VIncia Math Book 2022 Print Version Full

Introduction to the GMAT
Exam Structure
Number of
Test Section Question Types Score
Questions
Data Sufficiency
Quantitative 31 Questions 62 Minutes 0 → 51 (60)
Problem Solving
Break – 8 minutes
Reading Comprehension
Verbal 36 Questions Critical Reasoning 65 Minutes 0 → 51 (60)
Sentence Correction
Break – 8 minutes
Analytical Writing
1 Topic Analysis of Argument 30 Minutes 0→6
Assessment
Multi-Source Reasoning
Integrated Graphics Interpretation
12 Questions 30 Minutes 1→8
Reasoning Two-Part Analysis
Table Analysis
Overall 3h23 200 → 800
You have three hours to complete the four sections of the GMAT exam – the Analytical Writing
Assessment, Integrated Reasoning, Quantitative, and Verbal sections. If you include the breaks and
instruction periods, the test takes about 3.5 hours.
You can choose the order of the sections; we recommend doing either Quant first, then Verbal… or
Verbal first, then Quant. Leave Analytical Writing and Integrated Reasoning for the end.
Your score out of 800 is calculated only based on your Quant and Verbal scores; the Analytical Writing
and Integrated Reasoning scores are separate. You generally will not need specific preparation for the
Integrated Reasoning section, as anything you need to know will be covered in the Quant prep. On the
other hand, do complete the Integrated Reasoning section during practice tests, as this will be your only
opportunity to do so before the real test.
For more detail about the exam, signing up for it, what to do on exam day, and the rules of the exam,
you can read the GMAT handbook: https://downloads.mba.com/downloads/gmat-handbook.pdf
1
What GMAT Scores Mean
From January 2018 – December 2020, the mean scores for the GMAT were:
Total score: 568 (out of 800)

Quant score: 41 (out of 51)
Verbal score: 27 (out of 51)
A total score of 600 puts you in the 53rd percentile

A total score of 650 puts you in the 72nd percentile
A total score of 700 puts you in the 88th percentile
A total score of 750 puts you in the 98th percentile
Your total score out of 800 is made from a combination of only your verbal and quant scores. Below
is a table showing the approximate relationship between the individual scores and the total score.
The score you need depends on your target schools and your personal profile. Schools use all aspects of
your profile to make their decision on whether to admit you; the GMAT is just one piece of that puzzle.
If you know that you should aim for a 700 based on your target schools, but you score a 660, this doesn’t
mean that all hope is lost – you might be able to convince them to admit you based on other factors.
When you take the GMAT you have the option of deleting your score if it’s too low. Please, don’t delete
your score unless you’re significantly below your target.
2
Timing on the Quant Section
On the test screen there will be a timer in the upper-right corner. On the quant section, that timer starts
at 62 minutes and counts down to zero. It is extremely important to finish the test before the time runs
out; every unanswered question affects your score about twice as much as getting a wrong answer.
With 31 questions, so an average of 2 minutes per question, this means that every 5 questions should
take you 10 minutes on average. It’s not a good idea, though, to be constantly looking at the clock; you
lose time and attention, you have to calculate where you are in the schedule… it’s inefficient. Instead, use
the following landmarks. When you finish the 5th question, you should be at 52 minutes (more or less).
That means that when you see the 6th question appear on the screen, you should check the clock to see
whether you’re at 52 minutes. And so on. At the beginning of the test, you should copy this table down:
31 Questions 62 Minutes
The only time you should be looking at the clock is at these landmarks,
6th 52 or of course at the end as the time gets closer to zero. If at one of these
11th 42 points you’re ahead of or behind schedule, you can adjust.
16th 32
If you are ahead of schedule, relax, and be careful. If you are significantly
21st 22 behind schedule, it’s time to choose a question to guess.
26th 12
In order to better prepare for the time pressure on the test, you’ll want to practice this timing starting
now. For every GMAT-style problem set you do, set a timer giving yourself 2 minutes per question. The
problem sets in the strategy guides should only take you about 1 minute per question on average, but for
the official guide, quantitative review, and the problem sets in the Vincia book you should aim for 2
minutes per question.
The “More Practice Problems” set at the end of every chapter in the Vincia book is designed to be done
as if it were a practice test; there are 31 questions, to be done in 62 minutes, checking your time at the
6th, 11th, 16th, 21st, and 26th questions as described in the table above. Get used to this now so it’s already
natural when you start taking practice tests.
If you can’t finish the problems in the given amount of time, that’s ok. You can go back and review them
afterwards to figure out what you should have done differently. The problems are not going anywhere!
This is where you practice the timing.
Do not cheat! Get used to guessing and moving on when you get stuck.
3
Quantitative Program
Step 1: Building a Base
Homework In-Class Work

Manhattan Strategy Guides (5 of them), and
Official Guide (12th edition), and Vincia book (9 chapters)
Quantitative Review (2nd edition)
First, you have a whole bunch of “basic” theory to understand. This will probably take about 50-60% of your study time. A
lot of people expect to finish these materials, then immediately be ready for the test; unfortunately, that’s not how it works.
By the time you get to the end of this pile of information, you’ll have forgotten half of what you saw at the beginning. That’s
why the next step is to:
Step 2: Review
Now you get to go back through everything again! Hurray! Re-read the strategy guides, re-do the problems, and you’ll be
surprised at how often you have the feeling of, “I don’t remember this at all…” This (very important) step will probably take
less than half the time you spent in step 1, so another 25-30% or so of your study time. And then, finally, it’s time to do:
Step 3: Practice Tests

At this point, in order to be ready for the test, you’ll need to get used to the physical and mental challenge of spending 3.5
hours intensely focused on answering tricky questions in short amounts of time. Practice tests serve 2 purposes: getting you
used to the rhythm of the test, and diagnosing your weak points. Practice tests in and of themselves are not making you better at
math. They’re telling you what subjects and skills you’re lacking, so that you can go and improve those elsewhere. After every
practice test you’ll analyse your results, make a plan to fix the weaknesses you saw on that test, and then spend time improving
those weaknesses before you take another practice test. You might need to do anywhere between 1 and 10 practice tests
before you get the score you need, so plan to start this part of the process at least a month before your test date if possible.
Materials
The Vincia book is our in-class book. Don’t go through this book on your own (except as your tutor tells you to) – you
have plenty of homework to do with the Manhattan Strategy Guides. There are 8 strategy guides (5 for quant, and 3 for verbal).
You will want to go through the quant strategy guides as quickly (but thoroughly) as you can. You can even start this process
before our classes start. The further you get, the easier our classes together will be!
As you get to certain chapters in the strategy guides, the strategy guide will tell you to do specific lists of problems in the
official guides (12th edition, and 2nd edition … you can ignore the “quantitative review” list). Do only those specific problems,
then return to the strategy guides, and continue with the chapters, in order.
Homework
In between every class, you will want to follow essentially the same process:
1. Review problems you’ve had a hard time with previously.

2. Review the part of the Vincia book we saw together in class and complete any homework from that book.
3. Continue advancing through the Manhattan Strategy Guides.
4
Quant Strategy
1. Overview – identify what type of question it is, what they are asking for, and what strategy you might want to
use. This means you should LOOK AT THE ANSWER CHOICES.
2. Translate/Rephrase – once you have a strategy in mind, go through the question carefully, read every word,
and translate the information as required by the strategy you chose.
3. Solve – but we’re not done…
4. Re-read the question and your work, then
5. Answer
There are almost always multiple possible strategies for a given problem. It’s a good idea to try every problem in at least two
ways; when you take a test, you might choose one method at the beginning, see it doesn’t work, and have to change to another.
Some common techniques are:
• Testing numbers
• Using algebra
• Reasoning from logical principles
There are 2 basic types of problems on the quant section: Problem Solving (PS) and Data Sufficiency (DS) questions.
Each question has 5 answer choices (A, B, C, D, E). The basic strategy outlined above works similarly for both PS and DS.
On the next pages we’ll look at some examples of how to use these strategies. If you’re reading this document on your own,
feel free to try the problems on the next couple of pages, but we’ll discuss them again together during our first class.
Additional Resources
“Pomodoro” study timer: (if these links ever break, Pomodoro app for Android
just search in the app store for “Pomodoro”) Pomodoro app for Apple
Video explanations for Official Guide 12th edition questions: gmatquantum.com/og12problemsolving
Video explanations for Quantitative Review 2nd edition questions: gmatquantum.com/og2main
Calculation practice flashcards: Flashcards | FactMonster
Directory of problems organized by type, subject, and difficulty: Problem Solving Directory
Data Sufficiency Directory
5
Problem Solving (PS)
Problem Solving questions are typical multiple-choice questions. They can only have one correct answer, that answer is
included in the answer choices, and there is necessarily enough information to answer. The answer choices are an
important part of the question and should be examined at the beginning of every problem.
Q1. 𝑥 = 68 − 84 . Which of the following is NOT a divisor of 𝑥?

a) 2
b) 10
c) 33
d) 35
e) 77
Q2. If 3𝑥𝑚 + 2𝑦𝑚 − 2𝑦𝑛 − 3𝑥𝑛 = 0, and 𝑚 ≠ 𝑛, then what is the value of 𝑦 in terms of 𝑥?
2𝑥
a) − 3
3𝑥
b) − 2
3𝑥 2
c)
2
2𝑥
d)
3
3𝑥
e)
2
Q3. A furniture company makes two types of desks: type A, and type B. If in a certain year 3/8 of the desks were of type B,
and the production cost of a type B desk was 8/3 that of a type A desk, then the total cost of producing type A desks
was what fraction of the total cost of producing desks that year?
5
a)
11
11
b)
24
13
c)
24
11
d)
13
5
e)
13
4𝑥
Q4. If 𝑥 ≠ 1 or −1, then is equivalent to which of the following?
𝑥 2 −1
𝑥−1 𝑥+1
a) − 𝑥−1
𝑥+1
𝑥+1 𝑥−1
b) − 𝑥+1
𝑥−1
2𝑥+1 2𝑥−1
c) +
2𝑥−1 𝑥+1
𝑥+1 𝑥−1
d)
𝑥−1
+ 𝑥+1
2𝑥+1 2𝑥−1
e) +
𝑥−1 𝑥+1
6
Data Sufficiency (DS)
Data Sufficiency problems consist of a question stem and two statements that give data. The data given in the stem and
statements are true. You must decide whether the data given in the stem and statements are sufficient to answer the question.
Using the data given in the stem and statements plus mathematics and basic facts (such as the number of days in a year), you
must decide whether each statement is sufficient to answer the question, and then select one of the following answer choices:
(A) Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) alone is not sufficient to answer the question asked;
(B) Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) alone is not sufficient to answer the question asked;
(C) BOTH statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question asked, but NEITHER statement
ALONE is sufficient;
(D) EACH statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question asked;
(E) Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOT sufficient to answer the question asked, and additional data are needed.
1) Sufficient
A-1
2) NOT Sufficient
1) NOT Sufficient
B-2
2) Sufficient
1) NOT Sufficient
C - Together
2) NOT Sufficient …… 1&2) Sufficient
1) Sufficient
D - Either
2) Sufficient
1) NOT Sufficient
E - Neither
2) NOT Sufficient …… 1&2) NOT Sufficient
It can help to memorize: “1-2-TEN” or “one, two, together-either-neither.”

Note: as soon as one statement is sufficient, you NEVER have to combine the two statements.
Q1. Does 𝑥 equal −2 ?
1) 𝑥 2 = 4
2) 𝑥 > 1
Q2. Does 𝑥 equal −2 ?
1) 𝑥 2 = 4
2) 𝑥 2 − 𝑥 − 6 = 0
Q3. If 𝑎, 𝑏, 𝑐, and 𝑑 are integers, is their product odd?

1) 𝑏 is even.
2) 𝑎, 𝑐, and 𝑑 are odd.
Q4. If 𝑏 is an integer, is √𝑎2 + 𝑏 2 an integer?

1) 𝑎2 + 𝑏 2 is an integer.
2) 𝑎2 − 3𝑏 2 = 0
7
Number Properties - 3
The GMAT
Part 1: Number Properties
By Jesse Daniel Haug

And Ethan Berlant
© Jesse Daniel Haug 2022


Numbers to Know
The GMAT often deals with the following numbers, therefore, you should memorize everything below. Making
flashcards would probably be a good idea. The first time through, though, you should actually calculate these
numbers by hand. This will make it easier to retain them.
Squares Cubes Powers of 2 Small Roots
𝟐𝟐 = 𝟏𝟐𝟐 = 𝟐𝟑 = 𝟐𝟐 = √𝟐 ≈ 𝟏. 𝟒
𝟑𝟐 = 𝟏𝟑𝟐 = 𝟑𝟑 = 𝟐𝟑 = √𝟑 ≈ 𝟏. 𝟕
𝟒𝟐 = 𝟏𝟒𝟐 = 𝟒𝟑 = 𝟐𝟒 = √𝟓 ≈ 𝟐. 𝟐𝟓
𝟓𝟐 = 𝟏𝟓𝟐 = 𝟓𝟑 = 𝟐𝟓 = 𝛑 ≈ 𝟑. 𝟏𝟒
𝟔𝟐 = 𝟏𝟔𝟐 = 𝟔𝟑 = 𝟐𝟔 = or
𝟕𝟐 = 𝟏𝟕𝟐 = 𝟐𝟕 = 𝛑 ≈ 𝟐𝟐/𝟕
𝟖𝟐 = 𝟏𝟖𝟐 = 𝟐𝟖 =
𝟗𝟐 = 𝟏𝟗𝟐 = 𝟐𝟗 =
𝟏𝟎𝟐 = 𝟐𝟎𝟐 = 𝟐𝟏𝟎 =
𝟏𝟏𝟐 = 𝟐𝟓𝟐 = 𝟐𝟏𝟏 =
𝟐𝟏𝟐 =
The above numbers should be automatic in your head. I know this might seem tedious, but it will pay off. These
numbers come up often and memorizing them will save you time and effort on numerous problems. If the calculations
are not automatic, you’ll spend time recalculating the same things over and over, and you’ll be more likely to make
“silly” mistakes. This may not seem like much but saving a couple minutes and making fewer mistakes here can make
a significant difference in your final score.

Decimal Notation
In the number 4,309.123 the names of the place of each digit are as follows:
𝟒 𝟑 𝟎 𝟗 . 𝟏 𝟐 𝟑
thousands
hundreds
tens
units /ones
point
tenths
hundredths
thousandths
The places are symmetric around the “units” place, while places to the right of the decimal end in a “ths.” Notice that
in the anglophone system a period is used instead of a comma to write a number with a decimal.
Calculation Review
Most of the calculations you need to do on the GMAT will involve small numbers, and they should be memorized. If
you can’t instantly tell me what 7 × 8 is, or 13 − 6, or 28 ÷ 4, then you’ll need to actively practice that.
For large calculations like 263 + 349, you should not do it in your head. Instead, use the method we learned in school.
Tip: Add, subtract, and multiply vertically – not left to right. This will increase your speed for most computations.
Addition Subtraction Multiplication Division
263 263 19 234567

+ 349 − 349 × 17 7

Repetition & Units Digits (← the headings are clickable links that will take you to the solutions)
234567
Q1. What is the 179th digit to the right of the decimal point in the standard decimal expansion of ?
7
a) 1
b) 2
c) 5
d) 8
e) 9
Q2. What is the result of 366 × 223 × 117 × 411 ?
a) 924,764,760
b) 1,924,764,761
c) 2,924,764,762
d) 3,924,764,766
e) 5,924,764,765
Q3. What is the units digit of 25 × 34 × 43 ?
a) 2
b) 4
c) 6
d) 8
e) 9
Q4. What is the units digit of 1235 × 7384 × 1941234567 ?
a) 0
b) 2
c) 4
d) 6
e) 8
Q5. What is the units digit of 3737 − 7373 ?
a) 1
b) 3
c) 4
d) 6
e) 8

Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division with Decimals

Q1. 0.8 × 0.08 =
Q2. 0.007 × 0.09 =
Q3. 50,000 × 0.0000005 =
0.0095
Q4. =
0.000005
0.00012×0.0018×0.014
Q5. =
0.00027×0.0035×0.8
Q6. 72,000 × 0.00009 =
0.000064
Q7. =
0.00008
Q8. 12.678 + 3.239 =
Q9. 100 − 0.0029 =

Tricks!
Multiplication and division by 5 and 25

124 × 5 124 × 25 124 ÷ 5 124 ÷ 25
Squaring numbers that end in 5
152 252 352 852
Calculating powers of 2
212 =

Approximation
Often when dealing with calculations, division in particular, you don’t need to find the exact answer. Instead, you can
approximate by paying attention only to those numbers that have a big influence: the numbers that are in the front.
24,356,985
Q1. What is the approximate value of ?
61.85 × 103
When you see the word “approximate” – you should think “ESTIMATION.”
0.198 × 0.827 × 0.29

Q2. is approximately equal to which of the following?
0.389 × 0.915 × 0.621
a) 0.0029
b) 0.029
c) 1/90
d) 0.215
e) 2
But they won’t always be nice and TELL you to approximate!
Q3. 5206800 ÷ 17356 = ?
a) 25
b) 30
c) 35
d) 300
e) 350

PEMDAS
4 1 2 1 1
Q1. + 5 ÷ 10 × 10 − 10 =
5
Q2. 6 + |−8 × 4 − 4| − 22 ÷ 2 × 5 − 82 =
Q3. 5 − 2 × 0 + 18 ÷ 9 =
Q4. 3𝑥 − [𝑧 − (2𝑥 + 𝑧 − 𝑦)] =
Q5. Which of the following sets of parentheses can be removed without changing the value of the expression?
(−𝑦)2 (𝑥 × 𝑦) × 𝑧 + (𝑦 + 𝑥) + 𝑦 − (𝑦 2 ) − (𝑥𝑦) − (𝑥 + 𝑦)
( 1 ) ( 2 ) ( 3 ) ( 4 ) ( 5 ) ( 6 )

Numbers and Definitions

Integers are negative or positive whole numbers (… , −3, −2, −1, 0, 1, 2, 3, … )
2 2
Rational numbers are numbers that can be written as a fraction. This includes numbers like , 0.131313, and 2 =
3 1
Real numbers include the numbers above, as well as numbers that cannot be written as a fraction, like √2 and 𝜋
The GMAT likes to give you questions in which they say that 𝑥 is a number, but they don’t specify what kind of
number. In that case, don’t assume that 𝑥 has to be an integer. A “number” on the GMAT is by default a real number.
For example, if they say “𝑥 is a non-negative number” then you should keep in mind that 𝑥 can be 0, a fraction like
1/3, the number 5, or an irrational number like √17.3. In other words, 𝑥 can be anything so long as it’s not negative.
On the other hand, if they say that “𝑥 is an integer between 0 and 5 exclusive” then 𝑥 must be 1, 2, 3, or 4.
When we talk about integers, it’s useful to think of them in terms of the prime factors they’re composed by. For
example, 35 = 5 × 7, or in other words, 35 is just a way of talking about 5 and 7 at the same time. This one is super
important! Read it again!
Factors vs. Multiples - Fewer Factors and More Multiples!

Factor – A positive integer that divides evenly into another integer.
For example, 1,3, and 9 are all factors of 9.
Every integer is always a factor and multiple of itself, and 1 is a factor of every integer.
Multiple – A multiple of an integer is formed by multiplying that integer by any integer.
For example: −18, −9, 0, 9, 18, 27, and 36 are all multiples of 9.
𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑖𝑝𝑙𝑒
= 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑟
𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟
Zero is a multiple of every number because any 𝑥 times zero is zero; that is, 𝑥 × 0 = 0 … for any value of 𝑥.
It’s easy to get “factors” and “multiples” mixed up so remember that factors are always less than or equal to the integer
they divide into. Factors are when you fracture a number into pieces.
A multiple of an integer on the other hand is always greater than or equal to that integer (except for the multiple 0,
and negative multiples). Multiples are what you get via multiplication.
It is important to never make assumptions on the GMAT. For example, if they say that a number is a multiple of
3, we cannot assume that they are talking only about positive multiples.
Notice that all these words (factor, multiple, divisible/divisibility) imply that we are talking about integers.

Translation/Rephrasing
Translating English into math and deducting what a statement means is a crucial skill on the GMAT. The following
symbols, questions and statements can be “translated” as follows:
Statement Translation / Deduction
What is the sum of 𝑥 and 𝑦 ?
What is the difference of 𝑥 and 𝑦 ?
What is the product of 𝑥 and 𝑦 ?
What is the quotient of 𝑥 and 𝑦 ?
𝑥 is a positive number.
There are at least as many 𝑥 as 𝑦.
𝑦−𝑥 =3
𝑦 − 𝑥 = −3
𝑦2 = 𝑥 2
𝑦3 = 𝑥 3
𝑦
=4
𝑥2
𝑦 = √𝑥 + 5
3
𝑦 = √2𝑥 − 3

𝑥 is greater than 𝑦.
𝑥 is no more than 𝑦.
𝑥 is non-negative.
𝑦 = 𝑥2
𝑦 = √𝑥 2
𝑥 2 + 𝑦2 = 0
𝑦𝑥 = 0
𝑦𝑥 = 1
4𝑦 = 5𝑥 and 𝑥 > 0
5𝑦 = 7𝑥 and 𝑥 < 0
𝑦 = 2𝑥
𝑦 = 2𝑥 + 1
𝑦 equals the sum of three

consecutive even numbers.

consecutive odd numbers.

Translations Translated
What is the sum of 𝑥 and 𝑦 ? 𝑥+𝑦=?
What is the difference of 𝑥 and 𝑦 ? 𝑥 − 𝑦 = ? or 𝑦 − 𝑥 = ?
What is the product of 𝑥 and 𝑦 ? 𝑥×𝑦 =?
What is the quotient of 𝑥 and 𝑦 ? 𝑥÷𝑦=?
𝑥 is a positive number. 𝑥>0
There are at least as many 𝑥 as 𝑦. 𝑥≥𝑦
𝑦−𝑥 =3 𝑦>𝑥
𝑦 − 𝑥 = −3 𝑦<𝑥
𝑦2 = 𝑥 2 |𝑦| = |𝑥|
𝑦3 = 𝑥 3 𝑦=𝑥
𝑦 > 0, 𝑥 ≠ 0,
𝑦/𝑥 2 = 4
IF 𝑥 is an integer then 𝑦 > 𝑥, 𝑦 is a multiple of 4 and 𝑦 is a perfect square.
𝑦 = √𝑥 + 5 𝑦 ≥ 0 and 𝑥 ≥ −5
3
𝑦 = √2𝑥 − 3 𝑦 and 𝑥 could be anything.
𝑥 is greater than 𝑦. 𝑥>𝑦
𝑥 is no more than 𝑦. 𝑥≤𝑦
𝑥 is non-negative. 𝑥≥0
𝑦 = 𝑥2 𝑦 ≥ 0 (we can’t say that 𝑦 > 0)
𝑦 = √𝑥 2 𝑦 = |𝑥| (can’t get a negative out of a square root)
𝑥 2 + 𝑦2 = 0 Both 𝑦 and 𝑥 are 0.
𝑦𝑥 = 0 One or both of 𝑦 and 𝑥 is 0.
𝑦𝑥 = 1 𝑦 and 𝑥 are reciprocals.

𝑦 > 𝑥,
4𝑦 = 5𝑥 and 𝑥 > 0
IF 𝑥 and 𝑦 are integers then 𝑥 is a multiple of 4 and 𝑦 is a multiple of 5.
𝑦 < 𝑥,
5𝑦 = 7𝑥 and 𝑥 < 0
IF 𝑥 and 𝑦 are integers then 𝑥 is a multiple of 5 and 𝑦 is a multiple of 7.
𝑦 = 2𝑥 IF 𝑥 is an integer, THEN 𝑦 is even.
𝑦 = 2𝑥 + 1 IF 𝑥 is an integer, THEN 𝑦 is odd.

𝑦 = (2𝑥) + (2𝑥 + 2) + (2𝑥 + 4) = 6𝑥 + 6 (where 𝑥 is an integer)
consecutive even numbers.
𝑦 = (2𝑥 + 1) + (2𝑥 + 3) + (2𝑥 + 5) = 6𝑥 + 9 (where 𝑥 is an integer)
consecutive odd numbers.

