Concepts of Solving Problem Based On Ages

Introduction-

Some questions are given in competitive exams which are based on

ages so; here we represented some examples which will be helpful to
solve these types of questions.

Problems on Ages – Concept and Basics

The problems based on age asked in the quantitative aptitude section are kind of brain teasers
which when read at first may seem to be complex but when solved step by step are easy to answer.
Questions from this section mostly are asked for 2-3 marks but there are chances of age-based
questions being asked as a part of the Data Sufficiency or data interpretation. So it is important that
the concept is clear to each and every candidate.
As the name suggests, the questions are word problems based on the ages of the people. They may
be asked in equation form or direct form.

Tips and Tricks to Solve Problems on Ages

Candidates who are not much familiar with the concept and tend to either skip the age problems or
answer them incorrectly can refer to the tips given below. These tips may help you answer the
question following a set pattern and then finding the answer.

1. The most important thing is to read the question carefully and gradually form the equation
which shall help you answer the question
2. Basic things like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division will help a candidate reach
the answer and no complicated calculations are required to answer such questions
3. Arrange the values given by placing them correctly in an equation by giving variables to the
unknown values
4. Once the equation has been formed, solve the equation to find the answer
5. The final step is to recheck the answer obtained by placing it in the equation formed to
ensure that no error has been made while calculating

The problems on ages is one such topic which is not just asked in the first or the preliminary phase
of examination but questions from this topic may also be asked in the mains phase of examination in
a rather complex manner.

Important Formulas
Given below are a few formulas related to the Problems on ages which may help to answer the
questions quicker and also get a better idea of the concept:

 If you are assuming the current age to be x, then the age after n years will be (x+n) years
 If you are assuming the current age to be x, then the age before n years will be (x-n) years
 If the age is given in the form of a ratio, for example, p:q, then the age shall be considered as
qx and px
 If you are assuming the current age to be x, then n times the current age will be (x×n) years
 If you are assuming the current age to be x, then 1/n of the age shall be equal to (x/n) years
The above-mentioned tricks shall help you crack the equation easily and more efficiently.

Example: The ratio of present age of A & B is 2: 3 the present age of A is

30 years. Find the age of B after 5 years?
Answer:

Step 1: A: B present age ratio is 2: 3 and A = 30 years.

Step 2: B present age is 30 / 2 x 3 = 45 years.
Step 3: B age after 5 years is 45 + 5 = 50 years.

Example: Vineet is as younger to Garima as Vineet is older to Devyani .

If the sum of the ages of Garima & Devyani is 58 years. What is Vineet
age?
Answer:

Step 1: G – V = V – D
Step 2: G + D = 2V
Step 3: 58 = 2V
Step 4: V = 29 years

Example:
Ayush and Vivek are 50 years old and 70 years old respectively. How
many years before was the ratio of their ages 3: 5?
Answer:
Their ratio was 3 : 5 , t years before ,
So, 50 – t / 70 – t = 3 / 5
5 ( 50 – t ) = 3 ( 70 – t )
250 – 5t = 210 – 3t
2t = 40
t = 20 years.

Example:
At present, Robin is 28 years old and Reshma is 12 years old. In how
many years will Robin be twice as old as Reshma?
Answer:
Let Robin be twice as old as Reshma in x years .

Then, (28 + x) = 2 (12 + x)

28 + x = 24 + 2x
x = 4 years .

Example:
Ratio of ages of Meena & Neeta 4 years ago was 3 : 5. If the sum of
present ages of Meena & Neeta is 64 years than, Find the present ages
of Meena & Neeta.
Answer:
Let the ages is Meena & Neeta 4 years ago are 3x and 5x.
Hence,( 3x + 4 )+( 5x + 4 ) = 64 years,
= 8x + 8 = 64, = 8x = 56, x = 7. (We get the value of x).
So the age of Meena, 4 years ago = 7 x 3 = 21years,
and the age of Neeta, 4 years ago = 7 x 5 = 35 years.
Now the present age of Meena is = (21 + 4) = 25 years,
and present age of Neeta is = ( 35 + 4) = 39 years.

Example:
At present , the ratio between the ages of Anil and Anu is 4 : 3 . After 4
years , Anil’s age will be 24 years . What is the age of Anu at present?
Answer:
Let the present age of Anil and Anu is 4x years and 3x years
respectively.
So , After 4 years Anil’s age ,will be 24 ,
4x + 4 = 24
4x = 20
x=5
So , Anu present age is 3x = 3 x 5 = 15 years .
Example:
Seven years ago , the age ratio of Sonali and Monali was 6 : 5 . Three
years hence, the ratio of their ages will be 11: 10 . What is Monali‘s age
at present?
Answer:
Let the age of Sonali and Monali 7 years ago be 6x and 5x years
respectively .
So, (6x + 7) + 3 /(5x + 7 ) + 3 = 11 / 10
10 ( 6x + 10) = 11 ( 5x + 10 )
5x = 10
x=2
So, Monali‘s present age = ( 5x + 7 ) = 17 years .

Example:
Ratio of present ages of Chander & Dhiraj is 4 : 6 . The present age of
Chander is 40 years. Find the age of Dhiraj after 6 years.
Answer:
Let the ages of Chander & Dhiraj are 4x and 6x.
Hence, Chander = 4x = 40, = x = 10, (So we get the value of x)
So the present age of Dhiraj is = 6x = 6 X10 = 60 years, hence the age of
Dhiraj is after 6 years 60 + 6 = 66 years.

Example:
The ratio between the present ages of A and B is 6 : 7 . If B is 4 years old
than A, What will be the ratio of the ages of A and B after 4 years?
Answer:
Step 1:Let the A’s age and B’s age be 6x and 7x years respectively .
Then, 7x – 6x = 4 . So, x = 4
Step 2 : Required ratio = ( 6x + 4 ) : ( 7x + 4 ) = 28 : 32 = 7 : 8 .

Example:
The ratio of mother age to his son’s age is 7 : 3 . The product of their
ages is 756 . The ratio of their ages after 6 years will be?
Answer:
Step 1 : Let the present ages of the mother and son be 7x and 3x years
respectively .
Then, 7x * 3x = 756
21×^2 = 756
= x2 = 36
=x=6
Step 2 : Required ratio = (7x + 6 ) : ( 3x + 6 ) = 48 : 24 = 2 : 1 .