Time, speed and distance questions

Aptitude Updated 11 Oct 2026

These speed and distance questions cover the formula speed = distance / time, unit conversion, average speed, trains crossing poles and platforms, relative speed and late or early arrival problems. They follow the pattern of SSC, bank, railway and campus placement aptitude tests.

Each question has four options and an explanation that shows the working in two or three short steps. Start with the basics, then move to trains and relative speed once the formula feels natural.

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Basic speed, distance and time questions

Q1. Express a speed of 72 km/h in metres per second.
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Answer: B. 20 m/s
To change km/h to m/s, multiply by 5/18. So 72 x 5/18 = 20 m/s.
Q2. A speed of 15 m/s is equal to how many km/h?
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Answer: B. 54 km/h
To change m/s to km/h, multiply by 18/5. So 15 x 18/5 = 54 km/h.
Q3. A car covers 240 km in 4 hours. What is its speed?
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Answer: B. 60 km/h
Speed = distance / time = 240 / 4 = 60 km/h.
Q4. Meera walks at 5 km/h for 2 hours 30 minutes. How far does she walk?
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Answer: D. 12.5 km
2 hours 30 minutes = 2.5 hours. Distance = 5 x 2.5 = 12.5 km.
Q5. How many minutes will a cyclist riding at 18 km/h take to cover 1.5 km?
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Answer: B. 5 minutes
Time = 1.5 / 18 hours = 1/12 hour. In minutes, 60/12 = 5 minutes.
Q6. A train runs at 90 km/h. What distance does it cover in 20 minutes?
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Answer: C. 30 km
20 minutes = 1/3 hour. Distance = 90 x 1/3 = 30 km.
Q7. The speeds of two cars are in the ratio 3 : 4. What is the ratio of the times they take to cover the same distance?
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Answer: A. 4 : 3
For a fixed distance, time is inversely proportional to speed. So the time ratio is 1/3 : 1/4 = 4 : 3.
Q8. A man covers a distance in 6 hours at 40 km/h. At what speed must he travel to cover the same distance in 5 hours?
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Answer: D. 48 km/h
Distance = 40 x 6 = 240 km. Required speed = 240 / 5 = 48 km/h.

Average speed questions

Q9. A man drives from home to office at 60 km/h and returns along the same road at 40 km/h. What is his average speed for the whole trip?
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Answer: A. 48 km/h
For equal distances, average speed = 2xy / (x + y) = 2 x 60 x 40 / 100 = 48 km/h. It is not the simple average 50.
Q10. A bus travels 100 km at 50 km/h and then 150 km at 75 km/h. What is its average speed for the journey?
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Answer: D. 62.5 km/h
Total time = 100/50 + 150/75 = 2 + 2 = 4 h. Average speed = 250 / 4 = 62.5 km/h.
Q11. A car runs for 2 hours at 50 km/h and then for 3 hours at 60 km/h. Find its average speed.
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Answer: C. 56 km/h
Total distance = 100 + 180 = 280 km in 5 hours. Average speed = 280 / 5 = 56 km/h.
Q12. A cyclist covers three equal distances at 10 km/h, 20 km/h and 30 km/h. What is the average speed for the whole distance?
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Answer: C. 16 4/11 km/h
Take each part as 60 km. Time = 6 + 3 + 2 = 11 h for 180 km, so average speed = 180/11 = 16 4/11 km/h.
Q13. A person covers the first half of a journey at 30 km/h and the second half at 60 km/h, taking 3 hours in all. What is the total distance?
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Answer: A. 120 km
Let the distance be d. Then (d/2)/30 + (d/2)/60 = d/60 + d/120 = d/40 = 3, so d = 120 km.
Q14. Excluding stoppages a bus runs at 54 km/h, and including stoppages at 45 km/h. For how many minutes per hour does the bus stop?
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Answer: D. 10 minutes
The bus loses 54 - 45 = 9 km each hour. Time to cover 9 km at 54 km/h = 9/54 x 60 = 10 minutes.

