University of Bristol

INTRODUCTION
Many students worry about anything to do with numbers, having done little since their GCSEs. This booklet has been designed to offer practice and explanation in basic processes, particularly to anyone facing employers selection tests. It uses material developed by Clare Wright, Tom Frank, and Eric Williams of Birmingham University Careers Centre, where it has been successfully used for some time. Regaining numerical confidence can take a little while but, if you once had the basic skills, practice should bring them back. If, however, you encounter real problems perhaps you should question your motives. Employers dont test you just to make life difficult. They do it because their jobs demand a particular level of proficiency. If youre struggling to meet that level, or not enjoying it, is their job right for you?

CONTENTS
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Decimals . Fractions Approximations Averages . Percentages . Ratios . Progressions Tables Graphs .. Answers page 3 6 11 13 15 18 20 24 26 28

University of Bristol Careers Service: www.bristol.ac.uk/careers

SECTION 1 - DECIMALS The most common use of decimals is probably in the cost of items. If youve worked in a shop or pub, youre probably already familiar with working with decimals. Addition and Subtraction The key point with addition and subtraction is to line up the decimal points! Example 1 2.67 + 11.2 = 2.67 +11.20 in this case, it helps to write 11.2 as 11.20 13.87 Example 2 14.73 12.157 = -

14.730 again adding this 0 helps 12.157 2.573

Example 3 127.5 + 0.127 =

127.500 + 0.127 127.627

Multiplication When multiplying decimals, do the sum as if the decimal points were not there, and then calculate how many numbers were to the right of the decimal point in both the original numbers - next, place the decimal point in your answer so that there are this number of digits to the right of your decimal point. Example 4 2.1 x 1.2. Calculate 21 x 12 = 252. There is one number to the right of the decimal in each of the original numbers, making a total of two. We therefore place our decimal so that there are two digits to the right of the decimal point in our answer. Hence 2.1 x 1.2 =2.52. Always look at your answer to see if it is sensible. 2 x 1 = 2, so our answer should be close to 2 rather than 20 or 0.2 which could be the answers obtained by putting the decimal in the wrong place. Example 5 1.4 x 6 Calculate 14 x 6 = 84. There is one digit to the right of the decimal in our original numbers so our answer is 8.4 Check 1 x 6 = 6 so our answer should be closer to 6 than 60 or 0.6

Division When dividing decimals, the first step is to write your numbers as a fraction. Note that the symbol / is used to denote division in these notes. Hence 2.14 / 1.2 = 2.14 1.2 Next, move the decimal point to the right until both numbers are no longer decimals. Do this the same number of places on the top and bottom, putting in zeros as required. Hence 2.14 becomes 214 1.2 120 This can then be calculated as a normal division. Always check your answer from the original to make sure that things havent gone wrong along the way. You would expect 2.14/1.2 to be somewhere between 1 and 2. In fact, the answer is 1.78. If this method seems strange, try using a calculator to calculate 2.14/1.2, 21.4/12, 214/120 and 2140 / 1200. The answer should always be the same. Example 6 4.36 / 0.14 = 4.36 = 436 = 31.14 0.14 14 Example 7 27.93 / 1.2 = 27.93 = 2793 = 23.28 1.2 120

Rounding Up Some decimal numbers go on for ever! To simplify their use, we decide on a cut off point and round them up or down. If we want to round 2.734216 to two decimal places, we look at the number in the third place after the decimal, in this case, 4. If the number is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4, we leave the last figure before the cut off as it is. If the number is 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 we round up the last figure before the cut off by one. 2.734216 therefore becomes 2.73 when rounded to 2 decimal places. If we are rounding to 2 decimal places, we leave 2 numbers to the right of the decimal. If we are rounding to 2 significant figures, we leave two numbers, whether they are decimals or not.

Example 8 243.7684 = 243.77 (2 decimal places) = 240 (2 significant figures) 1973.285 = 1973.29 (2 decimal places) = 2000 (2 significant figures) 2.4689 = 2.47 (2 decimal places) = 2.5 (2 significant figures) 0.99879 = 1.00 (2 decimal places) = 1.0 (2 significant figures)

Try these examples. Give all your answers to 2 decimal places and 2 significant figures 1. 2.45 + 7.68 4. 162.5 + 2.173 7. 163.5 2.173 10. 1.5 x 7.2 13. 2.96 x 17.3 16. 14.2 / 6.1 2. 3.17 + 12.15 5. 12.5 3.7 8. 2.416 1.4 11. 2.73 x 8.14 14. 4.2 / 1.7 17. 2.5 / 0.03 3. 2.421 + 13.1 6. 9.6 7.8 9. 26.95 1.273 12. 6.25 x 17 x 3 15. 53.9 / 2.76 18. 250/2.35