Remainders
We have two main ways of translating division into a mathematical expression. If 𝑁, 𝐷, 𝑄, and 𝑅 are integers, then:
𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑅𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟
= 𝑄𝑢𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 + 𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟 = 𝐷𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑟 × 𝑄𝑢𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 + 𝑅𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟
𝐷𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑟 𝐷𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑟
𝑁 𝑅
=𝑄+ 𝑁 = 𝐷×𝑄+𝑅
𝐷 𝐷
26 2
For example: =4+ For example: 26 = 6 × 4 + 2
6 6
Q1. What is the remainder when we divide 1 by 3?
Q2. What are the possible remainders when we divide by 3?
Q3. What are the possible remainders when we divide by 𝑛?
If 𝑥 and 𝑦 are integers, then:
𝑥 𝑥
Q4. 𝑥 = 7𝑦 + 12; the remainder when =? Q5. 𝑥 = 7𝑦 − 12; the remainder when =?
7 7
𝑥 1 𝑥 𝑥 1 𝑥
Q6. = 𝑦 + ; the remainder when =? Q7. = 𝑦 − ; the remainder when =?
6 3 6 6 3 6
Q8. When 𝑥 is divided by 3, the remainder is 1. When 𝑥 is divided by 4, the remainder is 1. What is the remainder
when 𝑥 is divided by 12?
Q9. When 𝑥 is divided by 15, the remainder is 2. What is the remainder when 𝑥 is divided by 3?
Q10. When 𝑥 is divided by 15, the remainder is 4. What is the remainder when 𝑥 is divided by 3?
Remainder Tricks – You can add, subtract, and multiply remainders, if you correct negative and excessive
remainders, and if those remainders are all with respect to the same divisor. For example:
The remainder when 𝑥 is divided by 10 is 6, and the remainder when 𝑦 is divided by 10 is 7. Find the remainder of:
Q11. 𝑥 + 𝑦 ? Q12. 𝑥 − 𝑦 ? Q13. 𝑥𝑦 ?
Q14. Is 192 × 186 − 379 × 388 a multiple of 19?
Remainder Strategy
• Think of remainders in terms of a “distance above a multiple” of the divisor.

• The remainder must be non-negative and less than the divisor: 0 ≤ 𝑅 < 𝐷.
• Try testing numbers.
• 𝑅𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟(𝑥 ± 𝑦) = 𝑅𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟(𝑥) ± 𝑅𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟(𝑦)
• 𝑅𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟(𝑥𝑦) = 𝑅𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟(𝑥) × 𝑅𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟(𝑦)

Remainders Practice
Q1. When integer 𝑥 is divided by 6, we get a remainder of 4. When integer 𝑦 is divided by 8, we get a remainder of 4.
What is the remainder when 𝑥𝑦 is divided by 4?
a) 0
b) 1
c) 2
d) 3
e) 4
Q2. When integer 𝑥 is divided by 9, we get a remainder of 8. When integer 𝑦 is divided by 7, we get a remainder of 6.
What is the remainder when 𝑥𝑦 is divided by 6?
a) 0
b) 1
c) 2
d) 3
e) Can’t be determined
𝑥
Q3. 𝑥 and 𝑦 are integers, and = 6.11. Which of the following could be the remainder when 𝑥 is divided by 𝑦?
𝑦
a) 7
b) 13
c) 15
d) 21
e) 33
𝑥
Q4. 𝑥 and 𝑦 are integers, and = 6.12. Which of the following could be the remainder when 𝑥 is divided by 𝑦?
𝑦
a) 14
b) 21
c) 28
d) 35
e) 56
Q5. When positive integer 𝑝 is divided by positive integer 𝑞, there’s a remainder of 12. What’s the value of 𝑞?
1) When 2𝑝 is divided by 𝑞, the remainder is 2.
2) When 4𝑝 is divided by 𝑞, the remainder is 4.

Q6. When 2222 × 2223 × 2224 × 2225 is divided by 7, what’s the remainder?
a) 0
b) 3
c) 5
d) 6
e) 360
Q7. When 1717 is divided by 7, what’s the remainder?
a) 6
b) 5
c) 4
d) 3
e) 0
Q8. If 𝑎 is an integer, what is the remainder when 𝑎 is divided by 10 ?
1) 𝑎 is a multiple of 5.
2) When 𝑎 is divided by 4, the remainder is 3.
Q9. If 𝑏 is an integer, what is the remainder when 𝑏 is divided by 9 ?
1) 𝑏 is a multiple of 3.
2) When 𝑏 is divided by 4, the remainder is 3.
Q10. If 𝑗 and 𝑘 are distinct positive integers, then which of the following COULD be true?
I. When 𝑗 is divided by 𝑘, the remainder is 𝑗.

II. When 2𝑗 is divided by 𝑘, the remainder is 𝑗.
III. The remainder when 𝑗 is divided by 𝑘 is equal to the remainder when 𝑘 is divided by 𝑗.
a) I only
b) II only
c) III only
d) I and III only
e) I, II, and III
Q11. If 𝑗 and 𝑘 are positive integers, what is the remainder when 34𝑗+2 + 𝑘 is divided by 5 ?
1) 𝑗 = 4
2) 𝑘 = 4

Prime vs. Composite Numbers

Q1. What’s the smallest prime number?
Q2. What’s the definition of a prime number?
Q3. What are all the factors of 6?
Q4. What are all the factors of 36?
Q5. Why does 6 have an even number of factors, but 36 has an odd number of factors?
Q6. What is the prime factorization of 182 ?
Are the following numbers prime?
143 211 221 283 323
To decide whether a number 𝑥 is prime, test whether 𝑥 is divisible by any prime number smaller than √𝑥.
Go systematically, checking for prime divisors, in order, up to √𝑥 … don’t skip around.
The number 2 comes up frequently when you’re dealing with prime numbers so make sure to keep it in the back of
your mind whenever a question about prime numbers comes up. In addition, since prime number questions are
common, it is useful to know the first 10 prime numbers: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, and 31.

Factors Practice
Q1. If 𝑥 does not equal 1, what is the value of 𝑥?
1) The remainder is 0 when 𝑥 is divided by 2.
2) 𝑥 has fewer than 3 prime factors.
Q2. If 𝑥 does not equal 1, what is the value of 𝑥?
1) The remainder is 0 when 𝑥 is divided by 2.
2) 𝑥 has fewer than 3 factors.
Q3. If 𝑥 and 𝑦 are positive integers, is 𝑥 prime?
1) 𝑥 + 𝑦 = 123
2) 𝑦 is odd and less than 79.
Q4. If 𝑥 is prime, what is the value of 𝑥?
1) There are 30 prime numbers between 1 and the number 𝑥.
2) 𝑥 is equal to the average of the first 113 positive odd numbers.
What kind of number has…?
∞ factors?
3 (or any odd number of) factors?
2 factors?
1 factor?
0 factors?

Factors (Prime or Otherwise)

Q1. What is the prime factorization of 36? How many prime factors does 36 have? How many factors does 36 have?
Q2. For 𝑥 = 𝑎𝑐 ∙ 𝑏 𝑑 , how many factors does 𝑥 have?
Number Prime Factorization Number of Prime Factors Number of Factors
𝟐𝟎𝟒
𝟐𝟔𝟏
𝟕𝟔𝟖
𝟖𝟐𝟓
Q3. Which of the following has exactly 9 factors?
a) 64
b) 128
c) 225
d) 500
e) 550
𝑐
Q4. If 𝑎, 𝑏, and 𝑐 are integers greater than 1, then the integer 𝑥 = 2 has how many factors?
𝑎3 𝑏
1) 𝑐 = 96
2) 𝑎𝑏 = 4
Q5. 8! has how many distinct factors?
a) 4
b) 7
c) 8
d) 96
e) 384

Odds & Evens

Q1. Is 0 even?
Q2. What’s the definition of an even number?
Q3. What’s the definition of an odd number?
Addition/Subtraction
𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑛 ± 𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑛 = 𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑛 ± 𝑂𝑑𝑑 = 𝑂𝑑𝑑 ± 𝑂𝑑𝑑 =
Q4. If we add 39 even numbers and 42 odd numbers together, will the result be even or odd?
Q5. How do we decide the parity of the result of a sum or difference? The rule for addition/subtraction is:
Multiplication
𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑛 × 𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑛 = 𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑛 × 𝑂𝑑𝑑 = 𝑂𝑑𝑑 × 𝑂𝑑𝑑 =
Q6. If we multiply 39 even numbers and 42 odd numbers together, will the result be even or odd?
Q7. How do we decide the parity of the result of a product? The rule for multiplication is:
Division
𝑥 𝑥 3
Q8. If = 𝑂𝑑𝑑, what can we say about the Q9. If = 𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑛, what can we say about Q10. What is ?
𝑦 𝑦 1.5
parity of 𝑥 and 𝑦? the parity of 𝑥 and 𝑦?
 Odds/Evens questions can generally be simplified enormously.
Q11. Rephrase the question: is 17 + 3𝑥 + 8𝑦 − 𝑥 4 + 7𝑦 3 even?
Odds & Evens Strategy
• Check whether numbers are integers. Non-integers are a big trap with odd/even problems.
• If the question is about odds/evens, focus only on whether numbers are odd or even.
• Convert divisions into multiplications.
• We can ignore multiplication by odd numbers, addition of even numbers, and exponents.

Odds & Evens Practice

Q1. Is the sum of 17 numbers even?
1) Exactly 8 of the numbers are even
2) Exactly 9 of the numbers are odd
3𝑎−4𝑏
Q2. If = 𝑑, where 𝑎, 𝑏, 𝑐, and 𝑑 are integers, is 𝑎 even?
𝑐
1) 𝑐 is even
2) 𝑑 is even
Q3. If 𝑎, 𝑏, 𝑐, and 𝑑 are positive integers, and 𝑎 = 𝑏 ∙ 𝑐 𝑑 + 𝑏 𝑑 , is 𝑎 odd?
1) 𝑐 + 𝑑𝑐 = 397
2) 𝑏 7 + 7𝑏 = 2,530
Q4. Is the product of 17 numbers even?
1) At least 5 of the numbers are odd
2) At least 3 of the numbers are even
Q5. Is the product of 17 integers even?
1) At least 6 of the numbers are odd
2) At least 11 of the numbers are even
Q6. 𝐴, 𝐵 and 𝐶 are integers, and 𝐴 + 𝐵 + 𝐶 is even. Is 𝐴𝐵𝐶 a multiple of 4?
1) Each of 𝐴, 𝐵 and 𝐶 have the same parity.
2) 𝐴 = 3𝐵 = 5𝐶
Q7. Is the sum of two particular numbers even?
1) Exactly one of the numbers is odd.
2) At least one of the numbers is not odd.

Divisibility Rules
Is the number 47,112,780 divisible by:
Divisible By Y/N Remainder Rule
11
12
18
60

Divisibility and Prime Factors

What does it mean for the prime factors of 𝑥 if we say that 𝑥 is divisible by 12? What if 𝑥 is NOT divisible by 12?
What does it mean for the prime factors of 𝑥 if we say that 12 is divisible by 𝑥? What if 12 is NOT divisible by 𝑥?
Q1. Is 𝑎 divisible by 24 ? Q2. Is 𝑎 divisible by 24 ?
1) 𝑎 is divisible by 18 1) 𝑎 is divisible by 18
2) 𝑎 is divisible by 20 2) 𝑎 is NOT divisible by 72
Q3. For what value of 𝑥 will 𝑥𝑦 be divisible by 210 if 𝑦 is even and less than 10?
a) 95
b) 100
c) 105
d) 110
e) 120
Q4. Is 64 divisible by 2? Q5. Is 72 a multiple of 3?
196
Q6. Is an integer? Q7. Is there an integer 𝑛 such that 76 = 5𝑛?
4
Q8. Can 78 pieces of candy be shared among 6 people

Q9. Is 7 a divisor of 191?
such that each person has the same amount?
Q10. Is 9 a factor of 1809? Q11. Does 10 divide 1230 evenly?
Q12. When 209 is divided by 11, is the remainder 0? Q13. Does 27 divide 72?
The GMAT sometimes tests divisibility in reverse. For example, a question might tell you that a number has a ones
digit equal to 0 from which we can deduce that the entire number is divisible by 10. Or, if the question tells us that
the sum of all the digits is 18, we can conclude that the number is divisible by 3 and 9.

Divisibility with Addition & Subtraction

Example Rule
15 + 20 = 35 Multiple of 5 + Multiple of 5 = Multiple of 5 𝑀±𝑀 =𝑀
20 − 11 = 9 Multiple of 5 − Non-multiple of 5 = Non-multiple of 5 𝑀±𝑁 =𝑁
18 + 24 = 42 Non-multiple of 5 + Non-multiple of 5 = Non-multiple of 5

𝑁±𝑁 =?
18 + 27 = 45 Non-multiple of 5 + Non-multiple of 5 = Multiple of 5
In the last two examples where we add two non-multiples, why is that in one situation we get a non-multiple, and in
the other, we get a multiple? We can think about this in terms of remainders: in order for, for example, the sum of
two non-multiples of 5 to give a multiple of 5, the sum of their remainders must be equivalent to zero.
When you see a problem involving information about multiples, factors, divisibility etc., where numbers are being
added or subtracted, you should think of the above rules.
Q1. Using the above rules, what can we say about 𝑥 = 23 ∙ 3 ∙ 7 − 22 ∙ 11 ?
Q2. If 𝑦 = 540 + 999, is 𝑦 a multiple of 15 ? Is 𝑦 a multiple of 31 ?
Q3. If 𝑎 and 𝑏 are positive integers and 8𝑎 + 14𝑏 = 308, then 𝑎𝑏 must be a multiple of what number? What are the
possible values for 𝑎 and 𝑏?
Q4. If neither 𝑐 nor 𝑑 is a multiple of 7, is 𝑐 + 𝑑 a multiple of 7 ?
1) When 𝑐 is divided by 7, the remainder is 2.
2) When 𝑑 is divided by 7, the remainder is 5.
Divisibility with Addition/Subtraction Strategy
• As with most divisibility problems, think in terms of prime factors.

• Look at what prime factors are shared between terms, and what prime factors aren’t shared.
• If you have a 𝑁 ± 𝑁 = ? situation, think about remainders.

Divisibility with Addition & Subtraction Practice

Q1. 𝑥 = 15 × 36 + 230; which of the following is NOT a divisor of 𝑥?
a) 7
b) 11
c) 15
d) 29
e) 35
Q2. If Brutus spends exactly $9.80 at a store selling chips and soda, and each can of soda costs $0.70, and each bag
of chips costs $0.90, how many cans of soda did Brutus buy?
1) Brutus bought fewer cans of soda than bags of chips.
2) One of the bags of chips Brutus bought was red.
Q3. If 𝑥, 𝑦, and 𝑧 are positive integers, is the sum of 𝑥 and 𝑦 divisible by 3?
1) The sum of 𝑥 and 𝑧 is divisible by 3
2) The sum of 𝑦 and 𝑧 is divisible by 3
Q4. If 𝑥 = 106 − 320, then 𝑥 is divisible by all the following except:
a) 3
b) 4
c) 5
d) 8
e) 11
Q5. Is the sum of 𝑥 and 𝑦 divisible by 6?
1) The difference of 𝑥 and 𝑦 is divisible by 6
2) 𝑦 is not divisible by 6
Q6. Is the sum of 𝑥 and 𝑦 divisible by 7?
1) The difference of 𝑥 and 𝑦 is divisible by 7
2) 𝑦 is not divisible by 7

LCM & GCF

Prime factorization helps us when we need to find the Least Common Multiple and the Greatest Common Factor
(in fact, it helps us in most problems involving factors, multiples, and divisibility). In order to understand the LCM
and GCF, it helps to think about divisibility in terms of “containing.”
𝐿𝐶𝑀(18, 32, 72) = ? 𝐿𝐶𝑀(5, 8, 16, 18, 27) = ?
𝐺𝐶𝐹(18, 32, 72) = ? 𝐺𝐶𝐹(5, 8, 16, 18, 27) = ?
Data Sufficiency Question: Is the units digit of integer 𝒏 equal to 𝟓?
Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4
1) 𝐺𝐶𝐹(𝑛, 𝑚) = 54 1) 𝐺𝐶𝐹(𝑛, 𝑚) = 54 1) 𝐺𝐶𝐹(𝑛, 𝑚) = 27 1) 𝐺𝐶𝐹(𝑛, 𝑚) = 27
2) 𝐿𝐶𝑀(𝑛, 𝑚) = 270 2) 𝐿𝐶𝑀(𝑛, 𝑚) = 108 2) 𝐿𝐶𝑀(𝑛, 𝑚) = 108 2) 𝐿𝐶𝑀(𝑛, 𝑚) = 270
Q5. If the GCF of 𝑥 and 𝑦 is 27, and the LCM of 𝑥 and 𝑦 is 270, what are the possible values of 𝑥 and 𝑦? And 𝑥𝑦?
Q6. 𝐺𝐶𝐹(9752, 9751) = ?
Q7. 𝐿𝐶𝑀(9752, 9751) = ?
Q8. 𝐺𝐶𝐹(9752, 9746) = ?
Q9. 𝐺𝐶𝐹(9756, 9750) = ?
Aside from thinking about what prime factors are contained where, we can also think back to the rules about
addition/subtraction of multiples: 𝑀 ± 𝑀 = 𝑀. If two numbers have a GCF (and two numbers ALWAYS have a
GCF), then those two numbers are both multiples of the GCF. Thus, if we add or subtract those two numbers, the
result must also be a multiple of the GCF.
Notes about the LCM and GCF

To find the LCM: To find the GCF:
1. Take ALL the prime factors 1. Take the SHARED prime factors
2. Take their HIGHEST powers 2. Take their LOWEST powers
• 𝐺𝐶𝐹(𝑥, 𝑦) × 𝐿𝐶𝑀(𝑥, 𝑦) = 𝑥𝑦
• 𝐺𝐶𝐹(𝑥, 𝑦) ≤ |𝑥 − 𝑦|; in fact, 𝐺𝐶𝐹(𝑥, 𝑦) must be a factor of |𝑥 − 𝑦|.

LCM & GCF Practice

Q1. Is the integer 𝑦 divisible by 10?
1) The greatest number that divides 𝑦 and 20 is 5.
2) The greatest common factor of 𝑦 and 25 is 25.
Q2. The smallest number divisible by 𝑥 and 8 is 200. What is the sum of the possible values of positive integer 𝑥?
a) 25
b) 75
c) 175
d) 225
e) 375
Q3. If 𝑥 and 𝑦 are positive integers, what is the greatest common divisor of 𝑥 and 𝑦?
1) 2𝑥 + 𝑦 = 53
2) 4𝑥– 3𝑦 = 1
Q4. For positive integers 𝑛 and 𝑘, where 𝑛 + 17 and 𝑛 − 18 are both multiples of 𝑘, what could be the value of 𝑘?
a) 3
b) 7
c) 17
d) 18
e) 42
Q5. If the least common multiple of 𝑎 and 𝑏 is 24, then what is the first integer larger than 3,041 that is divisible by
both 𝑎 and 𝑏?
a) 3,048
b) 3,054
c) 3,060
d) 3,064
e) 3,072
Q6. 𝑃 and 𝑄 are integers, and 4 < 𝑃 < 𝑄. What is 𝑃?
1) The largest common divisor of 𝑃 and 𝑄 is 8.
2) The smallest common multiple of 𝑃 and 𝑄 is 16.

Positive/Negative Questions
Often, a positive/negative question is found in the form of an inequality question. If you have an inequality with “0”
on one side, it is likely that the question really deals with positives and negatives. And if there isn’t a zero on
one side, you can always move things around until there is.
Simplify the following expressions:
72 18𝑥 − 6𝑦 11 4𝑥 − 5𝑦 −56 × 9
− − − −
9 3 6 3 −36 × −28
Q1. Is the product of 17 numbers positive?
1) Exactly 8 of the numbers are negative
2) Exactly 9 of the numbers are positive
Q2. Is the product of 17 numbers negative?
1) Exactly 8 of the numbers are negative
2) Exactly 9 of the numbers are positive
𝑥+𝑦
Q3. If < 0 is 𝑥 > −𝑦 ?
𝑧
1) 𝑥 − 𝑦 < 0
2) 𝑧 < 0
Q4. If 𝑥𝑦 < 0, which of the following must be positive?
a) 𝑦−𝑥
b) 𝑥+𝑦
𝑥
c) −𝑦
𝑥
d)
𝑦
e) |𝑥| − 𝑦
Positive/Negative Strategy
• Think: what about zero? Zero is the big trap in positive/negative questions.
• The rule for deciding whether a product is positive or negative is exactly the same as for division.

More Positive/Negative Practice

State whether the following expressions are Negative, Positive, or Can’t Be Determined. If you can’t say whether an
expression would be positive or negative, give an example for each case.
Q1. 𝑥𝑦, given that 𝑦 < 0 and 𝑥 > 0
Q2. The product of 4 negative numbers
−𝑥×−𝑦
Q3. , given that 𝑥𝑦𝑧 > 0
−𝑧
Q4. 𝑥 3 𝑦 6 𝑧 4 , given that 𝑧 < 𝑥 and 𝑦 < 𝑥 and 𝑥 < 0
𝑥𝑦𝑧
Q5. , given that 𝑠 < 𝑡 < 𝑥 < 0 < 𝑦 < 𝑧
𝑠𝑡
Q6. 𝑥 20 × 𝑦, given that 𝑥𝑦 ≠ 0
𝑥
Q7. ÷ 𝑦 ÷ 𝑤, given 𝑤, 𝑥, 𝑦, and 𝑧 aren’t 0 or positive
𝑧
Q8. −8|𝑥|

Counting Factorials
Q1. If 3𝑛 is a factor of 13!, what is the highest possible value of 𝑛?
a) 2
b) 3
c) 4
d) 5
e) 6
Q2. If 3𝑛 is a factor of 57!, what is the highest possible value of 𝑛?
a) 32
b) 33
c) 39
d) 319
e) 327
Q3. How many 3’s does 100! contain?
a) 11
b) 33
c) 44
d) 47
e) 48
a) 0
b) 1
c) 2
d) 3
e) 4
a) 10
b) 20
c) 24
d) 50
e) 100

More Practice Problems (set a timer for 62 minutes and follow test timing)
Q1. What is the product of the second-smallest three-digit prime number and the greatest two-digit multiple of 12?
a) 9,292
b) 9,696
c) 9,888
d) 10,080
e) 10,272
Q2. If positive integer 𝑥 has a remainder of 3 when divided by 8, what is the remainder when 5𝑥 is divided by 4?
a) 0
b) 1
c) 2
d) 3
e) 4
Q3. If 𝑛 is a positive integer, how many different factors does 𝑛 have?
𝑛
1) is prime.
5
2) 𝑛 has exactly two prime factors.
Q4. If 𝑥 times 𝑦 is a prime number, then all the following could be the value of 𝑥 minus 𝑦, except:
a) 1
b) 2
c) 4
d) 6
e) 8
Q5. What is the greatest prime factor of the product 𝑥𝑦𝑧, where 𝑥, 𝑦, and 𝑧 are integers?
1) The GCF of 𝑥, 𝑦, and 𝑧 is 5.
2) The LCM of 𝑥, 𝑦, and 𝑧 is 60.

Q6. If 𝑥 = 4!, then by how many zeros does 𝑥! end?
a) 0
b) 1
c) 2
d) 3
e) 4
Q7. Is 4 the GCF of integers 𝑝 and 𝑞?
1) The LCM of 𝑝 and 𝑞 is 18.
2) 𝑝𝑞 = 180
Q8. 27! can be written as 𝑝 × 12𝑛 , where 𝑝 and 𝑛 are positive integers. What is the highest possible value of 𝑛?
a) 2
b) 11
c) 13
d) 22
e) 23
Q9. Is positive integer 𝑛 + 1 a multiple of 3?
1) 𝑛3 − 𝑛 is a multiple of 3.
2) 𝑛3 − 2𝑛2 + 𝑛 is a multiple of 3.
𝑦
Q10. If 𝑥 and 𝑦 are integers such that = 8, which of the following is a possible value for 𝑦?
𝑥3
a) 16
b) 36
c) 64
d) 72
e) 80
Q11. Is 𝑥 divisible by 11?
1) 3𝑦 + 𝑧 = 𝑥
2) 𝑦 is divisible by 11, but 𝑧 is not.

Q12. Given that 𝑋, 𝑌, 𝑊, and 𝑍 represent distinct non-zero digits in the sum given below, what is 𝑋 + 𝑌 − 𝑊 − 𝑍 ?
a) 3 XY
b) 4 + YX
c) 7 WZW
d) 8
e) 11
Q13. If 𝑥 and 𝑦 are positive integers, what is the highest common divisor of 𝑥 and 𝑦?
1) 4𝑥 + 3𝑦 = 47
2) 3𝑥 + 4𝑦 = 51
Q14. If 𝑠 is a prime number less than 19, and 𝑡 is the same as 49𝑠, then what is the smallest number that is divisible
by 𝑡 and 7𝑠?
a) 7
b) 7𝑠
c) 49
d) 49𝑠
e) 𝑠
Q15. If 𝑠 is a prime number less than 19, and 𝑥 is equal to the smallest number that is divisible by 49 and 7𝑠, how
many distinct factors does 𝑥 have?
1) 𝑠 > 5
2) 𝑠 > 11
Q16. If 𝑥 is prime and 𝑦 = 15𝑥, what is the greatest number that divides both 10𝑥 and 𝑦 evenly in terms of 𝑥?
a) 5
b) 5𝑥
c) 10
d) 10𝑥
e) 𝑥
Q17. Does the positive integer 𝑚 have a factor 𝑛 such that 1 < 𝑛 < 𝑚?
1) 10! + 1 < 𝑚 < 10! + 10
2) When 𝑚 is divided by 4, the remainder is 3.

