Firefighter Practice Exam

If a firefighter applicant scored 80%, 82%, 90%, and 87%, what score is needed on the fifth exam for an average of 87%?

1. 87%

2. 89%

3. 96%

4. 98%

The correct answer is: 96%

To find the score needed on the fifth exam for the applicant to achieve an average of 87%, we begin by calculating the total score required to reach this average for five exams. First, we determine what the total score must be for five exams to average 87%. The average score is calculated by dividing the total score by the number of exams. Therefore, for an average of 87% over five exams, the equation is: Total Score / 5 = 87% To find the total score, we multiply 87 by 5, which equals 435. This means the applicant needs to accumulate a total of 435 points from all five exams. Next, we sum the scores from the first four exams: 80 + 82 + 90 + 87 = 339 To find out what is needed on the fifth exam, we subtract the current total score from the desired total: 435 - 339 = 96 This calculation shows that a score of 96% on the fifth exam is necessary to achieve an average of 87%. The correct answer is thus identified as 96%, as it satisfies the condition for the desired average.