Answers on page 28

SECTION 2 - FRACTIONS Cancelling Down When we use a fraction, we usually give it in its simplest form. To do this we look at the top (the numerator) and the bottom (denominator) and see if there is a number by which both can be divided an exact number of times. Hence 2 = 1 x 2 = 1 since the twos cancel out 8 4x2 4 E.G. 6 =3x2 = 3 8 4x2 4 15 = 3 x 5 = 3 35 7 x 5 7 16 = 8 x 2 = 2 24 8 x 3 3 OR 16 = 4 x 4 = 4 = 2 x 2 = 2 24 6x4 6 3x2 3

Use as many steps as you need to reach the answer. Adding Fractions When the denominators (the bottom lines) are all the same, you simply add the top line (numerators) Eg: 2 + 3 = 2+3 = 5 6 6 6 6 5 + 3 = 5+3 = 8 9 9 9 9

Remember to cancel down if necessary. When the denominators are different, we need to change the fractions so that the denominators are the same then we can add the top line as above. Suppose we wish to calculate 1 + 1 2 4 From the cancelling down process, we know that 1 = 1 x 2 = 2 2 2x2 4 The denominators of both fractions are now the same so we can calculate 1 + 1 = 2 + 1 = 2+1 = 3 2 4 4 4 4 4

Sometimes the denominators are not multiples of each other Eg: 1 + 2 4 3

In this case we can make 12 the common denominator using 1 = 1x3 = 3 4 4 x 3 12 2 = 2x4 = 8 3 3 x 4 12

We can then add these two fractions directly: 1 + 2 = 3 + 8 = 3 + 8 = 11 4 3 12 12 12 12 Eg: 2 + 1 = ? 5 6 2 = 2 x 6 = 12 5 5 x 6 30 1 = 1x5 = 5 6 6 x 5 30

2 + 1 = 12 + 5 = 12 + 5 = 17 5 6 30 30 30 30 Subtracting Fractions This works in the same way as addition. If the denominators are the same, simply subtract along the top line: 5 - 3 = 53= 2 =1x2 = 1 6 6 6 6 3x2 3 12 - 1 = 12 - 3 x 1 = 12 - 3 = 12 3 = 9 15 5 15 3 x 5 15 15 15 15 Cancelling down gives 9 = 3x3 = 3 15 3 x 5 5

NB: an alternative method would have been to cancel down 12/15 to 4/5 initially leaving an easier sum of 4/5 1/5 = 3/5

Multiplication of Fractions It may help to understand multiplication if you interpret the x sign as of. Hence: 1 x 2 means 1 of 2 = 1 2 5 2 5 5 The calculation involves multiplying both numerators and both denominators then cancelling down: Eg: 1 x 2 = 1 x 2 = 21 = 1 2 5 2x5 105 5 4 x 2 = 4x2 = 8 5 3 5 x 3 15 7 x 3 = 7 x 3 = 21 11 8 11 x 8 88 Note that when multiplying, you can cancel down during the sum as well as at the final stage it often makes the calculation easier: Eg: 31 x 2 = 2 13 31 13 41 x 3 = 1 x 31 = 1 x 1 = 1 9 82 93 2 3 2 6 5 x 61 = 5 x 1 = 5 244 7 4 x 7 28 Dividing Fractions The trick with division of fractions is to turn the second fraction upside down and then to multiply: Eg. 2 1 = 2 x 5 = 10 3 5 3 1 3

Note that this answer can also be written as 31/3 2 4 = 21 x 5 = 5 7 5 7 42 14 2 7 = 2 x 8 = 16 3 8 3 7 21

Improper Fractions An improper fraction is one where the numerator is larger than the denominator, eg. 10/3 To convert this to a mixed number (one combining a whole number and a fraction), think of 10/3 in the following way:
1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3

3 x 1/3 = 1 so out of the ten 1/3s, nine can be grouped into three whole units, leaving only 1/3 left over. Hence, 10/3 = 31/3 Similarly, 12/5 = 22/5 16/11 = 15/11

21/15 = 16/15 = 1 2/5 (by cancelling)

We can also go from mixed numbers to improper fractions: 2 /8 =

1

(2 x 8) + 1 = 16 + 1 = 17 8 8 8 8 8

31/4 = (3 x 4) + 1 = 12 + 1 = 13 4 4 4 4 4 Addition of mixed numbers Eg. 2 + 31/5 = 2 + 3 + + 1/5 = 5 + 5/10 + 2/10 = 5 + 7/10 = 57/10

17/8 + 52/3 = 1 + 5 + 7/8 + 2/3 = 6 + 21/24 + 16/24 = 6 + 37/24 = 6 + 113/24 = 713/24

Multiplication and Division of mixed numbers Here, it is usually easiest to convert to improper fractions and multiply or divide as normal: Eg: 25/6 x 31/8 = 17/6 x 25/8 = 425/48 = 8 41/48 12/3 2 = 5/3 11/4 = 5/3 x 4/11 = 20/33 2 x 41/3 1 = 5/2 x 13/3 5/4 = 5/2 x 13/3 x 4/5 = 260/30 = 26/3 = 8 2/3
9

