Percents

As you may know, learning how to work with percents is important for the high school equivalency test. There are a couple of different type of percent questions; we'll go through each one separately.

Example 1: What is 12% of 1500?
Multiply 1500 by 12% as shown below.

Did you get 180? 

Try some:
31. 40% of 18 is what?
32. 75% of 38 is what?
33. What is 65% of 1250?
34. What is 33% of 45?
35. If a pair of shoes is regularly priced at $89.99 and is marked 25% off, how much will you be saving?

Answers: 31. 7.2; 32. 28.5; 33. 812.5; 34. 14.85; 35. $22.50

Example 2: What perentage of 880 is 660?
First divide 660 by 880. Instead of pushing the = (equal) key, push the Shift-% keys as shown below.

Try some:
36. 14 is what % of 200?
37. 24 is what % of 56?
38. What percentage of 1250 is 35?
39. What percentage of 4500 is 4000?
40. 750 is what % of 1500?

Answers: 36. 7%; 37. 42.9%; 38. 2.8%; 39. 88.9%; 40. 50%

Example 3: Add 15% onto 250.
The calculator lets you do this in one step. Multiply 250 by 15% (like you did in the first example above), then push the + (addition) key.

41. Increase 35 by 15%
42. Add 10% to 3270
43. Increase 78 by 56%
44. If you went shopping and bought a skirt for $19.99, with 6.75% sales tax, what would be the total price of the shirt?
45. The local car dealership just raised the prices of their new cars 8%. If the previous cost of the car you were wanting to buy was $20,800, what is the new price?

Answers: 41. 40.25; 42. 3597; 43. 121.68; 44. $21.34; 45. $22,464

Example 4: Decrease 40 by 2%
Almost exactly like you did in the above example, except, this time, push the - (subtraction) key at the end.

46. Decrease 3500 by 57%
47. Subtract 12% from 84
48. Subtract 25% from 250
49. A pair of jeans were marked 20% off; if their original price was $45, how much is the sale price?
50. The aerobics class at the fitness center enrolled 125 women. If 60% fewer men enrolled, how many men enrolled in the class?

Answers: 46. 1505; 47. 73.92; 48. 187.5; 49. $36; 50. 50 men (back to top)