Q18. If 𝑥 is less than 𝑦, which in turn is less than 𝑧, and if all three numbers are positive integers that are greater than
1 and multiply to 195, then what is the value of 𝑥 + 𝑧 ?
a) 3
b) 5
c) 13
d) 16
e) 21
Q19. If 𝑥 is less than 𝑦, which in turn is less than 𝑧, and if all three numbers are positive integers that are greater than
1 and multiply to 60, then what is the value of 𝑥 + 𝑧 ?
1) 𝑧 > 5
2) 𝑦 > 3
Q20. What is the smallest integer 𝑥 could be if 𝑥! is divisible by 440?
a) 2
b) 5
c) 11
d) 440
e) 720
Q21. If 𝑥 and 𝑦 are integers, is 𝑦 even?
1) 2𝑦 − 3𝑥 = 𝑥 2 + 𝑦 2
2) 𝑥 2 is even.
𝑥!
Q22. What is the smallest integer 𝑥 could be if = 𝑘, where 𝑘 is an integer?
223 ∙56 ∙112
a) 22
b) 25
c) 26
d) 30
e) 121
Q23. If 𝑎 and 𝑏 are integers, what is the units digit of 𝑎 − 𝑏?
1) The units digit of 𝑎 is 7, and the units digit of 𝑏 is 3.
2) 𝑎 > 𝑏

Q24. 𝑥 = 251 × 512 ; how many factors does 𝑥 have?
a) 2
b) 3
c) 102
d) 156
e) 468
Q25. Gertrude makes a necklace. She fills the necklace with beads in a rainbow pattern as follows: starting red-orange-
yellow-green-blue-indigo-violet, and then reversing the pattern (going from violet back to red) and repeating until
the string is full (without placing two consecutive beads of the same color). If the string is 36 cm long, each bead
4
is cm wide, and Gertrude leaves 2 cm of empty string, how many more indigo than red beads will there be?
11
a) 0
b) 1
c) 7
d) 8
e) 16
Q26. If 𝑥 and 𝑦 are integers, which of the following is never odd?
4𝑥+2
a)
4𝑦+4
4𝑥
b)
𝑦
𝑥
c)
𝑦
𝑥+4
d)
4𝑦+2
𝑥+4
e)
4𝑦+1
Q27. Is 𝑥 odd?
1) 7𝑥 is odd.
2) 5𝑥 is odd.

Q28. If 𝑥, 𝑦, and 𝑧 are integers, 𝑦 is even, and 𝑥 + 𝑦 + 𝑧 = 17, what could be the value of 𝑥𝑧 ?
a) −30
b) −15
c) −3
d) 3
e) 15
Q29. If 𝑥, 𝑦, and 𝑧 are positive integers such that 𝑥 6 𝑦 5 = 𝑧 4 , is 𝑥 7 − 𝑦 4 odd?
𝑥6𝑦5
1) can be written in the form 4𝑘 + 3, where 𝑘 is a positive integer.
𝑥 4 +𝑦 2
2) 𝑧 2 = 𝑥 + 𝑦
Q30. The sum of two numbers is 180 and their HCF is 15. How many unique unordered pairs of such numbers can
be formed?
a) 6
b) 5
c) 4
d) 3
e) 2
Q31. Martin inherited some gold coins from his grandfather. If he puts them into piles of 9 coins, there will be one
pile with only 5 coins. If he puts them into piles of 7 coins, there will be one pile with only 4 coins. How many
coins did he inherit from his grandfather?
1) Martin inherited fewer than 100 gold coins.
2) If Martin tries to put the coins into piles of 8 coins, there will be one pile with only 7 coins.

More Practice Problems Answers

Q1. C
Q2. D
Q3. C
Q4. E
Q5. B
Q6. E
Q7. D
Q8. B
Q9. B
Q10. C
Q11. C
Q12. D
Q13. A
Q14. D
Q15. B
Q16. B
Q17. A
Q18. D
Q19. B
Q20. C
Q21. A
Q22. C
Q23. E
Q24. E
Q25. D
Q26. A
Q27. C
Q28. A
Q29. D
Q30. E
Q31. C

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The GMAT
Part 2: Fractions, Decimals, Percentages

And Ethan Berlant
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FRACTIONS
𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟
A fraction takes the form:
𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟
A proper fraction: An improper fraction:
• Has a numerator smaller than its denominator • Has a numerator larger than its denominator
• Is smaller than 1 • Is larger than 1
2 1 99 3 2 100
• For example: , , • For example: , ,
3 2 100 2 1 27
2 3
Reciprocals: and are reciprocals (what we call “l’inverse” in French).
3 2
1 4 −1 3
Having a negative exponent tells you to take the reciprocal: 2−1 =
2
, and (− 3) =−
4
3 7
When you multiply two reciprocals together, you get 1: −7 × −3 = 1
Mixed numbers are combinations of a whole number and a fraction, used in anglophone systems.
2 2 2 4
2 × = 2 ∙ = 2 ( ) = , since multiplication is explicitly written,
3 3 3 3
2
but: 2
3
= 2 + 23 = 83
2
In this equation, 2 is what we call a mixed number. If you see a whole number next to a fraction, without a
3
symbol telling you to multiply, then you should add the numbers. Again, this is not a multiplication!!!
Did the above make sense? Let’s see:
3 5
Q1. Are and reciprocals?
√5 3√5
3 1
Q2. What is the product of 1 and 3 ?
5 2
3 9 1 3 3
a) 3 b) c) 2 d) 1 e) 5
10 10 10 5 5
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Simplifying Fractions – simplify BEFORE you add or multiply!

How do you simplify the following fractions/calculations?
60 12 24 21 60 18 12
Q1. Q2. + Q3. × Q4. ÷
18 24 36 45 49 15 30
Simplifying Complex Fractions

1 1 1
Q5. Solve for 𝑇 in the following equation: 𝑇+ 𝑇+ 𝑇=1
2 6 15
1 1
+
𝑥2 𝑦
Q6. Simplify: 1 1
+
𝑥𝑦 𝑥
𝑥
1−100
Q7. The fraction: 𝑦 is equivalent to which of the following?
100
−1
𝑥−100
a)
100−𝑦
100−𝑥
b)
100−𝑦
1−𝑥
c)
1−𝑦
𝑥−1
d)
1−𝑦
100 𝑥
e) −
𝑦 100
1
1+
𝑥
Q8. Simplify: 1
−1
𝑥2
Using the technique of multiplying by the LCM of the denominators can be helpful in almost any problem with
fractions. If it seems complicated, it’s only because you need to practice! Finding the LCM, even when variables are
involved, is something you need to be comfortable with.
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Simplifying Fractions Practice: write these fractions in the simplest terms possible or solve for 𝑥.
15 16 18 16 20 56 36 14
Q1. × Q2. × × Q3. × ÷
22 21 25 21 36 40 35 45
15 5 4 6 20 18 36 10
Q4. + Q5. + − Q6. − −
18 12 3 21 12 45 27 24
20 21 70 12 66×14 9×50 6+12+24 10+20+40

Q7. × + × Q8. − Q9. −
24 49 84 28 77×6 152 14+28+56 18+36+72
1 5 1 2 1 3 1 1 1 1 1
Q10. + = Q11. + = − Q12. + + + =5
𝑥 6 2𝑥 3𝑥 6 2𝑥 3 𝑥 2𝑥 3𝑥 4𝑥
7 4 3 2 1 1 5 2
− + − −
4𝑥 𝑥 10 15 𝑥2 2 2 5
Q13. 5 7 Q14. 5 2 Q15. 1 1 = 2 1
−
𝑥 2𝑥
−
6 5
− +
𝑥 2 5 2
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Mixed Numbers Practice: write the following as mixed fractions. (This is division practice in disguise.)
123 234 345 456

= = = =
5 5 5 5
123 234 345 456

= = = =
6 6 6 6
123 234 345 456

= = = =
7 7 7 7
123 234 345 456

= = = =
8 8 8 8
123 234 345 456

= = = =
9 9 9 9
123 234 345 456

= = = =
11 11 11 11
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Comparing Fractions
Which fraction is bigger?
3 4 3 3 6 18 7 11
Q1. or Q2. or Q3. or Q4. or
5 5 5 4 17 50 11 17
5 6 6 7 6 7 7 8
6 7 7 8 5 6 6 7
15 19 13 19 253 260 101 99

7 11 17 23 127 134 199 197
1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2
Q13. or Q14. or Q15. or Q16. or
4 6 4 7 4 8 4 9
5 13 8 25 15 35 89 127
Q17. or Q18. or Q19. or Q20. or
11 25 23 77 4 10 179 253
Q21. In a certain school, the ratio of boys to girls is 7: 8. If in the middle of the schoolyear 2 new boys join, and 3
new girls join, will the ratio of boys to girls increase, decrease, or remain the same?
Techniques for comparing fractions:
Think about in what situation you would use which technique.
• Give the fractions the same denominators and compare their numerators.
• Give the fractions the same numerators and compare their denominators.
• Cross-multiply the fractions (this is just a generalized version of the first two techniques)
• Convert the fractions to decimals and compare the decimals.
• Use the principle that adding the same amount to the numerator and denominator brings the result closer to 1.
• Compare to “benchmark values.”
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Comparing Fractions Practice

Q1. Which of the following fractions is the biggest?
21
a)
62
2
b)
6
4
c)
15
125
d)
376
201
e)
605
1
Q2. Which of the following fractions is closest to ?
3
3
a)
8
4
b)
11
5
c)
14
6
d)
17
8
e)
21
Q3. Which fraction is the largest?
1
a)
33 53
4
b)
34 53
18
c)
34 54
45
d)
34 54
180
e)
35 55
𝑥
Q4. Is the value of smaller than 0.5?
𝑦
1) When 𝑥 and 𝑦 are rounded to the nearest ten, 𝑥 is 20, and 𝑦 is 50.
2) When 𝑥 and 𝑦 are rounded to the nearest unit, 𝑥 is 22, and 𝑦 is 55.
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Strategy for Fraction Problems

When solving problems involving fractions, there are alternative approaches aside from simply doing algebra.
Q1. In a set of marbles, 2/5 are blue, 3/8 are green, and the rest are orange. What is the ratio of blue marbles to
orange marbles?
a) 8∶3
b) 9 ∶ 16
c) 32 ∶ 40
d) 40 ∶ 32
e) 16 ∶ 9
Q2. At a party, 2/5 of the people are under 25 years of age, and 1/11 of the people are over 60. If the number of
people at the party is greater than 40 but no greater than 80, what is the exact number of partiers older than 25?
a) 15
b) 22
c) 28
d) 33
e) 44
Q3. A toy company sells sets of interlocking bricks. A distributor buys 40 identical sets, with each set made up entirely
of some number of rectangular bricks, and some number of square bricks. If the number of square bricks per set
is 1/8 the total number of rectangular bricks in the 40 sets, the rectangular bricks represent what fraction of the
total number of bricks in the 40 sets?
a) 1/8
b) 1/7
c) 1/6
d) 1/5
e) 7/8
When you see a question full of fractions/ratios/percentages, your first thought should be to choose values. A good
place to start is with the LCM of all the divisors. This technique doesn’t work as well when there’s already data in the
problem giving specific values, instead of just ratios (with some exceptions, as in Q3).
When given a fractions/decimals/percents problem involving whole numbers… in fact, in any problem involving
whole numbers… we can draw conclusions about what quantities must be multiples or factors of what numbers.
In these types of problem, a useful idea is that there are 2 types of information: information about ratios, and
information about precise values. If a question asks for a value, then it will also have to give you information about a
value; information about ratios alone isn’t enough to find a value. This is especially useful for data sufficiency questions.
BUT: in problem solving questions, the answer choices can act as the values information, and when combined with
information about what multiples or factors we have, this can lead to an answer.
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Ratios
As we saw on the previous page, fractions can also be represented in ratio notation, using a colon “:”. For example,
let’s say that in a certain classroom the ratio of boys to girls is 3 to 2. If we represent boys by 𝐵 and girls by 𝐺, we can
say this in the following, equivalent ways:
𝐵 3
𝐵∶𝐺=3∶2 = 𝐵 = 3𝑘 and 𝐺 = 2𝑘
𝐺 2
(use whenever you have a ratio of (use when a ratio problem involves
(use only when you have a ratio of
more than 2 things) addition or subtraction)
exactly 2 things)
What if we have a recipe that serves 2 people, where we require 3 cups of flour and 2 cups of sugar, and we want to
serve 4 people? Or 1 person? What if the original recipe also calls for half a cup of egg? What if we want to serve some
unknown number of people, and add an extra cup of sugar? What will happen to the ratio between the quantities?
Q1. If 𝑎 ∶ 𝑏 is 4 ∶ 3 and 𝑏 ∶ 𝑐 is 5 ∶ 6, what is the ratio 𝑎 ∶ 𝑏 ∶ 𝑐 ?
a) 15 ∶ 20 ∶ 24
b) 20 ∶ 15 ∶ 24
c) 20 ∶ 15 ∶ 18
d) 20 ∶ 15 ∶ 12
e) 25 ∶ 15 ∶ 12
Q2. Alan, Bob, and Charlie all decided to stock up on toilet paper before being quarantined. The ratio of the number
of rolls of toilet paper they bought was 5 ∶ 10 ∶ 13 respectively. If Alan and Charlie had joined forces, they would
have bought 198 rolls of toilet paper together. How many more rolls did Charlie buy than Bob?
a) 3
b) 5
c) 28
d) 33
e) 55
Q3. A survey was conducted asking whether people preferred dogs, cats, or neither. The ratio of dog lovers to cat
lovers was 5 to 3, and one third of the people surveyed preferred neither. How many people were surveyed?
1) If 7 dog lovers became cat lovers, the ratio of dog lovers to cat lovers would become 6 to 5.
2) If the number of people with no preference tripled, dog lovers would be one quarter of the people surveyed.
Q4. A coin was flipped 𝑚 times, and showed heads 𝑛 times. What was the value of 𝑛?
1) If there had been 2 more heads, the ratio of 𝑛 to 𝑚 would have been 2 to 3.
2) If there had been 2 fewer heads, the ratio of 𝑛 to 𝑚 would have been 1 to 6.
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Fractions & Ratios Practice

Q1. Which of the following has the greatest reciprocal?
1
a) −2
3
b) −2
1
c)
2
3
d)
2
e) 2
Q2. Which of the following fractions has the greatest value?
0!
a)
7!
2!
b)
8!
5
c)
12(7!)
3!
d)
4(8!)
2(4!)
e)
9!
Q3. While resodding her garden, Marion completed 3/10 of the work in 2 weeks, then got frustrated and called a
professional who completed 4/7 of the remaining work in 1 week. After these first 3 weeks, what fraction of the
work was left unfinished?
a) 4/5
b) 3/10
c) 5/10
d) 7/10
e) 61/70
2 1 1
Q4. In order to make a cake for 2 people, a certain recipe calls for 1 cups of butter, 2 cups of flour, and 2 cups
5 3 2
of chocolate. How many cakes can we make with 21 cups of flour, 22 cups of chocolate, and 14 cups of butter?
a) 7
b) 8
c) 9
d) 10
e) 11
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Q5. In a classroom, one third of the students own a chihuahua, and one seventh of the students own a chinchilla. If
there are 18 boys in the classroom, how many girls could there be?
a) 6
b) 8
c) 12
d) 24
e) 36
Q6. In a classroom, two ninths of students have the newest iPhone. Of the students who don’t have the newest iPhone,
three fourteenths hate their parents. How many students could be in the class?
a) 54
b) 60
c) 63
d) 68
e) 70
Q7. If 𝑥 is 280% of 𝑦, and both 𝑥 and 𝑦 are integers, then 𝑥𝑦 must be a multiple of:
a) 70
b) 100
c) 140
d) 200
e) 280
𝑥𝑦
Q8. = 1.5 where 𝑤, 𝑥, 𝑦, and 𝑧 are all integers. Which of the following statements must be true?
𝑤+𝑧
I. 𝑥𝑦 is divisible by 15
II. 𝑤 + 𝑧 is divisible by 10
III. If 𝑤 is even, then 𝑧 must be even
a) I only
b) II only
c) III only
d) I, II, and III
e) None of the above
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Q9. If 𝑎 ∶ 𝑏 = 4 ∶ 9, and 𝑎 ∶ 𝑐 = 6 ∶ 5, what is the ratio of 𝑎 ∶ 𝑏 ∶ 𝑐 ?
a) 4 ∶ 54 ∶ 5
b) 24 ∶ 9 ∶ 5
c) 8 ∶ 18 ∶ 15
d) 12 ∶ 18 ∶ 25
e) 12 ∶ 27 ∶ 10
Q10. If 𝑎 ∶ 𝑏 = 1 ∶ 3, and 𝑏 ∶ 𝑐 = 6 ∶ 5, and 𝑎, 𝑏, and 𝑐 are integers, then 𝑐 − 𝑎 must be a multiple of:
a) 2
b) 3
c) 4
d) 5
e) 6
Q11. If 𝑎 ∶ 𝑏 = 3 ∶ 5, and 𝑏 ∶ 𝑑 = 6 ∶ 11, and 𝑐 ∶ 𝑎 = 13 ∶ 12, what is the ratio of 𝑎 ∶ 𝑏 ∶ 𝑐 ∶ 𝑑 ?
a) 36 ∶ 60 ∶ 39 ∶ 110
b) 36 ∶ 60 ∶ 39 ∶ 55
c) 36 ∶ 60 ∶ 26 ∶ 55
d) 36 ∶ 30 ∶ 26 ∶ 55
e) 18 ∶ 30 ∶ 26 ∶ 55
𝑏−𝑐
Q12. If 𝑎 ∶ 𝑏 = 3 ∶ 4, and 𝑏 ∶ 𝑑 = 6 ∶ 5, and 𝑐 ∶ 𝑎 = 7 ∶ 6, then =?
𝑎−𝑑
3
a) −2
1
b) −2
1
c)
3
2
d)
3
e) 2
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For the following questions, think in terms of ratio vs. value information.
Q13. A bag of candy contains red, green, and yellow candies. The ratio of red to green to yellow candies is 11 ∶ 8 ∶ 5.
How many yellow candies are there?
1) There are 24 green candies.
2) There are 48 red and yellow candies.
Q14. A cake recipe requires flour, sugar, and butter in a ratio of 4 ∶ 2 ∶ 3 respectively. How many cups of butter are
required to make 1 cake?
1) 10.5 cups of flour and butter combined are required to make 3 cakes.
2) The amount of butter required to make 2 cakes is equal to the amount of flour and sugar required to make 1 cake.
Q15. A merchant only accepts payment in $1, $5, $10, and $20 bills. If at the end of the day the merchant has
received $1260, how many $5 bills did she receive?
1) The merchant received $270 more in $5 bills than in $1 bills.
2) The ratio of $1 to $5 to $10 to $20 bills received is 20 ∶ 10 ∶ 5 ∶ 1.
Q16. A museum contains 130 works of art including only paintings, sculptures, and pottery. How many of these works
of art are paintings?
1) The ratio of paintings to sculptures to pottery is 4 ∶ 3 ∶ 6.
2) The ratio of sculptures to pottery is 1 ∶ 2.
Q17. A bag of candy contains red, green, and yellow candies. The ratio of red to green to yellow candies is 11 ∶ 8 ∶ 5.
How many yellow candies are there?
1) There are 12 more red candies than green.
2) If there were 16 more red candies, the ratio of red to yellow candies would be 3 ∶ 1.
Q18. A company produces 3 types of toys: type 𝐴, type 𝐵, and type 𝐶. Last year, 24% of the toys produced were of
type 𝐴. How many more type 𝐵 toys would have had to have been produced in order for the number of type 𝐵
toys to have been twice the number of type 𝐶 toys produced last year?
1) If the number of type 𝐵 toys were doubled, the number of type 𝐴 toys would have been 40% of the number of
type 𝐵 toys.
2) If the number of type 𝐶 toys were halved, the number of type 𝐵 toys would be 2900% more than the difference
between the number of type 𝐴 and type 𝐶 toys.
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DECIMALS
Decimals, fractions, and percentages are all different ways of representing the same thing. A percentage is
simply a fraction where the denominator is 100. Fill in the following values:
Fraction Decimal Percentage

1/2
1/3
2/3
1/4
3/4
1/5
2/5
3/5
4/5
1/6
5/6
1/7
2/7
3/7
1/8
3/8
5/8
7/8
1/9
13/99
̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅̅
0. 12345
0.12345
13/9
1/11
2/11
3/11
0.0135
̅̅̅̅̅
0.0135
0.13̅
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The Terminator
1 1
An example of a terminating fraction is = 0.25, while ̅ does not terminate. If a fraction’s denominator is
= 0. 3
4 3
composed of nothing besides 5’s, 2’s, or a combination thereof, then the fraction terminates.
 Will the following fractions terminate?
255 57 122 143

Q1. Q2. Q3. Q4.
1000 64 11 22
Translation
English Math Fraction/decimal/percentage problems sometimes involve long

phrases or paragraphs that must be translated into mathematical
of × expressions. We can often translate word-for-word from the English
into math. To the left are some examples.
what 𝑥, 𝑦, etc.
Q5. Translate “𝑥 is 1/5 of 𝑦”
is =
𝑥 Q6. Translate “what is 35 percent of 20/7”

𝑥 percent
100
30
𝑦 is 30 percent 𝑦 = (1 + )𝑧
100
Q7. 39 is 75 percent of what number?
greater than 𝑧
or 𝑦 = 1.3𝑧
20
𝑦 = (1 − )𝑥 Q8. 39 is 75 percent greater than what number?
100
𝑦 is 20% less than 𝑥
or 𝑦 = 0.8𝑥
120 Q9. 45 is what percent of 9?

𝑦= 𝑥
100
𝑦 is 120% of 𝑥
or 𝑦 = 1.2𝑥
Q10. Translate “there are twice as many girls as boys.”