Now try these examples: Note that in these questions 2/5 is the same as 1. 2/5 + 1/3 5. 6/7 4/9 9. 2 4/5 + 6 7/8 13. 8/9 2/3 17. 5 1/7 x 2 1/5 21. 3 1/3 4 1/3 Answers on page 28 2. 7/8 1/5 6. 7/8 1/3 10. 2/3 x 4/5 14. 2/11 4/5 18. 3 2/3 x 4 4/9 22. 2 1/3
2 5

3. 5/8 + 2/3 7. 2 - 1 5/8 11. 8/9 x 1/3 15. 6/7 9/8 19. 7 2/3 3 4/5 23. 5 2/7 x 11/3

4. 2/9+4/11 8. 7 - 5 2/3 12. 7/12 x 4/5 16. 2 x 3 20. 2 6 1/5 24. 6 x 2 1/3

10

SECTION 3 - APPROXIMATING & ESTIMATING Estimates and approximations bring 2 major benefits: 1. They enable you to check that the final answer is near to the figure that your estimate led you to expect. This is particularly valuable if you are unsure in the use of the keys on the calculator. They can provide you with a short cut, by showing plainly that you do not need to do all the calculations (eg. when comparing figures in tables).

2.

Example 1 Calculate 51/73 of 300 steps i. Approximate 51/73 to 50/75 (move to figures that make easily handled fractions) ii. iii. iv. simplify 50/ 75 to 2/3 (by dividing top and bottom by 25) i.e 200

Approximate answer is 2/3 300

Calculator answer 209.59 (in fairly close range to 200, your approx. answer)

Example 2 The following table shows the number of items sold in one year by the Beans Co. in each of its operating districts. Column Y shows the number of salespeople employed in each district. Column X District Column Y Number of salespeople Column Z Number of items sold

SW NW Mid SE NE

57 38 31 27 23

53,971 64,562 21,123 47,051 42,510

11

Task 1. Task 2. Steps: i.

In which district was the highest number of items sold per salesperson? In which district was the lowest number of items sold per salesperson?

To make handling of figures more manageable, make approximations of the items sold figures. Approximation table District SW NW Mid SE NE Salespersons 57 38 31 27 23 Items sold (in thousands) 54 64.5 21 47 42.5

Approximation and comparison can eliminate certain districts from the need to calculate accurately. Task 1. i. ii. iii. iv. The highest average sales Mid and SE have similar numbers of salespeople, but Mid sold far fewer items. Hence Mid can be eliminated. SW sold fewer items than NW, but had far more salespeople. Hence SW can be eliminated. The districts left in for consideration are SE, NW, NE Use a calculator to do the division, USING THE ACCURATE FIGURES, to find the averages of the 3 districts. SE NW NE 47,051/27 64,562/38 42,510/23 = = = 1742.6 1699 1848

Hence the highest average sales figures per salesperson was in the NE district. Task 2. The lowest average sales per person per district

From your approximation table it is evident that Mid sold far fewer items than each of NW,SE,NE, despite having similar numbers of salespeople. It is not so clear as to how Mid compares with SW, so two calculations are desirable. SW Mid 53,971/57 = 946.86 21,123/31 = 681

Hence Mid district had the lowest average number of items sold per salesperson
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SECTION 4 AVERAGES There are several ways of expressing an average. The most common way is called a mean. This is one value which is representative of all the numbers in a group. The mean is calculated by adding up all the numbers in a group, then dividing by how many numbers there are. Example 1 Find the average, or mean, of the following numbers: Mean = 2+6+4+8+5+5 = 30 = 5 6 6 Check your answer is an answer of 5 representative of the numbers? Example 2 Find the average, or mean, of the following numbers: 1 3 4 2 1 20

Mean = 1+3+4+2+1+20 = 31 = 5.17 6 6 Check your answer in this case, most of the numbers are less than 5 but the very high value of 20 pulls the mean upwards, so the answer is sensible. Example 3 In a test of numerical ability, students are tested in two groups. Which group has the higher average score? Group A 3 15 8 9 12 13 3+15+8+9+12+13 6 = 60 6 = 10 Group B 7 6 10 11 19 20 7+6+10+11+19+20 6 = 73 6 = 12.17

Group B has the higher average score

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TRY THESE QUESTIONS: Find the mean of each of these sets of data: 1. 2 4 6 7 4 3 2. 3. 4. 5. 49 6 15 107 50 7 16 109 63 8 12 117 61 7 19 119 67 8 14 112 59 6 20 18 17 18 16

5 73 68 42

6. Which group of students scored best in this numerical reasoning test? Group A: 11 12 13 6 18 17 4 12 10 Group B: 10 11 9 12 14 13 12 10 11

15 14

7. A lecturer decided to find out how punctual students really are. He recorded how late his seminar group arrived on three occasions. The table shows how many minutes late each of the ten students were on these days. What was the overall average lateness? Which day was worst? On which day were most students more than 5 minutes late? Day 1 2 0 4 15 10 4 5 0 0 1 Day 2 5 10 8 6 0 0 10 9 0 0 Day 3 4 1 3 0 0 5 4 1 0 15

Answers on page 29

14

SECTION 5 - PERCENTAGES Percentage is one of three ways of expressing a value e.g. 17% has the same value as 17/100 or 0.17

It is recommended that, before using the calculator, you first understand, through mental calculation, the principles of layout of expressions and the functions of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division in fractions and decimals.

