SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 18 September 2025, Shift 1 · Quantitative Aptitude · Question 8 of 100

We transcribed this text from the pictures on a candidate's response sheet for this shift; the answer is the key SSC colour-marked on that sheet. Solution last reviewed 13 September 2026.

Where this paper and its answers come from

SSC does not publish CGL question papers or a public answer key. From 2025 the candidate response sheet prints every question and option as a picture, so the text here is transcribed from those pictures for this shift and checked against them independently; where the layout carries meaning, the picture is shown as well. Each answer is the key SSC colour-marked on that sheet. SSC released a tentative key for challenge and later its final one, both only to candidates behind a login, and the sheet does not say which of the two it carries. The solutions are written by UnlockIAS.

C borrowed ₹6000 from D on 15 March 2023 at a simple interest rate of 10% per annum. C decided to repay the loan on 15 September 2023. How much total amount must C return to D?

(a)₹6300
(b)₹6500
(c)₹5400
(d)₹5800

Answer

Why

Correct — A. Count the time in years, then add simple interest to the principal.

Time: 15 March to 15 September = 6 months = 1⁄2 year
A year's interest: 10% of 6000 = ₹600
Half a year: 600 × 1⁄2 = ₹300

Amount: 6000 + 300 = ₹6300 → option (a)

Why the others are wrong

(b)
₹6500 — ₹6500 adds ₹500 of interest, which is 10% on ₹6000 for 10 months. The loan ran 6 months, 15 March to 15 September.
(c)
₹5400 — ₹5400 is below the ₹6000 borrowed. Interest is added to the principal, and 6000 − 600 takes a full year's interest away instead.
(d)
₹5800 — ₹5800 is less than the principal. Any positive interest makes the amount exceed ₹6000, so it cannot be the repayment.

Concept

Simple interest is charged on the original principal alone: SI = P × R × T ⁄ 100, with T in years.

The amount repaid is principal + interest, so it always exceeds the sum borrowed.

When both dates fall on the same day of the month, count whole months and divide by 12: 15 March to 15 September is 6 months, so T = 6⁄12.

Counting the exact 184 days as 184⁄365 of a year would give ₹302.47 of interest. The key, ₹6300, uses 6 months = 1⁄2 year, which gives exactly ₹300.

Key facts

SI = P × R × T ⁄ 100, with T in years.
Amount = principal + simple interest.
15 March to 15 September is 6 months, or 184 days.

Study next

Simple interest for periods given in months or daysFinding the rate when principal, time and amount are knownCompound interest compounded half-yearly over the same period

Common traps

Counting March to September inclusive as 7 months instead of 6.
Putting T = 6 into the formula instead of 6⁄12, which gives ₹3600 of interest.

The same dated-loan build is also asked 19 Sep 2025, 09:00, Quant Q.7: ₹12000 at 6% from 10 January to 10 July 2024 is half a year, so the interest is ₹360 and the amount ₹12360.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Interest — all 82 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.