SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 19 September 2025, Shift 1 · Quantitative Aptitude · Question 7 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 11 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.

Sarah lent ₹12000 to John on 10 January 2024 at a simple interest rate of 6% per annum. John plans to pay back the entire amount on 10 July 2024. What is the total amount John needs to return?

(a)₹12300
(b)₹12360
(c)₹12400
(d)₹12420

Answer

Why

Correct — B.
Count the time: 10 January to 10 July 2024 = 6 months = 1⁄2 year

Interest for a full year: 6% of 12,000 = ₹720
Interest for half a year: 720 × 1⁄2 = ₹360

Amount = principal + interest: 12,000 + 360 = ₹12,360 → option (b)

Why the others are wrong

(a)
₹12300 — ₹12300 carries ₹300 of interest, which is 5 months at ₹60 a month. From 10 January to 10 July is 6 months, so the interest is ₹360.
(c)
₹12400 — ₹12400 carries ₹400 of interest, which is not a whole number of months at ₹60 a month. Six months give ₹360.
(d)
₹12420 — ₹12420 carries ₹420, which is 7 months at ₹60 a month, the count you get by taking January and July both as whole months. The loan runs 10th to 10th, 6 months.

Concept

Simple interest = P × R × T ⁄ 100, with T in years. When a loan runs between two dates, find T first.

Here the loan starts and ends on the 10th, so count whole months: January to July is 6 months, which is half a year. At 6% a year, each month adds 0.5% of ₹12,000 = ₹60.

Counting exact days gives 182 days (2024 is a leap year), and 182⁄366 of a year earns about ₹358, which matches no option. The key counts calendar months.

Key facts

SI = P × R × T ⁄ 100, with T in years
6 months = 1⁄2 year
₹12,000 at 6% earns ₹720 a year, or ₹60 a month
2024 is a leap year, with 29 days in February

Study next

Simple interest for a period given in daysFinding the rate or the time from the amountSimple and compound interest on the same sum and period

Common traps

Counting January to July inclusive as 7 months
Stopping at the interest, ₹360, when the question asks for the total amount

12 Sep 2024, 16:00, Quant Q.5 also runs simple interest over months: ₹6,700 for 13 months at 12% a year, keyed ₹871 (13⁄12 of a year).

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Interest — all 58 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.