Percentage and decimal - the relationship Examine the meaning of the figure 425. 631. The position of each digit gives it its value. Regard each digit as being a member of a column i.e. a 4 b 2 c 5 d 6 e 3 f 1

Column a expresses whole HUNDREDS. b expresses whole TENS.. c expresses UNITS (ONES). d. expresses 1/10ths e. expresses 1/100ths F. expresses 1/1000ths. 1% is expressed as a fraction as 1/100. Hence, from the column rule, 1% is 1 in column e i.e 0.01 Try to memorise the following table. It shows how identical values are expressed in different forms percentages, fractions and decimals 100% 10% 1% 0.1% 100/100 10/100 1/100 0.1/100 1.00 1/10 0.01 1/1000 0.001 0.1

15

Example Calculate i. ii. iii. 17% of 3/4 Give the answer as a percentage.

Express 17% as 17/100 17% as 17/100 3/4 (note that of becomes )

The rule of multiplication of fractions applies. Multiply the top values (numerators), and multiply the bottom values (denominators) i.e (17 3 )/(100 4 ) = 51/400 Approximate Simplify 51/400 to 50/400 50/400 to 1/8

iv. v. vi.

Convert 1/8 to a percentage. The principle is that the 8 (denominator) has to be converted to 100 ( in this case by multiplying by 12.5). You treat the top figure in the same way (i.e 1 multiplied by 12.5 ) You thus produce a fraction 12.5/100 (NB. you would not normally leave a fraction in this format). This indicates 12.5% as an APPROXIMATE ANSWER to the question. Use the calculator to find the ACCURATE answer Answer 12.75%

vii.

viii.

16

Now try these questions: i. ii. iii. iv. What is 20% of 80 ? What percentage of 8 is 20p ? What is 50% of 5/8 ? Express the answer as a fraction. By how much is 43% of 64 more than 35% of 64 ? Answer to the nearest whole number. Calculate 70% of 1.5 + 60% of 3.5

v. vi.

How much (to the nearest pound) would three dozen bottles cost @ 5.75 each plus 17.5% V.A.T ? Express 30p as a percentage of 50 Calculate 50% of 0.005 Express 7/12 as a percentage In a constituency of 120,680 voters the outcome of an election was as follows. Moderate Party Radical Party Extremist Party Countryside Party 43% of valid votes cast 22% of valid votes cast 9% of valid votes cast

vii. viii. ix. x.

8% of valid votes cast 15% did not cast a vote

3620 voting slips were spoiled NB. In answering the following questions, give the whole number, but regard 0.5 or more as 1. ( e.g 1.5 adjusted upwards to 2, 1.499 adjusted downwards to 1 ) x.a What was the number of the majority of votes of the Moderates over the Radicals? What was the number of the majority of votes of the Moderates over all parties? What percentage of the constituents spoiled their voting papers?

x.b x.c

Answers on page 29
17

SECTION 6 - RATIO Ratio is crudely explained as the proportion in which something or some things are shared. i.e. an expression of how the shares of the total compare with each other. Example 1 Ann, Betty and Chris win a total of 1200 in a lottery. The money is shared according to how much each staked in the lottery. Ann is to receive 2 times as much as Chris. Betty is to receive 3 times as much as Chris. How much should each receive? You need to begin by establishing the total number of shares. Begin by allocating 1 share to Chris Ann will then have 2 shares (2 times Chriss share) Betty will receive 3 shares (3 times Chriss share) Thus the total prize is to be shared 6 ways (1+2+3) So one share will be 1200 divided by 6 i.e 200 Chris will receive 200, Ann 400 (2 times Chriss share), and Betty 600 (3 times Chriss share) Check that the shares (200 +400 + 600) total 1200 Different phraseology of this question could be..... 1200 is to be shared out between Chris, Ann and Betty, in the RATIO of 1:2:3 respectively. How much will each receive? Example 2 A school collected money for a new laboratory, using three methods, raffle, sponsored walk and fete. The total collected was 5200 in the ratio of 5:2:3 for each method in the order - raffle, walk, fete. How much did each method raise? i. ii. iii. iv. 5:2:3 expresses the proportions (shares) The total number of shares is 5+2+3 i.e. 10 The total collected was 5200 Each share was 5200/10 i.e. 520
18

v.

