SSAT Upper Level

Time & Money

Q: What is the fastest way to add lots of prices together?

Group numbers that make friendly totals! If you have `\$2.25` and `\$1.75`, add the cents first (`\$0.25 + \$0.75 = \$1.00`), then add the dollars. It makes the math much faster!

Elapsed time, reading schedules, and money word problems — everyday measurement

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Have you ever stared at the clock, waiting for the pizza delivery person to arrive, wondering exactly how many minutes are left? Or maybe you’ve emptied your piggy bank to buy that awesome new video game, and you need to know if you have enough cash. 🍕🎮 Welcome to the world of Time & Money! On the SSAT, you will see questions that ask you to be a master of the clock and a wizard with a wallet.

Time questions usually ask about 'elapsed time.' That is just a fancy way of saying 'how much time has passed.' Think of it like a movie: if it starts at 2:00 PM and is 90 minutes long, when do the credits roll? The trick is remembering that there are 60 minutes in an hour, not 100! ⏰

Money questions are all about keeping track of dollars and cents. You might need to add up the cost of a shopping trip or figure out how much change you get back from a twenty-dollar bill. It is exactly like managing your allowance. 💵

Whether you are calculating the cost of a long-distance phone call or figuring out when your soccer game ends, these problems are super useful in real life. Let's dive in and learn how to beat the clock and count those coins so you can ace this part of the SSAT!

Key Formula

End Time = Start Time + Elapsed Time

(Remember:

60 minutes = 1 hour

. Never add time like regular decimals!)

Practice Questions

4 practice questions for SSAT Upper Level

Q1 Hard

A flight departs London (GMT) at 9:30 AM on a Monday. The flight duration is

11

hours and

45

minutes. Upon arrival at an intermediate stop, there is a

3

-hour layover. A connecting flight then departs for Sydney, Australia (GMT+10) and takes

7

hours and

20

minutes. What day and time will the passenger arrive in Sydney local time?

A Tuesday 7:35 AM

B Tuesday 5:35 PM

C Wednesday 5:35 PM

D Tuesday 3:35 AM

E Monday 5:35 PM

Show Solution

1. Departure from London: Monday 9:30 AM GMT
2. Add first flight duration: $11$ hours $45$ minutes

• $9 : 30 A M + 11 h o u r s = 8 : 30 P M$
• $8 : 30 P M + 45 min u t es = 9 : 15 P M$ Monday GMT (Arrival at intermediate stop)
3. Add layover duration: $3$ hours

• $9 : 15 P M + 3 h o u r s = 12 : 15 A M$ Tuesday GMT (Departure of connecting flight)
4. Add second flight duration: $7$ hours $20$ minutes

• $12 : 15 A M + 7 h o u r s = 7 : 15 A M$
• $7 : 15 A M + 20 min u t es = 7 : 35 A M$ Tuesday GMT (Arrival in Sydney, GMT)
5. Convert to Sydney local time (GMT+10):

• 7:35 AM Tuesday GMT $+ 10$ hours
• $7 : 35 A M + 10 h o u r s = 5 : 35 P M$ Tuesday Sydney local time.
Therefore, the passenger will arrive in Sydney at Tuesday 5:35 PM local time.

Answer: B

Q2 Hard

Two investment options are available. Fund A offers

4.5%

simple annual interest. Fund B offers

4%

annual interest compounded annually. If $

10, 000

is invested in each fund for

3

years, how much more interest, to the nearest cent, will Fund A earn than Fund B?

A $

101.36

B $

100.00

C $

89.28

D $

1248.64

E $

1350.00

Show Solution

1. Calculate interest for Fund A (Simple Interest):

• The formula for simple interest is $I = P \times R \times T$ , where $P$ is the principal, $R$ is the annual interest rate, and $T$ is the time in years.
• $P = 10000$ , $R = 0.045$ , $T = 3$
• $I_{A} = 10000 \times 0.045 \times 3 = 450 \times 3 = 1350$
• Fund A earns $ $1350.00$ in interest.
2. Calculate interest for Fund B (Compound Interest):

• The formula for the total amount with compound interest is $A = P \times (1 + R / n)^{(} n t)$ , where $n$ is the number of times interest is compounded per year. Since it's compounded annually, $n = 1$ . Interest earned is $A - P$ .
• $P = 10000$ , $R = 0.04$ , $n = 1$ , $t = 3$
• Year 1: $10000 \times (1 + 0.04) = 10000 \times 1.04 = 10400$
• Year 2: $10400 \times 1.04 = 10816$
• Year 3: $10816 \times 1.04 = 11248.64$
• Total amount for Fund B after 3 years is $ $11248.64$ .
• Interest earned by Fund B: $I_{B} = 11248.64 - 10000 = 1248.64$
3. Calculate the difference in interest earned:

• Difference = $I_{A} - I_{B} = 1350.00 - 1248.64 = 101.36$
Fund A will earn $ $101.36$ more interest than Fund B.

