CAT Profit, Loss and Discount questions with solutions
Cost price, selling price, margin and discount problems. 42 questions from our 2016–2025 CAT pattern papers. Each has the answer and a full solution.
CAT 2025
- A shopkeeper marks an item 40% above its cost price of ₹500 and then offers a 15% discount on the marked price.
- A trader marks up his cost price by 40% and then offers a 25% discount on the marked price.
- A dealer sells two items, each for ₹1,200. On the first he makes a profit of 20%, and on the second he incurs a loss of 20%. Find his overall loss or…
- A trader marks up his goods by 25% over cost price and offers customers a 20% discount on the marked price. However, he uses a faulty weighing scale…
CAT 2024
CAT 2023
- A shopkeeper marks an article 40% above its cost price and then offers a discount of 15% on the marked price.
- A wholesaler marks his goods 45% above the cost price and then allows two successive discounts of 20% and 10%.
- A trader marks his goods 40% above the cost price and then offers two successive discounts of 10% and 5%.
- A shopkeeper marks his goods 25% above the cost price and then allows a discount of 12% on the marked price to a customer.
- A dishonest shopkeeper uses a weight of 800 g instead of 1 kg while selling rice at the cost price.
CAT 2022
- A shopkeeper marks an article at ₹2400. He offers successive discounts of 15% and 10% on it. If, after these discounts, he still earns a profit of…
- A shopkeeper marks the price of an article 40% above its cost price. He then offers two successive discounts of 10% and 5% on the marked price. What…
- A dealer sells two items at ₹2400 each. On the first he makes a profit of 20% and on the second he incurs a loss of 20%. What is his overall…
- A shopkeeper marks his goods 25% above the cost price and offers a discount of 20% on the marked price. However, while selling, he uses a weight of…
- A trader buys two items for a total of ₹9,600. He sells the first at a profit of 20% and the second at a loss of 10%, and on the whole transaction…
CAT 2021
- A trader buys 80 pens at ₹15 each. He sells 50 of them at a profit of 20% and the remaining 30 at a loss of 10%. What is his overall profit…
- A trader sold two watches for ₹1,980 each. On one he gained 10% and on the other he lost 10%. What was his overall loss, in rupees?
- A shopkeeper buys an article for ₹2,000, marks it 30% above the cost price, and sells it at a discount of 10% on the marked price.
- A trader sells two articles at the same selling price. On the first he gains 25% and on the second he loses 20%. On the whole transaction he makes
- A dishonest shopkeeper professes to sell his goods at cost price, but he uses a weight of 800 grams for every 1,000 grams (1 kg) he claims to sell.
- A trader buys 120 kg of rice at ₹40 per kg. He sells one-third of it at a profit of 20% and one-fourth of it at a loss of 10%. At what price (in ₹…
CAT 2020
- A trader marks his goods 40% above the cost price and allows a discount of 15% on the marked price. In addition, he uses a weight of 900 g in place…
- An article is sold at a loss of 12%. Had it been sold for ₹300 more, there would have been a profit of 8%. What is the cost price (in ₹)?
- A trader buys two chairs for a total of ₹2,400. He sells one at a profit of 20% and the other at a loss of 10%, making neither a profit nor a loss…
- A trader marks his goods 35% above the cost price and allows a discount of 10% on the marked price. In addition, he uses a faulty weight so that he…
CAT 2019
- A trader lists a product at 60% above its cost price. He offers a first discount of 15% on the listed price, followed by a second discount of y% on…
- A dishonest trader uses a weight of 900 g in place of 1 kg and sells his goods at 5% below the cost price. What is his profit or loss percentage?
- A trader marks his goods 40% above cost price and allows a discount of 15% on the marked price. In addition, he uses a false weight that measures 850…
CAT 2018
- A trader marks his goods 50% above the cost price and then allows two successive discounts of 10% and 4% on the marked price.
- A dishonest trader claims to sell rice at cost price, but uses a weight of 800 g in place of 1 kg. He also offers a 5% discount on the cost price to…
- A trader marks his goods 40% above cost price and then allows two successive discounts of 10% and 5%.
- A dishonest grocer uses a weight of 880 g in place of 1 kg and also charges 10% more than the cost price.
CAT 2017
- A trader marks an item 25% above cost price, then allows successive discounts of 8% and 5% on the marked price.
- A dishonest dealer uses a weight of 900 g in place of 1 kg. He also sells his goods at 5% below the cost price. What is his overall profit or loss…
- A trader marks an item 50% above cost price, then allows successive discounts of 10% and 4% on the marked price. (Enter the value correct to one…
- A dishonest shopkeeper uses a weight of 900 g in place of 1 kg and also sells his goods at 10% above the cost price.
CAT 2016
- A shopkeeper marks an article 40% above its cost price and then allows two successive discounts of 10% and 15% on the marked price. His profit…
- A trader buys 120 kg of rice at ₹40 per kg. He sells 40% of it at a profit of 20% and 35% of it at a loss of 10%. At what price (in ₹ per kg) must he…
- A dishonest shopkeeper uses a weight of 900 g in place of 1 kg. He also marks his goods 20% above the cost price and allows a 10% discount on the…
- A shopkeeper marks his goods 40% above the cost price and then allows two successive discounts of 10% and 5% on the marked price. (Enter the answer…
- A trader sells two articles for Rs 990 each. On one he gains 10% and on the other he loses 10%. What is his overall result?
Other Quant topics
Time, Speed and Distance 38Time and Work 23Pipes and Cisterns 11Simple and Compound Interest 33Mixtures and Alligation 35Ratio and Partnership 17Percentages 30Averages 19Permutations, Combinations and Sets 28Probability 20Logarithms and Indices 16Quadratic Equations and Polynomials 18Linear Equations 9Inequalities and Modulus 19Functions 22Maxima and Minima 11Progressions 29Remainders and Divisibility 15Number System 19Coordinate Geometry 29Triangles 24Circles 18Polygons and Quadrilaterals 12Mensuration 13