𝑥
𝑥% less than 𝑦 (1 − 100) 𝑦
One way to think of percentages is:
𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡

𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 = × 100% or =
𝑤ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 100 𝑤ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒
However, in general it is best to just translate the question word for word.
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PERCENTS
Percent Tricks
Q1. What is 60% of 90?
Q5. If 𝑥% of 40 is 13, then what is 4% of 𝑥 ?
“Percent of” calculations can be flipped and chopped into pieces. This can make them much more manageable.
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Percent Change
The percent change would be the answer to the question, “the change was what percent of the initial amount?” If
x
we translate this word-for-word, we get the equation: The Change = ∙ (Initial Amount) … in this equation, 𝑥 is
100
what we call the percent change. Depending on how you re-arrange this equation (depending on what quantity you’d
like to solve for), it can look like any of these:
F−I F PC
PC = × 100% PC = ( − 1) × 100% F = I (1 + )
I I 100%
Useful when we have the final and Useful when we know the ratio Useful when we’re looking for
the initial values. between the final and initial values. either the final or initial value.
Percent change questions can be phrased in many ways. If they ask about the percent increase, percent decrease,
percent more, percent less, percent augmentation, percent reduction, percent greater – anything besides percent “of”
– then we’re talking about percent change. However, when they ask about percent decrease (or any phrasing that
implies a decrease), be careful.
Q1. If I have 8 euros in my pocket, and I find a 2-euro coin Q4-𝑎. If I had 100 euros and my money increased
on the ground, by what percent has my money changed? by 20%, then decreased by 20%, how much money
do I have?
Q2-𝑎. If I go spend my new 2-euro coin so that I have only

8 euros again, by what percent has my money changed?
Q4-𝑏. By what percent has my money changed?
Q2-𝑏. By what percent has my money decreased?
Q5. If 𝑥 decreases by 𝑦%, then increases by 𝑧%,

Q3. If I have 𝑥 dollars, spend some money and end with 𝑦 where 𝑥, 𝑦, and 𝑧 are positive, is the resulting value
dollars, by what percent has my money decreased? equal to 𝑥 ?
𝑦−𝑥
a) 1) 𝑦 ≥ 𝑧
𝑥
2) 𝑦 ≤ 𝑧
𝑦−𝑥
b)
𝑦
𝑥−𝑦
c)
𝑥
𝑥−𝑦
d)
𝑦
10𝑥−10𝑦
e)
0.1𝑥
Key points:
• 𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝐷𝑒𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 = −(𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒)

• If we increase 𝑥 amount, then we decrease 𝑥 amount, the percent increase is greater than the percent decrease.
• If we increase 𝑦 percent, then we decrease 𝑦 percent, the net change (in the amount) is a decrease.
• For data sufficiency questions, if we know the ratio of 𝐹: 𝐼, we can find the percentage change.
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Percent Change Practice

Q1-𝑎. If a pair of jeans are on sale for 20% off and they now cost 80 euros, how much did the jeans cost originally?
Q1-𝑏. If a pair of jeans that originally cost 𝑥 euros are 20% off, and then go on sale a second time for another 20%
off because people realized that it would be ridiculous to pay so much for jeans, what was the final price of the jeans
in terms of 𝑥?
Q1-𝑐. If a pair of jeans that originally cost 𝑥 euros are 20% off and then go on sale a second time for another 20%
off because people realized that it would be ridiculous to pay so much for jeans, what percent of the original value is
the new sale price?
Q1-𝑑. What was the percent decrease in price?
Q1-𝑒. What was the percent change in price?
Q2. If there are 4 more girls than boys, the number of girls is what percent greater than the number of boys?
Q3. If there are 4 times as many girls as boys, the number of girls is what percent greater than the number of boys?
Q4. If there are 4 times more girls than boys, the number of girls is what percent greater than the number of boys?
Q5. If a certain quantity increases by 20%, decreases by 30%, then increases by 10%, what will be the overall percent
change?
Q6. If 25% percent of 𝑥 is 125% more than 5% of 𝑦, then 𝑥 is what percent greater than 𝑦?
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Successive Percent Changes & Interest

Q1. Suppose that you put 1000 euros into the bank at an 8% annual interest rate without compounding (simple
interest). If you left your money in the bank for 3 months, how much money did you make?
Q2. Suppose that you put 1000 euros into the bank at an 8% annual interest rate without compounding (simple
interest). If you left your money in the bank for 3 years, how much money did you make?
Q3. Suppose that you put 1000 euros into the bank at an 8% annual interest rate, compounded quarterly. If you left
your money in the bank for 9 months, how much money did you make?
a) 1000(1.06)
b) 1000(1.02)3
c) 1000(1.08)3
d) 1000[(1.02)3 − 1]
e) 1000[(1.08)3 − 1]
your money in the bank for 9 years, how much money did you make?
your money in the bank for 9 months, approximately how much money did you make?
a) 60
b) 61.21
c) 1060
d) 1061.21
e) 1080
Q6. Suppose that you put 500 euros into the bank at an 8% annual interest rate, compounded yearly. After how many
years would you have 2000 euros?
Compounded ____ Compoundings per year

Q7. 200[(1.03)4 − 1] is closest to which of the following?
yearly 1
a) 12.6
b) 24
c) 25.1 semi-annually 2
d) 212.6
e) 225.1 quarterly 4
monthly 12
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Q1. What is 150% greater than 50?
a) 75
b) 125
c) 150
d) 175
e) 200
Q2. Starting next month, Orphelia plans to deposit 100€ per month each into her savings and checking account, until
the ratio of the balance of her savings account to the balance of her checking account is 4 to 5. After how many
months will she reach this ratio?
1) This month, the ratio of her savings to her checking balance is 3 to 4.
2) This month, her checking account has a balance of 2000€.
Q3. If 𝑥% of 𝑦 is 1 and 𝑦% of 52 is 13, what is the value of 𝑥?
a) ¼
b) 1
c) 4
d) 40
e) 400
Q4. At the beginning of the year, the marketing department and the human resources department of a certain company
each had 𝑛 employees, and no one was an employee of both departments. At the end of the year, 5 employees
left the marketing department and 3 employees left the human resources department. How many employees did
the marketing department have at the beginning of the year?
1) The ratio of the total number of employees from both the marketing and human resources departments who left at
the end of the year to the total number of employees at the beginning of the year was 1 to 6.
2) At the end of the year, 21 employees remained in the human resources department.
Q5. If a watch cost $96 after a 20% mark-up, what was the original price of the watch?
a) $19.20
b) $76.80
c) $80
d) $115.20
e) $120
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Q6. When a certain bakery opened in the morning, they had cookies and cakes in a ratio of 3 to 4. During the day,
they didn’t bake any more cookies or cakes. If they started the day with more than 20 cookies, what was the ratio
of cookies to cakes at the end of the day?
1) The bakery sold 12 cookies and 16 cakes that day.
2) One third of the cookies were sold that day.
Q7. If a town’s population increases by 300 percent from 1950 to 2000 and is projected to increase by another
400% in the upcoming 40 years, what will be the percent increase in the population from 1950 to 2040?
a) 200
b) 400
c) 1500
d) 1900
e) 2000
Q8. The numbers 4 and 2.111 are examples of terminating decimals. If 𝑣, 𝑤, 𝑥, 𝑦, and 𝑧 are non-negative integers,
and 𝑎 = 2𝑣 ∙ 7𝑤 , and 𝑏 = 2𝑥 ∙ 5𝑦 ∙ 7𝑧 , does 𝑎/𝑏 give a terminating decimal?
1) 𝑣 > 𝑥
2) 𝑤 > 𝑧
Q9. If a town’s population grew by 10% due to a new fertility drug from 2010 to 2020 but then decreased in size by
10% because of a new disease brought to earth by aliens, what was the percent change in the town’s population?
a) −10
b) −1
c) 0
d) 1
e) 10
Q10. The African elephant is a genus comprising two living elephant species, the African bush elephant and the African
forest elephant. If the population of African bush elephants in 2019 was 10% lower than in 2018, the African
elephant population in 2019 was what percentage less than in 2018?
1) The number of African forest elephants decreased by 5% from 2018 to 2019.
2) The ratio of African bush elephants to African forest elephants was 2: 3 in 2018.
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̅̅̅̅ × 1.83
0.17 ̅
Q11. is equal to which of the following?
0.17 × 0.2 ̅
a) 8. 3̅
b) 8.5
c) ̅̅̅̅
8. 71
d) 8.75
e) 9.15
Q12. Is the integer 𝑛 positive?
1) 2𝑛 + 1 is a multiple of 𝑛 + 1.
2) 𝑛 = −𝑛
Q13. Ciara ingests on average 𝐶 calories per day. She goes on a diet and plants to decrease her calorie intake by 20%
each month for the next 2 months. Edward ingests on average 𝐸 calories per day. He begins bodybuilding and
plans to increase his calorie intake by 20% each month for the next 2 months. If Ciara and Edward will ingest
the same number of average daily calories after 2 months, what is the ratio of √𝐶 to √𝐸 ?
a) 1∶1
b) 3∶2
c) 9∶4
d) 2∶3
e) 4∶3
Q14. A hairstylist exam requires a 75% minimum score in order to pass each section. Did Kat pass the 30-question
third section?
1) Kat got 8 more correct answers on the second half of the third section than on the first half of the third section.
2) Kat got 1 more correct answer on the third section than on the 28-question first section, which she passed.
1
Q15. When 𝑥 = 6 11 is written as a decimal, how many non-zero digits will 𝑥 have?
2 ∙5
a) 1
b) 2
c) 3
d) 6
e) 11
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Q16. Didier, being concerned with the effect of plastic bags on ocean life, went to the grocery store with his own cloth
bag. Unfortunately, his groceries didn’t all fit into his cloth bag, and he was forced to pay for an extra plastic bag.
The weights of his groceries are shown below as fractions of the total weight of his groceries. Did he carry more
than half the weight of his groceries in his cloth bag?
Groceries 𝐺1 𝐺2 𝐺3 𝐺4 𝐺5 𝐺6 𝐺7
2 1 8 1 1 1 1
Fraction of the Total Weight
9 5 45 6 45 9 10
1) 𝐺3 , 𝐺4 , and 𝐺6 were in the cloth bag.
2) 𝐺1 , 𝐺2 , and 𝐺7 were in the evil plastic bag.
3
𝑎2 𝑏
Q17. If 𝑧 =
𝑐4
, and 𝑎 is halved, 𝑏 is tripled, and 𝑐 increases by half, what will be the percent change in 𝑧?
1
a) 33
3
2
b) 66
3
c) 75
1
d) 133
3
e) 175
Q18. The Opéra Garnier was half full on Tuesday night. How many seats are in the Opéra?
1) If the number of people in the Opéra increased by 20% from Tuesday night to Wednesday night, then the Opéra
would be 60% full on Wednesday night.
2) If 40 more people came on Tuesday night, that would have increased the number of people at the Opéra by 4%.
Q19. I sold my soul at a 25% discount, but still made a 25% profit. About what would my profit have been if I had
sold my soul without a discount?
a) 13%
b) 25%
c) 50%
d) 67%
e) 75%
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Q20. Dan paid $729 for the new Wonkificator-17A, including sales tax. Was the sales tax rate greater than 4 percent?
1) Without tax, the price of the Wonkificator-17A was less than $700.
2) The sales tax added less than $40 to the price.
Q21. If 𝑥 is 90% percent of 𝑦, and 𝑧 is 900% bigger than 𝑥, then 𝑧 is what percent different than 𝑦?
a) −800
b) −91
c) 9
d) 91
e) 800
Q22. The number of rats in Paris was 𝑥 percent more in 2007 than in 2006, and 𝑦 percent less in 2008 than in
2007. Was the number of rats in Paris more in 2008 than in 2006?
1) 𝑥 > 𝑦
𝑥𝑦
2) <𝑥−𝑦
100
Q23. Naomi’s father has a 1 L bottle of vodka that contains 40% alcohol. One night, Naomi removed 50 mL of
vodka and refilled the bottle with water. A few weeks later, Naomi again removed 50 mL of vodka and refilled
the bottle with water. What was the concentration of alcohol in the end?
a) 10%
b) 20%
c) 35.6%
d) 36.1%
e) 38%
Q24. A certain tutoring company’s revenue last February was 6 percent lower than its revenue last January. Their
revenue last February was higher than their expenses last February, and their revenue last January was higher than
their expenses last January. Was their gross profit last February higher than their gross profit last January?
1) Their revenue last February was $3,100 lower than the revenue last January.
2) Their expenses last February were 4% lower than their expenses last January.
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Q25. At a party, the ratio of the amount spent on snacks to the amount spent on cleaners to clean the mess afterwards
was 2 to 7, and the ratio of the amount spent on decorations to the amount spent on cleaning up afterwards was
1 to 5. What was the ratio of the amount spent on snacks to the total of snacks, cleaning, and decorations?
a) 1 to 5
b) 2 to 5
c) 2 to 9
d) 5 to 14
e) 5 to 26
Q26. A year ago, of the people in a certain class, 3/5 were blond. The people in class this year include all the people
from last year, plus some new members. Is the fraction of blonds in the class this year higher than last year?
1) This year, the number of people in the class is 6/5 the number of people in the class last year.
2) More than half of the new members are blond.
Q27. Which of the following is equal to 50,000 ?
400
a)
0.8
0.4
b)
0.008
0.04
c)
0.000008
4,000
d)
0.08
40
e)
0.00008
Q28. A family of 33 giants lives in a series of 7 caves in a mountain. Is there at least one giant living in every cave?
1) The ratio of the number of giants living in the second cave to the number of giants living in the fifth cave is 2 to 3.
2) The ratio of the number of giants living in the fifth cave to the number of giants living in the sixth cave is 5 to 2.
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𝑥+2 𝑥−2
Q29. If 𝑥 ≠ −2 or 2, then
𝑥−2
− 𝑥+2 =
a) −2
−2
b)
𝑥 2 −4
4
c)
𝑥 2 −4
8𝑥
d)
𝑥 2 −4
8𝑥+2
e)
𝑥 2 −4
Q30. Is 𝑥 = 5 ?
1) If 𝑥 were rounded to the nearest thousandth, the result would be 5.
2) If 𝑥 were rounded to the nearest tenth, the result would be equal to the exact value of 𝑥.
Q31. On March 1st, Martin takes a 1000€ loan from a loan shark who charges 50% interest compounded monthly.
The interest is applied on the 25th of every month, and Martin makes payments on the 30th of every month. If
Martin repays the loan in two equal payments, what was the loan shark’s profit?
a) 800€
b) 900€
c) 1250€
d) 1800€
e) 2250€
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More Practice Problems Answers (Part 2)

Q1. B
Q2. C
Q3. C
Q4. D
Q5. C
Q6. A
Q7. D
Q8. B
Q9. B
Q10. C
Q11. A
Q12. D
Q13. B
Q14. A
Q15. B
Q16. B
Q17. A
Q18. B
Q19. D
Q20. A
Q21. B
Q22. B
Q23. D
Q24. B
Q25. E
Q26. E
Q27. D
Q28. C
Q29. D
Q30. C
Q31. A
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2
The GMAT
Part 3: Exponents and Roots

And Ethan Berlant
Exponents and Roots - 2

3

4
The Rules
Working with exponents is a matter of learning the “language” (the rules of exponents), and the pattern recognition
to know when to apply which rule.
In the expression 1234 , 12 is the base, and 34 is the exponent or power.
Simplify the following expressions, then find their decimal values:
Q1. 25 ∙ 27 = Q2. 25 ÷ 27 =
Q3. 72 ∙ 52 = Q4. 72 ÷ 52 =
1
Q5. (25 )2 = Q6. 8
( )
3 =
1 1
Q7. 1 = Q8. 216
( )
3 =
(− )
4 2
We have nice rules for multiplication and division with exponents, but not so much for addition and subtraction.
Q9. 27 + 25 = Q10. 2𝑥+1 + 2𝑥−1 =
Q11. 33 + 33 + 33 = Q12. 25 + 43 − 82 =
When you see problems involving exponents and addition or subtraction, your first instinct should be to factorize.
When you see problems involving exponents and different bases, consider rewriting in terms of prime factors.
124 ×212 ×8 Q14. Solve for 𝑥 and 𝑦: 122𝑥 ∙ 9𝑦 = 182𝑦 ∙ 8𝑥−1

Q13. =
64 ×242 ×49

5
Identities Worth Remarking

As mentioned on the previous page, exponents with addition/subtraction should make you think of factoring. This
can either mean factoring a common term or recognizing certain forms of expressions.
Factor the following expressions:
Q1. 𝑥 2 − 𝑦 2 =
Q2. 𝑥 2 + 2𝑥𝑦 + 𝑦 2 =
Q3. 𝑥 2 − 2𝑥𝑦 + 𝑦 2 =
Q4. 18𝑥 2 + 24𝑥𝑦 + 8𝑦 2 =
How can we easily calculate 34 × 36 ? Or 33 × 37 ?
Q5. 104 × 98 − 102 × 96 =
A couple of random, but sometimes useful facts:
We can factorize differences of equal powers as: 𝑥 𝑛 − 𝑦 𝑛 = (𝑥 − 𝑦)(𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑓𝑓) … for example:
𝑥 3 − 𝑦 3 = (𝒙 − 𝒚)(𝑥 2 + 𝑥𝑦 + 𝑦 2 )
𝑥 5 − 𝑦 5 = (𝒙 − 𝒚)(𝑥 4 + 𝑥 3 𝑦 + 𝑥 2 𝑦 2 + 𝑥𝑦 3 + 𝑦 4 )
And so on. No need to memorize the formula, just remember that (𝒙 − 𝒚) is a factor of 𝒙𝒏 − 𝒚𝒏 .
If instead we look at sums of equal powers, like 𝑥 𝑛 + 𝑦 𝑛 , we can only factor them if 𝑛 is odd. For example:
𝑥 3 + 𝑦 3 = (𝒙 + 𝒚)(𝑥 2 − 𝑥𝑦 + 𝑦 2 )
Again, we don’t care about the formula. Just remember that (𝒙 + 𝒚) is a factor of 𝒙𝒏 + 𝒚𝒏 if 𝒏 is odd.

6
Exponent Rules Practice

Q1. All the following are equal EXCEPT:
a) 239 + 239
b) 240
c) 420
d) 410 + 410 + 410 + 410

1 −10
e) (16)
16𝑥
Q2. If 4𝑥 − 𝑦 = 12, what is the value of ?
2𝑦
a) 2048
b) 3072
c) 4096
d) 6144
e) 8192
Q3. If 𝑚 and 𝑛 are integers, and 36𝑚 = 16 ∙ 18𝑛 , what is the value of 𝑚 + 𝑛 ?
a) 0
b) 3
c) 6
d) 8
e) 10
Q4. If y = 35 + 36 + 37 , the largest prime factor of 𝑦 is:
a) 3
b) 5
c) 7
d) 11
e) 13
Q5. 733 − 673 is divisible by which of the following?
a) 5
b) 6
c) 7
d) 8
e) 4907

7
Q6. 1052 − 952 = ?
a) 20
b) 100
c) 200
d) 1000
e) 2000
Q7. 44412 + 44322 − 8864 × 4441 = ?
a) 8
b) 9
c) 64
d) 72
e) 81
1
125 ( )
125
Q8. If 𝑥 = , then 𝑥 = ?
( ) 25
25
a) 5−2
b) 1
c) 52
d) 56
e) 510
Q9. √3 − 2√2 = ?
a) √2 − 1
b) √3 − 1
c) 2 − √2
d) 3 − 2√3
e) 1
1240 −440
Q10. is approximately equal to which of the following?
340 −1
a) 1023
b) 1024
c) 1025
d) 1026
e) 1027

8
Things and Stuff

Q1. −42 =
Q2. −43 =
Q3. (−4)2 =
Q4. (−4)3 =
Q5. If 𝑥 2 = 9 then 𝑥 =
Q6. √9 =
Q7. √𝑥 2 =
Q8. If √𝑥 2 = −𝑥 then:
Q9. 40 =
Q10. 04 =
Q11. 00 =
One principle at work in the questions above is that when you have an even exponent, this can hide a negative sign.
Odd exponents on the other hand don’t hide anything; the base and the result will have the same sign.

9
The Power of Small Numbers

What happens when we raise a number to increasing powers? Draw a number line and:
1 1/2 1 1 2 1 3
Q1. Place these values in order on the number line: (4) 𝑣𝑠. (4) 𝑣𝑠. (4) 𝑣𝑠. (4)
Q2. Place these values in order on the number line: (4)1/2 𝑣𝑠. (4) 𝑣𝑠. (4)2 𝑣𝑠. (4)3
1 1/2 1 1 2 1 3
Q3. Place these values in order on the number line: (− 4) 𝑣𝑠. (− 4) 𝑣𝑠. (− 4) 𝑣𝑠. (− 4)
Q4. Place these values in order on the number line: (−4)1/2 𝑣𝑠. (−4) 𝑣𝑠. (−4)2 𝑣𝑠. (−4)3
Increasing the power moves the magnitude of a number AWAY from 𝟏.
For negative numbers, their magnitudes follow the same principles as those for positive numbers, with the added
complication that their sign depends on the parity of the exponent. The easiest way to think of this is to think of
what happens to the magnitude and the sign separately.
We can use a picture to help remember this. If we put arrows in the direction that bigger exponents “move,” we have:
←|→|←|→
−𝟏 𝟎 𝟏
If we’re told that 𝑥 1/2 > 𝑥 3, and we want to find for which values of 𝑥 this is true, then we can:
First make the inequality open to the right, like this: < … and so 𝑥 1/2 > 𝑥 3 becomes 𝑥 3 < 𝑥 1/2
Then, draw an arrow from the smaller exponent to the bigger exponent. If we want to compare 𝑥 3 < 𝑥 1/2 , the
arrow will point to the left: 𝑥 3 ← 𝑥 1/2
Compare the arrow you drew to the arrows on the number line above: we have ← when either 𝑥 < −1 or 0 < 𝑥 < 1.
BUT! Any time we have even exponents (or even roots), we have to check to see what happens when 𝒙 is negative.
In this case, since we have an even root, 𝑥 can never be negative! Thus, the only region that works is 0 < 𝑥 < 1.
For what values of 𝒙 are the following inequalities true?
Q5. 𝑥 5 < 𝑥 3 Q6. 𝑥 3 < 𝑥 5 Q7. 𝑥 5 > 𝑥 4 Q8. 𝑥 4 > 𝑥 5
Q9. 𝑥 5 < 𝑥 1/2 Q10. 𝑥 5 > 𝑥 1/2 Q11. 𝑥 2 < 𝑥 4 Q12. 𝑥 4 < 𝑥 2
Q13. If 𝑥 3 < 𝑥 2 , which of the following must NOT be true?
a) 𝑥 = −1
b) 𝑥 < −5
c) 𝑥>5
d) 𝑥>0
e) 𝑥2 > 1

10
Exponent Comparison Practice

Q1. Is 𝑥 between 0 and 1 ?
1) 𝑥 2 > 𝑥
2) 𝑥 2 > 𝑥 3
Q2. If |𝑥| < 𝑥 2 , which of the following MUST be true?
a) 𝑥>0
b) 𝑥<0
c) |𝑥| < 1
d) 𝑥 < −1
e) 𝑥2 > 1
Q3. If 𝑥 37 < 𝑥 106 < 𝑥 28 , a possible value for 𝑥 is:
a) −𝜋
1
b) −𝜋
c) 0
d) 𝜋
1
e)
𝜋
Q4. If 𝑥 > 0.7, which of the following could be the value of 𝑥?
a) √0.49
b) √0.7
c) 0.72
d) 0.7 × 0.77
e) 1 − √0.09
Q5. Is 𝑥 2 > 𝑦 ?
4
1) √𝑥 > 𝑦
2) 𝑥 7 > 𝑦

11
Exponents and Units Digits

Fill in the table with the units digit of 𝑥 2 , 𝑥 3 , 𝑥 4 , and 𝑥 5 .
𝒙 𝒙𝟐 𝒙𝟑 𝒙𝟒 𝒙𝟓
• Look horizontally. What pattern do you notice for the 2s, 3s, 7s, and 9s? And for the other digits?
• Look vertically. What pattern do you notice for the squares? What are the possible units digits for a perfect square?
• What do you notice about the cubes? What are the possible units digits of a perfect cube?
• What are the possible units digits of a perfect 4th power?
• What do you notice about the units digits of perfect 5th powers?
Q1. If 𝑎 is an integer, what is the units digit of 𝑎 ?
1) The units digit of 𝑎2 is 6.
2) The units digit of 𝑎3 is 4.

12
Roots
Roots are in fact just fractional exponents. They follow the same rules as any exponent, with one thing to be careful
of: an even root can’t be applied to a negative number, and the result can’t be negative either.
3
Q1. √512 =
4
Q2. √163 =
3 2
Q3. ( √1252 ) =
Q4. √152 is closest to which of the following?
a) 12
b) 12.1
c) 12.2
d) 12.3
e) 12.4
Q5. If 𝑥 is a perfect square, then which of the following could be the units digit of 𝑥 2 ?
a) 2
b) 4
c) 6
d) 8
e) 9
Q6. If 3136 is a perfect square, then √3136 = ?
a) 48
b) 54
c) 56
d) 58
e) 64
If the following are all perfect squares, then what is the square root of: 2704? … or 1296? … or 9216? … or 576?
… or 1681? … or 5329? … or 7225? … or 361?
When working with roots, we have two main approaches: either we find the exact value, or we approximate. The
method we choose depends on the problem, especially on the answer choices.

