In an examination, 270 candidates appeared and 252 of them passed. What is the pass percentage of candidates, correct to one decimal place?

Introduction:
This simple percentage question asks you to compute the pass percentage when the number of candidates who appeared for an examination and the number who passed are given. Such questions measure comfort with basic percentage calculations, which underlie many more complex topics in quantitative aptitude.

Given Data / Assumptions:
Total number of candidates who appeared = 270.
Number of candidates who passed = 252.
We need to find pass percentage, that is, what percent 252 is of 270.
We express the answer correct to one decimal place.

Concept / Approach:
Pass percentage is calculated as (number passed / number appeared) * 100. All values are already in the same unit of count of people, so no unit conversion is required. The main task is a straightforward fraction and decimal calculation followed by rounding to one decimal place.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Total candidates appeared = 270. Candidates passed = 252. Pass percentage = (passed / appeared) * 100. So pass percentage = (252 / 270) * 100. First compute the fraction 252 / 270. 252 / 270 simplifies to 0.9333 recurring. Multiply by 100 to convert to percent: 0.9333 * 100 = 93.33% approximately. Rounded to one decimal place, this is 93.3%.
Verification / Alternative check:
We can check the reasonableness of the answer. Out of 270 candidates, only 18 failed because 270 - 252 = 18. Since 18 is a small part of 270, the pass percentage must be high, definitely above 90%. 93.3% is consistent with this reasoning. Another quick check is to note that 270 * 0.93 = 251.1, close to 252, which justifies a little more than 93% as the pass rate.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Values like 91.3% or 95% correspond to significantly different numbers of passed candidates. For example, 91.3% of 270 is about 246.5, and 95% of 270 is 256.5, neither of which matches 252. The higher options such as 97.3% and 98.3% would correspond to even fewer failures than actually observed. Only 93.3% aligns with the ratio 252 out of 270.

Common Pitfalls:
Candidates sometimes reverse the fraction and compute (270 / 252) * 100 by mistake, which would give a number greater than 100%. Another error is rounding too early before multiplying by 100. It is better to keep a few decimal places during the intermediate steps and round only at the end. Careful treatment of decimal places ensures accurate percentage results.

Final Answer:
The pass percentage is approximately 93.3%.