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ASVAB Practice Test · Arithmetic Reasoning

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ASVAB Practice Test Arithmetic Word Problems Summary

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★★★★★ (5 / 5)
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About 15 of 15 Arithmetic Reasoning questions (100%)

Word problems with rates, percents, ratios, averages, time, money, and simple interest.

📖 See Arithmetic Word Problems concepts →

Arithmetic Word Problems: must-know points

  • Distance = rate x time.
  • Average = total / number of items.

Arithmetic Word Problems: 10 sample questions

Practice questionReviewedArithmetic Reasoning › Arithmetic Word Problems★★★★★

Question 1. A warehouse worker earns $18 per hour. How much does the worker earn for a 40-hour week?

  1. ① $760
  2. ② $720
  3. ③ $58
  4. ④ $680
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Answer: ② $720

Key point: Pay = hourly rate x hours

  1. Multiply the hourly pay by the hours worked.
  2. $18 x 40 = $720.

Check: $720 divided by 40 hours = $18 per hour.

Wrong choices

  • (A) $760: $760 is 40 hours at $19, not $18.
  • (C) $58: $58 comes from adding 18 and 40 instead of multiplying.
  • (D) $680: $680 is 40 hours at $17, not $18.
Practice questionReviewedArithmetic Reasoning › Arithmetic Word Problems★★★★★

Question 2. A truck drives at a steady 55 miles per hour for 4 hours. How far does it travel?

  1. ① 230 miles
  2. ② 220 miles
  3. ③ 59 miles
  4. ④ 200 miles
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Answer: ② 220 miles

Key point: Distance = rate x time

  1. Distance = speed x time.
  2. 55 x 4 = 220 miles.

Check: 220 miles / 4 hours = 55 miles per hour.

Wrong choices

  • (A) 230 miles: 230 miles is 10 miles too many; 55 x 4 is 220.
  • (C) 59 miles: 59 comes from adding 55 and 4.
  • (D) 200 miles: 200 miles would be 50 miles per hour for 4 hours.
Practice questionReviewedArithmetic Reasoning › Arithmetic Word Problems★★★★★

Question 3. On four safety quizzes, a worker scored 82, 90, 76, and 88. What is the worker's average score?

  1. ① 86
  2. ② 84
  3. ③ 85
  4. ④ 82
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Answer: ② 84

Key point: Average = total / number of items

  1. Add the scores: 82 + 90 + 76 + 88 = 336.
  2. Divide by the number of quizzes: 336 / 4 = 84.

Check: 84 x 4 = 336.

Wrong choices

  • (A) 86: 86 is the middle of 82 and 90 only, ignoring the other scores.
  • (C) 85: 85 is not the average; 85 x 4 = 340, not 336.
  • (D) 82: 82 is just the first score, not the average.
Practice questionReviewedArithmetic Reasoning › Arithmetic Word Problems★★★★★

Question 4. A jacket regularly priced at $80 is on sale for 25% off. What is the sale price?

  1. ① $75
  2. ② $60
  3. ③ $55
  4. ④ $20
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Answer: ② $60

Key point: Sale price = price - (percent off x price)

  1. Find the discount: 25% of $80 = 0.25 x 80 = $20.
  2. Subtract: $80 - $20 = $60.

Check: $60 is 75% of $80, since 0.75 x 80 = 60.

Wrong choices

  • (A) $75: $75 subtracts only $5.
  • (C) $55: $55 subtracts $25 instead of 25% of $80.
  • (D) $20: $20 is the amount of the discount, not the sale price.
Practice questionReviewedArithmetic Reasoning › Arithmetic Word Problems★★★★★

Question 5. The price of a box of nails went up from $40 to $50. By what percent did the price increase?

  1. ① 20%
  2. ② 25%
  3. ③ 125%
  4. ④ 10%
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Answer: ② 25%

Key point: Percent change = change / original x 100

  1. Find the change: $50 - $40 = $10.
  2. Divide by the original price: $10 / $40 = 0.25.
  3. 0.25 = 25%.

Check: 25% of $40 is $10, and $40 + $10 = $50.