Answer: A

Q3 Hard

A graphic designer charges $

75

per hour for the first

20

hours of a project and $

60

per hour for any additional hours beyond

20

. If a specific project had a total cost of $

2, 280

, and the designer worked

6

hours per day, how many days did the designer work on this project?

5

days

5.5

days

6

days

6.5

days

7

days

Show Solution

1. Calculate the cost of the first $20$ hours:

• Cost for first $20$ hours = $20$ hours × $ $75$ /hour = $ $1500$
2. Calculate the remaining cost of the project:

• Remaining cost = Total cost - Cost for first $20$ hours
• Remaining cost = $ $2280 - 1500 = 780$
3. Calculate the number of additional hours worked at the lower rate:

• These additional hours are charged at $ $60$ per hour.
• Additional hours = Remaining cost / Rate per additional hour
• Additional hours = $ $\frac{780}{60}$ hours = $13$ hours
4. Calculate the total hours worked on the project:

• Total hours = First $20$ hours + Additional hours
• Total hours = $20 + 13 = 33$ hours
5. Calculate the number of days worked:

• The designer worked $6$ hours per day.
• Number of days = Total hours / Hours per day
• Number of days = $33$ hours / $6$ hours/day = $5.5$ days
Therefore, the designer worked $5.5$ days on this project.

Answer: B

Q4 Hard

A student begins writing a research paper at 8:15 PM on a Thursday. They work continuously for

3

hours and

40

minutes. After taking a

1

hour and

50

minute break, they resume working for another

2

hours and

25

minutes until the paper is complete. What day and time do they finish working?

A Friday 3:45 AM

B Friday 4:00 AM

C Friday 4:10 AM

D Thursday 4:10 AM

E Saturday 4:10 AM

Show Solution

1. Start time: Thursday 8:15 PM
2. After first work session ( $3$ hours $40$ minutes):

• $8 : 15 P M + 3$ hours = 11:15 PM
• $11 : 15 P M + 40$ minutes = 11:55 PM Thursday
3. After break ( $1$ hour $50$ minutes):

• $11 : 55 P M + 1$ hour = 12:55 AM (crosses midnight to Friday)
• $12 : 55 A M + 50$ minutes = 1:45 AM Friday
4. After second work session ( $2$ hours $25$ minutes):

• $1 : 45 A M + 2$ hours = 3:45 AM
• $3 : 45 A M + 25$ minutes = 4:10 AM Friday
Therefore, the student finishes working at Friday 4:10 AM.

Answer: C

Tips & Strategies

For time problems, use the 'timeline' method. Jump to the nearest hour first, then add the leftover minutes. It is much safer than trying to add time like regular numbers! ⏱️
When adding or subtracting money, ALWAYS line up your decimal points. Treat $$5$ as $$5.00$ so you don't accidentally add dollars to cents! 💰

Common Mistakes

Watch out for the 100-minute trap! Students often try to add time like regular math (e.g., $2 : 45 + 1 : 50 = 3 : 95$ ). Remember, clocks roll over at 60, not 100! 🛑
Don't forget to check if the time switches from AM to PM or PM to AM, especially if your timeline passes 12:00!

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to know how to calculate taxes for money problems?

Usually, no! The SSAT keeps it simple. If a problem involves tax, they will give you the exact amount to add, or ask a simple fraction question like finding $\frac{1}{10}$ of the price.

What is the fastest way to add lots of prices together?

Group numbers that make friendly totals! If you have $$2.25$ and $$1.75$ , add the cents first ( $$0.25 + $0.75 = $1.00$ ), then add the dollars. It makes the math much faster!

Will I have to multiply money by fractions?

Sometimes! You might see a question asking for half the price. Just write it as $\frac{1}{2}$ and multiply, or simply divide the total amount by 2.

How many Time and Money questions are on the SSAT?

You will typically see 2 to 4 of these real-world word problems. They are a great place to score easy points if you read carefully!

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