13
Roots Practice
Q1. If 𝑥 is a perfect cube, then which of the following could be the units digit of 𝑥 3 ?
I. 1
II. 2
III. 7
a) I only
b) II only
c) III only
d) I and II only
e) I, II, and III
Q2. √2209 = ?
a) 43
b) 45
c) 47
d) 53
e) 59
3
Q3. √3 is equal to which of the following?
8
3
a)
2
3
b)
8
3
c) 3√
2
3
d) 3√
8
3√8
e)
8
Q4. √√0.0016 is closest to which of the following?
1
a)
2
1
b)
4
1
c)
8
1
d)
16
1
e)
32

14
Perfect Powers
“Perfect” powers are powers of integers. A perfect square is an integer squared… for example: 1, 4, 9, 16, etc.
If 𝑥 = 2 ∙ 32 ∙ 53 , then:
𝑥2 =
𝑥3 =
Since 𝒙 was an integer, 𝒙𝟐 must be a “perfect” square, and 𝒙𝟑 must be a “perfect” cube.
Q1. What can we say about the exponents of the prime factors of a perfect square?
Q2. What can we say about the exponents of the prime factors of a perfect cube?
Q3. What can we say about the exponents of the prime factors of a perfect 𝟏𝟓th power?
Q4. Is 1080 a perfect cube?
Q5. Is 135940180940 a perfect square?
Q6. If 𝑦 is an integer, how many possible distinct integer values can 𝑛 take if 𝑦 𝑛 = 230 ∙ 324 ∙ 548 ?
a) 1
b) 2
c) 3
d) 4
e) 6
Q7. If 𝑥 2 is divisible by 60, what is the least possible value for the integer 𝑥?
a) 10
b) 15
c) 30
d) 60
e) 90
Q8. If 𝑥 7 is divisible by 210 , 320 , and 530 , what is the least possible value for the integer 𝑥?
a) 2∙3∙5
b) 2 ∙ 32 ∙ 53
c) 2 ∙ 32 ∙ 54
d) 22 ∙ 33 ∙ 54
e) 22 ∙ 33 ∙ 55
Q9. How many distinct prime factors does integer 𝑎 have?
1) 𝑎2 has 3 distinct prime factors
2) 3𝑎 has 3 distinct prime factors

15
Q1. −106 =
a) 1,000,000
b) 100,000
c) −60
d) −100,000
e) −1,000,000
Q2. Which of the following is closest to (8 ∙ 109 )(7 ∙ 108 ) ?
a) 1018
b) 1019
c) 56 ∙ 1018
d) 562 ∙ 1034
e) 56 ∙ 1072
Q3. Is 𝑥 4 𝑦 5 𝑧 6 positive?
1) 𝑥 > 0
2) 𝑦 > 0
Q4. Is 𝑥 3 𝑦 4 𝑧 5 positive?
1) 𝑦𝑧 < 0
2) 𝑥𝑧 > 0
Q5. 7√3 is closest to which of the following?
a) 11.9
b) 12
c) 12.1
d) 12.2
e) 12.3
Q6. When multiplied, 9.75317 has how many digits to the right of the decimal point?
a) 35
b) 28
c) 21
d) 11
e) 7

16
Q7. Given that 𝐻 and 𝐴 are positive integers, what is the units digit of (5𝐻𝐴)5 ?
1) 𝐻 is odd.
2) 𝐴 is even.
Q8. 𝑟 = 1023 − 323 … what is the sum of the digits of 𝑟?
a) 188
b) 191
c) 200
d) 209
e) 211
Q9. Which of the following is true for all positive values of 𝑥 and 𝑦?
𝑥 𝑦
a) ∙ = 𝑥𝑦
√ 𝑦 √𝑥
b) 𝑥 𝑦 𝑦 𝑦 = (𝑥𝑦)2𝑦
c) 𝑥 2 + 𝑦 2 = (𝑥 + 𝑦)2
d) 𝑦𝑥 2 + 𝑦𝑥 2 = √4𝑦 2 𝑥 4
e) (𝑥 2 𝑦 4 )2 = 𝑥 4 𝑦16
Q10. If 𝑛 is a positive integer and 𝑚 = 4.9 × 10𝑛 , what is the value of 𝑚?
1) 50,000 < 𝑚 < 4,000,000
2) 𝑚2 = 2.401 × 1011
2
2−(𝑥+𝑦)
Q11. If 𝑥 is the reciprocal of 𝑦, then −(𝑥−𝑦)2 is equal to which of the following?
2
1
a)
16
1
b)
2
c) 1
d) 2
e) 16

17
Q12. What is the value of 𝑥?
1) √𝑥 4 = 16
2) √𝑥 2 = −𝑥
Q13. 𝑘 is a positive integer, and 1080𝑘 is a perfect cube. The smallest possible value for 𝑘 lies in which range?
a) 0 < 𝑘 ≤ 0.1
b) 0.1 < 𝑘 ≤ 0.5
c) 0.5 < 𝑘 ≤ 10
d) 10 < 𝑘 ≤ 100
Q14. If 𝑘 is an integer, is 300 > 3𝑘 ?
1) 4𝑘−1 < 4𝑘 − 150
2) 𝑘 2 = 36
Q15. 𝑘 is a non-negative number, and 1080𝑘 is a perfect cube. The smallest possible value for 𝑘 lies in which range?
a) 0 < 𝑘 ≤ 0.1
b) 0.1 < 𝑘 ≤ 0.5
c) 0.5 < 𝑘 ≤ 10
d) 10 < 𝑘 ≤ 100
Q16. If 𝑎 and 𝑏 are positive integers, what is the value of (−1)𝑎 (−1)𝑏 + (−1)𝑎 + (−1)𝑏 ?
1) 𝑎 has no prime factors
2) 𝑏 is equal to the sum of its factors
Q17. 𝑘 is a positive number, and 1080𝑘 is a perfect cube. The smallest possible value for 𝑘 lies in which range?
a) 0 < 𝑘 ≤ 0.1
b) 0.1 < 𝑘 ≤ 0.5
c) 0.5 < 𝑘 ≤ 10
d) 10 < 𝑘 ≤ 100

18
Q18. 𝑛 = 107 − 𝑚, where 𝑚 is a positive two-digit integer. If the sum of the digits of 𝑛 is 57, there are how many
possible values of 𝑚?
a) 1
b) 4
c) 5
d) 6
e) 7
Q19. The positive value of 𝑥 that satisfies the equation (1 + 2𝑥)4 = (2 + 2𝑥)3 is between:
a) 0 and 0.5
b) 0.5 and 1
c) 1 and 1.5
d) 1.5 and 2
e) 2 and 2.5
Q20. If 729 + 513 = 7𝑧 , then 𝑧 is approximately equal to which of the following?
a) 27
b) 28
c) 29
d) 30
e) 31
Q21. If 𝑦 is a positive integer, is √𝑦 an integer?
1) √5𝑦 is an integer.
2) √9𝑦 is not an integer.
Q22. What is the remainder when 264 is divided by 48 ?
a) 0
b) 1
c) 8
d) 16
e) 32
Q23. Is 𝑥 a perfect 6th power?
1) 𝑥 is a perfect 4th power.
2) 𝑥 is a perfect 15th power.

19
Q24. When (122 × 353 × 184 × 255 × 246 × 157 )3! is multiplied, the result ends in how many zeros?
a) 100
b) 120
c) 140
d) 160
e) 190
Q25. If 𝑥 and 𝑦 are positive integers, is 7𝑥 + 7𝑦 divisible by 25 ?
1) 𝑥 − 𝑦 = 2
2) 𝑥 + 𝑦 = 6
Q26. If 𝑥 is a positive integer, what is the units digit of 142𝑥−1 ∙ 63𝑥+2 ∙ 27𝑥+1 ∙ 194𝑥 ?
a) 9
b) 8
c) 4
d) 2
e) 0
2
Q27. (√8 + 3√7 + √8 − 3√7) = ?
a) 18
b) 19
c) 20
d) 21
e) 22
Q28. Is integer 𝑥 a perfect cube?
1) The tens digit of 𝑥 is 2.
2) The units digit of 𝑥 is 0.
Q29. If 𝑎 is a positive integer and 𝑏 is an integer such that 234𝑏 is a factor of 234,567, what is the value of 𝑏 𝑎 − 𝑎𝑏 ?
a) −81
b) −1
c) 0
d) 1
e) 81

20
Q30. If the following numbers are placed on the number line, which would be furthest to the right?
2
a) √2
3
b) √3
6
c) √6
9
d) √9
18
e) √18
Q31. If 𝑥 and 𝑦 are positive integers, and 12𝑦 2 − 15𝑥 3 = 0, what is the smallest possible value for 𝑦 ?
a) 10
b) 20
c) 50
d) 100
e) 125

21

Q1. E
Q2. B
Q3. E
Q4. C
Q5. C
Q6. B
Q7. B
Q8. C
Q9. D
Q10. D
Q11. A
Q12. C
Q13. D
Q14. C
Q15. E
Q16. D
Q17. A
Q18. D
Q19. B
Q20. C
Q21. D
Q22. D
Q23. C
Q24. B
Q25. A
Q26. D
Q27. A
Q28. C
Q29. B
Q30. B
Q31. D

2
The GMAT
Part 4: Statistics

And Ethan Berlant
Stats - 2

3
Stats - 3

4
The Average (Arithmetic Mean)

Q1. If 𝑎 + 𝑏 = 10, how can we draw 𝑎 and 𝑏 on a number line?
Q2. If the average of the numbers in list 𝑋 is 5, how many numbers in list 𝑋 are bigger than 5?
1) There are 5 numbers in list 𝑋.
2) None of the numbers in list 𝑋 are smaller than 5.
Q3. What’s the average of 3, 5, 11, and 17?
Q4. Using the list in the previous question, how far from 9 is each of the numbers in the list?
Q5. The numbers 𝑥, 3, 5, 11, 17 have an average of 11. What’s the value of 𝑥?
Q6. The 19 numbers 𝑥, 3, 3, 3, 5, 5, 5, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 17, 17, 17, 17 have an average of 11. What’s 𝑥?
Q7. If 𝑥 is removed from the previous list, will the average increase or decrease? What will be the new average?
Q8. We can answer Q7 using the weighted average formula, but there’s another useful formula to know – when you
add or remove a number from a list, you can find the change in the average with the formula:
|𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒|
… in the Q7 example, this gives:
𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟𝑠
Q9. What is the average of the numbers 5, 5, 15, 15, 15, 15, 15, 15, 15, 15 ?
Q10. If you have beer (5% alcohol) and wine (15% alcohol), and you mix the two together (yummy!) – if the
resulting mixture contains 13% alcohol, did you have more beer, or more wine?
Q11. What was the ratio of beer to wine? What was the ratio of wine to the total quantity of liquid?
Stats - 4

5
When finding the weighted average, the average is still the number that “balances” everything out. It’s not as easy to
see with 3 or more groups, but when we’re only averaging (or mixing) 2 groups, we can easily visualize this balancing.
Let’s say that a group of people taking a test scored either 50% correct or 80% correct. If 10 people scored 50%
(let’s call them group 𝑋), and 5 people scored 80% (let’s call them group 𝑌), what was the average score for the entire
group (𝑋 and 𝑌 combined)? In this problem there are 3 things we care about: quantity (the number of people), the
values to be averaged (scores), and the final average. Organizing those values into a table could look like:
If we draw these values on a number line:

Group 𝑋 Group 𝑌
Scores 50% 80% 𝑿-------10------Final----------------20-------------------𝒀

|-----------------|---------------------------------------|
50% 60% 80%
Quantity 10 5
50% × 10 + 80% × 5 In fact, there’s a relationship between the differences on

Final Average = 60%
10 + 5 the number line and the quantities (the number of
people in each group).
𝑄𝑢𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑋 𝑆𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑌−𝐹𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝐴𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑄𝑢𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑋 80−60 20 10

= … which gives: = = =
𝑄𝑢𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑌 𝐹𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝐴𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒−𝑆𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑋 𝑄𝑢𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑌 60−50 10 5
This is useful in problems where we already know the final average and want to find the ratio of the quantities. If we
take the problem above and change it so that the quantities are unknown:
Let’s say that a group of people taking a test scored either 50% correct or 80% correct. If 𝑋 people scored 50%, and
𝑌 people scored 80%, and the average score for the group was 75%, what was the ratio of 𝑋 to 𝑌?
If we draw these values on a number line:

Group 𝑋 Group 𝑌
Scores 50% 80% 𝑿---------------------25--------------------Final----5-----𝒀

|--------------------------------------------|------------|
50% 75% 80%
Quantity 𝑋 𝑌
50% × 𝑋 + 80% × 𝑌
Final Average = 75%
𝑋+𝑌
We could use the equation for the final average to solve for the ratio of 𝑋 to 𝑌, but it’s easier to use the number line:
𝑄𝑢𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑋 𝑆𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑌−𝐹𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝐴𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 5 1

= = =
𝑄𝑢𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑌 𝐹𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝐴𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒−𝑆𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑋 25 5
This can be applied not only to averages, but also to mixtures. Mixtures work just like averages. If you combine two
quantities, and the result has a value in between the two values you combined, chances are you’re working with the
equivalent of an average.
Stats - 5

6
Number Line Practice

For the following problems, use the number line method described on the previous page.
Q1. Solution 𝐴 contains 6% alcohol. Solution 𝐵 contains 31% alcohol. The mixture of 𝐴 and 𝐵 contains 16%
alcohol. What was the ratio of the quantity of liquid in 𝐴 to the quantity of liquid in 𝐵 ?
alcohol. What was the ratio of the quantity of liquid in 𝐴 to the quantity of liquid in 𝐵 ?
alcohol. What was the ratio of the quantity of liquid in 𝐴 to the total quantity of liquid in the mixture?
alcohol. What was the ratio of the quantity of liquid in 𝐵 to the total quantity of liquid in the mixture?
alcohol. What was the ratio of the quantity of liquid in 𝐵 to the total quantity of liquid in the mixture?
Weighted Average Practice

For the following problems, use the weighted average method described on the previous page.
Q6. 3 liters of 80% alcohol solution mixed with 2 liters of 60% alcohol solution give what final concentration?
Q8. 80% alcohol solution is mixed with 60% alcohol solution in a ratio of 3 to 7. What is the final concentration?
Stats - 6

7
Mixtures & Weighted Averages

For most (but not all!) mixture problems, we can use either a weighted average or the number line. When you see
what looks like a mixture problem, you should look to see whether the final average/concentration/result is given.
If so, the number line is usually the easiest technique. If not, using the weighted average formula is usually easiest.
Q1. Joe’s alcoholic drink contains 12% alcohol and his friend’s drink contains 3% alcohol. Joe decides that he’s had
enough for the night, so he pours the rest of his drink into his friend’s cup. The resulting concoction contains 6%
alcohol. What was the ratio of liquid between Joe’s drink and his friend’s when the two were mixed?
a) 2∶1
b) 1∶2
c) 3∶4
d) 4∶3
e) 3∶2
Q2. Joe’s alcoholic drink contains 12% alcohol and his friend’s drink contains 3% alcohol. Joe decides that he’s had
enough for the night, so he pours the rest of his drink into his friend’s cup. If Joe’s drink contained thrice the
liquid in his friend’s drink, what is the concentration of alcohol in the resulting concoction?
a) 5.25%
b) 6%
c) 7.5%
d) 9%
e) 9.75%
Q3. How many liters of water must be added to 20 liters of cream to create a mixture that is 60% water, if the cream
already contains 20% water?
a) 4
b) 12
c) 16
d) 18
e) 20
Q4. One month, the total expense in Carla’s candy store increased 8 percent. Her total expense is made up of only the
cost of candy (𝑐) and wages for her employees (𝑤). If 𝑐 decreased 4 percent, and 𝑤 increased 44 percent, what
was the ratio of 𝑐 to her overall expense for the month before the increase? And for the month after the increase?
Q5. Alyssa mixed two differently-sized packets of nuts containing walnuts and cashews. The first packet contained
walnuts and cashews in a ratio of 5 ∶ 3, while the second contained them in a ratio of 1: 5. If the final mixture
contained walnuts and cashews in a ratio of 3 ∶ 5, what percent larger was the second packet than the first?
a) 5
b) 10
c) 15
d) 20
a) 25
Stats - 7

8
Median, Mode, and Range

Median – The median is the middle of an ordered list of numbers. If a list contains an odd number of numbers,
the median is simply the middle number. If a list contains an even number of numbers, the median is the average
of the middle two numbers.
Q1. What is the median of the numbers −4, −6, −8, 1, 2, 4 ?
Q2. What is the median of the numbers 5, 9, 3, 3, 3 ?
Mode – The mode is the number that appears the most in a set. Le nombre qui est à la mode, quoi.
Q3. What is the mode of the list {1, 3, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 7, 7, 7, 7, 10, 10} ?
Q4. What is the mode of the list {1, 3, 4, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 7, 7, 7, 7, 10, 10} ?
Q5. What is the mode of the list {1, 2, 3} ?
Q6. What is the mode of the list {1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3} ?
Range – The range of a list of numbers is the biggest number in the list minus the smallest number in the list. Said
differently, the range is the largest possible difference of numbers in a list.
Q7. What is the range of the list {4, −3, 16, 52, 49, −8, 17} ?
Q8. What is the range of the list {−1, −3, −5} ?
A Common Problem Type
Q9. One year, the parents of five children gave all the children money for their birthdays in some number of $10 bills.
The mean and median of the gifts were both $60. If the mode was $100, what was the range of the gifts?
a) $60
b) $70
c) $80
d) $90
e) $100
Stats - 8

9
Stats Practice
Q1. If the average of 𝑥, 𝑦, 5, 10 is equal to the average of 𝑥, 𝑦, 5, 10, 15, then what is the sum of 𝑥 and 𝑦?
a) 15
b) 30
c) 45
d) 60
e) 75
Q2. Which of the following could be the range of the set {35, 𝑥, 𝑦, −26, 𝑧} ?
I. 55
II. −61
III. 70
a) I
b) II
c) III
d) I and III
e) I, II, and III
Q3. If set 𝑍 contains only prime numbers, and 𝑋 is the product of all the values inside 𝑍, what is the range of 𝑍?
1) 𝑍 = {3, 5, 7, 𝑡, 13}
2) 11𝑋 is even.
Q4. Sets 𝑋, 𝑌, and 𝑍 are joined to create set Ω. What is the mean of set Ω?
1) Sets 𝑋, 𝑌, and 𝑍 each have a median of 35.
2) Sets 𝑋, 𝑌, and 𝑍 are each evenly-spaced sets.
Q5. For a list 𝑋 of at least 2 numbers, let 𝑆 be the sum of its mean, median, and range. If list 𝑋 contains the number
𝑚, and we remove 𝑚 from the list, does the value of 𝑆 decrease?
1) 𝑚 is the largest number in the list.
2) 𝑚 is not the smallest number in the list.
Stats - 9

10
Standard Deviation (𝝈)

Earlier, we looked at the average of the list {3, 5, 11, 17} … which was 9. We also looked at the differences between
the numbers in the list and 9. The standard deviation, denoted 𝜎, is related to these differences; it can be described
as a measure of how “spread out” the numbers in a list are. To calculate the standard deviation, we would:
1. Calculate the absolute value of the differences between each number in the list and the average
2. Square each of the differences
3. Take the average of the squares of the differences (this gives us the variance)
4. Take the square root of the variance (this gives us the standard deviation)
For the list {3, 5, 11, 17} with an average of 9, that means:
1. Finding the differences: {|3 − 9|, |5 − 9|, |11 − 9|, |17 − 9|} = {6, 4, 2, 8}
2. Squaring the differences: {62 , 42 , 22 , 82 } = {36, 16, 4, 64}
36+16+4+64
3. Average the squared differences to get the variance: 𝑉𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 = = 30
4
4. Standard deviation is: 𝜎 = √30 ≈ 5.5
On the GMAT, though, you almost never need to calculate the standard deviation using this formula. When
we’re answering questions about standard deviation, we use shortcuts or apply certain basic principles.
Most of the time, we can simply look at the differences between the numbers in a list to get an idea of how spread out
they are. In the list {3, 5, 11, 17} we have differences of {2, 6, 6} between consecutive numbers. If we’re comparing
this to the list {51, 52, 58, 63}, we could say that this second list has differences of {1, 6, 5} between consecutive
numbers which means the numbers are less spread out, and so the standard deviation of the second list must be smaller.
If we needed to be more precise, we could look at the differences between the numbers in the list and the average of
the list. The average of {3, 5, 11, 17} is 9, and as we saw before, the differences between each number and 9 are
{6, 4, 2, 8}. For the second list, {51, 52, 58, 63}, the average is 56, and the differences are {5, 4, 2, 7}. The differences
in the second list tend to be smaller, so its standard deviation should be smaller.
A couple facts we need to know: if a dataset is normally distributed,

then approximately 68% of the data is within one standard deviation
of the mean. About 95% of the data is within two standard deviations,
and 99.7% within three. This is pictured to the right →
Also, in case you didn’t catch it: the variance is the square of the
standard deviation. 𝑉𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 = 𝜎 2
And the last key fact about the standard deviation that you might need
for the test (besides what you’ll see on the next page): the standard
deviation is limited by the range of the data. Let’s take an example and
try to make the standard deviation as large as possible:
In order to maximize the standard deviation, we want our values to be as far from the mean as possible. Let’s take a
set of 2 values, with a mean of 0, and a maximum range of 20. The largest standard deviation will occur when both
values are as far from the mean as possible, so we should have {−10, 10}. If we calculate the standard deviation in
102 +102 𝑅𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒
this situation, we’ll have 𝜎 = √ = 10 … which is half the range. Thus, as a general rule, we get: 𝜎 ≤
2 2
Stats - 10

11
Standard Deviation Practice

Q1. What is the standard deviation of the list {3, 3, 3, 3, 3} ?
Q2. Which list has the largest standard deviation, 𝑋 = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5} or 𝑌 = {101, 102, 103, 104, 105} ?
Q3. Which list has the largest standard deviation, 𝑋 = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5} or 𝑍 = {5, 10, 15, 20, 25} ?
Q4. If 3 towns have populations of 3000, 11000, and 12000 respectively, and each town grows by 5000 people,
what is the change in the standard deviation of the towns’ populations?
Q5. If 3 towns have populations of 𝑥, 𝑦, and 𝑧 respectively, with a standard deviation of 8, and each town doubles in
size, what is the percentage change in the variance of the towns’ populations?
Q6. By what percent will the standard deviation change if each number in a list is multiplied by 0.9? By −1? By −2?
Q7. If the weight of full-grown dairy cows in Switzerland is normally distributed, with a mean of 425 kg and a standard
deviation of 17 kg, and there are approximately 1.2 million full-grown dairy cows in Switzerland, then
approximately how many full-grown Swiss dairy cows weigh more than 459 kg?
Q8. If a list is composed of distinct positive integers, of which there are at least two, the standard deviation must
increase in which case(s)?
I. The smallest number in the list has the largest number in the list added to it.
II. The smallest number in the list is increased by the value of the mean of the list.
III. The largest number in the list has the smallest number in the list added to it.
a) I only
b) II only
c) III only
d) I and III only
e) I, II, and III
Notes About the Standard Deviation:
• 𝜎 = √𝑉𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 … thus if 𝜎 increases, so does the variance, and vice versa.

• If we add the same amount to every number in a dataset, 𝜎 doesn’t change: 𝜎(𝑋 + 𝑐) = 𝜎(𝑋)
• Multiplying every value in a list by a positive value multiplies 𝝈 by the same value: 𝜎(𝑐𝑋) = |𝑐|𝜎(𝑋)
𝑅𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒
• 𝜎≤
2
Stats - 11

12
Q1. If 𝑧 is less than 𝑥, which in turn is less than 𝑦, and 𝑧 equals zero, what is the ratio of 𝑥 to 𝑦 when the average of
these three numbers equals four times their median?
a) 11 ∶ 1
b) 4∶3
c) 3∶4
d) 4∶7
e) 1 ∶ 11
Q2. Which of the following could be the standard deviation of the set {−3, −7, −11, 𝑥, 𝑦, 𝑧} ?
I. −4
II. 0
III. 5
a) I only
b) I and II only
c) I and III only
d) III only
e) I, II, and III
Q3. List 𝑋 has a range of 𝑅 and a standard deviation of 𝑆. What is 𝑆?
1) 𝑅2 = 2𝑅
2) 𝑆 2 = 2𝑆
Q4. Given the list {5, 7, 𝑥, 0, 𝑦}, if the sum of 𝑥 and 𝑦 is seven, which of the following MUST be true?
I. The mean of the list is determined.

II. The median of the list is determined.
III. The range of the list is determined.
a) I only
b) I and II only
c) I and III only
d) III only
e) II and III only
Stats - 12

13
Q5. Given the list {3, 4, 𝑥, 0, 𝑦}, if 𝑥 and 𝑦 are positive and their sum is five, which of the following MUST be true?
I. The mean of the list is determined.