The raffle raised 5 shares of 520 i.e. 2600 The walk raised 2 shares of 520 The fete raised 3 shares of 520 i.e. 1040 i.e. 1560 i.e. 5200

vi.

CHECK the total by addition

Try these questions: i. 5 brothers inherit a total of 70000 in the proportions 1:1:2:3:3 How much did each receive? In a darts game Ben scored twice as many points as Alan. Chris scored three times as many as Ben. Doug scored half as many as Chris. The total number of points of the 4 players added together was 480. How many points did each player score?

ii.

Answers on page 29

19

SECTION 7 - NUMERICAL PROGRESSIONS Youll often find progressions (or series as they are sometimes called) in aptitude tests. Typically you are given a series of numbers and asked to fill in the missing ones. Progressions require creative thinking in finding relationships between numbers. The following general tips may help. They are followed by worked examples, designed to illustrate some of the processes involved: i. ii. iii. Begin by writing down the differences between the numbers in the series. Try all the combinations of multiplication, subtraction, addition, division even square roots etc. that could account for the differences. Remember that any series beginning with 0 is unlikely to develop through multiplication or division alone (multiply or divide zero by any number - itll stay zero forever). If differences do not provide a clue, try developing the number itself, by adding, subtracting, multiplying or dividing.

iv.

The following examples illustrate some of the processes involved: Example 1 Which is the next number in the series? 1 differences i.e. 1 11 2 4 22 6 9 33 15 16 44 31 25 55 56

the next difference is therefore 66 (=36) the next number in the series is therefore 56 (66) = 92 Example 2 Which number is missing in the series? 1 differences 1 0 2 1 6 4 24 18 720

the differences do not provide a clue. try on the numbers themselves 1 1 1 2 2 6 3 24 4 720

hence it can be seen that each number is multiplied by numbers that increase by 1. Applying this rule, the next function would be 5 . The missing number is therefore 24 5 i.e. 120. Check the final number. i.e 120 6 i.e. 720.

20

Example 3
If none of the functions ( ) provides the answer, look at other patterns. Which number is missing in the series ? 9 15 23 47 47 23 ..... 9

there is no clue from differences. The mirror pattern is evident either side of Example 4 Look for alternate pattern progression. Which number is missing from the series ?

17

15

13

.....

11

10

The numbers printed bold are the even numbers increasing. The numbers printed in normal type are odd numbers decreasing. Hence the missing number in the series is 8. The inclusion of the odd numbers is merely a distraction. Example 5 Look for functions used alternately in the series. Which number is missing in the series? 6

12

13

26

27

.....

55

The bold numbers are formed by multiplying the previous number by 2 The numbers printed in normal type are formed by adding 1 to the previous number in the series. Hence the missing number is 54 (i.e 27 2). Check the answer with the final number in the series ( i.e 54 1 = 55 ).

21

Example 6
Examine large numbers. Do not assume that they express the whole value. e.g. 124 could express......... One hundred and twenty four

But in series puzzles could also express 1 - 2 - 4 ( i.e without place value ) 12 - 4 (i.e place value only in part ) 1- 24 ( i.e place value only in part ) Which number is next in the series? 124 7 239 14

or or

341

621

1 2 4 =7

2 3 9 = 14

341=8

hence the next number in the series is formed as 6 2 1 = 9 Example 7 Watch the spacing. e.g. i. 2 9 11 7 2 9 6 6 12 5 ... 9

Each triplet applies the rule independently. The spacing provides the clue i.e. 2 9 =11 72=9 6 6 = 12 5 4=9

e.g. ii. Which number is next in the series ? 2 3 5 16 3 1 4 15 623 30 524 .....

2 (3 5) = 16

3 (1 4) = 15

6 (2 3) = 30

5 (2 4) 30

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Example 8 Numbers in a series can sometimes appear at first sight to be fractions. i.e 1/4 1/2 = 3/4

But in series puzzles they may carry no value as fractions, but show instead two series of numbers, one along an imaginary top line and one along the bottom line Which is the missing item in the series? 2/3 2 3 4 5 4/5 6 7 6/7 ... ... .... 10 11 8/9 10/11 12/13

12 are ascending even numbers along the top line 13 are ascending odd numbers along the bottom line

hence the missing item is TRY THESE EXAMPLES Fill in the missing items. i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. vii. viii. ix. x. 0 1 100 2 2 143 721 1/2 0 10 3 1 81 4 3 6 208 3/8 1 7 7 2 ... 10 4 257 361

12 7 49 22 6 10 5..2

18 34 36 42 8 492 901 81/512 15 ..

