Ohio Civil Service Mathematical Reasoning Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A state agency is purchasing new office chairs listed at a total price of $450.00. The supplier offers a 15% discount, but a 7% sales tax is applied to the discounted price. What is the final cost to the agency?
- $414.00
- $409.28 (Correct answer)
- $382.50
- $481.50
Correct answer: $409.28
First, calculate the discount: $450.00 * 0.15 = $67.50. Subtract the discount from the original price: $450.00 - $67.50 = $382.50. This is the taxable amount. Next, calculate the sales tax on the discounted price: $382.50 * 0.07 = $26.775, which rounds to $26.78. Finally, add the tax to the discounted price: $382.50 + $26.78 = $409.28.
Question 2: An employee at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles can process 75 license renewals per hour. If they work at a consistent pace, how many renewals can they complete in 40 minutes?
- 75
- 113
- 40
- 50 (Correct answer)
Correct answer: 50
First, determine the employee's rate per minute by dividing the hourly rate by 60 minutes: 75 renewals / 60 minutes = 1.25 renewals per minute. Then, multiply this rate by the number of minutes worked: 1.25 * 40 minutes = 50 renewals. Alternatively, recognize that 40 minutes is 2/3 of an hour. Calculate 2/3 of 75: (2/3) * 75 = 50.
Question 3: A city's annual budget of $120,000 is to be allocated among the Parks, Streets, and Safety departments in a ratio of 3:5:4, respectively. How much money is allocated to the Streets department?
- $50,000 (Correct answer)
- $30,000
- $40,000
- $24,000
Correct answer: $50,000
First, find the total number of parts in the ratio: 3 + 5 + 4 = 12 parts. Next, divide the total budget by the total number of parts to find the value of one part: $120,000 / 12 = $10,000 per part. The Streets department is allocated 5 parts, so multiply the value of one part by 5: $10,000 * 5 = $50,000.
Question 4: Which of the following numbers should come next in the series: 5, 8, 14, 26, 50, ___?
- 74
- 82
- 98 (Correct answer)
- 100
Correct answer: 98
The pattern is based on adding a number that doubles with each step. The difference between 8 and 5 is 3. The difference between 14 and 8 is 6 (3*2). The difference between 26 and 14 is 12 (6*2). The difference between 50 and 26 is 24 (12*2). The next difference should be 24 * 2 = 48. Therefore, the next number in the series is 50 + 48 = 98.
Question 5: A county office tracked the number of permits it issued over a four-month period: January (1,250), February (1,100), March (1,400), and April (1,350). What was the average number of permits issued per month during this time?
- 1,275 (Correct answer)
- 1,300
- 5,100
- 1,250
Correct answer: 1,275
To find the average, first sum the total number of permits issued: 1,250 + 1,100 + 1,400 + 1,350 = 5,100. Then, divide the total by the number of months (4): 5,100 / 4 = 1,275. The average number of permits issued per month is 1,275.
Question 6: A rectangular conference room measures 21 feet by 30 feet. If new carpeting costs $18 per square yard, what will be the total cost to carpet the room?
- $11,340
- $3,780
- $1,260 (Correct answer)
- $630
Correct answer: $1,260
First, calculate the area of the room in square feet: 21 feet * 30 feet = 630 square feet. Next, convert the area to square yards. Since 1 yard = 3 feet, 1 square yard = 3 feet * 3 feet = 9 square feet. Divide the area in square feet by 9: 630 / 9 = 70 square yards. Finally, calculate the total cost by multiplying the area in square yards by the price per square yard: 70 sq yd * $18/sq yd = $1,260.
