SSC MTS Profit and Loss Questions with Answers: Quick Answer
This page solves 6 official SSC MTS profit and loss questions with full step-by-step working. All 6 come from the two official SSC MTS 2024 Numerical and Mathematical Ability section papers held on 8 October 2024, Shift 1, and 9 October 2024, Shift 3. Three questions come from each paper. That count of 6 is the honest total for this topic: all 40 questions across the two papers were checked, and only these 6 are genuine profit, loss and discount questions. The other 34 questions in the same papers cover topics such as averages, ratios, percentages, interest, mensuration and data interpretation, and they are not repeated here under a profit-and-loss label.
The 6 questions fall into four families that repeat in SSC MTS papers. Two ask for profit percentage on the cost price, including one where repair costs must be added to the cost price first. One asks for the result of a two-stage buy-and-sell-back transaction. One asks for the net effect of two successive discounts. One asks for profit from short weights. And one asks for the difference between profit calculated on the cost price and profit calculated on the selling price. Every question below is reproduced exactly as it appeared, with the same four options and the same official answer, and every solution is worked from the numbers in the question. As of 2 November 2026, these 6 questions are the only official profit-and-loss questions from these two papers on this site.
SSC MTS Profit and Loss Formula Box
Keep these five ideas in front of you while you work through the questions. Almost every SSC MTS profit-and-loss question is one of them in disguise.
- Profit = selling price − cost price. Loss = cost price − selling price. Profit percentage and loss percentage are always calculated on the cost price, never on the selling price, unless the question says otherwise.
- Profit % = (profit ÷ cost price) × 100. Loss % = (loss ÷ cost price) × 100. The denominator is the cost price. Using the selling price as the denominator is the most common error in this topic.
- Total cost price includes every expense before the sale. If a trader buys an article and then spends money repairing it, the repair cost is part of the cost price. Forgetting it understates the cost price and overstates the profit.
- Successive discounts do not add. Two discounts of a% and b% give a net discount of a + b − (a × b ÷ 100) percent. On ₹100, apply the first discount, then apply the second discount to the reduced price.
- Short weights are a profit on the cost of what was actually given. If a merchant charges for 1,000 g but gives 800 g, the profit is the value of the 200 g kept back, and the percentage is calculated on the 800 g actually given, not on the 1,000 g charged for.
Shortcut habit: before calculating, write down the cost price, the selling price and which one the percentage must be calculated on. In profit-and-loss questions the arithmetic is usually short; the marks are lost on the denominator, on a forgotten expense, or on adding two discounts together instead of applying them one after the other.
Profit Percentage on the Cost Price
Profit percentage is the profit expressed as a fraction of the cost price. If an article costs ₹800 and sells for ₹920, the profit is ₹120 and the profit percentage is 120 ÷ 800 × 100 = 15%. The same structure appears in both cost-price questions below. In the scooter question, the repair cost must be added to the purchase price before anything else is calculated: the cost price is ₹4,700 + ₹800 = ₹5,500, not ₹4,700. In the eggs question, the cost price covers all 120 eggs bought, but the selling price covers only the 108 eggs that survived, because 12 broke in transit. The profit is the difference between what the surviving eggs fetched and what the whole lot cost.
Method illustration (not a previous-year question): A shopkeeper buys a chair for ₹1,200 and spends ₹100 getting it polished, then sells it for ₹1,430. The cost price is ₹1,200 + ₹100 = ₹1,300, the profit is ₹1,430 − ₹1,300 = ₹130, and the profit percentage is 130 ÷ 1,300 × 100 = 10%. If the polishing cost were forgotten, the profit would wrongly appear to be ₹230 on ₹1,200, which is 19.17%. Always add every pre-sale expense to the cost price first.
Two-Stage Transactions and Successive Discounts
A two-stage transaction asks for the net result after an article is sold and then bought back. Work it stage by stage, carrying the actual money amounts forward. The flat question below does exactly this: Lakshman first sells at an 8% profit, which fixes the price Bharath pays, and Bharath then sells back at a 3% loss, which fixes the price Lakshman pays. Lakshman's gain is the difference between the money he received and the money he paid. There is no shortcut that skips the two prices, because the second percentage acts on a different amount from the first.
Successive discounts work the same way: each discount acts on the price left by the previous one. A 25% discount on ₹100 leaves ₹75, and a further 15% discount takes 15% of ₹75, which is ₹11.25, leaving ₹63.75. The total discount is ₹36.25, or 36.25%. Adding the two discounts to get 40% overstates the saving, because the second discount is taken on a smaller amount. The formula a + b − (a × b ÷ 100) gives the same result in one line: 25 + 15 − (25 × 15 ÷ 100) = 40 − 3.75 = 36.25%.
