What Time & Work Questions Test
- Individual and combined work rates
- Work with people joining or leaving midway
- Wages divided in ratio of work done
- Pipes and cisterns (filling vs emptying rates)
- Efficiency comparisons (A is twice as fast as B)
Question bank coverage by sub-pattern
How Time & Work Appears in SSC CGL
Time & Work is part of the Quantitative Aptitude section (25% of the SSC CGL syllabus). See the full SSC CGL Tier-I breakdown.
Time & Work Solved Examples for SSC CGL
12 exam-pattern time & work questions from the practice bank, each with a full solution.
A can complete a work in 10 days and B can complete it in 15 days. They start working together, but A leaves after 4 days. How many more days will B take to finish the remaining work?
- A.5 daysCorrect
- B.4 days
- C.6 days
- D.3 days
Solution
LCM(10, 15) = 30 units (total work). A's efficiency = 30/10 = 3 units/day. B's efficiency = 30/15 = 2 units/day. Work done in 4 days (together) = 4 x (3+2) = 20 units. Remaining work = 30 - 20 = 10 units. Time for B alone = 10/2 = 5 days.
A can finish a piece of the work in 16 days and B can finish it in 12 days. They worked together for 4 days and then A left. B finished the remaining work. For how many total number of days did B work to finish the work completely?
- A.6
- B.9
- C.4
- D.8Correct
Solution
A's work per day = 1/16, B's work per day = 1/12. Work done in 4 days = 4(1/16 + 1/12) = 7/12. Remaining work = 5/12. Days for B to finish = (5/12) / (1/12) = 5. Total days B worked = 4 + 5 = 9.
P and Q can complete a project in 15 days and 10 days, respectively. They started doing the work together, but after 2 days, Q had to leave and P alone completed the remaining work. In how many days was the whole work completed?
- A.11Correct
- B.12
- C.13
- D.10
Solution
P's one day work = 1/15. Q's one day work = 1/10. (P+Q)'s one day work = 1/15 + 1/10 = 5/30 = 1/6. Work done in 2 days = 2 * (1/6) = 1/3. Remaining work = 1 - 1/3 = 2/3. Time taken by P to complete 2/3 work = (2/3) / (1/15) = 10 days. Total days = 2 + 10 = 12 days.
A, B and C can do a piece of work in 20, 30 and 60 days, respectively. In how many days can A do the work if he is assisted by both B and C on every third day?
- A.10
- B.15Correct
- C.12
- D.18
Solution
A's 1 day work = 1/20. B's 1 day work = 1/30. C's 1 day work = 1/60. Work done in 2 days = 2/20. Work done on 3rd day = 1/20 + 1/30 + 1/60 = 6/60 = 1/10. Work done in 3 days = 2/20 + 1/10 = 4/20 = 1/5. So, work will be completed in 3*5 = 15 days.
Rajesh in his printing press, got an order to print some books, out of which he completed 17/27 of the order in 34 days, In how many days did he complete the entire order of printing?
- A.54Correct
- B.60
- C.56
- D.20
Solution
If 17/27 of work is done in 34 days, then the entire work will be done in (34 * 27)/17 = 54 days.
Ram and Ramesh can do a work in 12 days, Ramesh and Somesh in 15 days and Somesh and Ram in 10 days. If Ram, Ramesh and Somesh work together, in how many days will they complete the work?
- A.10
- B.8Correct
- C.12
- D.6
Solution
Let R, Ra, and S be the work done by Ram, Ramesh and Somesh in 1 day. R + Ra = 1/12, Ra + S = 1/15, S + R = 1/10. Adding all, 2(R + Ra + S) = 1/12 + 1/15 + 1/10 = (5+4+6)/60 = 15/60 = 1/4. R + Ra + S = 1/8. So, they will complete the work in 8 days.
P, Q and R can complete a piece of work in 9, 12 and 18 days, respectively. Working together, how much work can they complete in one day?
- A.2/3
- B.1/2
- C.1/3
- D.1/4Correct
Solution
P does 1/9 of the work in a day, Q does 1/12, and R does 1/18. Together they do 1/9 + 1/12 + 1/18 = 4/36 + 3/36 + 2/36 = 9/36 = 1/4 of the work in one day.
The ratio of competencies A, B and C is 4: 5: 3. On working together, all three of them complete work in 25 days. In how many days will both A and C together complete 35% of the work?
- A.18 days
- B.15 days
- C.12 days
- D.10 daysCorrect
Solution
A, B, C efficiencies are 4, 5, 3. Total work = (4+5+3)*25 = 300. A and C efficiency = 7. 35% of work = 105. Days = 105/7 = 15 days.
Benny can do a piece of work in 24 days. Chethan and David can do the same work individually in 36 and 48 days, respectively. All of them begin the work together. However, Benny leaves the work 4 days before the completion of work and Chethan leaves the work 10 days before the completion of the work. David worked till the end and completed the work. Find the number of days in which the work was completed.
- A.16Correct
- B.20
- C.18
- D.15
Solution
Let the total number of days be x. (x-10)/36 + (x-4)/24 + x/48 = 1. Multiplying by 144, 4(x-10) + 6(x-4) + 3x = 144. 4x - 40 + 6x - 24 + 3x = 144. 13x = 208. x = 16.
A can finish a work in 20 days and B can finish the same work in 25 days. They began together, but B left the work after 5 days. How many more days will A take to finish the remaining work?
- A.11Correct
- B.8
- C.16
- D.21
Solution
A's work per day = 1/20, B's work per day = 1/25. 5(1/20 + 1/25) + x/20 = 1 => x = 11.
Fill pipe P is 21 times faster than fill pipe Q. If Q can fill a cistern in 110 minutes, find the time it takes to fill the cistern when both fill pipes are opened together.
- A.3 minutes
- B.5 minutesCorrect
- C.4 minutes
- D.6 minutes
Solution
P fills 21 times faster than Q. Q takes 110 minutes. Together, they fill in approximately 5 minutes.
Rajesh can complete a piece of work in 20 days, and Meena can complete the same work in 60 days. If they work together, in how many days will the work be completed?
- A.13.0 days
- B.19.0 days
- C.17.0 days
- D.15 daysCorrect
Solution
Rajesh's 1-day work = 1/20. Meena's 1-day work = 1/60. Combined 1-day work = 1/20 + 1/60 = (3 + 1)/60 = 4/60. Total days required = 60/4 = 15 days.
Time & Work — Frequently Asked Questions
What is the LCM method in time & work?
Assume the total work equals the LCM of the given days, so each person's one-day work becomes a whole number. It replaces fraction arithmetic and is the standard approach for exam-pattern questions.
How are pipes-and-cisterns questions different?
They are time & work with a negative worker: an emptying pipe subtracts its rate. Everything else — LCM totals, combined rates — works identically.
How many Time & Work practice questions does Parikshala have for SSC CGL?
22 exam-pattern Time & Work questions for SSC CGL Quantitative Aptitude, each with a step-by-step solution. Practice is free — no sign-up needed to start.