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BANKERS TUTORIAL · SBI · NEWS-READING GUIDE

Reading the news: Percentage change and the correct base

Calculate increases, decreases and successive changes by naming the comparison base first, then use an original account-opening example to show why equal percentages need not cancel.

01 / 03Learn with a clear direction

2 min read Original learning material · Prepared 14 Oct 2026

This guide explains a topic and a method for reading related news. It does not report a newly announced event. Check the issuing authority for current facts.

01 / UNDERSTANDING

Reading the news

Growth headlines are useful arithmetic exercises when you identify the starting period and base. Rewrite one reported comparison without assuming the example itself describes a current banking development.

02 / UNDERSTANDING

The concept in context

Successive changes act on changing bases. A rise followed by a fall of the same percentage does not usually restore the original amount. Using a starting value of 100 makes that mechanism visible, while multiplication by successive factors provides a reliable method when the initial quantity is supplied.

03 / UNDERSTANDING

A worked learning case

Original educational case. A practice branch has 200 new accounts in one month. Openings rise by 20% to 240, then fall by 20% to 192. The second change removes 48 accounts rather than the first increase of 40. The final figure is eight below the starting value, a net decrease of 4%, despite the equal percentage labels.

ORIGINAL EDUCATIONAL PRACTICE

Try it before you check.

Original practice: A quantity rises from 80 to 100. What is the percentage increase?

Show the answer and reasoning

25%.

The increase is 20 and the starting base is 80. Dividing 20 by 80 gives one quarter, or 25%. Dividing by the final value of 100 would instead answer what proportion the increase represents of the final amount, which is a different comparison from percentage growth.

Two traps to watch for.

  • Using the final value as the growth denominator.
  • Adding successive percentages as if their bases never change.

YOUR TOPIC-SPECIFIC LEARNING MAP

Evidence to check

  1. Circle the comparison base.

  2. Convert each change into a multiplier.

  3. Check a result using an initial value of 100.

Explain the idea, apply it to a new situation, then check what changed in your reasoning.

BANKERS TUTORIAL · SOURCE NOTES

Keep the source alongside your notes.

Official links provide subject context and authoritative reference material. This guide’s explanation, scenario and question are original Bankers Tutorial learning content.

  1. sbi.bank.in https://sbi.bank.in/web/careers/current-openings
  2. sbi.bank.in https://sbi.bank.in/webfiles/uploads/files_2627/09/SBI_JA-Customer_Support_Sales-IH_Pre-2026-27_Eng.pdf

For SBI preparation, check the current official notice before relying on changing dates, rules or examination requirements.

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