Short Weights and Profit on Cost Price vs Selling Price
When a merchant gives short weight, the customer is charged for more than is delivered. The merchant's profit is the value of the goods kept back. In the question below, the merchant charges for 1,000 g but hands over 800 g, so 200 g of value is kept. The percentage is 200 ÷ 800 × 100 = 25%, because the cost of the goods actually given is the 800 g. Calculating 200 ÷ 1,000 × 100 = 20% is the trap option, and it appears in the option set.
The last question in this set turns on a distinction that confuses many candidates: profit calculated on the cost price is not the same amount as the same percentage calculated on the selling price. Merchant A earns 25% on the cost price, so on a selling price of ₹1,000 the cost price must be ₹1,000 ÷ 1.25 = ₹800 and the profit is ₹200. Merchant B earns 25% of the selling price, which is 25% of ₹1,000 = ₹250. The difference is ₹50. Both merchants sell for the same ₹1,000 and both make "25% profit", but the base of the percentage is different, and so is the money.
Question 1 — Flat Sold and Bought Back
Previously asked in SSC MTS 2024, 8 October 2024, Shift 1.
A flat worth ₹9,50,000 is sold by Lakshman to Bharath at 8% profit. If Bharath sells it back to Lakshman at 3% loss, then find the gain/loss (in ₹) of Lakshman in the entire transaction?
(A) Lakshman gains ₹30,780
(B) Lakshman gains ₹50,200
(C) Lakshman loses ₹45,220
(D) Lakshman gains ₹45,220
Answer: (A) Lakshman gains ₹30,780.
Shortcut. First sale price = 9,50,000 × 1.08 = ₹10,26,000. Buy-back price = 10,26,000 × 0.97 = ₹9,95,220. Lakshman received ₹10,26,000 and paid ₹9,95,220, so he gains 10,26,000 − 9,95,220 = ₹30,780.
Full working.
Step 1 — Find the price Bharath pays. Lakshman sells at 8% profit on ₹9,50,000, so the selling price is 9,50,000 × (100 + 8) ÷ 100 = 9,50,000 × 1.08 = ₹10,26,000. This is the money Lakshman receives.
Step 2 — Find the price Lakshman pays to buy it back. Bharath sells at a 3% loss on ₹10,26,000, so the selling price is 10,26,000 × (100 − 3) ÷ 100 = 10,26,000 × 0.97 = ₹9,95,220. This is the money Lakshman pays.
Step 3 — Compare what Lakshman received with what he paid. He received ₹10,26,000 and paid ₹9,95,220. The difference is 10,26,000 − 9,95,220 = ₹30,780, and since he received more than he paid, it is a gain. The answer is option (A).
Step 4 — Check the trap options. Option (D), ₹45,220, is what you get if the 3% loss is wrongly calculated on the original ₹9,50,000 instead of on Bharath's price of ₹10,26,000. Option (C) mistakes a gain for a loss. Work stage by stage and the amounts carry themselves.
Question 2 — Scooter Bought, Repaired and Sold
Previously asked in SSC MTS 2024, 8 October 2024, Shift 1.
Alfred buys an old scooter for ₹4,700 and spends ₹800 on its repairs. If he sells the scooter for ₹5,800, his gain percentage is:
(A) 4.5%
(B) 5 4/11%
(C) 5 5/11%
(D) 6 5/11%
Answer: (C) 5 5/11%.
Shortcut. Cost price = 4,700 + 800 = ₹5,500. Gain = 5,800 − 5,500 = ₹300. Gain % = 300 ÷ 5,500 × 100 = 60/11 = 5 5/11%.
Full working.
Step 1 — Find the total cost price. The purchase price is ₹4,700 and the repairs cost ₹800, and both were spent before the sale, so the cost price is 4,700 + 800 = ₹5,500.
Step 2 — Find the gain. The selling price is ₹5,800, so the gain is 5,800 − 5,500 = ₹300.
Step 3 — Find the gain percentage on the cost price. Gain % = 300 ÷ 5,500 × 100 = 30,000 ÷ 5,500 = 60/11 = 5 5/11%. The answer is option (C).
Step 4 — Check the trap options. If the ₹800 repair cost is forgotten, the gain appears to be ₹1,100 on ₹4,700, which is 23.4%, far above every option. Option (B), 5 4/11%, is one-eleventh short, the result of a division slip. The fraction 60/11 gives 5 whole units with 5/11 left over, not 4/11.