.. .. 25 .. 12 .. 622

33 1420 16 114 16 761

42

24 0

.. 837

48 2

64

9/32 .. 3 4 7 1

.. 5

63 8

127

Answers on page 29

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SECTION 8 - TABLES Tables are a way of presenting data in an ordinary and precise form, making interpretation easier. Here is the end-of-season league table for the six-team Motor Manufacturers League: Each team has played each opponent twice: once at home and once away. 3 points are awarded for a win. 1 point is awarded for a draw. HOME
Matches Played Won Drawn Lost Goals For Goals Against Won Drawn

AWAY
Lost Goals For Goals Against
POINTS

Rover Rangers Citroen City Austin Albion Toyota Town Opel Orient Wolseley Wanderers

10 10 10 10 10

3 2 2 1 1

2 1 2 1 2

0 2 1 3 2

11 7 8 3 6

4 11 5 8 9

4 3 1 0 1 0

0 0 4 2 2 1

1 2 0 3 2 4

12 7 7 4 6 6

2 6 6 11 7 16

23 11 10 9 6

Substitute the correct figures for the blanks above (it will help you if you write your answers into the table as you complete each question):
1. Citroen City - Matches played:

A
6

B
8

C
10 C 3 C 2 C 2

D
12 D 4 D 3 D 3 D 15 D 7 D 19

E
14 E 5 E 5 E 4 E 17 E 9 E 21

2.

Citroen City Home wins: A B 1 2 Citroen City Home draws: A B 0 1 Citroen City Home losses: A B 0 1

3.

4.

5.

Citroen City Home goals for: A B C 9 11 13 Citroen City Home goals against: A B C 1 3 5 Citroen City Total points: A B 13 15 C 17

6.

7.

24

HOME
Matches Played Won Drawn Lost Goals For Goals Against Won Drawn

AWAY
Lost Goals For Goals Against
POINTS

Rover Rangers Citroen City Austin Albion Toyota Town Opel Orient Wolseley Wanderers

10 10 10 10 10 10

3 3 2 2 1 1

2 1 1 2 1 2

0 1 2 1 3 2

11 13 7 8 3 6

4 5 11 5 8 9

4 3 1 0 1 0

0 0 4 2 2 1

1 2 0 3 2 4

12 7 7 4 6 6

2 6 6 11 7 16

23 19 11 10 9 6

Here are some further questions now the blanks in the table have been filled in. 8. Which team has scored fewest goals? A B C D E Wolseley W Opel O Toyota T Austin A Citroen C 9. Which team has gained the highest proportion of its points from drawn matches? A B C D E Wolseley W Opel O Toyota T Austin A Citroen C Which team has lost fewer matches than the one immediately above it in the table? A B C D E Wolseley W Opel O Toyota T Austin A Citroen C

10.

Answers on page 30

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SECTION 9 - GRAPHS To those unfamiliar with and therefore perhaps fearful of graphs, it is important to bear in mind that they exist to clarify rather than to confuse numbers. Simple graphs of the sort found in numeracy tests should be seized upon as being probably among the easier questions in any paper. They normally require only a careful reading of the question and a confidence in handling the graphically presented data. The following graph shows the number of bikes sold in each month between July and December: SELLING PRICES:
Acme Cycle Shop - Monthly Sales
35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Mountain bikes Racing bikes Folding bikes Children's bikes

Mountain bikes 120 Racing bikes 240 Folding bikes 180 Childrens bikes 60

(The term sales revenue used in the questions below means the sum of the selling prices of the bikes sold during the period in question.)

TRY THESE QUESTIONS: 1. A Jul Which month produced the highest total sales revenue? B C D E Dec Aug Oct Nov

2. Which model generated the highest sales revenue in the month of December? A B C D E Childrens Mountain Folding Racing Insufficient data available 3. Owing to a rationalisation policy, only 3 of the current 4 models will be sold during the same period next year. Predicting on the basis of the current years figures shown above, which model should be dropped in order to have the minimum effect on total profit over the six month period? A B C D E Childrens Mountain Folding Racing Insufficient data available

26

4. In the month of August, approximately what percentage did childrens bikes represent of the total number of bikes sold? A B C D E 2% 5% 7.5% 10% 13%

5. In the month of December, approximately what percentage of sales revenues did the combined sales of folding bikes and childrens bikes represent? A B C D E 11 22 33 39 48

6. The manager considered (and eventually decided against) a discount of 10 on each bike sold during the month of December. On the assumption that this would have resulted in a 25% increase (to the nearest unit) in the number sold of each model, how would the December sales revenue have been affected (approximate percentages): A B C D E Down by 8% Down by 2% No change Up by 8% Up by 15%

Answers on page 31

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ANSWERS
SECTION 1 DECIMALS Question 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 2 decimal places 10.13 15.32 15.52 164.67 8.80 1.80 161.33 1.02 25.68 10.80 22.22 318.75 51.21 2.47 19.53 2.33 83.33 106.38 2 significant figures 10 15 16 160 8.8 1.8 160 1.0 26 11 22 320 51 2.5 20 2.3 83 110

