Tips & Tricks to Solve Time-work Questions in Bank Exams

Time and Work questions are a common type of aptitude test questions that appear in various competitive exams, including bank exams. They test a candidate’s ability to understand and apply mathematical concepts related to work, time, and labour. 

Aspirants wanting to excel in these questions need to have a solid understanding of the basics and an effective strategy to approach these problems. In this article, we will discuss some tips and tricks to solve time and work questions in bank exams with ease and confidence. It os easier to solve aptitude questions, but you need to be cautious, and a single mistake can lead to the deduction of marks and ultimate loss of rank. Therefore, follow these tips and enhance your chances of getting high scores on time and work questions in the bank exam. 

How to efficiently solve Time & work problems in bank exams?

Here are some tips and tricks to help you solve time and work problems in bank exams:

1. Understanding the Concept: It is essential to understand the basic concept of time and work, including the formula: Work = Time x Rate. Aspirants must remember important rules and formulas to enhance their accuracy and speed.
2. Practice: Practice previous year’s questions, sample papers and mock tests for work and time-related problems. The more you practice, the better you’ll become at solving them quickly and accurately.
3. Read and analyse questions carefully: Identify the given information in the problem, such as the number of workers, the time it takes each worker to complete a task, and the rate at which they work.
4. Use Formulas: Remember important formulas and use them to calculate the work done by each worker, and then add up the work done by all the workers to find the total work done.
5. Use the LCM method effectively: To determine If the time taken by different workers to complete a task is different, find the LCM of all the times to determine the time for which the work should be calculated.
6. Make an Assumption: If the problem does not provide the rate at which a worker works, make an assumption about the rate, and use it to solve the problem.
7. Use Cross-multiplication: If the problem involves finding the time taken by a worker to complete a task, use cross-multiplication to find the time.
8. Check Your Answer: Make sure to check your answer to see if it matches the information given in the problem.
9. Avoid calculation mistakes: These numericals might look easy, but they can be wrong at times due to unit and numerical mistakes. Carefully read the question and information to solve the problem.

By following these tips and tricks, you can improve your ability to solve time and work problems in bank exams.

Types of questions related to Time and Work

The basic type of questions which may be asked in the exam with respect to the time and work topic:

• To determine the efficiency of a person
• To find the time taken by an individual to complete piece of work
• To find the time taken by a group of individuals to finish a piece of work
• Total Work done by an individual in a certain time duration at a certain rate
• Amount spent on work done by a group of individuals in a certain time duration

Given below are a few such important time and work formulas for your reference:

• Work Done = Time Taken × Rate of Work
• Rate of Work = 1 / Time Taken
• Time Taken = 1 / Rate of Work
• If a piece of work is done in x number of days, then the work done in one day = 1/x
• Total Work Done = Number of Days × Efficiency
• Efficiency and Time are inversely proportional to each other
• X:Y is the ratio of the number of men who are required to complete a piece of work, then the ratio of the time taken by them to complete the work will be y:x

Tips to solve aptitude questions for bank exams with better speed and accuracy

Here are some tips to solve aptitude questions faster in bank exams:

1. Practice: Practice as many aptitude questions as possible to become familiar with the types of problems and the methods used to solve them.
2. Time Management: Make sure to allocate enough time to each question and don’t spend too much time on a single question.
3. Know the basics: Make sure you have a solid understanding of basic mathematical concepts, such as arithmetic, algebra, and geometry, as they are often used in aptitude questions.
4. Identify the type of problem: Aptitude questions can be of different types, such as problems on time and work, profit and loss, speed and distance, etc. Identifying the type of problem can help you quickly determine the method to solve it.
5. Use shortcuts: Many aptitude questions have shortcuts or faster methods to solve them. Practice these shortcuts and methods to improve your speed in solving such problems.
6. Read the question carefully: Make sure you understand the question and what is being asked before attempting to solve it. This can save time and prevent mistakes.
7. Check your answer: After solving the problem, make sure to check your answer to see if it makes sense and is within the range of possible answers.

By following these tips, you can improve your speed and accuracy in solving aptitude questions in bank exams.

Typically, 2 to 3-word problems are asked from this concept, but applicants must also be prepared to answer questions on data sufficiency and data interpretation based on time and work.

Candidates can check the detailed syllabus for the quantitative aptitude section in the linked article to get a better understanding of the questions asked from the time and work section.

Sample questions on Time and Work

1. A alone can do a piece of work in 5 days, and B alone in 9 days. A and B undertook to do it for Rs. 3500. With the help of C, they completed the work in 4 days. How much is to be paid to C?
2. If 5 men and 10 boys can do a piece of work in 5 days while 10 men and 10 boys can do the same in 2 days, the time taken by 15 men and 20 boys to do the same type of work will be:
3. A contractor is to complete construction work in 20 days. If he employs 20 workers, the work can be completed in 10 days. How many workers must be employed if the contractor wants to complete the work in 5 days?
4. A and B can complete a job in 10 days and 15 days, respectively. They are assisted by C, and together they complete the job in 4 days. How much time will C take to complete the job alone?
5. A and B together can finish a job in 8 days, and B and C together can finish the same job in 12 days. If A, B and C work together, in how many days will they complete the job?
6. A contractor is hired to complete a job in 10 days at a wage rate of Rs. 50 per day. He employs 8 workers, and the job is completed in 6 days. How much is to be paid to each worker?
7. A and B can do a job in 20 days and 30 days, respectively. They start the job together, and after 4 days, B leaves. How many days will it take for A to complete the job?
8. A, B, and C can complete a job in 8 days, 12 days and 15 days, respectively. They are assisted by D, and together they complete the job in 3 days. How much time will D take to complete the job alone?