Question 3 — Two Successive Discounts
Previously asked in SSC MTS 2024, 8 October 2024, Shift 1.
If two successive discounts of 25% and 15%, respectively, are given, then what will be the net discount percentage?
(A) 36.15%
(B) 36.10%
(C) 36.20%
(D) 36.25%
Answer: (D) 36.25%.
Shortcut. Net discount = 25 + 15 − (25 × 15 ÷ 100) = 40 − 3.75 = 36.25%.
Full working.
Step 1 — Apply the first discount to ₹100. A 25% discount leaves 100 × 0.75 = ₹75.
Step 2 — Apply the second discount to the reduced price. A 15% discount on ₹75 removes 75 × 0.15 = ₹11.25, leaving 75 − 11.25 = ₹63.75.
Step 3 — Find the total discount. The price fell from ₹100 to ₹63.75, a fall of ₹36.25, so the net discount percentage is 36.25%. The answer is option (D).
Step 4 — Check the trap options. Adding the discounts gives 40%, which is not among the options, and the three wrong options cluster within 0.15% of the answer, so the question rewards the exact formula rather than an estimate. The formula a + b − (a × b ÷ 100) is worth memorising precisely for this reason.
Question 4 — Eggs Bought by the Dozen
Previously asked in SSC MTS 2024, 9 October 2024, Shift 3.
A shopkeeper bought 10 dozen eggs at the rate of ₹5 per egg. 12 eggs broke in transit. He sold the remaining eggs at the rate of ₹6 per egg. Find his profit percentage.
(A) 15%
(B) 10%
(C) 8%
(D) 20%
Answer: (C) 8%.
Shortcut. Cost price = 120 × 5 = ₹600. Eggs left = 120 − 12 = 108. Selling price = 108 × 6 = ₹648. Profit = ₹48. Profit % = 48 ÷ 600 × 100 = 8%.
Full working.
Step 1 — Find the cost price. Ten dozen is 10 × 12 = 120 eggs, bought at ₹5 each, so the cost price is 120 × 5 = ₹600.
Step 2 — Find how many eggs were sold. Twelve broke, so 120 − 12 = 108 eggs were sold at ₹6 each, giving a selling price of 108 × 6 = ₹648.
Step 3 — Find the profit percentage. The profit is 648 − 600 = ₹48, and the profit percentage is 48 ÷ 600 × 100 = 8%. The answer is option (C).
Step 4 — Check the trap options. Option (D), 20%, is the percentage rise from ₹5 to ₹6 per egg, which ignores the 12 broken eggs entirely. Option (A), 15%, is close to the profit if only 6 eggs had broken. The broken eggs are part of the cost price but contribute nothing to the selling price, and that is the whole point of the question.
Question 5 — Short Weights
Previously asked in SSC MTS 2024, 9 October 2024, Shift 3.
A merchant gives 800 g instead of 1000 g to a customer. What is the merchant's percentage profit?
(A) 15%
(B) 20%
(C) 10%
(D) 25%
Answer: (D) 25%.
Shortcut. The merchant keeps back 1,000 − 800 = 200 g. Profit % = 200 ÷ 800 × 100 = 25%.
Full working.
Step 1 — Identify what the merchant gives and what he charges for. He charges the price of 1,000 g but hands over 800 g, so he keeps goods worth 200 g while being paid for 1,000 g.
Step 2 — Choose the correct denominator. The cost of the goods actually given is the 800 g, so the profit percentage is the kept-back 200 g expressed against the 800 g given: 200 ÷ 800 × 100 = 25%. The answer is option (D).
Step 3 — Check the trap option. Option (B), 20%, comes from 200 ÷ 1,000 × 100, which divides by the weight charged for instead of the weight given. That is the single most common error in faulty-weight questions. Remember: the percentage is always on what was actually handed over, because that is what the merchant's cost covers.
Question 6 — Profit on Cost Price vs Selling Price
Previously asked in SSC MTS 2024, 9 October 2024, Shift 3.
Each of the two merchants sell an article for ₹1,000. If Merchant A computes his profit on the cost price, while Merchant B computes his profit on the selling price, then they both end up making profits of 25%. By how much is the profit made by Merchant B more than that of Merchant A?
(A) ₹40
(B) ₹45
(C) ₹50
(D) ₹35
Answer: (C) ₹50.
Shortcut. A: cost price = 1,000 ÷ 1.25 = ₹800, profit = ₹200. B: profit = 25% of ₹1,000 = ₹250. Difference = 250 − 200 = ₹50.
