SSC GD Maths Questions with Answers: Quick Answer
This page gives 20 original SSC GD maths questions with answers and full step-by-step solutions. Every question is written for the Elementary Mathematics section of the SSC GD Constable computer-based examination: 20 questions, 40 marks, 2 marks per question, 0.25 deducted for each wrong answer, inside a 60-minute paper of 80 questions and 160 marks. The level is matriculation, and the topics are the ones the section actually tests: simplification, percentages, ratios, averages, interest, profit and loss, speed and distance, time and work, mensuration, number systems, mixtures, ages and data interpretation.
These 20 questions are original practice questions written for this page. They are not previous-year questions and are not copied from any paper, book or website. They are modelled on the style and difficulty of the SSC GD Elementary Mathematics section so that they can be used as a timed drill: 20 questions in about 20 minutes is the right pace, since the whole paper allows 60 minutes for 80 questions. Every answer is worked from the numbers in the question, and the working shows the exact step where each answer comes from. As of 2 November 2026, the pattern figures on this page follow the official SSC GD scheme described on the syllabus page linked below.
SSC GD Maths Formula Box
Keep these ideas in front of you while you work through the questions. Almost every Elementary Mathematics question is one of them in disguise.
- BODMAS order: brackets, then orders (powers and roots), then division and multiplication from left to right, then addition and subtraction from left to right. In simplification questions, one wrong order step changes the whole answer.
- Percentage: x% of N = (x ÷ 100) × N. Profit and loss percentages are calculated on the cost price. A discount acts on the marked price, and successive discounts never simply add.
- Average = sum of values ÷ number of values. The sum of the first n natural numbers is n(n + 1) ÷ 2. The average of a set can be found without listing every value when the values form a regular pattern.
- Simple interest = P × R × T ÷ 100. Compound interest for 2 years = P × (1 + R ÷ 100)² − P. At 10% for 2 years, the interest is 21% of the principal, because the second year's interest is charged on the first year's interest as well.
- Speed = distance ÷ time. km/h to m/s: multiply by 5/18. Work done together: if A finishes in a days and B in b days, together they take (a × b) ÷ (a + b) days.
- HCF and LCM: the HCF divides every number in the set; the LCM is a multiple of every number in the set. For ratio problems, convert all quantities to the same unit before forming the ratio.
Shortcut habit: write the formula before the numbers. In this section the arithmetic is short and the marks are lost on the method: a forgotten unit conversion, a percentage taken on the wrong base, or a ratio formed from unlike units. One written line per question prevents all three.
Question 1 — Simplification
Q1. What is the value of 45 + 18 × 3 − 72 ÷ 8?
(A) 90 (B) 88 (C) 92 (D) 86
Answer: (A) 90. By BODMAS, multiplication and division come before addition and subtraction: 18 × 3 = 54 and 72 ÷ 8 = 9. Then 45 + 54 − 9 = 90.
Question 2 — Average
Q2. What is the average of 12, 18, 24, 30 and 36?
(A) 22 (B) 26 (C) 24 (D) 28
Answer: (C) 24. The sum is 12 + 18 + 24 + 30 + 36 = 120, and there are 5 numbers, so the average is 120 ÷ 5 = 24. The numbers rise by 6 each time, so the average is also the middle value, 24.
Question 3 — Percentage
Q3. What is 35% of 640?
(A) 224 (B) 214 (C) 234 (D) 204
Answer: (A) 224. 35% of 640 = (35 ÷ 100) × 640 = 0.35 × 640 = 224. Working it as 10% = 64, so 30% = 192 and 5% = 32, gives 192 + 32 = 224.
Question 4 — Simple Interest
Q4. Find the simple interest on ₹4,000 at 8% per annum for 3 years.
(A) ₹920 (B) ₹960 (C) ₹1,000 (D) ₹880
Answer: (B) ₹960. Simple interest = P × R × T ÷ 100 = 4,000 × 8 × 3 ÷ 100 = 96,000 ÷ 100 = ₹960.
Question 5 — Ratio
Q5. If A : B = 3 : 5 and B : C = 2 : 7, what is A : C?
(A) 6 : 35 (B) 3 : 7 (C) 6 : 7 (D) 3 : 35
Answer: (A) 6 : 35. Make B the same in both ratios: A : B = 3 : 5 = 6 : 10, and B : C = 2 : 7 = 10 : 35. So A : B : C = 6 : 10 : 35, and A : C = 6 : 35.