II. The median of the list is determined.
III. The range of the list is determined.
a) I only
b) I and II only
c) I and III only
d) III only
e) II and III only
Q6. Given the list {3, 4, 𝑥, 0, 𝑦}, what is the median of the list?
1) 𝑥 and 𝑦 are positive integers.
2) 𝑥 + 𝑦 = 6
Q7. If the set of positive integers {𝑎, 𝑏, 𝑐, 𝑑, 𝑒, 𝑓} such that 𝑎 < 𝑏 < 𝑐 < 𝑑 < 𝑒 < 𝑓 has a mean of 7, and the
difference between 𝑒 and 𝑐 is 11, then what is the greatest possible range of the set?
a) 12
b) 17
c) 18
d) 19
e) 20
Q8. List 𝐿 is composed of 𝑛 distinct integers, where 𝑛 > 1. Is 𝑛 odd?
1) The product of the numbers contained in 𝐿 is equal to the median of 𝐿.
2) The median of list 𝐿 is even.
Q9. A company selling two different types of protein powder, costing 11.50€ per kilogram and 12.40€ per kilogram,
must mixed them in what proportion so that by selling the mixture at 15€ per kilogram, they make a 25% profit?
a) 5∶4
b) 4∶5
c) 1∶1
d) 2∶3
e) 3∶2
Q10. Are the integers 𝑞, 𝑟, and 𝑠 consecutive?
1) The sum of 𝑞, 𝑟, and 𝑠 is 3𝑟.
2) 𝑟 − 𝑞 = 𝑠 − 𝑟
Stats - 13

14
Q11. A farmer is planting corn in 21 fields. If the farmer has 690,000 corn seeds to plant, and will plant corn such
that no field contains more than 10 percent more corn than any other, what is the minimum number of corn
seeds the farmer could plant in one of the fields?
a) 22,830
b) 25,000
c) 28,630
d) 30,000
e) 31,370
Q12. What is the median of set 𝑆?
1) The standard deviation of set 𝑆 is √6.
2) 𝑆 = {𝑎1 , 𝑎2 , 𝑎3 , … , 𝑎𝑛 } such that 𝑎𝑛+1 = 𝑎𝑛 + 1
Q13. A mixture of a certain drink contains three times as much lemonade as it does orange juice. If the lemonade
contains 30 percent real fruit juice, and the orange juice contains 70 percent real fruit juice, then what percent
real fruit juice does the resulting mixture contain?
a) 40%
1
b) 43 %
3
c) 50%
2
d) 56 %
3
e) 60%
Q14. A set of distinct integers has a range of 19. What is the value of the largest integer in the set?
1) The median of the set is 19.
2) The set contains 19 numbers.
Q15. If ages are represented as integers, the average age of a certain group of 12 people is 40. If the 6 oldest people
in the group left, the average age of those who remain would be 36. If none of the 6 oldest people are the same
age, how old could the oldest person in the group be?
a) 42
b) 72
c) 74
d) 79
e) 82
Stats - 14

15
Q16. 24 numbers are written in a grid with 6 rows and 4 columns. What is the average of the 24 numbers?
1) The sum of the averages of the rows is 720.
2) The sum of the averages of the columns is 480.
Q17. The ordered list of integers {3, 4, 𝑥, 𝑦, 𝑧, 30, 33} has a mean of 13 and a median of 8. If 𝑥, 𝑦, and 𝑧 are distinct,
which of the following is a possible value of 𝑧?
a) 7
b) 8
c) 9
d) 10
e) 11
𝑥 𝑥
Q18. Is the range of the set: {𝑥 2 , 𝑥 3 , 𝑥, , } given by 𝑥 2 − 𝑥 3 ?
2 3
1) 𝑥 5 < 𝑥 3
2) 𝑥𝑅 < 0, where 𝑅 is the number of rats living in Paris.
Q19. A company that sells only blips and blobs saw their revenue from blip sales in 2007 had dropped 11% from
2006, while revenue from blob sales in 2007 were up 7% from 2006. If total revenue in 2007 was 1% greater
than total revenue in 2006, what was the ratio of revenue from blips to revenue from blobs in 2006?
a) 1∶2
b) 4∶5
c) 1∶1
d) 3∶2
e) 5∶3
Q20. If list 𝑋 contains only integers and has one mode, what’s the difference between the median and the mode of 𝑋?
1) The difference between any two elements of list 𝑋 is less than 3.
2) The mean and the mode of list 𝑋 are equal.
Q21. The set {10, 12, 𝑥, 24, 26} has a mean of 21. What is the mean of {20, 22, 𝑥, 34, 36} ?
a) 28
b) 29
c) 31
d) 34
e) 35
Stats - 15

16
Q22. Is 𝑧 positive?
1) The set {−4, 𝑧, 1, −𝑧, 3} has a median of 0.
2) The set {−4, 𝑧, 1, −𝑧, 3} has a mean of 0.
Q23. The integers from 3 to 17 (inclusive) are split into 3 sets each containing the same number of numbers. What is
the minimum value for the median of the medians of these 3 sets?
a) 5
b) 8
c) 10
d) 11
e) 12
Q24. What is the median of the set {9, 11, 𝑥, 8, 6, 7} ?
1) 𝑥 > 9
2) 𝑥 is an integer.
Q25. Is the standard deviation of the list {𝑎, 𝑏, 𝑐, 𝑑, 𝑒, 𝑓} greater than 0 ?
1) The sum of the elements in the list is 0.
𝑎+𝑏+𝑐+𝑑+𝑒+𝑓
2) <𝑓
6
Q26. Set 𝑋 is composed of consecutive odd numbers, set 𝑌 is composed of all the primes between 12 and 28, and set
𝑍 is composed of consecutive multiples of 5. If there are the same number of numbers in each set, which of the
following represents a ranking of the sets in terms of descending variance?
a) 𝑍, 𝑋, 𝑌
b) 𝑌, 𝑍, 𝑋
c) 𝑋, 𝑌, 𝑍
d) 𝑍, 𝑌, 𝑋
e) 𝑋, 𝑍, 𝑌
Q27. If 𝑎 is a positive integer, what is the median of the set {2, 𝑎, 4} ?
Stats - 16

17
Q28. A certain set contains 25 distinct numbers. If 𝐾 is an element of the set, and 𝐾’s value is one third the mean of
the other 24 numbers in the set, what is the ratio of 𝐾 to the sum of the other 24 elements of the set?
a) 1 ∶ 20
b) 1 ∶ 36
c) 1 ∶ 60
d) 1 ∶ 70
e) 1 ∶ 72
Q29. In a math class, scores on the final exam were normally distributed with a mean of 12 and a standard deviation
of 1.2. The following values are more than 1.2 standard deviations from the mean EXCEPT:
a) 9.63
b) 10.14
c) 10.57
d) 13.45
e) 14.32
Q30. A certain quantity of 40% potassium bromide solution is replaced with 25% potassium bromide solution such
that the new concentration of potassium bromide is 35%. What fraction of the original solution was replaced?
1
a)
4
1
b)
3
1
c)
2
2
d)
3
3
e)
4
Q31. The table describes the work experience of 140 Work Experience Number of
employees at company 𝑋. According to the table, if 𝑚 is (in years) Employees
the median work experience of the employees at
Less than 3 22
company 𝑋, then 𝑚 must satisfy which of the following?
3−5 48
a) 0≤𝑚≤3
5−8 18
b) 3≤𝑚≤5
c) 4≤𝑚≤7 8 − 10 24
d) 5≤𝑚≤8 10 − 15 11
e) 7≤𝑚≤9
More than 15 17
Stats - 17

18

Q1. E
Q2. D
Q3. C
Q4. A
Q5. A
Q6. B
Q7. B
Q8. A
Q9. B
Q10. E
Q11. D
Q12. E
Q13. A
Q14. C
Q15. C
Q16. D
Q17. C
Q18. C
Q19. A
Q20. C
Q21. D
Q22. A
Q23. B
Q24. A
Q25. B
Q26. D
Q27. B
Q28. E
Q29. C
Q30. B
Q31. C
Stats - 18

Sequences - 2
The GMAT
Part 5: Sequences & Evenly-Spaced Sets

And Ethan Berlant
Sequences - 2

Sequences - 3
Sequences - 3

Sequences - 4
Geometric Sequences
Q1. What are the first five terms of the sequence defined by 𝑎𝑛 = 2𝑎𝑛−1 where 𝑎4 = 16 ? What is the ratio of
consecutive terms? What are the differences between the terms?
1
Q2. Is the sequence , 1, 5, 25, 125 geometric? What is the ratio of consecutive terms? What are the differences
5
between the terms?
9 3 2 4
Q3. Is the sequence , , 1, 3 , 9
4 2
geometric? What is the ratio of consecutive terms? What are the differences
between the terms?
Q4. In a sequence where every term is half the previous term, the absolute difference between the 3rd and 4th terms
is 36. What’s the difference between the 5th and 6th terms?
Sequences can be described using a recursive formula: 𝑎𝑛 = 2𝑎𝑛−1 where 𝑎4 = 16
Or using an explicit formula: 𝑎𝑛 = 2𝑛
Give the recursive and explicit formulas for the sequences above.
Recursive Explicit
Q1.
Q2.
Q3.
Sequences - 4

Sequences - 5
Arithmetic Sequences
Q1. What are the first five terms of the sequence defined by 𝑎𝑛 = 2+𝑎𝑛−1 where 𝑎4 = 16 ? What is the ratio of
consecutive terms? What are the differences between the terms?
1 1
Q2. Is the sequence − , , 1, 1. 6̅, 2. 3̅ arithmetic? What is the ratio of consecutive terms? What are the differences
3 3
between the terms?
Q3. Do the numbers in the set {3, 1, 7, 5, −1} represent an arithmetic sequence? What is the ratio of consecutive
terms? What are the differences between the terms?
Sequences on the GMAT can come in an infinite variety of flavors, but arithmetic and geometric sequences are the
most common, and the easiest to work with. It’s worth getting comfortable with the following ideas:
Arithmetic Sequences Geometric Sequences

These have a common difference: to get from one These have a common ratio: to get from one term to
term to the next, we always add the same amount. the next, we always multiply by the same amount.
For example: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 For example: 1, 3, 9, 27, 81

The common difference here is 2. The common ratio here is 3.
The numbers in this sequence do NOT form an

The numbers in this sequence form an evenly-spaced
evenly-spaced set, because the differences between
set, because the space between terms is always the
numbers are always changing (by a multiple of 3, in
same.
fact).
Recursive: 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑎𝑛−1 + 𝐷 Recursive: 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑎𝑛−1 × 𝑅
where 𝐷 is the common difference. where 𝑅 is the common ratio.
Explicit: 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑎1 + (𝑛 − 1)𝐷 Explicit: 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑎1 × 𝑅𝑛−1
1−𝑅𝑛
Sum: 𝑆𝑛 = (𝐴𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒) × (# 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑠) Sum: 𝑆𝑛 = 𝑎1 ×
1−𝑅
Sequences - 5

Sequences - 6
Sequences Practice
Q1. In a sequence where every term is 7 more than the previous term, what’s the difference between the 9th and 15th
term? If the 9th term is 112, what’s the 14th term?
Q2. What’s the sum of the first five numbers in the sequence 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑎𝑛−1 − 6 when 𝑎1 = 12 ?
1 1 1
Q3. What’s the sum of the numbers 36, 6, 1, , ,
6 36
and 216 ?
Q4. 𝑎𝑛 = 8 + 𝑎𝑛−2 , what is the value of 𝑎19 ?
1) 𝑎38 = 720
2) 𝑎21 − 𝑎20 = 4
Sequences - 6

Sequences - 7
Evenly-Spaced Sets
For an arithmetic sequence, thankfully, we have an easier way to remember how to find the sum of the terms than
with a geometric sequence. The numbers in an arithmetic sequence form an evenly-spaced set.
Q1. What’s the average of the set {10, 15, 20, 25, 30} ?
S
In order to find the average, we can always use the formula: 𝐴 = . In an evenly-spaced set, though, finding the
𝑁
average is relatively easy, and we can use it to find the sum: 𝑆 = 𝐴 × 𝑁
Q2. What’s the sum of the numbers in the set {10, 15, 20, 25, 30} ?
Q3. What’s the sum of the numbers in the evenly-spaced set {10, 15, 20, … ,95} ?
Q4. If the third term in a certain evenly-spaced set is 17, and the set contains 100 numbers, then the average is halfway
between 17 and which other term in the set?
Q5. What’s the sum of the odd numbers between 6 and 81 (inclusive)?
Q6. What’s the sum of the multiples of 7 between 50 and 100?
Q7. If the set {3, 𝑠, 𝑢, 𝑣, 245} is evenly spaced and 5 < 𝑠 < 𝑢 < 𝑣 < 240, what is the value of 𝑢?
Q8. What’s the average of 535, 565, 595, 625, 655, 685, 715, and 745?
Evenly-Spaced Set Formulas

𝐿𝑎𝑠𝑡 + 𝐹𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡
• 𝐴=
2
𝐿𝑎𝑠𝑡 − 𝐹𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡
• 𝑁= +1
𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑜𝑛 𝐷𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒
Sequences - 7

Sequences - 8
Evenly-Spaced Sets Practice

Q1. What’s the tenths digit of the average of 10 consecutive integers?
a) 0
b) 2
c) 3
d) 5
e) 7
Q2. Is the average of the evenly-spaced set 𝑋 an integer?
1) 𝑋 contains both even and odd numbers.
2) 𝑋 contains 16 numbers.
Q3. Is the average of the evenly-spaced set 𝑋 an integer?
1) 𝑋 contains only odd numbers.
2) 𝑋 contains 16 numbers.
Q4. The sum of all the even numbers between 1 and 99 is:
a) 48
b) 49
c) 50
d) 2450
e) 2500
Q5. Is 𝑥 + 𝑦 + 𝑧 divisible by 3?
1) 𝑦 = 𝑥 + 1
2) 𝑧 = 𝑥 + 2
Q6. If 𝑆 is a sequence of 21 consecutive integers, and 𝑇 is the sequence of the following 21 consecutive integers, how
much greater is the sum of 𝑇 than the sum of 𝑆?
a) 400
b) 441
c) 484
d) 529
e) 573
Sequences - 8

Sequences - 9
Q7. The sum of a set of 12 consecutive even numbers is 156; what is the product of the median and the smallest
number in the set?
a) 13
b) 18
c) 24
d) 26
e) 36
Q8. What is the biggest prime number that divides the sum of the integers from 66 to 8 (inclusive)?
a) 7
b) 19
c) 37
d) 59
e) 73
Q9. If the first three numbers in a sequence of seven consecutive integers sums to 123, what is the sum of the last
three numbers?
a) 132
b) 135
c) 138
d) 141
e) 144
Q10. A tower of blocks is constructed with 84 blocks as the base. Every layer of blocks contains 4 fewer blocks than
the layer below it. If there are 15 layers, how many blocks are required to build the tower?
a) 680
b) 720
c) 760
d) 810
e) 840
Q11. What’s the average of the multiples of 7 from 124 to 354?
a) 238
b) 239
c) 240
d) 241
e) 242
Sequences - 9

Sequences - 10
More Practice Problems (only 23 problems this time, give yourself 46 minutes)
Hint: if you aren’t sure what’s going on in a sequence problem, find the first few terms to get an idea!
Q1. What is the 7th number in the sequence defined by 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑎𝑛−1 + 𝑎𝑛−2 ?
1) 𝑎2 = 1 and 𝑎4 = 3
2) 𝑎5 = 5
Q2. When dropped, a certain bouncy ball bounces back half the distance that it fell. If this ball is dropped from 200
feet above the ground, how many feet will the ball have traveled once it hits the ground for the 4th time?
a) 375
b) 387.5
c) 550
d) 575
e) 750
Q3. In a sequence of numbers 𝑎1 , 𝑎2 , 𝑎3 , … , the difference between successive terms is constant. If 𝑎3 + 𝑎9 = 8,

what is the sum of the first 11 terms?
a) 11
b) 22
c) 33
d) 44
e) 55
Q4. The sequence 𝑆 is defined such that 𝑠𝑘 = 2𝑘 − 1 if 𝑘 is odd, and 𝑠𝑘 = −𝑠𝑘−1 if 𝑘 is even. Is the sum of the first
𝑛 terms of the sequence positive?
1) The sum of the first 2𝑛 − 1 terms is positive.
2) 𝑛 is odd.
Sequences - 10

Sequences - 11
Q5. A certain quantity increases in a manner such that the ratio of its values in any two consecutive years is constant.
If the quantity doubles every six years, by what factor does it increase in two years?
1
a)
2
3
b) √2
c) √2
d) 2
e) 4
1
Q6. The 𝑘 th term of a sequence is given by the formula: (−1)𝑘+1 × ( 𝑘), where 𝑘 is an integer from 1 to 10,
2
inclusive. If 𝑇 is the sum of the first 10 terms of this sequence, then:
1
a) 𝑇<
4
1 1
b) <𝑇<
4 2
1
c) <𝑇<1
2
d) 1<𝑇<2
e) 2<𝑇
Q7. If 𝑆 is a sequence of numbers of the form 𝐾, 𝐾𝐾, 𝐾𝐾𝐾, 𝐾𝐾𝐾𝐾, …, where 𝐾 is a non-zero digit, is there a prime
number 𝑃 so that every number in 𝑆 a multiple of the same prime number 𝑃?
1) 𝑃 is an odd number, and 𝑃 < 𝐾.
2) 𝐾 is a multiple of 𝑃.
Q8. What is the value of the sum of the odd squares from 1 to 31: 12 + 32 + 52 + ⋯ + 312 ?
a) 3,468
b) 4,792
c) 4,893
d) 5,456
e) 9,455
Q9. Given the sequence defined by 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑎𝑛−1 + 𝑘, where 1 ≤ 𝑛 ≤ 15 and 𝑘 ≠ 0, how many terms in the sequence
are greater than 10?
1) 𝑎1 = 24
2) 𝑎8 = 10
Sequences - 11

Sequences - 12
Q10. If the sum of the 4th and 7th terms of a certain arithmetic progression of integers is 40, what could be the first
term in the sequence?
a) 2
b) 3
c) 4
d) 5
e) 6
Q11. If 𝑀 is a sequence of consecutive integers which contains more than 11 terms, what is the average of 𝑀?
1) The number of terms in 𝑀 that are less than 10 is equal to the number of terms greater than 21.
2) There are 20 terms in 𝑀.
Q12. In a certain sequence, every term after the first is determined by multiplying the previous term by an integer
constant greater than 1. If the fifth term of the sequence is less than 1000, what is the maximum number of non-
negative integer values possible for the first term?
a) 60
b) 61
c) 62
d) 63
e) 64
1
Q13. For each positive integer 𝑘, let 𝑎𝑘 = 1 + . Is the product 𝑎1 × 𝑎2 × 𝑎3 × … × 𝑎𝑛 an integer?
𝑘+1
1) 𝑛 + 1 is a multiple of 3.
2) 𝑛 is a multiple of 2.
Q14. The total number of apples that grew during each year on a certain apple tree was equal to the number of apples
that grew during the previous year, less the age of the tree in years (rounded down to the nearest integer). During
its 3rd year, the tree grew 50 apples. If this continues, how many apples will it grow during its 6th year?
a) 32
b) 35
c) 38
d) 41
e) 43
Sequences - 12

Sequences - 13
Q15. An infinite sequence of positive integers is called a coprime sequence if no term in the sequence shares a common
divisor (except 1) with any other term in the sequence. If 𝑆 is an infinite sequence of distinct positive integers, is
𝑆 a coprime sequence?
1) 𝑆 contains an infinite number of primes.
2) Each term in 𝑆 has fewer than 3 factors.
Q16. The sequence 𝑎1 , 𝑎2 , 𝑎3 , … , 𝑎𝑛 is defined such that 𝑗 × 𝑎𝑗 = 𝑘 × 𝑎𝑘 for any pair of positive integers (𝑗, 𝑘). If
𝑎1 is a positive integer, which of the following MUST be true?
I. 2 × 𝑎100 = 𝑎99 + 𝑎98

II. 𝑎1 is the only integer in the sequence.
III. The sequence contains only positive numbers.
a) I only
b) III only
c) I and II only
d) II and III only
e) I, II, and III
Q17. If 𝑃 is a sequence of consecutive multiples of 3, how many multiples of 9 are there in 𝑃?
1) There are 15 terms in 𝑃.
2) The greatest term of 𝑃 is 126.
Q18. François is planting saplings in a straight line along a canal, with an interval of 10 meters between them. He has
laid all the saplings at the point where he’ll plant the first sapling. He can only carry one sapling at a time, so he
will have to return to the first sapling he planted to get every subsequent sapling. When he plants the final sapling,
he will have traveled 1210 meters. How many saplings does he have to plant?
a) 11
b) 12
c) 13
d) 14
e) 15
Q19. If 𝑄 is a sequence of consecutive multiples of 7, how many multiples of 14 are there in 𝑄?
1) There are 15 terms in 𝑄.
2) The greatest term of 𝑄 is 126.
Sequences - 13

Sequences - 14
Q20. In an increasing sequence of 8 consecutive even integers, the sum of the first 4 integers is 268. What is the sum
of all 8 integers in the sequence?
a) 552
b) 568
c) 574
d) 586
e) 590
Q21. A sequence is defined as follows: 𝑎1 = 3, 𝑎2 = 5, and every subsequent term in the sequence is the product of
all the terms preceding it. If 𝑎𝑛 = 𝑡 and 𝑛 > 2, what is the value of 𝑎𝑛+2 in terms of t?
a) 15𝑡
b) 𝑡2
c) 𝑡3
d) 𝑡4
e) 𝑡8
1 1 63
Q22. Is the sum of the first 𝑘 terms of the sequence defined by 𝑚𝑛 = − (𝑛+1)2 greater than ?
𝑛2 64
1) 𝑘 > 8
2) 𝑘 < 16
Q23. If 𝑆𝑛 is the sum of the first 𝑛 terms of a certain sequence, and 𝑆𝑛 = 𝑛(𝑛2 + 1) for all positive integers, what is
the 4th term of the sequence?
a) 20
b) 38
c) 66
d) 68
e) 110
Q24. If 𝑋 is the set of all possible distinct units digits of a perfect cube, what is the sum of all the elements of 𝑋?
a) 25
b) 36
c) 42
d) 45
e) 49
Sequences - 14

Sequences - 15

Q1. A
Q2. C
Q3. D
Q4. B
Q5. B
Q6. B
Q7. B
Q8. D
Q9. B
Q10. A
Q11. A
Q12. D
Q13. B
Q14. C
Q15. B
Q16. B
Q17. A
Q18. B
Q19. C
Q20. B
Q21. D
Q22. A
Q23. B
Q24. D
Sequences - 15

Equations, Functions, Inequalities - 2
The GMAT
Part 6: Equations, Functions, Inequalities

And Ethan Berlant


EQUATIONS
3 5
Q1. Solve for 𝑥: (2𝑥 + 9) = 𝑥+3
4 15
𝑧𝑦
Q2. Solve for 𝑦 in terms of 𝑥, 𝑧, and 𝑡, if 𝑥 =
𝑦−𝑧𝑡
Equations can be combined through substitution, or through any algebraic operation (addition, subtraction,
multiplication, division, exponentiation) … so long as you don’t break the universe by dividing by zero or taking an
even root of a negative number. The key thing to focus on is eliminating the variable you don’t want.
Solve for 𝑥 and 𝑦 in the following systems of equations:
Q3. 2𝑥 + 3𝑦 = 5 and 𝑥 − 3𝑦 = 1
Q4. 6𝑥𝑦 = 4 and 3𝑥 = 𝑦
𝑥2 𝑥
Q5. = 6 and =2
𝑦 𝑦
As you get more variables, or more specific questions (such as “what is 𝑥” instead of being asked to solve for all the
variables) … you’ll want to be concentrated on the question of: what variable(s) do I need to eliminate? If we’re
solving for 𝑥 in Q3 for example, then we should be thinking about eliminating the variable we don’t want: 𝑦.
Q6. Solve for 𝑥, 𝑦, and 𝑧 if 2𝑥 + 𝑦 = 4 and 2𝑦 + 𝑧 = 7 and 𝑥 − 𝑦 + 𝑧 = 2

Linear Equations
An equation is linear if variables are only being multiplied by constants, not other variables. 2𝑥 + 3𝑦 + 1 = 𝑧 is linear
… but 2𝑥𝑦 + 3𝑦𝑧 = 1 is not linear.
𝑥
Q1. Is + 𝑦 = 1 linear?
𝑦
𝑥
Q2. Is = 3 linear?
𝑦
Q3. If 𝑧 ≠ 𝑤, is 3𝑥𝑧 + 2𝑦𝑧 − 2𝑦𝑤 − 3𝑥𝑤 = 0 linear?
We care whether an equation is linear because in general, if a linear equation has 𝑛 variables, we need at least 𝑛
equations to solve for all the variables in that equation. We say “need at least 𝑛 equations” because some of those
equations might not be unique.
Q4. Solve for 𝑥 and 𝑦 in the following system of equations:

2𝑥 − 𝑦 = 4 and 𝑦 − 2𝑥 = 2
Q5. Solve for 𝑥 and 𝑦 in the following system of equations:

3𝑥 − 6𝑦 = 4 and 1.5𝑥 − 3𝑦 = 2
So, if the equations don’t have the same slope (i.e. the same ratios of coefficients of the variables), we can find unique
solutions for the variables if we have as many equations as we have variables. There are some caveats to this rule about
the number of equations we need, though.
Q6. Can we solve for 𝑥, 𝑦, and 𝑧 in the following system of equations?

𝑥 + 2𝑦 + 2𝑧 = 5 and 𝑥 + 𝑦 + 𝑧 = 10
Q7. Can we solve for 𝑥 in the following system of equations?

𝑥 + 2𝑦 + 2𝑧 = 5 and 𝑥 + 𝑦 + 𝑧 = 10
Q8. Can we solve for 𝑦 + 𝑧 in the following system of equations?

𝑥 + 2𝑦 + 2𝑧 = 5 and 𝑥 + 𝑦 + 𝑧 = 10
These ideas are extremely useful for data sufficiency questions because we don’t necessarily care about the solution,
but we do care about whether we can find a solution.