Full working.
Step 1 — Find Merchant A's profit. A's 25% is on the cost price, and the selling price is 125% of the cost price. So the cost price is 1,000 ÷ 1.25 = ₹800, and A's profit is 1,000 − 800 = ₹200.
Step 2 — Find Merchant B's profit. B's 25% is on the selling price itself, so B's profit is 25% of ₹1,000 = ₹250.
Step 3 — Find the difference. B's profit exceeds A's by 250 − 200 = ₹50. The answer is option (C).
Step 4 — Check the trap options. If both profits are wrongly taken as 25% of ₹1,000, the difference appears to be zero, which is not an option. If A's profit is wrongly taken as 25% of ₹800 without first finding the cost price, the arithmetic collapses. The question tests only one idea: the base of a percentage changes its value, even when the percentage figure is the same.
Practise the Full Papers and the MTS Maths Mocks
The 6 questions above come from two 20-question section papers. Attempting the complete papers shows how profit-and-loss questions sit among the other Numerical Ability topics and how much time each one deserves when the clock is running.
- Read the full hub: SSC MTS previous year question paper — all 10 playable official 2024 papers, including both papers used on this page.
- Attempt the full paper: SSC MTS 2024 Question Paper 8 October Shift 1 — the complete 90-question paper from the first shift used here.
- Attempt the second paper: SSC MTS 2024 Question Paper 9 October Shift 3 — the complete 90-question paper from the second shift used here.
- Check the scheme: SSC MTS syllabus 2026 — Session 1 and Session 2 pattern, marks and negative marking.
When you attempt either paper, solve every profit-and-loss question by writing down the cost price, the selling price and the base of the percentage before you calculate. If a question mentions repairs, breakage or short weights, adjust the cost price or the quantity first. That one habit removes the largest single source of error in this topic.
SSC MTS Profit and Loss Questions FAQs
How many official SSC MTS profit and loss questions are solved on this page?
Six. Three come from the 8 October 2024, Shift 1 paper and three from the 9 October 2024, Shift 3 paper. All 40 questions across the two Numerical Ability section papers were checked to reach that count. The remaining questions cover other topics and are not repeated here under a profit-and-loss label.
Is profit percentage calculated on the cost price or the selling price?
On the cost price, unless the question says otherwise. That rule decides two questions on this page: the scooter question, where the repair cost must join the cost price, and the two-merchants question, where Merchant B's profit is deliberately calculated on the selling price and is therefore larger. Always check which base the question names.
Why are two successive discounts of 25% and 15% not a 40% discount?
Because the second discount acts on the price left after the first discount, not on the original price. A 25% discount on ₹100 leaves ₹75, and 15% of ₹75 is ₹11.25, so the total saving is ₹36.25. The formula is a + b − (a × b ÷ 100), which gives 25 + 15 − 3.75 = 36.25%.
What is the trick in faulty-weight questions?
The profit percentage is calculated on the weight actually given, not on the weight charged for. Giving 800 g while charging for 1,000 g means 200 g is kept back, and 200 ÷ 800 × 100 = 25%. Dividing by 1,000 instead gives 20%, which is the trap option in the question above.
Do the 2024 papers on this page match the current MTS exam pattern?
The 2024 papers follow the two-session scheme described on the SSC MTS syllabus 2026 page: Session 1 with Maths and Reasoning and no negative marking, and Session 2 with General Awareness and English carrying 1 mark of negative marking per wrong answer. The profit-and-loss questions themselves test the same ideas in every cycle, so the methods on this page stay current even as notices change. As of 2 November 2026, the 2026 MTS notification had not been released, so prepare with this scheme and check the new notice when it appears.
Sources
- This site's own test files: SSC MTS 2024 Maths Question Paper 8 October Shift 1 and SSC MTS 2024 Maths Question Paper 9 October Shift 3, both marked official with the official answer key, 20 questions each, exam dates 8 and 9 October 2024. All 6 solved questions, their options and their answers are taken from these files, and the remaining 34 stems were read to confirm that only 6 are profit-and-loss questions. The full 90-question papers for the same shifts were checked and contain the same 20 Numerical Ability questions, so no additional profit-and-loss question exists in either shift.
- Staff Selection Commission portal, ssc.gov.in — examination notices for the MTS (Non-Technical) Staff and Havaldar Examination 2025, uploaded 26 June 2025.
Last checked: 2 November 2026. This page will be updated when further official SSC MTS section papers are added to this site and their profit-and-loss questions can be verified from the site's own files.