In a recent civil service examination, 1/8 of the candidates failed the first part of the test.Of those eligible to take the second part of the competive examination, 2/7 successfully passed.What part of the original candidates were successful in the examination?

number of participants --- x

number passed first part = 7x/8
(failed = 1/8, so passed = 7/8)

number who passed 2nd test = (2/7)(7x/8) = (1/4)x

so 1/4 of the original passed the exam

check:
suppose 56 took the test
so 49 passed
of those (2/7)(49) or 14 passed
14/45 = 1/4

thank you

To find out what part of the original candidates were successful in the examination, we need to calculate the fraction of candidates who passed both parts.

Let's start with the first part of the test. If 1/8 of the candidates failed the first part, then 1 - 1/8 = 7/8 of the candidates passed.

Now, let's move on to the second part of the test. Out of those who passed the first part, only 2/7 successfully passed the second part. Hence, the fraction of candidates who passed both parts is 7/8 * 2/7 = 14/56.

To simplify this fraction, we can divide both the numerator and denominator by their greatest common divisor, which is 14. Dividing both 14 and 56 by 14 gives us 1/4.

Therefore, 1/4 of the original candidates were successful in the examination.