Train aptitude questions

Q15. A train 150 m long runs at 54 km/h. How long does it take to pass a signal pole?
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Answer: A. 10 seconds
54 km/h = 15 m/s. To pass a pole the train covers its own length, so time = 150 / 15 = 10 s.
Q16. A train 200 m long runs at 72 km/h. How long will it take to cross a platform 300 m long?
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Answer: A. 25 seconds
Distance = 200 + 300 = 500 m and speed = 72 x 5/18 = 20 m/s. Time = 500 / 20 = 25 s.
Q17. A 240 m long train passes a pole in 12 seconds. What is its speed in km/h?
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Answer: C. 72 km/h
Speed = 240 / 12 = 20 m/s. In km/h, 20 x 18/5 = 72 km/h.
Q18. A train crosses a pole in 12 seconds and a 160 m long platform in 20 seconds. What is the length of the train?
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Answer: A. 240 m
The extra 160 m takes 20 - 12 = 8 s, so speed = 20 m/s. Length = 20 x 12 = 240 m.
Q19. Two trains 120 m and 180 m long run on parallel tracks in opposite directions at 50 km/h and 40 km/h. How long do they take to cross each other?
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Answer: D. 12 seconds
Relative speed = 50 + 40 = 90 km/h = 25 m/s. Time = (120 + 180) / 25 = 12 s.
Q20. Two trains 150 m and 100 m long run in the same direction at 70 km/h and 52 km/h. How long will the faster train take to pass the slower one completely?
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Answer: C. 50 seconds
Relative speed = 70 - 52 = 18 km/h = 5 m/s. Time = (150 + 100) / 5 = 50 s.
Q21. A 110 m long train running at 60 km/h passes a man running at 6 km/h in the opposite direction. How long does it take?
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Answer: A. 6 seconds
Relative speed = 60 + 6 = 66 km/h = 55/3 m/s. Time = 110 / (55/3) = 6 s.
Q22. A 125 m long train passes a man walking at 5 km/h in the same direction in 10 seconds. What is the speed of the train?
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Answer: D. 50 km/h
Relative speed = 125/10 = 12.5 m/s = 45 km/h. Train speed = 45 + 5 = 50 km/h.

Relative speed and meeting point questions (medium)

Q23. Two towns are 300 km apart. Two cars start at the same time from the towns towards each other at 70 km/h and 80 km/h. After how long will they meet?
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Answer: B. 2 hours
Moving towards each other, the gap closes at 70 + 80 = 150 km/h. Time = 300 / 150 = 2 hours.
Q24. A thief is 200 m ahead of a policeman. The thief runs at 10 km/h and the policeman at 12 km/h. In how many minutes will the policeman catch him?
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Answer: C. 6 minutes
Relative speed = 12 - 10 = 2 km/h. Time = 0.2 / 2 = 0.1 hour = 6 minutes.
Q25. Anil and Bina start walking from the same point in opposite directions at 6 km/h and 9 km/h. How far apart will they be after 3 hours?
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Answer: B. 45 km
Moving apart, their separation grows at 6 + 9 = 15 km/h. After 3 hours, the gap = 15 x 3 = 45 km.
Q26. Two cars leave the same point in the same direction at 45 km/h and 60 km/h. After how many hours will they be 30 km apart?
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Answer: C. 2 hours
The gap grows at 60 - 45 = 15 km/h. Time = 30 / 15 = 2 hours.

Late and early arrival questions (hard)

Q27. Walking at 4 km/h a student reaches school 10 minutes late; walking at 5 km/h he reaches 5 minutes early. How far is the school?
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Answer: D. 5 km
The two times differ by 15 minutes = 1/4 hour. So d/4 - d/5 = 1/4, which gives d/20 = 1/4 and d = 5 km.
Q28. Walking at 3/4 of his usual speed, a man reaches his office 20 minutes late. What is his usual time for the journey?
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Answer: B. 60 minutes
At 3/4 of the speed the time becomes 4/3 of usual. So T/3 = 20, giving T = 60 minutes.
Q29. A boy goes to school at 3 km/h and comes back at 2 km/h. If the total time taken is 5 hours, how far is the school?
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Answer: B. 6 km
d/3 + d/2 = 5, so 5d/6 = 5 and d = 6 km.
Q30. If a car's speed is reduced by 20%, by what percentage does the time taken for the same distance increase?
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Answer: A. 25%
New speed = 4/5 of old, so new time = 5/4 of old. Increase = 1/4 = 25%.

How to prepare

Almost every time and distance question comes from one relation: distance = speed x time. Convert units first, multiplying by 5/18 to change km/h to m/s and by 18/5 for the reverse. For average speed, always divide total distance by total time; when two equal distances are covered at x and y, the shortcut is 2xy / (x + y).

In train questions the distance to cover is the train's length for a pole or a man, and train length plus platform length for a platform or bridge. When two bodies move, add speeds if they move towards each other and subtract if they move in the same direction. For late and early problems, write the time difference in hours and set up one equation.

Study tips

Convert every speed and distance into matching units before you start calculating.
Never take the simple average of two speeds; divide total distance by total time.
Remember that 36 km/h = 10 m/s and 72 km/h = 20 m/s to speed up conversions.

Questions people ask

What is the basic formula for speed, distance and time questions?

Speed = distance / time, so distance = speed x time and time = distance / speed. Every question in this topic is an application of this relation with careful unit conversion.

How do I solve train questions quickly?

Decide what distance the train must cover: its own length to pass a pole or a person, and its length plus the platform or bridge length otherwise. Then divide by the speed in m/s, using relative speed if the other object is also moving.

How is average speed calculated when two speeds are given?

Average speed is total distance divided by total time. If equal distances are covered at speeds x and y, it equals 2xy / (x + y), which is always less than the simple average.

How do I convert km/h to m/s?

Multiply the speed in km/h by 5/18 to get m/s, and multiply m/s by 18/5 to get km/h. For example, 54 km/h = 15 m/s.

Are time and distance questions asked in bank and SSC exams?

Yes. Speed, distance and time, including trains and relative speed, is a regular topic in SSC, bank, railway and placement aptitude papers.

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