Quadratic Equations
The standard form for a quadratic equation is: 𝑎𝑥 2 + 𝑏𝑥 + 𝑐 = 𝑦. When graphed, this gives a parabola.
Q1. Graph 𝑦 = 𝑥 2 + 4𝑥 + 3
𝑏
We can find the 𝑥-coordinate of the parabola’s vertex using the formula −
2𝑎
. We can find the roots of any quadratic
2
−𝑏±√𝑏 −4𝑎𝑐
using the formula: 𝑥 = … the roots correspond to where the parabola crosses the 𝑥-axis. But on the
2𝑎
GMAT, it’s very rare that we need to use this formula, because most quadratics can be factored nicely.
Solve for 𝑥 in the following equations:
Q2. 𝑥 2 − 𝑥 − 12 = 0
Q3. 𝑥 2 − 10𝑥 + 24 = 0
Q4. 𝑥 2 − 5𝑥 + 6 = 0
Q5. 𝑥 2 − 5𝑥 − 6 = 0
Q6. 𝑥 2 + 5𝑥 + 6 = 0
Q7. 15𝑥 5 = 18𝑥 − 3𝑥 9

Quadratic Equations, Continued

Factoring when 𝒂 ≠ 𝟏 is more complicated, but with a bit of practice, it’s manageable. Solve for 𝑥:
Q1. 4𝑥 2 + 4𝑥 − 15 = 0
Q2. 6𝑥 2 − 23𝑥 + 15 = 0
Q3. 6𝑥 2 − 13𝑥 + 6 = 0
Q4. 4𝑥 2 + 17𝑥 + 4 = 0
Q5. 18𝑥 2 + 15𝑥 − 12 = 0
Q6. 32𝑥+1 − 26 ∙ 3𝑥 − 9 = 0
If you’re faced with a complicated quadratic that you can’t easily solve by factoring, it’s a good sign that the problem
would be better solved via an alternate approach; maybe you test the answers, maybe you approximate, etc.
Number of Roots
If a quadratic has 0 roots, then:
If a quadratic has 1 root, then:
If a quadratic has 2 roots, then:
Combinations of Roots
If 𝑦 = 𝑎𝑥 2 + 𝑏𝑥 + 𝑐, then:
Q7. What is the product of the roots of 𝑦?
Q8. What is the sum of the roots of 𝑦?

Equations Practice
Q1. Sixty cookies were equally distributed to a group of campers. Eight campers did not want cookies, so their share
was redistributed to the other campers, who each received two more. What is the total number of campers?
a) 8
b) 10
c) 12
d) 16
e) 20
Q2. What is the value of 𝑥 − 𝑦, given that 9𝑥 + 12𝑦 = 34, and 12𝑥 + 9𝑦 = 20 ?
2𝑥+𝑦
Q3. If 𝑥𝑦 ≠ 0, what is the value of ?
𝑥−2𝑦
𝑥
1) =2
𝑥+𝑦
2) 𝑥 − 2𝑦 = 4
Q4. If 𝑡 − 8 is a factor of 𝑡 2 − 𝑘𝑡 − 48, then 𝑘 = ?
a) −6
b) −2
c) 2
d) 6
e) 14
Q5. If three times 𝑛 is seven times bigger than 𝑚 and twice as big as 𝑝, what is the value of 𝑚 + 𝑛 + 𝑝 ?
1) 𝑚 − 𝑛 = −5
2) 𝑛 + 𝑝 = 20
Q6. If 𝑎, 𝑏, and 𝑐 are positive and 𝑎2 + 𝑐 2 = 202, what is the value of 𝑏 − 𝑎 − 𝑐 ?
1) 𝑏 2 + 𝑐 2 = 225
2) 𝑎2 + 𝑏 2 = 265

FUNCTIONS
A function is a rule telling you where to input what values.
If, for example, we have something like 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑥 2 + 2𝑥 + 1, we can think of the 𝑥 as just being a placeholder for
whatever value we might want to use instead. In other words, this is like having: 𝑓(∎) = ∎2 + 2∎ + 1, and whatever
we put into the “𝑓 box,” we put into every other box as well.
Q1. If 𝑓(𝑥) = 4𝑥 2 − 8, what is 𝑓(2) ?
Q2. If 𝑓(𝑥) = 4𝑥 2 − 8, what is 𝑓(𝑥 − 1) ?
Q3. If 𝑓(𝑥) = 4𝑥 2 − 8 and 𝑓(𝑎) = 12, what is the value of 𝑎?
𝑥
Q4. If 𝑓(𝑥) = 2𝑥 − 1, 𝑔(𝑥) = + 1, and ℎ(𝑥) = 3 − 𝑥, what is 𝑓 (ℎ(𝑔(2))) ?
2
𝑥
Q5. If 𝑓(𝑥) = 2𝑥 − 1, 𝑔(𝑥) = + 1, and ℎ(𝑥) = 3 − 𝑥, what is 𝑔 (𝑓(ℎ(2))) ?
2
𝑥
Q6. If 𝑓(𝑥) = 2𝑥 − 1, 𝑔(𝑥) = + 1, and ℎ(𝑥) = 3 − 𝑥, what is 𝑔 (𝑓(ℎ(𝑥))) ?
2

Even & Odd Functions
𝒇(𝒙) 𝒇(𝟐) 𝒇(−𝟐) Did the sign change?
−4𝑥 3
−𝑥 5
(−2𝑥)4
−2𝑥 4
(−3𝑥)3
So, what’s the rule? When you change the sign of the input [𝑥], when does the sign of the output [𝑓(𝑥)] change?
Q1. If 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑎𝑥 3 , and 𝑓(−2) = 9, then 𝑓(2) = ?
Q2. If 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑎𝑥 3 − 𝑏𝑥, and 𝑓(−2) = 9, then 𝑓(2) = ?
Q3. If 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑎𝑥 3 − 𝑏𝑥 + 4, and 𝑓(−2) = 9, then 𝑓(2) = ?
Q4. If 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑎𝑥 4 − 𝑏𝑥 2 − 6, and 𝑓(−2) = 9, then 𝑓(2) = ?

Wait, What?
As said on the previous page, 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑥 2 + 2𝑥 + 1 is like 𝑓(∎) = ∎2 + 2∎ + 1, where the 𝑥 or ∎ represents the
thing to be replaced. From high school, you are probably used to the notation above. But in principle, since a function
is just a rule, we can write those rules in any way we like.
Q1. If 𝑥#𝑦 = 6𝑥 + 𝑦 − 2, what is 2#6 ?
Q2. If 𝑥#𝑦 = 6𝑥 + 𝑦 − 2, what is 2#(2#6) ?
Q3. If = 𝑥 𝑦 − 𝑦, and = 𝑦 2 − 𝑥, then =?
Q4. If 𝑥∇𝑦 = 𝑥 𝑦 + 𝑥, and 𝑓(𝑦) = 2𝑦 − 4, and if 𝑓(𝑥∇2) = 0, what could be the value of 𝑥?

Transformations
I’d recommend plugging everything below into a graphing calculator (try googling “Desmos”) to see how they look.
Q1. If we graph 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑥 2 , what does this look like? For all the functions below, use 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑥 2
Q2. What does −𝑓(𝑥) look like? Q3. What does 𝑓(−𝑥) look like?
Q4. What does 𝑓(𝑥 + 2) look like? Q5. What does 𝑓(𝑥) + 2 look like?
Q6. What does 2 ∙ 𝑓(𝑥) look like? Q7. What does 𝑓(2 ∙ 𝑥) look like?
1
Q8. What does − (𝑥 − 1)2 + 3 look like? (Hint: think of this as a sequence of transformations.)
2
If 𝒂 > 𝟎, then:
Types of Transformations Horizontal Vertical

Shift 𝑓(𝑥 ± 𝑎) 𝑓(𝑥) ± 𝑎
Dilation/Compression 𝑓(𝑎𝑥) 𝑎 ∙ 𝑓(𝑥)
Flip 𝑓(−𝑥) −𝑓(𝑥)

INEQUALITIES
When you solve an inequality, you solve the problem just like an equation except that when you multiply or divide
by a negative number the inequality sign is reversed.
Q1. If −3𝑥 > 2, what is the range of possible values for 𝑥?
Q2. If −5𝑥 + 5 ≤ −3𝑥, what is the range of possible values for 𝑥?
Inequalities involving 1 variable can be represented on a number line. Try doing so for the inequalities above.
Q3. If 𝑥 divided by 𝑦 is greater than 1, is 𝑥 greater than 𝑦?
3𝑥+2 3𝑥+3 2𝑥−1

Q4. If
6
− 2 > 3
, what can we say about 𝑥?
Q5. If 𝑥 divided by 𝑦 is greater than 1, is 𝑥 greater than 𝑦?
1
1) 𝑥 <
2
1
2) 𝑥 = −
2

Systems of Inequalities
Q1. If 3𝑥 ≥ 2, and 3𝑦 ≤ 6, then what is the smallest possible value for 𝑥 − 𝑦 ?
Q2. If 𝑦 is at least twice as big as 𝑥, and 𝑥 is smaller than 3, then 3𝑥 is less than:
a) 𝑦
b) 𝑦+1
c) 𝑦−3
d) 𝑦+3
e) 𝑦−9
Q3. If −3 < 𝑥 + 𝑦 < 5, and −2 < 𝑦 + 𝑧 < 5, and −5 < 𝑧 + 𝑥 < 10, then 𝑥 + 𝑦 + 𝑧 could have which of the
following values?
a) −11
b) −10
c) −4
d) 10
e) 11
Q4. What is the set of possible values for 𝑥 if 2𝑥 > 3, and 𝑥 < 5 ?
Q5. What is the set of possible values for 𝑥 if 5𝑥 > 6𝑥, and 3𝑥 < −5 ?
Q6. What is the set of possible values for 𝑥 if 5𝑥 > 12, and 3𝑥 < 5 ?
Inequality Technique
• When you have multiple inequalities, if there is only one variable, AVOID ADDING THE INEQUALITIES:
the solution is where the inequalities overlap.
• If there is more than one variable, your first instinct should be to add the inequalities, so long as the inequality
symbols point in the same direction.

Quadratic Inequalities
Q1. What values of 𝑥 satisfy the inequality: 𝑥 2 − 𝑥 > 6 ?
Q2. What values of 𝑥 satisfy the inequality: −𝑥 2 − 𝑥 > −12 ?
Q3. What values of 𝑥 satisfy the inequality: 𝑥 2 + 4𝑥 + 3 < 0 ?
Q4. What values of 𝑥 satisfy the inequality: 𝑥 2 + 9 < 6𝑥 ?
Q5. What values of 𝑥 satisfy the inequality: 𝑥 3 < 2𝑥 2 − 𝑥 ?
𝑥
Q6. If 𝑥 2 − 𝑥 < 0, and 𝑦 2 < 𝑦 3 , then is:
𝑦
a) Less than 0
b) Between 0 and −1
c) Between 0 and 1
d) Greater than 1
e) How should I know?
Approaches to Inequalities with Exponents
• Factor, then think about the rules for multiplying positives and negatives.
• Factor, then put the zeros on a number line and test values between the zeros.
• Divide, being careful to consider whether quantities could be negative (use cases if so).
• Reason from basic principles, as discussed in the exponents chapter (for things like 𝑥 3 < 𝑥 4 ).

Bits and Pieces

Q1. If √2𝑥 − 1 > √𝑥 2 − 4, then the possible values for 𝑥 are:
1
a) 𝑥≥
2
b) 𝑥 ≤ −2 or 2 ≤ 𝑥
c) −1 < 𝑥 < 3
d) 2≤𝑥<3
e) 2≤𝑥
Q2. What is the minimum value of 𝑥𝑦 if −6 ≤ 𝑥 ≤ 8, and 1 ≤ 𝑦 ≤ 9 ?
a) −72
b) −54
c) −6
d) 0
e) 1
Q3. What is the minimum value of 𝑥 2 + 𝑦 2 if 𝑥 + 𝑦 = 10?
Q4. What is the maximum value of 𝑥𝑦 if 𝑥 + 𝑦 = 10?
Q5. What is the minimum value of 𝑥 + 𝑦 if 𝑥 and 𝑦 are positive, and 𝑥𝑦 = 100?
Q6. What is the maximum value of 𝑥 − 𝑦 if 𝑥 and 𝑦 are positive, and 𝑥 + 𝑦 = 100?
Useful Fact: If we compare 𝑥 2 + 𝑦 2 to 2𝑥𝑦 (a situation that comes up sometimes), notice that (𝑥 − 𝑦)2 ≥ 0 no
matter what the values of 𝑥 and 𝑦 are, since this is a square. Then:
(𝑥 − 𝑦)2 ≥ 0 … expand: 𝑥 2 + 𝑦 2 − 2𝑥𝑦 ≥ 0 … move 2𝑥𝑦 to the right: 𝒙𝟐 + 𝒚𝟐 ≥ 𝟐𝒙𝒚 … this is always true!
Q7. Does 𝑥 2 + 𝑦 2 = 2𝑥𝑦 ?
1) 𝑥 > 𝑦
2) 𝑥 and 𝑦 are both negative.
When dealing with minimizing/maximizing problems, start by thinking about how to minimize/maximize the type
of quantity they’ve given you. This depends on the quantity, and on the constraints in the problem.
When you have a question where the answer choices are ranges, consider testing numbers rather than doing
algebra. This is multiple choice, not a homework assignment; take advantage of the answer choices!

1 1
Q1. 𝑥@𝑦 = + for all non-zero numbers 𝑥 and 𝑦. If 𝑧 > 1, which of the following MUST be true?
𝑥 𝑦
I. 𝑧@(−𝑧) = 0
𝑧
II. 𝑧@ =1
𝑧−1
2 2
III. @ =𝑧
𝑧 𝑧
a) I only
b) I and II only
c) I and III only
d) II and III only
e) I, II, and III
Q2. If 𝑥 and 𝑦 are non-zero integers, is 𝑥 < 𝑦 ?
1
1) 𝑥 =
𝑦2
2) 𝑥 + 𝑦 = 0
Q3. For which of the following equations is 1 + √2 a solution?
a) 𝑥 2 + 2𝑥 − 1 = 0
b) 𝑥 2 − 2𝑥 + 1 = 0
c) 𝑥 2 + 2𝑥 + 1 = 0
d) 𝑥 2 − 2𝑥 − 1 = 0
e) 𝑥2 − 𝑥 − 1 = 0
Q4. In the table to the right, every cell is to be filled with an integer. If the cells in the
diagonal descending from left to right sum to 𝐾 , and the cells in the diagonal 10
ascending from left to right also sum to 𝐾, does 𝐾 = 27 ?
9
1) Every row sums to 𝐾.
2) Every column sums to 𝐾.

Q5. If 𝑥 and 𝑦 are different integers and 𝑥 2 = 𝑥𝑦, which of the following must be true?
I. 𝑥=0
II. 𝑦=0
III. 𝑥 = −𝑦
a) I only
b) II only
c) III only
d) I and III only
e) I, II, and III
Q6. Is 𝑎4 + 𝑏 4 less than 32?
1) 𝑎 + 𝑏 = 4
2) 𝑎2 + 𝑏 2 = 8
Q7. @𝑃@ is defined as the product of all positive even integers that are less than or equal to P. If @𝐾@ is divisible
by 411 , what is the smallest possible value for 𝐾?
a) 22
b) 24
c) 28
d) 32
e) 44
1
Q8. Is 𝑥 bigger than ?
𝑥
1) 4𝑥 2 = 1
1
2) (𝑥 − ) ( 𝑥 + 2) = 0
2
𝑥
Q9. The function 𝑔(𝑥) is defined for integers 𝑥 such that if 𝑥 is even, 𝑔(𝑥) = and if 𝑥 is odd, 𝑔(𝑥) = 𝑥 + 1. Given
2
that 𝑔 (𝑔(𝑔(𝑥))) = 1, how many different values of 𝑥 satisfy this equation?
a) 1
b) 3
c) 4
d) 5
e) 8

Q10. If 𝑥 2 = 𝑦 + 5, and 𝑦 = 𝑧 − 2, and 𝑧 = 2𝑥, is 𝑥 3 + 𝑦 2 + 𝑧 divisible by 7 ?
1) 𝑥 > 0
2) 𝑦 = 4
Q11. The product of two positive integers is 720. If one of the numbers is increased by 10 and the other reduced by
1, the product is unchanged. What is the value of the smaller of the two integers?
a) 6
b) 7
c) 8
d) 9
e) 10
16
1) 3𝑥 2 + 8𝑥 + =0
3
80
2) 15𝑥 2 + = −40𝑥
3
Q13. If 𝑥 4 + 1 = (𝑥 2 + 𝑛𝑥 + 1)(𝑥 2 − 𝑛𝑥 + 1), and 𝑛 < 0, then 𝑛 = ?
a) −1
b) −√2
c) −√3
d) −2
e) −3
Q14. If ⌈𝑛⌉ denotes the least integer greater than 𝑛, is ⌈5𝑛⌉ = 0 ?
1) ⌈4𝑛⌉ = 0
2) ⌈6𝑛⌉ = 0
Q15. If (𝑥 − 3)2 = 64, what could be the value of (𝑥 + 3)2 ?
a) 4
b) 25
c) 81
d) 100
e) 169

Q16. If 𝑃 + |𝐾| > |𝑃| + 𝐾, which of the following is true?
a) 𝑃=𝐾
b) 𝑃≤𝐾
c) 𝑃<𝐾
d) 𝑃>𝐾
e) 𝑃 is a better letter than 𝐾
Q17. If the function ⌊𝑛⌋ gives the greatest integer less than or equal to 𝑛, is ⌊𝑘⌋ a multiple of 2 ?
1) 5 < 𝑘 < 6
2) ⌊𝑘 + 2.3⌋ = 7
Q18. What values of 𝑥 satisfy both 𝑥𝑦 > 0, and 𝑥𝑦 = 𝑥 + 𝑦 ?
a) 𝑥≤1
b) −1 < 𝑥 ≤ 0
c) 0<𝑥≤1
d) 1<𝑥
e) −∞ < 𝑥 < ∞
Q19. The function 𝑓 is defined for all positive, three-digit integers as 𝑓(𝑥) = 2𝑎 ∙ 3𝑏 ∙ 5𝑐 , where 𝑎, 𝑏, and 𝑐 are the
hundreds, tens, and units digits respectively of 𝑥. What is the value of 𝑚 − 𝑛?
1) 𝑓(𝑚) = 18 ∙ 𝑓(𝑛)
2) 𝑛 = 111
(𝑥−4)(𝑥+3)
Q20. How many integer values of 𝑥 do NOT satisfy > 0?
(𝑥+4)(𝑥+5)
a) 6
b) 7
c) 8
d) 9
e) 10
Q21. If 𝑥 and 𝑦 are non-zero integers, is (𝑥 −1 + 𝑦 −1 )−1 > (𝑥 −1 ∙ 𝑦 −1 )−1 ?
1) 𝑥 = 2𝑦
2) 𝑥 + 𝑦 > 0

1 1
Q22. If 𝑓 ( ) = 2𝑥 + 1, and 𝑔 ( ) = (𝑥 − 1)2 , then 𝑓(𝑔(2)) = ?
𝑥 𝑥
a) 3
b) 5
c) 7
d) 9
e) 11
1
Q23. If 𝑥 is positive, which of the following could be the correct ordering of , 2𝑥, and 𝑥 2 ?
𝑥
1
I. 𝑥 2 < 2𝑥 <
𝑥
1
II. 𝑥2 < < 2𝑥
𝑥
1
III. 2𝑥 < 𝑥 2 <
𝑥
a) I only
b) II only
c) III only
d) I and II only
e) I, II, and III
Q24. What is the average of 𝐴, 𝐵, and 𝐶?
1) 3𝐴 + 𝐵 + 2𝐶 = 17
2) 0.5𝐴 + 𝐵 + 0.75𝐶 = 7
Q25. In a group of cats, snakes, and their owners, how many cats are there?
1) There are 84 legs in the group.
2) There are 6 more people than cats.
Q26. If 𝑥 2 − 𝑘 2 𝑥 + 2𝑘 = 0 has one solution, what is the average of the possible values of 𝑘?
a) 0
b) 1
c) 2
d) 3
e) 4

Q27. Is 𝐴 positive?
1) 𝑥 2 − 2𝑥 + 𝐴 is positive for all values of 𝑥.
2) 𝐴𝑥 2 + 1 is positive for all values of 𝑥.
Q28. To the right is a table of values for a certain polynomial 𝑓(𝑥). Which
of the following is a factor of 𝑓(𝑥)?
𝒙 𝒇(𝒙)
a) 𝑥 − 21 0 21
b) 𝑥 − 16 1 −16
c) 𝑥 2 −27
d) 𝑥+2
3 0
e) 𝑥−3
1 𝑎
Q29. If 𝑎 ≠ 0, is > ?
𝑎 𝑏 4 +3
1) 𝑎 = 𝑏 2
2) 𝑎2 = 𝑏 4
Q30. If 2𝐴 − 𝐵 + 11𝐶 = 9, and 𝐴 + 2𝐵 − 2𝐶 = 2, what is the average of 𝐴, 𝐵, and 𝐶?
a) 0
b) 1
c) 2
d) 3
e) 4
Q31. The function 𝛿 is defined for all integers as δ(n) = n + 3 if 𝑛 is odd, and δ(n) = 2n − 3 if 𝑛 is even. What is
the value of 𝑎?
1) δ(δ(a)) = 𝑎
2) δ (δ(δ(a))) is odd.


Q1. E
Q2. A
Q3. D
Q4. C
Q5. A
Q6. D
Q7. B
Q8. B
Q9. B
Q10. D
Q11. D
Q12. D
Q13. B
Q14. B
Q15. A
Q16. D
Q17. A
Q18. D
Q19. A
Q20. E
Q21. A
Q22. D
Q23. D
Q24. C
Q25. C
Q26. B
Q27. A
Q28. E
Q29. A
Q30. B
Q31. C

Absolute Values - 2
The GMAT
Part 7: Absolute Values

And Ethan Berlant
Absolute Values - 2

Absolute Values - 3
Absolute Values - 3

Absolute Values - 4
Staying Positive
The first main point about absolute values is that the result of an absolute value is always greater than or equal to zero.
𝑥 if 𝑥 ≥ 0
More mathematically, this means: |𝑥| = {
−𝑥 if 𝑥 < 0
Less mathematically, this means: if what’s inside the absolute value is positive, then we can remove the absolute value. And
if what’s inside the absolute value is negative, then we multiply it by −1 in order to make it positive.
Absolute values can be interpreted graphically, as well as algebraically. Solve for 𝑥:
Q1. |𝑥 − 7| = 15
Q2. For what values of 𝑥 is |𝑥 − 7| < 15 ?
Q3. For what values of 𝑥 is |𝑥 − 7| > 15 ?
Q4. For what values of 𝑥 is |𝑥 + 3| ≤ 7 ?
Q5. For what values of 𝑥 is |2𝑥 + 3| ≤ 7 ?
Q6. For what values of 𝑥 is 𝑥 2 + 3𝑥 − 10 ≤ 0?
Absolute Values - 4

Absolute Values - 5
Absolute Values as Distances Practice

Fill the table with the appropriate responses.
Absolute Value Distance Interval
|𝑥 − 3| = 7 The distance between 𝑥 and 3 is 7 𝑥 = −4 or 𝑥 = 10
|𝑥 + 3| = 7 The distance between 𝑥 and −3 is 7 𝑥 = −10 or 𝑥 = 4
|𝑥 − 3| < 7 The distance between 𝑥 and 3 is less than 7 −4 < 𝑥 < 10
|𝑥 + 7| < 3
The distance between 𝑥 and 7 is greater than 3
−12 < 𝑥 < −2
|𝑥 − 2| = 2
The distance between 𝑥 and 10 is 10
𝑥 = −2 or 𝑥 = 4
|𝑥 + 5| ≥ 15
The distance between 𝑥 and 5 is less than 10
10 ≤ 𝑥 ≤ 30
|𝑥 + 100| < 200
The distance between 𝑥 and 8 is less than 1
𝑥 < 5 or 𝑥 > 7
|𝑥 + 17.5| = 19.5
The distance between 𝑥 and −10 is greater than 10
𝑥 ≤ 5 or 𝑥 ≥ 7
|5 − 𝑥| < 3
The distance between 2 and 𝑥 is greater than 6
Absolute Values - 5

Absolute Values - 6
Absolute Values with More Things

When absolute values involve multiple variables, consider testing values. Before testing, though, spend a moment
thinking about the meaning of it all. Which often means thinking about distance.
Q1. If |𝑥 + 𝑦| = |𝑥| + |𝑦|, then which of the following must be true?
a) 𝑥+𝑦<0
b) 𝑥−𝑦>0
c) 𝑥+𝑦>0
𝑥
d) >1
𝑦
e) 𝑥𝑦 ≥ 0
Q2. What is the maximum value of |𝑥 − 14| − |𝑥 + 6| ?
a) −20
b) −8
c) 0
d) 8
e) 20
Q3. What is the minimum value of |𝑥 + 4| + |𝑥 − 2| + |𝑥 − 3| ?
a) 2
b) 4
c) 5
d) 7
e) 8
Q4. For how many integer values of 𝑥 is |𝑥 − 3| + |2𝑥 − 2| + |3𝑥 − 1| < 18 ?
a) 0
b) 2
c) 4
d) 5
e) 6
Absolute Values Strategy
When working with absolute values, you have a choice between the following strategies:
• Think graphically: interpret an absolute value as a distance. When this works, it’s often the fastest method.
• Replace an absolute value with a + or – based on whether the interior of the absolute value is positive or negative.
• Squaring an absolute value allows you to remove the absolute value, because whether the interior is negative or
positive, the result, once squared, will never be negative.
Absolute Values - 6

