How do you find the whole from a percent?

Divide the part by the percent to find 1%, then multiply by 100. If 15 is 30%, then 1% is 0.5 and 100% is 50.

What grade is this finding the whole worksheet for?

It is written for grade 6 and matches Common Core standard 6.RP.A.3c.

Can I get a different version of this finding the whole worksheet?

Yes. Use the free Mathify Kids test maker to make a new finding the whole worksheet with different numbers every time, with its own answer key.

Finding the whole percent worksheets

Working backwards from a part and its percent to the whole, like “8 is 5% of what number?”

Children find 1% or 10% first, then multiply up to 100%. It is the third kind of percent question, after finding a percent of a number and finding what percent one number is of another.

Download the free finding the whole worksheet (PDF)

Finding the whole worksheet

PDF · US Letter · Grade 6 · 50 questions · answer key included

Download the PDF

What’s on the worksheet

50 questions on finding the whole, sized for US Letter paper
4 pages of questions plus an answer key on the last page
Written for grade 6, matching Common Core 6.RP.A.3c
Name and date lines at the top, and room to show the work

Sample questions from this worksheet

8 is 5% of what number?
114 is 75% of what number?
48 is 40% of what number?
48 is 30% of what number?
3 is 5% of what number?
20 is 10% of what number?

Preview the worksheet and answer key

Make a new finding the whole worksheet

Need another page for extra practice, a retake or a second group in class? The free Mathify Kids test maker builds a fresh finding the whole worksheet with different numbers every time. Choose how many questions, print it with its own answer key, or let your child take it on screen and see the score straight away.

Make a new version

Finding the whole: a worked example (15 is 30% of what number?)

30% is 15, so 10% is a third of that: 15 ÷ 3 = 5.
100% is ten lots of 10%: 5 × 10 = 50.
Check: 30% of 50 is 15. Correct.
Or divide by the decimal: 15 ÷ 0.3 = 50.

How to use it at home and in class

At home

Before calculating, ask: is the whole bigger or smaller than the part? For any percent under 100%, the whole must be bigger. That one question catches most mistakes. Ten problems a day works better than a whole sheet at once. Mark them together with the answer key, then ask your child to explain one they got wrong: finding the mistake themselves is where the learning happens.

In class

Use the first row as a warm-up, a full page for independent practice, or five questions as an exit ticket. For a retake or a second group, make a new version with the test maker so every child gets different numbers.

Mistakes to watch for

Finding the percent of the part, so 30% of 15 = 4.5.
Multiplying by the percent instead of dividing.
Stopping at 1% or 10% and forgetting to go all the way to 100%.

What to practice before and after finding the whole

Before: fractions, decimals and percents. If this sheet is a struggle, go back a step.
After: percent increase and decrease, once this one is mostly right.
Learn it first: the finding the whole lesson.