Alex paid a $12 fee to receive a 10% discount off of the list price on all

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BTGModeratorVI: Legendary Member; Posts: 1223; Joined: Sat Feb 15, 2020 2:23 pm; Followed by:1 members

Alex paid a $12 fee to receive a 10% discount off of the list price on all

by BTGModeratorVI » Thu Jul 23, 2020 6:37 am

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Alex paid a $12 fee to receive a 10% discount off of the list price on all books he bought in a six-month period. Victor paid a $15 fee to receive a 15% discount off of the list price on all books he bought in the same period. If each bought books with a total list price of b during that period and each paid the same net amount, including the discount and the fee, what is b ?

A. $54
B. $60
C. $66
D. $100
E. $120

Answer: B
Source: Princeton Review

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Problem Solving | Thu Jul 23, 2020 6:37 am

GMAT/MBA Expert

Jay@ManhattanReview: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 3008; Joined: Mon Aug 22, 2016 6:19 am; Location: Grand Central / New York; Thanked: 470 times; Followed by:34 members

Re: Alex paid a $12 fee to receive a 10% discount off of the list price on all

by Jay@ManhattanReview » Thu Jul 23, 2020 9:26 pm

BTGModeratorVI wrote: ↑
Thu Jul 23, 2020 6:37 am
Alex paid a $12 fee to receive a 10% discount off of the list price on all books he bought in a six-month period. Victor paid a $15 fee to receive a 15% discount off of the list price on all books he bought in the same period. If each bought books with a total list price of b during that period and each paid the same net amount, including the discount and the fee, what is b ?

A. $54
B. $60
C. $66
D. $100
E. $120

Answer: B
Source: Princeton Review

For Alex, total bill = 12 + (100 – 10)% of b = 12 + 0.9b;
For Victor, total bill = 15 + (100 – 15)% of b = 15 + 0.85b;

=> 12 + 0.9b = 15 + 0.85b

b = $60

Correct answer: B

Hope this helps!

-Jay
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Manhattan Review GMAT Prep

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GMAT/MBA Expert

Brent@GMATPrepNow: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 16207; Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:26 pm; Location: Vancouver, BC; Thanked: 5254 times; Followed by:1268 members; GMAT Score:770

Re: Alex paid a $12 fee to receive a 10% discount off of the list price on all

by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Fri Jul 24, 2020 8:35 am

BTGModeratorVI wrote: ↑
Thu Jul 23, 2020 6:37 am
Alex paid a $12 fee to receive a 10% discount off of the list price on all books he bought in a six-month period. Victor paid a $15 fee to receive a 15% discount off of the list price on all books he bought in the same period. If each bought books with a total list price of b during that period and each paid the same net amount, including the discount and the fee, what is b ?

A. $54
B. $60
C. $66
D. $100
E. $120

Answer: B
Source: Princeton Review

IMPORTANT:
If Alex received a 10% discount, then Alex PAID 90% of the cost of the books
If Victor received a 15% discount, then Victor PAID 85% of the cost of the books

Start with a word equation

Total amount Alex paid = Total amount Victor paid
We get: $12 + 90% of b = $15 + 85% of b
Rewrite as: $12 + (0.9)(b) = $15 + (0.85)(b)
Eliminate decimals by multiplying both sides by 100 to get: 1200 + 90b = 1500 + 85b
Subtract 1200 from both sides: 90b = 300 + 85b
Subtract 85b from both sides: 5b = 300
Solve: b = 60

Answer: B

Cheers,
Brent

Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com

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GMAT/MBA Expert

Scott@TargetTestPrep: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 8086; Joined: Sat Apr 25, 2015 10:56 am; Location: Los Angeles, CA; Thanked: 43 times; Followed by:29 members

Re: Alex paid a $12 fee to receive a 10% discount off of the list price on all

by Scott@TargetTestPrep » Sun Jul 26, 2020 8:53 am

BTGModeratorVI wrote: ↑
Thu Jul 23, 2020 6:37 am
Alex paid a $12 fee to receive a 10% discount off of the list price on all books he bought in a six-month period. Victor paid a $15 fee to receive a 15% discount off of the list price on all books he bought in the same period. If each bought books with a total list price of b during that period and each paid the same net amount, including the discount and the fee, what is b ?

A. $54
B. $60
C. $66
D. $100
E. $120

Answer: B