Question 6 — Compound Interest
Q6. Find the compound interest on ₹5,000 at 10% per annum for 2 years, compounded annually.
(A) ₹1,000 (B) ₹1,100 (C) ₹950 (D) ₹1,050
Answer: (D) ₹1,050. After 2 years the amount is 5,000 × 1.1 × 1.1 = ₹6,050, so the interest is 6,050 − 5,000 = ₹1,050. Year 1 interest is ₹500 and year 2 interest is ₹550, because the second year charges interest on ₹5,500.
Question 7 — Profit and Loss
Q7. An article bought for ₹800 is sold for ₹920. What is the profit percentage?
(A) 12% (B) 18% (C) 15% (D) 20%
Answer: (C) 15%. The profit is 920 − 800 = ₹120, and profit percentage is calculated on the cost price: 120 ÷ 800 × 100 = 15%.
Question 8 — Speed Conversion
Q8. Convert 72 km/h into metres per second.
(A) 18 m/s (B) 20 m/s (C) 22 m/s (D) 24 m/s
Answer: (B) 20 m/s. Multiply by 5/18: 72 × 5 ÷ 18 = 4 × 5 = 20 m/s. Dividing by 18 first keeps the arithmetic small.
Question 9 — Time and Work
Q9. A can finish a work in 12 days and B can finish the same work in 18 days. Working together, in how many days will they finish the work?
(A) 6 days (B) 8 days (C) 7.5 days (D) 7.2 days
Answer: (D) 7.2 days. Together they do 1/12 + 1/18 = 5/36 of the work per day, so the whole work takes 36 ÷ 5 = 7.2 days. The shortcut (12 × 18) ÷ (12 + 18) = 216 ÷ 30 = 7.2 days gives the same result.
Question 10 — Mensuration
Q10. What is the area of a square whose side is 14 cm?
(A) 184 cm² (B) 208 cm² (C) 216 cm² (D) 196 cm²
Answer: (D) 196 cm². The area of a square is side × side = 14 × 14 = 196 cm².
Question 11 — HCF
Q11. Find the HCF of 24, 36 and 48.
(A) 6 (B) 18 (C) 12 (D) 24
Answer: (C) 12. By prime factors: 24 = 2³ × 3, 36 = 2² × 3², 48 = 2⁴ × 3. The common factors are 2² × 3 = 12, and 12 divides all three numbers while no larger number does.
Question 12 — Mixture
Q12. A 30-litre mixture of milk and water is in the ratio 3 : 2. How many litres of water does it contain?
(A) 12 litres (B) 10 litres (C) 14 litres (D) 18 litres
Answer: (A) 12 litres. The ratio has 3 + 2 = 5 parts, and water is 2 of them, so the water is 30 × 2 ÷ 5 = 12 litres. The milk is the other 18 litres.
Question 13 — Ages
Q13. A father is 3 times as old as his son. If the sum of their ages is 48 years, how old is the son?
(A) 12 years (B) 10 years (C) 14 years (D) 16 years
Answer: (A) 12 years. Let the son's age be x. Then the father's age is 3x, and x + 3x = 48, so 4x = 48 and x = 12. The father is 36.
Question 14 — Number System
Q14. What is the smallest 4-digit number divisible by 12?
(A) 1,000 (B) 1,008 (C) 1,004 (D) 1,012
Answer: (B) 1,008. 1,000 ÷ 12 = 83.33, so 1,000 is not divisible by 12. The next multiple is 84 × 12 = 1,008, which is the smallest 4-digit multiple of 12.
Question 15 — Train and Pole
Q15. A 180-metre-long train running at 54 km/h crosses a pole. How long does it take?
(A) 10 seconds (B) 12 seconds (C) 14 seconds (D) 16 seconds
Answer: (B) 12 seconds. The speed in m/s is 54 × 5 ÷ 18 = 15 m/s. Crossing a pole, the train covers its own length: 180 ÷ 15 = 12 seconds.
Question 16 — Discount
Q16. A shirt with a marked price of ₹450 is sold at a 20% discount. What is its selling price?
(A) ₹350 (B) ₹370 (C) ₹360 (D) ₹380
Answer: (C) ₹360. A 20% discount removes 450 × 20 ÷ 100 = ₹90, so the selling price is 450 − 90 = ₹360. Equivalently, the customer pays 80% of 450, which is ₹360.
Question 17 — LCM
Q17. Find the LCM of 8, 12 and 18.