SECTION 2 FRACTIONS 1. 11/15 4. 58/99 7. 7/8 10. 8/15 13. 4/3 16. 7 7/8 = 63/8 19. 2 1/57 = 115/57 22. 6 = 27/4 2. 27/40 5. 26/63 8. 1 7/12 = 19/12 11. 8/27 14. 5/22 17. 11 11/35 = 396/35 20. 25/62 23. 19 8/21 = 407/21 3. 1 7/24 = 31/24 6. 13/24 9. 9 27/40 = 387/40 12 7/15 15. 16/21 18. 16 8/27 = 440/27 21. 10/13 24. 14

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SECTION 4 AVERAGES 1. 4.43 2. 59.11 3. 7 4. 16.5 5. 112.8 6. Group A = 11.9, Group B = 11.6 so the answer is Group A (just!) 7. Overall average = 122/30 = 4.067. Day 1 average = 41/10 = 4.1. Day 2 average = 48/10 = 4.8 Day 3 average = 33/10 = 3.3, so Day 2 has the worst overall average. On Day1, 2 students were more that 5 minutes late, Day2 = 5 students and Day 3 = 1 student so Day 2 is also the day on which most students were more that 5 minutes late. SECTION 5 PERCENTAGES i. ii. iii. iv. 16 2.5% 5/16 5 v. vi. vii. viii. 3.15 243 0.6% 0.0025 ix. x.a x.b x.c 58% 20.781 3958 3%

SECTION 6 RATIOS i. ii. 7,000, 7,000, 14,000, 21,000, 21,000

Alan 40, Ben 80, Chris 240 and Doug 120

SECTION 7 PROGRESSION i. ii. iii. iv. v. 25 203 64 72 32 Differences are +3, +4, +5, +6, +7, +8, +9 Differences are ( 2 1), ( 3 1), ( 4 1) etc. Squares in descending order Differences are Alternate progressions (11) 1, (22) 2, (3 3) 3 etc 3 2, 6 2, 12 2 etc 2 2, 4 2, 8 2 etc 7 5 2, 2 9 4 etc

vi. vii. viii. ix. x.

7 3

Groups of three

3 4 1,

The sum of the figures in each group is 10 Top numbers 3, bottom numbers 4

27/128 31 2

Differences are 2 1 Differences are 3

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SECTION 8 TABLES 1. Since each team has played each other team twice (once home and once away) Citroen City has played a total of 10 matches. The correct answer is C. If you add up the column of home wins the total must be equal to the total of away losses (for each home winner there must be an away loser!) The total of away losses is 12 (1+2+0+3+2+4=12). So the total of home wins must also be 12. Adding up the column we get 3+?+2+2+1+1=12. The correct answer is C. For each team gaining a home draw there must be a team gaining an away draw. So the total of home draws must equal the total of away draws. The correct answer is B. By analogy with (2) above, total of home losses must be equal to the total of away wins: so you can add up the columns and deduce the missing value. More simply at this stage, however, having worked out that the team has played 5 home games and that they won 3 and drew 1 (see questions (2) and (3) above) it is evident that they have lost 1. The correct answer is B.(It is worth checking now that home wins+home losses+home draws=5. Otherwise you have got something wrong) Using similar logic to that in (2) above, it is evident that for each home goal for there must be an away goal against. Adding up the away goals against column we get 2+6+6+11+7+16=48. Thus the home goals for column is 11+?+7+8+3+6=48. The correct answer is C. By analogy with (5) above, total home goals for must equal total away goals against. The correct answer is C. 3 home wins+3 away wins=6x3 points=18 points from wins. 1 home draw=1x1point=1 point from draws. Total=19 points. The correct answer is D. In each row, add up the number of home goals for and away goals for. Opel Orient, with a total of 6+3=9, scored fewest. The correct answer is B. A quick scan of the Home Drawn and Away Drawn columns show that the top 2 teams only had 2 and 1 draws respectively, making the proportion of points from their drawn matches relatively low. They can be ignored. The rest of the table shows Austin Albion with a total of 5 draws (5 points out of a total 11), Toyota Town with a total of 4 draws (4 points out of a total 10), Opel Orient with a total of 3 draws (3 points out of a total 9) and Wolseley Wanderers with a total of 3 draws (3 points out of a total 6). DONT PICK UP YOUR CALCULATOR AT THIS POINT! Wolseley Wanderers have gained 3 out of their 6 points with draws i.e. one half, or 50%. The others (5 out of 11, 4 out of 9 and 3 out of 9) are all proportions less than 50%. The correct answer is A. Add up the Home Lost and Away Lost figures for each team. Austin Albion lost a total of 2 while Citroen City lost a total of 3. The correct answer is D.
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2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

