BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem
TTP OnDemand GMAT Video Course
Featured Course

Target Test Prep GMAT OnDemand

Scott Woodbury-Stewart’s private virtual classroom — 400 hours of master-class video lessons for the GMAT Focus Edition.

  • 715+ score guarantee — highest in the industry (99th percentile)
  • 52 chapters · 1,500+ lessons · 4,000+ practice questions
  • 400 hours of video · 1,500+ instructor-led HD smartboard lessons
  • 300,000+ students accepted to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Booth & Sloan & more
  • 24/7 live support + weekly Zoom office hours with GMAT instructors
  • TTP AI Assist — 24/7 AI-powered virtual tutor for instant help
  • 1,200+ flashcards + AI-powered study assistant & daily calendar
  • OnDemand, LiveTeach & GMAT Bootcamp formats available
  • Also: GRE, SAT Math & Executive Assessment courses
  • MBA Admissions Consulting now available
  • 🏆 2025 EdTech Breakthrough Award: Test Prep Solution Provider of the Year
  • 200,000+ students served
  • 5-day free trial — $0 to start, no auto-billing, cancel anytime
★★★★★ 5.0 (559 reviews)
130-pt guarantee
$0 to start then $127/mo
Start Free 5-Day Trial Read 559 Reviews →

Decrease hours to keep income the same

Expert replies
Post new topic Post Reply
Previous Topic Next Topic
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 114
Joined: Tue Mar 24, 2009 9:19 am
Thanked: 1 times
by kobel51 » Tue Mar 18, 2014 8:53 am
A part-time employee whose hourly wage was increased by 25 percent decided to reduce the number of hours worked per week so that the employee's total weekly income would remain unchanged. By what percent should the number of hours worked be reduced?

A) 12.5%

B) 20%

C) 25%

D) 50%

E) 75%
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Source: — Problem Solving |
User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 1052
Joined: Fri May 21, 2010 1:30 amFollowed by: 98 members
Thanked: 335 times

by Patrick_GMATFix » Tue Mar 18, 2014 9:08 am
We can plug in to solve quickly. Suppose we start with wage=$4 and hours=5, making income $20. If wage increase by 25% to $5, hours will drop to 4, a 20% drop.

The answer is B. I go through the question in detail in the full solution below (taken from the GMATFix App).

Image

-Patrick
  • Ask me about tutoring.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 1248
Joined: Thu Mar 29, 2012 2:57 pmFollowed by: 192 members
Location: Everywhere
Thanked: 503 times
GMAT Score:780

by Bill@VeritasPrep » Tue Mar 18, 2014 9:41 am
Patrick_GMATFix wrote:We can plug in to solve quickly. Suppose we start with wage=$4 and hours=5, making income $20. If wage increase by 25% to $5, hours will drop to 4, a 20% drop.
That's how I'd do it. Percent changes with no actual values? Plug in and go!
Join Veritas Prep's 2010 Instructor of the Year, Matt Douglas for GMATT Mondays

Visit the Veritas Prep Blog

Try the FREE Veritas Prep Practice Test
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 359
Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2009 4:37 amFollowed by: 2 members
Location: Kolkata, India
Thanked: 50 times

by Abhishek009 » Tue Mar 18, 2014 10:03 am
kobel51 wrote:A part-time employee whose hourly wage was increased by 25 percent decided to reduce the number of hours worked per week so that the employee's total weekly income would remain unchanged. By what percent should the number of hours worked be reduced?

A) 12.5%

B) 20%

C) 25%

D) 50%

E) 75%

Earlier -

Let hours worked be 10

Hourly wage was 10

Earning = 100


After the increase -

Hourly Wage is 12.50

Earnings = 100

So , Total hours worked now is 100/12.50 =>8 hours.


Decrease in hours worked is ( 2/10 ) *100 % => 20%
Abhishek
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 2095
Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2012 3:22 pmFollowed by: 247 members
Thanked: 1443 times

by ceilidh.erickson » Tue Mar 18, 2014 1:35 pm
Plugging in values is certainly the easiest approach in a case like this, where you have percents but no actual values. If you're interested in what the algebraic approach would look like, though, here it is:

original wage, hours, and income:
w*h = I

increased wage, decreased hours (represented by "x"), and income:
(1.25w)(xh) = I

Substitute wh for I:
(1.25w)(xh) = wh

Divide both sides by wh:
1.25x = 1
x = 0.8

80% of the hours = 20% reduction in hours.
Ceilidh Erickson
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Post new topic Post Reply
• Page 1 of 1