(A) 36 (B) 72 (C) 144 (D) 108
Answer: (B) 72. By prime factors: 8 = 2³, 12 = 2² × 3, 18 = 2 × 3². The LCM takes the highest power of each prime: 2³ × 3² = 8 × 9 = 72. Check: 72 ÷ 8 = 9, 72 ÷ 12 = 6, 72 ÷ 18 = 4.
Question 18 — Ratio with Units
Q18. What is the ratio of 2.5 kg to 500 g?
(A) 4 : 1 (B) 5 : 2 (C) 1 : 5 (D) 5 : 1
Answer: (D) 5 : 1. Convert to the same unit first: 2.5 kg = 2,500 g. The ratio is 2,500 : 500 = 5 : 1. Forming the ratio without converting gives the reversed or wrong answer.
Question 19 — Sum of Natural Numbers
Q19. What is the sum of the first 20 natural numbers?
(A) 200 (B) 190 (C) 220 (D) 210
Answer: (D) 210. The sum of the first n natural numbers is n(n + 1) ÷ 2, so for n = 20 it is 20 × 21 ÷ 2 = 210.
Question 20 — Data Interpretation
Q20. A shop's sales (in units) were 120 in Q1, 150 in Q2, 180 in Q3 and 210 in Q4. What was the average quarterly sale?
(A) 160 (B) 170 (C) 165 (D) 155
Answer: (C) 165. The total is 120 + 150 + 180 + 210 = 660, and over 4 quarters the average is 660 ÷ 4 = 165 units. The figures rise by 30 each quarter, so the average is also the mean of the middle two: (150 + 180) ÷ 2 = 165.
How to Use These Questions
More solved sets: SSC GD English Questions with Answers: Solved Practice Set.
Attempt all 20 questions in 20 minutes without a calculator, then mark yourself with the +2/−0.25 scheme: add 2 for each correct answer and subtract 0.25 for each wrong one. A score of 30 or more out of 40 means the section is in good shape; below 24, revisit the formula box and re-attempt the questions you missed before moving on. The most common errors in this section are unit mistakes (question 8, 15 and 18), percentages taken on the wrong base (question 7) and ratio parts not equalised (question 5). All three disappear with one written line per question.
- Check the full scheme: SSC GD syllabus 2026 — 80 questions, 160 marks, 60 minutes, 0.25 negative marking.
- Check the cut-off picture: SSC GD cut off — the 2026 cut-off page for the examination.
- Practise time and distance: SSC GD time and distance questions — 2 official 2025 questions solved step by step.
- Practise reasoning next: SSC GD reasoning questions — 20 original reasoning questions for the same paper.
- Attempt a full mock: SSC GD full mock test 11 — the complete 80-question paper under exam conditions.
SSC GD Maths Questions FAQs
How many maths questions are there in the SSC GD exam?
20 questions in Part C, Elementary Mathematics, worth 40 marks out of the paper's 160. The full paper has 80 questions in 60 minutes, with 20 questions each in Reasoning, General Knowledge, Elementary Mathematics and English/Hindi.
What is the marking scheme for SSC GD maths questions?
Each question carries 2 marks, and 0.25 marks are deducted for each wrong answer. A blank answer loses nothing. With 20 questions, the section is worth 40 marks before negative marking.
Which maths topics matter most for SSC GD?
Percentages, ratios, averages, simple and compound interest, profit and loss, time and work, speed and distance, mensuration and number systems. These topics appear every cycle, and the questions stay at matriculation level, so speed and accuracy matter more than advanced methods.
Are these 20 questions from previous-year papers?
No. They are original practice questions written for this page and modelled on the style and level of the Elementary Mathematics section. For questions taken from official papers, see the SSC GD time and distance questions page, which solves 2 official 2025 questions, and the previous-year paper hub linked from the syllabus page.
How should I time the maths section in the real exam?
Aim for about 20 minutes for the 20 maths questions, leaving 40 minutes for the other 60 questions. Attempt the questions you can solve in under a minute first, mark the longer ones, and return to them only after the rest of the paper is done.
Sources
- SSC GD Constable Examination scheme: 80 questions, 160 marks, 60 minutes, +2/−0.25 marking, as described on this site's SSC GD syllabus 2026 page, which follows the official SSC notice.
- All 20 questions, options and solutions on this page are original and were written for this page. Every numerical answer was computed from the numbers in its own question stem.
Last checked: 2 November 2026.