SECTION 9 GRAPHS 1. This one is easy. No calculations at all needed. The sales graphs for the individual models show December as the best sales month for each. Therefore, irrespective of the selling price of each model, the total revenue for the month of December has to be the highest. DO NOT FALL INTO THE TRAP OF CALCULATING WHEN YOU DONT HAVE TO! The correct answer is B Again, dont calculate more than you have to. Notice that the selling prices happen to be multiples of 60 (Childrens 1x60,Mountain 2x60, Folding 3x60, Racing 4x60). Since we are asked here simply to find the highest figure, we dont have to calculate absolute values but simply to compare relative values. Thus we can work in units of 60 rather than in units of 1. This means that we can multiply the number of bikes sold by 1,2,3 or 4 rather than by 60, 120, 180 or 240 to calculate revenues a much simpler task! Notice also that you can take short cuts by eliminating some of the possible answers almost at a glance. For instance, childrens bikes (60) sold 18, generating 18 units of 60. Folding bikes(180) sold 15, generating 15x3=45 units of 60. So you can immediately eliminate childrens bikes. You didnt REALLY have to calculate that: you could see it at a glance. Racing bikes (240) sold 9, each generating 4 units of 60 making around 36 units. This is well below the 45 generated by folding bikes. So folding bikes are still in the lead. Finally, mountain bikes (120) sold 32, each generating 2 units of 60 making around 64 units the clear winner. DONT WASTE TIME BY USING YOUR CALCULATOR UNLESS YOU REALLY NEED IT! The correct answer is B. If you made any calculations AT ALL, you wasted precious time! Nowhere in the data is there any mention of profit - only of selling price. The correct answer is E. First, add up the sales bearing in mind that you cannot be more accurate than the scale of the graph allows. Do dont worry about having to be approximate: Childrens: 3 Racing: 5 Folding: 11 Mountain: 21 TOTAL: 40 Childrens bikes made up 3 out of 40 which is 3/40x100=7.5% (But you probably know that 3/4=75%, so 3/40 must be 7.5%! Again, a calculator should be unnecessary.) The correct answer is C.

2.

3.

4.

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5.

As in question 2, you can work in 60 units rather than in actual prices. Approx number sold Revenue in 60 units Childrens: 18 18x1= 18 Racing: 9 9x4= 36 Folding: 15 15x3= 45 Mountain: 32 32x2= 64 TOTAL: 163 Combined revenue from folding and childrens bikes=45+18=63 units of 60 Percentage of total=63/163x100=38.7% The correct answer is D

6.

WITHOUT DISCOUNT Model Number sold Price Mountain 32 120 Racing 9 240 Folding 15 180 Childrens 18 60 Total WITH DISCOUNT Model Number sold Price Mountain 32+8=40 110 Racing 9+2=11 230 Folding 15+4=19 170 Childens 18+4=22 50 Total Increase in revenue: 11260-9780=1480 % Increase in revenue=1480/9780x100=15.1% The correct answer is E

Revenue 120x32=3840 240x9=2160 180x15=2700 60x18=1080 9780 Revenue 110x40=4400 230x11=2530 170x19=3230 50x22=1100 11260

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If you want to continue developing your numeracy you could try:

Countdown to Mathematics and Mathematics the Basic Skills. Both these books provide clear explanations and plenty of practice examples. GCSE Revision books such as Collins Study and Revision Guide GCSE Mathematics or the BBCs GCSE Maths Revision Guide

If you want more practice with numeracy tests:

Selection of books available from the Careers Service Information Centre: The Numeracy Test Workbook: Intermediate Level Mike Byron How to pass Numeracy Tests: Intermediate Level Harry Tolley and Ken Thomas The Advanced Numeracy Test Workbook: Review key quantative operations and practise for accounting and business tests Mike Byron Test Your Numerical Aptitude: How to assess your Numeracy skills and plan your careers Jim Barrett How to pass Graduate Psychometric Tests: Essential preparation for numerical and verbal ability tests plus personality questionnaires Mike Byron Psychometric Tests for Graduates: Gain the confidence you need to excel at graduatelevel psychometric and management tests Andres Shavick Occupation specific resources: How to Pass the Civil Service qualifying tests: The essential guide for Clerical and Fast Stream applicants Mike Byron How to Pass the New Police Selection system Harry Tolley, Billy Hodge and Catherine Tolley How to pass the Fire-fighter Selection process Mike Byron Passing the UK Clinical Aptitude Test and BMAT Felicity Walker-Buckton, Rosalie Hutton and Glenn Hutton Note: New Information Centre resources are acquired and old Information Centre resources are removed on a regular basis so actual stock items may differ. Search the Careers Catalogue for current resources: www.bris.ac.uk/careers/essentials/heritage/index.asp Online psychometric testing: Current University of Bristol students and graduates can request access to try an online psychometric test. Details of this and other online psychometric test resources are available at: www.bristol.ac.uk/careers/advice/numeracy.asp

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2000 University of Birmingham University of Bristol

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