Wrong choices

  • (A) 20%: 20% divides by the new price ($50) instead of the original ($40).
  • (C) 125%: 125% is the new price as a percent of the old one, not the increase.
  • (D) 10%: 10 is the dollar change, not the percent.
Practice questionReviewedArithmetic Reasoning › Arithmetic Word Problems★★★★★

Question 6. A pack of 12 water bottles costs $9. What is the cost of one bottle?

  1. ① $0.70
  2. ② $1.33
  3. ③ $0.75
  4. ④ $0.80
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Answer: ③ $0.75

Key point: Unit price = total cost / number of items

  1. Divide the total cost by the number of bottles.
  2. $9 / 12 = $0.75.

Check: 12 x $0.75 = $9.00.

Wrong choices

  • (A) $0.70: 12 x $0.70 = $8.40, not $9.
  • (B) $1.33: $1.33 comes from dividing 12 by 9, which is backward.
  • (D) $0.80: 12 x $0.80 = $9.60, not $9.
Practice questionReviewedArithmetic Reasoning › Arithmetic Word Problems★★★★★

Question 7. Three coworkers split a $57 lunch bill equally. How much does each person pay?

  1. ① $18
  2. ② $17
  3. ③ $19
  4. ④ $21
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Answer: ③ $19

Key point: Equal share = total / number of people

  1. Divide the bill by the number of people.
  2. $57 / 3 = $19.

Check: 3 x $19 = $57.

Wrong choices

  • (A) $18: 3 x $18 = $54, which is $3 short.
  • (B) $17: 3 x $17 = $51, which is too little.
  • (D) $21: 3 x $21 = $63, which is too much.
Practice questionReviewedArithmetic Reasoning › Arithmetic Word Problems★★★★★

Question 8. A carpenter cuts a 12-foot board into pieces that are each 1.5 feet long. How many pieces does she get?

  1. ① 9
  2. ② 8
  3. ③ 18
  4. ④ 6
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Answer: ② 8

Key point: Number of pieces = total length / piece length

  1. Divide the board length by the length of each piece.
  2. 12 / 1.5 = 8 pieces.

Check: 8 x 1.5 = 12 feet.

Wrong choices

  • (A) 9: 9 pieces of 1.5 feet would need 13.5 feet of board.
  • (C) 18: 18 comes from multiplying 12 by 1.5 instead of dividing.
  • (D) 6: 6 pieces would each be 2 feet long.
Practice questionReviewedArithmetic Reasoning › Arithmetic Word Problems★★★★★

Question 9. Dan had $250 in his checking account. He deposited $125, then wrote two checks for $80 and $64. What is his balance now?

  1. ① $519
  2. ② $295
  3. ③ $311
  4. ④ $231
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Answer: ④ $231

Key point: Add deposits, subtract checks

  1. Add the deposit: $250 + $125 = $375.
  2. Add the checks: $80 + $64 = $144.
  3. Subtract: $375 - $144 = $231.

Check: $231 + $144 - $125 = $250, the starting balance.

Wrong choices

  • (A) $519: $519 adds the checks instead of subtracting them.
  • (B) $295: $295 subtracts only the $80 check and forgets the $64 check.
  • (C) $311: $311 subtracts only the $64 check and forgets the $80 check.
Practice questionReviewedArithmetic Reasoning › Arithmetic Word Problems★★★★★

Question 10. A recipe uses 3 cups of flour to make 24 cookies. How many cups of flour are needed to make 60 cookies?

  1. ① 7 cups
  2. ② 7.5 cups
  3. ③ 6 cups
  4. ④ 8 cups
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Answer: ② 7.5 cups

Key point: Scale a recipe with a proportion

  1. Find how many batches 60 cookies is: 60 / 24 = 2.5 batches.
  2. Multiply the flour: 3 x 2.5 = 7.5 cups.

Check: 7.5 cups / 60 cookies = 0.125 cup each, and 3 / 24 = 0.125 cup each too.

Wrong choices

  • (A) 7 cups: 7 cups would make only 56 cookies.
  • (C) 6 cups: 6 cups would make only 48 cookies.
  • (D) 8 cups: 8 cups would make 64 cookies.

Test yourself.

Arithmetic Word Problems: 5 questions →Arithmetic Reasoning: 5 questions →