Ace Your Aptitude Test with these 9 Arithmetic Tips

If you’ve recently submitted a job application and passed the screening round, you may be called upon to complete an arithmetic focused aptitude tests. Aptitude tests are a great way to showcase your relevant skillset to a potential employer. However, most test takers report feeling unprepared to do well. Here are 9 tips to help you ace your upcoming arithmetic aptitude tests.

1. Ace your percentages 1
   Aptitude tests regularly feature percentage calculations, here is a tip you can use to ace percentage-based problems.
   You’ll probably recall from your school days that percent literally means out of 100.

   Let’s say you have to figure out 30 percent of 80. One way to do this is to multiply 30 with 80 and then divide by 100. However, you can also divide each number by 10 and then multiply:
   3 x 8 = 24, so 30% of 80 is 24.

   What if you have to figure out 40 percent of 230?
   4 x 23 = 92

2. Ace your percentages 2
   Another tip that can help you work with percentages is to split the calculation into parts.

   In example, you have to find 35% of 220.

   First find 10%:
   220 / 10 = 22

   Now find 5%:
   22 / 2 = 11

   And now 30%:
   22 x 3 = 66

   Finally, 35%:
   66 + 11 = 77

3. Add numbers faster
   Arithmetic-based tests require speed, which can be hard to do when you’re faced with so many questions. Here is an easier way to add larger numbers, which will help you breeze through your test at an impressive pace.

   Let’s say you are required to add 668 + 346.
   Instead of going through it line by line, as you were taught to in school, consider rounding them up, so 668 becomes 670 and 346 becomes 350.
   Add 670 and 350, which comes to 1020.

   Since we added 2 to 668 and 4 to 346, all you need to do is subtract 1020 by 6, which means the answer to 668 + 346 is 1014.

4. Multiplying by 5
   Some numbers are simply easier to multiply than others, which is certainly the case for 5. How you work it depends on whether your number is odd or even.

   An even number
   For example, if you’re asked to multiply 5 x 6 (which is an even number) then take the 6 and divide it by 2, which will give you the number 3. Add a zero to the number, to the number to find the solution. In this case, the 3 becomes 30, which is the answer for 5 x 6!

   An odd number
   If you’re asked to multiply 5 by an odd number, such as 7, then first you’re going to have to remove one number, so 7 becomes a 6. Divide this number by 2 and add the number five to the answer you got. In this case, 6 becomes a 3, which when a 5 is added becomes 35. Therefore, the answer to 5 x 7 is 35.

5. How to divide quickly
   Division doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, there is a simple clue hidden in numbers that tells you at a glance whether it can be evenly divided or not.
   • If a number ends in 0, it can be divided by 10, 5, and 2.
   • If you can add a number together to get 9, such as 324, it can be evenly divided into 9.
   • If you can add all the digits together and the answer is able to be cleanly divided into 3, then the entire original number is divisible by 3. An example is 243, which when added together is 2+4+3 = 9 which is divisible by three. 243 / 3 = 81.
   • A number is divisible by 5 if the number ends in a 0 or a 5.
   • For numbers ending in multiple zeros, a number with three zeros at the end is divisible by 8 and a number with two zeros is divisible by 4.
6. Quickly multiply by 9
   If you’re required to multiply by nine, remember this handy tip to help speed the calculation along. First, let’s look at an example calculation involving 9, such as 9 x 7.

   First, deduct 1 from the number you’re multiplying, so 7 – 1 = 6. Next subtract 6 from 9, so 9 – 6 = 3. Using the first equation’s answer, the first number in the answer is 6 and the second 3. So 9 x 7 = 63.

   Couldn’t be easier, right?

7. Multiply by 11 faster than ever
   If you are asked to multiply a two digit number by 11, then it would be wise to memorize the following tip:
   Let’s consider the equation 11 x 37.

   All you need to do is take 37 and add the numbers together. So 3 + 7 = 10. Since this is a two digit answer, 10, we need to first insert 0 between 3 and 7, and add 1 to 3.

   Therefore, 11 x 37 = 407
   Magic right?

   For a simpler example, consider 11 x 18. 1 + 8 is 9, which you simply put between 1 and 8 to answer the problem. Therefore, 11 x 18 = 198

8. How to square a number quickly
   If you’re asked to square a two digit number that ends in 5, then consider the following tip which should help you cut down on mental processing time.

   As an example, let’s use the number 75.
   To square 75, multiply the 7 by (7 + 1), so 7 x 8.
   You would have got 56.

   Next, simply add 25 to the end of the number:
   75 squared is 5625.

9. When both numbers end in zero
   If you’re asked to multiply two sets of numbers that end in zero, then follow this process:
   Let’s consider 300 x 800.

   All you need to do is multiply 3 x 8 which is 24.
   Next, migrate the zeros to the end of the equation. In this case, there are 4 0s in total, so the answer will be 240 000.
   How much easier is that method?

Ace that aptitude test!
With practice and memorization, you’re sure to ace that aptitude test. If you need more help, why not consider more in depth math learning, which won’t just help you pass the test. Being able to calculate correct figures in a fast manner is a skill every workplace professional should possess, why not work on your ability today?

Try our free arithmetic test here.