Clock Gains Loses

Clock Gains/Loses problems involve clocks that run fast (gain time) or slow (lose time) at a certain rate. You must calculate the actual time when the clock shows a given time, or find how much the clock will gain/lose over a period.

10Worksheets
200+Practice Questions
IntermediateDifficulty
2-3 hoursHours to Master

Introduction to Clock Gains Loses

Clock Gains/Loses problems involve clocks that run fast (gain time) or slow (lose time) at a certain rate. You must calculate the actual time when the clock shows a given time, or find how much the clock will gain/lose over a period.

Prerequisites

Understanding of rates (minutes per hour/day) Proportional reasoning Time arithmetic Conversion between hours and minutes
Why This Matters: Clock Gains/Loses problems appear in 1-2 questions in SSC CGL and Banking PO exams. They test proportional reasoning and rate calculations.

How to Solve Clock Gains Loses Problems

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Step 1: Identify the gain/loss rate (e.g., 5 minutes per hour)

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Step 2: Determine the time duration the clock has been running

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Step 3: Calculate total gain/loss = rate × duration

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Step 4: Add gain (or subtract loss) from the shown time to get actual time

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Step 5: For reverse problems, set up proportion: actual time elapsed = shown time elapsed × (60/(60 ± rate))

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Step 6: Normalize to 12-hour format

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Step 7: Answer with the calculated actual time or gain/loss amount

Pro Strategy: For per-hour rates, multiply by the number of hours. For per-day rates, convert to per-hour or use direct multiplication. Use proportion for finding actual time elapsed.

Example Problem

Example: A clock gains 5 minutes every hour. If it shows the correct time at 12:00, what time will it show after 6 hours? Solution: Step 1: Rate = +5 minutes per hour Step 2: Duration = 6 hours Step 3: Total gain = 5 × 6 = 30 minutes Step 4: Shown time = 12:00 + 6 hours + 30 minutes = 6:30 Answer: 6:30

Pro Tips & Tricks

  • Gains → clock runs fast → shown time > actual time
  • Loses → clock runs slow → shown time < actual time
  • Rate per hour × hours = total gain/loss in minutes
  • For actual time: actual = shown ∓ gain/loss
  • For shown time: shown = actual ± gain/loss
  • After 24 hours, a clock gaining 5 min/hour shows 24×5=120 min = 2 hours extra

Shortcut Methods to Solve Faster

Total gain = rate_per_hour × hours
If gain rate is r minutes per hour, after t hours, clock shows (60t + rt) minutes passed
A clock gaining 1 minute per hour is 24 minutes fast after 24 hours
For every 60 minutes of actual time, a clock gaining r minutes shows (60 + r) minutes

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Adding gain when should subtract (confusing fast vs slow)
Using minutes when hours are needed (unit consistency)
Forgetting to convert gain to appropriate time units
Not accounting for 12-hour rollover

Exam Importance

Clock Gains Loses is an important topic for various competitive exams. Here's how frequently it appears:

SSC CGL
1-2 questions
BANKING PO
1-2 questions
RAILWAYS RRB
1-2 questions
CAT
1-2 questions
INSURANCE
1-2 questions

Ready to Master Clock Gains Loses?

Start with Worksheet 1 and work your way up to expert level! Each worksheet includes:

20 practice questions
Detailed solutions
Step-by-step explanations
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