February Length

February Length problems ask whether February has 28 or 29 days in a given year. You must apply leap year rules to determine if the year is a leap year, which affects not only February but also calculations involving dates around February.

10Worksheets
200+Practice Questions
BeginnerDifficulty
1-2 hoursHours to Master

Introduction to February Length

February Length problems ask whether February has 28 or 29 days in a given year. You must apply leap year rules to determine if the year is a leap year, which affects not only February but also calculations involving dates around February.

Prerequisites

Leap year rule: divisible by 4 but not by 100, unless divisible by 400 Understanding of February as the only variable-length month Basic arithmetic
Why This Matters: February Length problems appear in 1-2 questions in SSC CGL and Banking PO exams. They test knowledge of leap year rules.

How to Solve February Length Problems

1

Step 1: Identify the given year

2

Step 2: Check if the year is divisible by 4

3

Step 3: If not divisible by 4 → not leap year → February has 28 days

4

Step 4: If divisible by 4, check if divisible by 100

5

Step 5: If not divisible by 100 → leap year → February has 29 days

6

Step 6: If divisible by 100, check if divisible by 400

7

Step 7: If divisible by 400 → leap year → 29 days; otherwise → 28 days

Pro Strategy: Use the mnemonic: 'Every year divisible by 4 is leap, except centuries not divisible by 400.' Always check century years (ending with 00) separately.

Example Problem

Example 1: How many days does February 2024 have? Solution: Step 1: Year = 2024 Step 2: 2024 ÷ 4 = 506 → divisible by 4 Step 3: 2024 ÷ 100 = 20.24 → not divisible by 100 Step 4: Therefore, leap year → February has 29 days Answer: 29 days Example 2: How many days does February 2100 have? Solution: Step 1: Year = 2100 Step 2: 2100 ÷ 4 = 525 → divisible by 4 Step 3: 2100 ÷ 100 = 21 → divisible by 100 Step 4: 2100 ÷ 400 = 5.25 → not divisible by 400 Step 5: Therefore, not leap year → February has 28 days Answer: 28 days

Pro Tips & Tricks

  • Leap year if: (year % 4 == 0 and year % 100 != 0) or (year % 400 == 0)
  • Years 2000, 2400 are leap years (divisible by 400)
  • Years 1900, 2100, 2200, 2300 are NOT leap years
  • Years 2020, 2024, 2028, 2032 are leap years
  • February has 29 days only in leap years
  • Leap years occur every 4 years except century years not divisible by 400

Shortcut Methods to Solve Faster

Last two digits divisible by 4 → leap year (except centuries)
Century year divisible by 400 → leap year
2020-2028: every 4th year is leap
February length = 28 + (1 if leap year else 0)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Forgetting that century years are not automatically leap
Assuming all years divisible by 4 are leap (1900 is divisible by 4 but not leap)
Confusing leap year rule (thinking 100-year rule applies to all years)
Misapplying the 400-year rule

Exam Importance

February Length 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
2-3 questions
INSURANCE
1-2 questions

Ready to Master February Length?

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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