, but it would also be a good thing to know so you are not caught unaware.
Some Concepts About Percentages
When it comes to percentages, there are a few basic formulas that you should know.
Percentage Is Found by Multiplying the Fraction by 100.
In this formula, you can see the relationship between percentage and their fraction equivalent.
For example, if we want to find the fraction form of 50%, this is what we would get:
50% = fraction form multiplied by 100
- This formula will help us arrive at ½.
- This is because 50 divided by 100 is the same as ½ .
- Hence, 50% is the percentage equivalent of ½ .
Understanding Decimals and Percentages
You should also understand the relationship between decimals and their percentage equivalent. Be sure to familiarise yourself with this basic percentage concept so you can convert percentages to decimals, and vice versa, with ease.
Since we have established that percentages are indeed fractions, we can conclude that another way to write 5% is 0.05. In fact, it is normal for some people to find calculations easier when they think in terms of decimals instead of percentages.
In line with this understanding, have a look at this example:
How do you add 5% to a number?
- You simply multiply the number by 1.05, which is arrived at by taking 1 + 0.05.
- Likewise, how do you reduce a number by 5%?
- All you have to do is multiply the number by 0.95, which is arrived at by taking 1 – 0.05.
How Do You Use the Calculator’s Percentage Function?
Your calculator has a percentage function that helps you multiply a specific number by 100.
After you divide two numbers, simply press the percentage function or button on your calculator, before pressing =. This will take the fraction you just keyed in and multiply it by 100.
If you want to calculate an increase:
- Take the number that has been already increased, and divide it by the original number before the increase.
- Then, press the percentage function.
- Minus 100.
If you want to calculate a decrease:
- Take the number that has been already decreased, and divide it by the original number before the decrease.
- Then, press the percentage function.
- Minus 100.
Let’s look at a more specific example.
If you want to find the percentage increase of 70 to 80.
You first divide 80 by 70 before pressing the percentage button. The calculator will show 114 which represents 114%. You then minus 100 from the figure and you will arrive at 14%. This tells you that from 70 to 80, there has been an increase of 14%.
Percentages Sample Questions
Reading and understanding sample questions will be a good way to study for the actual content on the assessment.
We recommend that you continue to practice study questions until you feel like you have a good enough understanding of the content you are expecting to be on the test. Here are a set of sample questions that can help to work as a study guide.
- What is 30% of 300?
- In a group of 80 people, 10 of them are female. What is the percentage of males in this group?
- 60% percent of a group of 30 people have blonde hair. What fraction would that be?
- Convert 4/100 to percentage.
- Convert 5% to fraction.
- If someone earns $50,000 a year and the salary increases by 8% each year, how much will they earn in five years?
- There are 50 students who major in English out of a group of 500. What is the percentage of English majors within that group?
- There are 20 eggs in total. In this group of eggs, there are 4 blue eggs, 5 green eggs, 6 yellow eggs, 2 purple eggs, and 3 pink eggs. What is the percentage of pink eggs?
- Convert 67% to decimal.
Understanding Words in Questions That Relate to Percentages
It is vital to understand how test creators write their questions. How do they imply that they want you to work out a percentage?
If you see the keywords ‘relative difference’ or ‘relative change,’ you will know that the question usually relates to a percentage calculation. However, you still have to read and comprehend the question correctly instead of just jumping to assumptions since these keywords can sometimes be used in fraction questions.
The good news is, if it is a multiple-choice question, have a look at the options given to you first. You will be able to see if the question is indeed about percentages. Sometimes, it is all about looking for as many clues as possible to help you out.
How to Pass the Test?
Adequate preparation is key to passing any test. When it comes to percentages, there will be some details that you will have to pay close attention to. For example, you will have to exercise caution with questions that involve decimal points.
There is plenty of room for mistakes when it comes to those kinds of questions. Make sure that the decimal point ends up in the right place when you come up with your answer. If you do not, your answer could be incorrect and easily trip you up.
Job Test Prep has elaborate preparation packs that will help you pass the test. Instead of studying without knowing what to expect, you will be able to study smart and answer the test questions confidently.
Conclusion
Percentages can be a difficult concept for many people, but once you make the effort to understand them, it will be a lot easier to solve the questions. To help you in your preparations, remember to visit Job Test Prep so you will not have to guess about your knowledge or competency in percentages.
With the comprehensive study guide and elaborate sample questions, you will be well prepared and can face your test with confidence.
Sarah is an accomplished educator, researcher and author in the field of testing and assessment. She has worked with various educational institutions and organisations to develop innovative evaluation methods and enhance student learning. Sarah has published numerous articles and books on assessment and learning. Her passion for promoting equity and fairness in the education system fuels her commitment to sharing insights and best practices with educators and policymakers around the world.