Absolute Values - 7
Q1. If 𝑥 and 𝑦 are integers, is 𝑦 > 0 ?
1) 𝑥 + 1 > 0
2) 𝑥𝑦 > 0
Q2. When (𝑎 − 1)2 is divided by 10, the remainder is 4. If 𝑎 is an integer, what could be the units digit of |𝑎 − 2| ?
a) 0
b) 1
c) 2
d) 4
e) 8
Q3. If 𝑧 = |𝑥| + 𝑦, is 𝑧 = 0 ?
1) 𝑥 < 0
2) 𝑦 = 𝑥
Q4. What is √𝑥 2 𝑦 2 if 𝑥 < 0 and 𝑦 > 0 ?
a) −𝑥𝑦
b) 𝑥𝑦
c) −|𝑥𝑦|
d) |𝑦|𝑥
e) (𝑥 − 𝑦)(𝑥 + 𝑦)
Q5. If 𝑥 + 𝑦 > 0, is 𝑥 > |𝑦| ?
1) 𝑥 > 𝑦
2) 𝑦 < 0
Q6. What is the absolute value of the sum of the solutions to |𝑥 2 − 4𝑥 + 4| = 36 ?
a) 0
b) 2
c) 4
d) 8
e) 12
Absolute Values - 7

Absolute Values - 8
Q7. What is the value of 𝑎 ?
1) |𝑎 − 1| < 1
2) |2𝑎| = 6𝑎 − 4
Q8. If −0.2 ≤ 𝑥 ≤ 1.04, and 𝑥 is twice the value of 𝑦, what is the smallest possible value of |𝑥𝑦| ?
a) −0.208
b) −0.02
c) 0
d) 0.02
e) 0.208
Q9. If 𝐴𝐵 > 0, is |𝐴 − 𝐵| > |𝐴| − |𝐵| ?
1 1
1) <
𝐴 𝐵
2) 2𝐴 + 𝐵 < 0
Q10. The sum of the possible values of 𝑥 in the equation |𝑥 + 8| + |𝑥 − 10| = 20 is:
a) −2
b) −1
c) 0
d) 1
e) 2
Q11. Is |𝑥| < 1 ?
1) |𝑥 + 1| = 2|𝑥 − 1|
2) |𝑥 − 3| ≠ 0
𝑥
Q12. If < 𝑥, then 𝑥 must lie inside which of the following ranges?
|𝑥|
a) 𝑥<1
b) 0<𝑥<1
c) −1 < 𝑥 < 0
d) 1 < 𝑥2
e) −1 < 𝑥
Absolute Values - 8

Absolute Values - 9
1) |8 − 𝑥| + |12 + 𝑥| = 20
2) |4 − 𝑥| − |𝑥 + 4| = 0
Q14. If 𝑥 2 − |𝑥 + 2| + 𝑥 > 0, which of the following ranges gives all possible values of 𝑥?
a) 𝑥 < −√2 or √2 < 𝑥

b) 𝑥 < −√2
c) −√2 < 𝑥 < √2
d) 0 < 𝑥 < √2
e) √2 < 𝑥
Q15. What is the value of |4 − |3 − 𝑥|| ?
1) |𝑥 − 4| = 6
2) |6 − 𝑥| = 4
Q16. Which of the following is an algebraic expression for the pictured range of values?
a) |𝑥 + 2| ≥ 4
b)
c)
|𝑥 − 2| ≤ 4
|𝑥 + 2| < 4 <--------------- •------------------•--------------->
d) |𝑥 − 2| > 4 −6 2
e) |𝑥 + 2| ≤ 4
Q17. Is |𝑥 + 5| + |𝑥 − 4| < 10 ?
1) −5 < 𝑥 < 5
2) −6 < 𝑥 < 2
Q18. Which of the following is an algebraic expression for the pictured range of values?
a) |2𝑥 + 3| ≥ 7
<----------0---------------------------0---------->
b) |2𝑥 − 3| ≤ 7
c) |2𝑥 + 3| < 7
d) |2𝑥 − 3| > 7 −2 5
e) |2𝑥 + 3| ≤ 7
Absolute Values - 9

Absolute Values - 10
Q19. In which quadrant of the coordinate plane does the point (𝑥, 𝑦) lie?
1) |𝑥𝑦| + 𝑥|𝑦| + |𝑥|𝑦 + 𝑥𝑦 > 0
2) −𝑥 < −𝑦 < |𝑦|
Q20. How many positive integers less than 10 satisfy ||𝑥 − 3| − 4| > 3 ?
a) 0
b) 1
c) 2
d) 3
e) 4
Q21. If 𝑥 ≠ 0, is |𝑥| < 1 ?
𝑥2
1) >𝑥
|𝑥|
𝑥
2) <𝑥
|𝑥|
Q22. If 𝑓(𝑥) = |𝑥| + |𝑥 + 3| + |𝑥 + 6| + |𝑥 + 9| + |𝑥 + 12| + |𝑥 + 15| + |𝑥 + 18| + |𝑥 + 21| , and 𝑥 is an

integer, then for how many values of 𝑥 will 𝑓(𝑥) be minimized?
a) 1
b) 2
c) 3
d) 4
e) 5
Q23. Is 𝑝 a negative number?
1) 𝑝 ∙ |𝑞| is not a positive number.
2) 𝑝2 is a positive number.
Q24. What is the product of the roots of the equation 𝑦 = |𝑥|2 − 8|𝑥| + 15 ?
a) −225
b) −15
c) 0
d) 15
e) 225

Q25. Is |𝑎| = |𝑎𝑏| ?
1) 𝑎 ≠ 𝑏
2) 𝑎10 − 𝑏10 = 0
Q26. What is the product of the roots of the equation 𝑦 = |𝑥|2 − |𝑥| − 12 ?
a) −144
b) −16
c) 0
d) 16
e) 144
Q27. Is 𝑎 > |𝑏| ?
1) 2𝑎−𝑏 > 16
2) |𝑎 − 𝑏| < 𝑏
Q28. What is the range of 𝑆, if 𝑆 is the set of solutions to the equation |𝑥 2 − 6| = 𝑥 ?
a) −1
b) 0
c) 1
d) 3
e) 6
Q29. If 𝑎 and 𝑏 are positive odd integers, is 𝑎 greater than 𝑏?
1) |𝑎 − 𝑏| ≥ 6
2) 𝑎 > 𝑏 − 2
Q30. What is the product of the solutions of 𝛼 2 + 6𝛼 − 27 = |𝛼 2 − 6𝛼 + 9| ?
a) −9
b) −3
c) 0
d) 3
e) 9
Q31. Given that |𝛼 + 3| = |𝛽 + 3|, what is the value of 𝛼 + 𝛽 ?
1) 𝛼 2 𝛽 > 0
2) 𝛼 < 3 < 𝛽


Q1. C
Q2. B
Q3. C
Q4. A
Q5. D
Q6. C
Q7. B
Q8. D
Q9. C
Q10. E
Q11. C
Q12. E
Q13. B
Q14. A
Q15. B
Q16. E
Q17. C
Q18. D
Q19. D
Q20. B
Q21. C
Q22. D
Q23. E
Q24. E
Q25. E
Q26. B
Q27. C
Q28. C
Q29. C
Q30. D
Q31. B

Geometry - 3
The GMAT
Part 8: Geometry

And Ethan Berlant
And Martin Kurt
Geometry - 3

Geometry - 4
Geometry - 4

Geometry - 5
Shapes on the GMAT

Problem solving questions ARE drawn to scale by default! Unless it says “this figure is not drawn to scale,” or
something to that effect, assume that the drawing IS to scale.
Data sufficiency questions are NOT drawn to scale by default. Do NOT make any assumptions based on the
picture, except that:
In both PS and DS problems, if a line is drawn to be straight, it IS straight: no hidden bend or corner. Also, if
information is given in the question stem, the diagram should correspond to that information.
Even in a PS problem that is drawn to scale, though, we can’t

assume that we know exact values for lengths or angles based on
the drawing. For example, is polygon 𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷 (left) a square?
Well, no. It is pretty close, and I could use that to make

approximations, but I cannot say for certain that the angles are
right or that the sides are equal. In fact, the actual angles are:
In the following pages, you’ll go through a number of problems meant to reinforce the various formulas and ideas
from geometry that you might need to know on the test. You will just need practice and pattern recognition for those.
Aside from knowing those facts, the most important idea that we can give you is that, just like everywhere else on the
GMAT, geometry problems can be approached through alternative methods besides simply using formulas. You can
approximate, test values, and even solve data sufficiency questions just through visualizing deforming the shapes.
Q1. Given rectangle 𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷, what is the value of ̅̅̅̅

𝐵𝐸 ?
1) ̅̅̅̅
𝐴𝐵 = 15
̅̅̅̅ = 8
2) 𝐴𝐷
Q2. In rectangle 𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷 , ̅̅̅̅

𝐴𝐵 = 8, and ̅̅̅̅
𝐴𝐷 = 15. What is the
̅̅̅̅ ?
approximate value of 𝐵𝐸
a) 7.1
b) 7.9
c) 8.7
d) 9.5
e) 10.3
Geometry - 5

Geometry - 6
Polygons
Any polygon can be cut into a number of triangles, each with the sum of their interior angles being 180°, as follows:
Sides (𝑛) Polygon with 𝑛 sides Cut into 𝑛 − 2 triangles Sum of angles
Green = Blue + Orange

Green = 180° + 180°
𝑛=4
Green = 180°(2)
Green = 180°(4 − 2)
Green = Blue + Orange + Pink

Green = 180° + 180° + 180°
𝑛=5
Green = 180°(3)
Green = 180°(5 − 2)
Thus, for any polygon, ∑(𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒𝑠) = 180°(𝑛 − 2).
Q1. The sum of the interior angles in a certain polygon is 1080°. How many vertices does the polygon have?
a) 6
b) 7
c) 8
d) 9
e) 10
Q2. What is the measure of an interior angle in a regular pentagon?
a) 108°
b) 120°
c) 186°
d) 240°
e) 360°
Q3. What is the sum of the exterior angles of a triangle whose sides are all congruent?
a) 108°
b) 120°
c) 186° Name Number of Sides Sum of Angles
d) 240°
Pentagon 5 540°
e) 360°
Hexagon 6 720°
Heptagon 7 900°
Octagon 8 1080°
Enneagon 9 1260°
Dodecagon 10 1440°
Geometry - 6

Geometry - 7
TRIANGLES
Q1. What is the name for the longest side in a triangle?
Q2. What is the value of 𝑥 in the triangle to the right?
Q3. Is the triangle to the right drawn correctly?
̅̅̅̅ > ̅̅̅̅

Q4. Is 𝐴𝐶 ̅̅̅̅ in triangle 𝐴𝐵𝐶?
𝐴𝐵 > 𝐵𝐶
1) ∠𝐴𝐵𝐶 = 20°
2) ∠𝐵𝐴𝐶 = 110°
Q5. What is the measure of angle 𝑧?
Q6. What is the sum of angles 𝑥 and 𝑦?
Q7. Does 𝑥 = 11?
1) Triangle 𝐴𝐵𝐶 is isosceles.
2) ∠𝐴𝐵𝐶 = ∠𝐴𝐶𝐵
Geometry - 7

Geometry - 8
The Pythagorean Theorem

In a right triangle, the sides of the triangle satisfy the relationship 𝐴2 + 𝐵2 = 𝐶 2 , where 𝐶 is the hypotenuse.
This works in both directions: if the sides of a triangle satisfy 𝐴2 + 𝐵2 = 𝐶 2 , then it must be a right triangle.
As much as we love this formula, on the GMAT it’s somewhat rare that we need to use it. Instead, it’s important to
know the most common Pythagorean triples.
Q1. If 𝐴 = 3 and 𝐵 = 4, what is the value of 𝐶?
Q3. If 𝐴 = 8 and 𝐶 = 17, what is the value of 𝐵?
Q4. If 𝐴 = 40 and 𝐶 = 104, what is the value of 𝐵?
Q6. Is triangle 𝑋𝑌𝑍 a right triangle?
1) 𝑋𝑍 = 4
2) 𝑋𝑌 = 5
1) The length of each side is an integer.
2) The area of triangle 𝑋𝑌𝑍 is 15.
1) The length of each side is an integer.
2) The perimeter of triangle 𝑋𝑌𝑍 is 12.
Geometry - 8

Geometry - 9
Remarkable Ratios
Q1. What are the angles in the triangle to the right?
Q2. If 𝑎 = 5, what is the value of 𝑥?
Q3. If 𝑥 = 10, what is the value of 𝑎?
Q4. A square’s diagonal is approximately what percent larger than its side?
Q5. What is the area of a square with diagonal equal to 12?
Q6. What is the perimeter of a right isosceles triangle with hypotenuse of 6?
Q7. The sides of a 30° ∶ 60° ∶ 90° triangle are (in no particular order) 𝑎√3, 2𝑎 and 𝑎. What is the ratio of the sides?
Q8. If in the triangle to the right 𝑧 = 15, what are the values of 𝑥 and 𝑦?
Q9. If in the triangle to the right 𝑥 = 15, what are the values of 𝑦 and 𝑧?
Q10. If in the triangle to the right 𝑦 = 8, what is the area of the triangle?
Q11. If in the triangle to the right 𝑦 = 10, what is the perimeter of the triangle?
Remark these ratios:
• The sides of a 45° ∶ 45° ∶ 90° triangle are in a ratio of 𝑎 ∶ 𝑎 ∶ 𝑎√2

• The sides of a 30° ∶ 60° ∶ 90° triangle are in a ratio of 𝑎 ∶ 𝑎√3 ∶ 2𝑎
Geometry - 9

Geometry - 10
Working with Triangles

• “Hypotenuse” refers specifically to right triangles, where the shorter sides are the “legs” of the triangle.
• The biggest angle looks at the biggest side, medium angle at the medium side, smallest angle at the smallest side.
• Exterior angles are equal to the sum of the two opposite interior angles.
• Each side is larger than the difference of the other two sides, and smaller than the sum of the other sides.
• When tempted to use the Pythagorean theorem, first REDUCE the sides of the triangle.
• Look for similar triangles when they have the same internal angles, or when their sides are in a constant ratio.
• Look for 𝟑: 𝟒: 𝟓 and 𝟓: 𝟏𝟐: 𝟏𝟑 and 𝟖: 𝟏𝟓: 𝟏𝟕 triangles.
• Look for 𝟒𝟓°: 𝟒𝟓°: 𝟗𝟎° triangles whose sides are in a ratio of 𝒂: 𝒂: 𝒂√𝟐.
• Look for 𝟑𝟎°: 𝟔𝟎°: 𝟗𝟎° triangles whose sides are in a ratio of 𝒂: 𝒂√𝟑: 𝟐𝒂.
• Bonus formula: Heron’s formula – in a triangle with sides 𝐴, 𝐵, and 𝐶, where the perimeter is 𝑃, the area is given
𝑃 𝑃
by: 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 = √ (
2 2
− 𝐵) (𝑃2 − 𝐴) (𝑃2 − 𝐶) … this is actually easy to deal with (think in terms of prime factors!).
Q1. Try using this to find the area of the triangle to the right:
➢ The 13-knot rope
A historical note: in ancient times, architects used a “13-knot

rope” to create right angles when building large buildings such as
the Cheops pyramid in Egypt, or Notre Dame in Paris. Using this
rope, they could construct a 3 − 4 − 5 triangle… which, by the
converse of the Pythagorean theorem, was guaranteed to be a
right triangle (so long as the distances between knots were equal).
By holding knots #1 and #13 together, then pulling the rope

taut at knots #5 and #8, we can create a 3 − 4 − 5 triangle:
Geometry - 10

Geometry - 11
Triangle Practice
Q1. Triangles 𝐴 and 𝐵 have the same interior angles. The height of triangle 𝐴 is 4 and its width is 3. Triangle 𝐵 has a
height of 8. What is the ratio of the area of triangle 𝐴 to the area of triangle 𝐵?
1
a) 4
1
b) 2
c) √2
d) 2
e) 4
Q2. What is the area of an equilateral triangle with a side of 𝑥?
3 2
a) 𝑥
4
√3 2
b) 𝑥
4
√3 2
c) 𝑥
2
2 2
d) 𝑥
3
√2 2
e) 𝑥
3
a) 20
b) 30
c) 40
d) 50
e) 60
Q4. In the figure, ̅̅̅̅

𝐴𝐷 = 20 and ̅̅̅̅
𝐷𝐶 = 36. If the area of triangle 𝐴𝐵𝐶 is 420, what is the perimeter of triangle 𝐴𝐵𝐶?
a) 15
b) 56
c) 120
d) 156
e) 180
Geometry - 11

Geometry - 12
QUADRILATERALS
A polygon with 4 sides is a quadrilateral. Corresponding angles Alternate angles Interior angles
are equal are equal add to 𝟏𝟖𝟎°
For the GMAT, we need to master several
varieties of quadrilateral: parallelograms,
rectangles, squares, rhombuses, kites, and
trapezoids.
First, parallelograms: we’ll need to know the

relationship between the angles inside of parallel
intersecting lines, as on the right.
In the figure to the right, since the lines are parallel, angles opposite each
other are equal. Angles adjacent to each other add to 180°.
Thus, ∠𝐴 = ∠𝐶, ∠𝐵 = ∠𝐷, and ∠𝐴 + ∠𝐷 = 180°.
If you remove the ends of the lines and only keep the central shape, you get
a parallelogram. In a parallelogram, opposite sides are parallel. Is a
rectangle a parallelogram? And the answer is… (think about it first)… yes!
Properties of a parallelogram:
• Opposite angles are of equal measure.

• Opposite sides are of equal length.
• The diagonals bisect each other (as shown to the right).
• If a quadrilateral has a pair of opposite sides that are equal and
parallel, the other pair of opposite sides will necessarily also be
equal and parallel, giving us a parallelogram.
• In a parallelogram, Area = Base × Height.
To find the area of a parallelogram, we can think of cutting off a triangular piece, then reattaching it to form a rectangle:
This gives us a rectangle with the same height, and same base, as the original parallelogram.
Notice that whenever we talk about areas in terms of “base” and “height,” the base and height are always perpendicular
to each other. They are also “altitudes” – this means that if you choose a base, the height will be a perpendicular line
to that base, and the height will reach the furthest point opposite the base. In a triangle for example, the height will
always be connected to a vertex of the triangle, because the vertex is the furthest point from the base.
Geometry - 12

Geometry - 13
Parallelogram Practice
Q1. What is the area of parallelogram 𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷?
a) 40
b) 40√3
c) 60
d) 60√2
e) 80
Q2. If the area of a parallelogram is 81, what is the perimeter of the parallelogram?
1) The length of the base of the parallelogram is 9
2) One of the angles in the parallelogram is 135°
Q3. In the figure to the right, 𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷 is a parallelogram and the ratio of 𝐴𝐸
to 𝐸𝐷 is 2 to 1. The area of triangle 𝐴𝐵𝐸 is what fraction of the area of
triangle 𝐵𝐶𝐷?
1
a)
2
2
b)
3
3
c)
4
4
d)
5
5
e)
6
Q4. 𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷 is a quadrilateral such that 𝐴𝐷 is parallel to 𝐵𝐶. Is 𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷 a parallelogram?
1) ̅̅̅̅
𝐴𝐵 and ̅̅̅̅
𝐶𝐷 are equal.
2) ̅̅̅̅
𝐴𝐷 and ̅̅̅̅
𝐵𝐶 are equal.
Geometry - 13

Geometry - 14
Rectangle Practice
The next type of quadrilateral that we need to know is a rectangle. A rectangle is a
parallelogram in which all the interior angles are 90°. Another important feature of
rectangles is that the two diagonals of a rectangle are equal. If the diagonals of a
parallelogram are equal, the interior angles must be equal to 90°, and we have a rectangle.
Q1. 𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷 is a parallelogram. Is 𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷 a rectangle?
1) ∠𝐴𝐵𝐶 = 90°
2) 𝐴𝐶 = 𝐵𝐷
Q2. If in parallelogram 𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷 the triangle 𝐴𝐸𝐷 is equilateral, and line

segment 𝐴𝐷 has a length of 6, what is the area of parallelogram 𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷?
a) 18
b) 18√3
c) 36
d) 36√3
e) 72
Q3. What is the area of rectangle 𝑅?
1) Each diagonal of 𝑅 has length 5.
2) The perimeter of 𝑅 is 14.
Q4. A rectangular field whose length is 40 feet greater than its width is enlarged by increasing both its width and its
length by an equal amount so that the new width is equal to the old length. If the enlarged field has an area 400%
greater than the original field, what was the length of the original field in feet?
a) 20
b) 30
c) 40
d) 50
e) 60
Q5. Is quadrilateral 𝑁𝑂𝑃𝐸 a rectangle?
1) Line segments 𝑁𝑃 and 𝑂𝐸 bisect one another.
2) Angle 𝑃𝐸𝑁 is a right angle.
Geometry - 14

Geometry - 15
Square Practice
Squares are an even more specific type of parallelogram. They satisfy all the definitions of any parallelogram, and of
a rectangle, with the added condition that all their sides be equal. This leads to the diagonals of a square being
perpendicular bisectors.
Q1. If the perimeter of square region 𝑆 and the perimeter of rectangular region 𝑅 are equal, and the sides of 𝑅 are in
the ratio 2: 3, then what is the ratio of the area of 𝑅 to the area of 𝑆?
a) 25: 16
b) 24: 25
c) 5: 6
d) 4: 5
e) 4: 9
Q2. Rectangle 𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷 has an area of 16. Is rectangle 𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷 a square?
̅̅̅̅ = 4√2
1) 𝐴𝐶
2) ̅̅̅̅ ̅̅̅̅ = ̅̅̅̅

𝐴𝐵 × 𝐵𝐶 ̅̅̅̅
𝐶𝐷 × 𝐷𝐴
Q3. In the figure to the right, a circle circumscribes a square of area 4. What is the
area of the shaded region?
a) 𝜋−2
b) 𝜋−4
c) 2𝜋 − 2
d) 2𝜋 − 4
e) 4𝜋 − 4
Q4. In the figure to the right, 𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷 and 𝐸𝐹𝐺𝐻 are both squares. Line segments
𝐴𝐵 and 𝐹𝐵 have lengths 12 and 4 respectively. What is the area of 𝐸𝐹𝐺𝐻?
a) 64
b) 80
c) 80√2
d) 100
e) 144
Geometry - 15

Geometry - 16
Kite and Rhombus Practice

A kite is a quadrilateral with two pairs of adjacent equal sides.
Its diagonals are perpendicular, and only one diagonal bisects the other (𝐷𝐵 bisects 𝐴𝐶,
but 𝐴𝐶 doesn’t bisect 𝐷𝐵).
One pair of opposite angles is equal, but the other pair is not (∠𝐵𝐴𝐷 = ∠𝐵𝐶𝐷, but
∠𝐴𝐵𝐶 ≠ ∠𝐴𝐷𝐶).
The pair of opposite unequal angles is bisected by the diagonal (𝐵𝐷 bisects angles ∠𝐴𝐵𝐶
and ∠𝐴𝐷𝐶). The pair of opposite equal angles is NOT bisected by the diagonal.
(𝐷𝑖𝑎𝑔𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 1)×(𝐷𝑖𝑎𝑔𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 2)
The area of a kite is given by 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 =
2
A rhombus is a parallelogram whose sides are all equal… like a stretched out square. In fact, a square is a rhombus,
but a rhombus is not necessarily a square.
Its diagonals are perpendicular, and they both bisect each other.
The diagonals also bisect opposite angles.
Pairs of opposite angles are equal (just like in any parallelogram).
Since a rhombus is a parallelogram, we can find its area using: 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 = 𝐵𝑎𝑠𝑒 × 𝐻𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡.
(𝐷𝑖𝑎𝑔𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 1)×(𝐷𝑖𝑎𝑔𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 2)
Since a rhombus is also a kite, we can find its area using: 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 =
2
Q1. Is quadrilateral 𝑄 a rhombus? Q2. If 𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷 is a quadrilateral, is 𝐴𝐵 = 𝐵𝐶 = 𝐶𝐷 = 𝐷𝐴?
1) Quadrilateral 𝑄 has four equal sides. 1) 𝐴𝐶 is perpendicular to 𝐵𝐷.
2) Quadrilateral 𝑄 has four equal angles. 2) ̅̅̅̅

𝐴𝐵 + ̅̅̅̅
𝐶𝐷 = ̅̅̅̅
𝐵𝐶 + ̅̅̅̅
𝐷𝐴
Q3. While investigating a cave, Jordan found an arrowhead as pictured to the right. Given that the arrowhead is
symmetric, and that 𝐼𝑇 = 𝑇𝐸 = 10 cm, 𝐼𝐸 measures 16 cm, and 𝐼𝐾 measures 17 cm, what is the approximate
surface area of the arrowhead?
a) 54
b) 72
c) 108
d) 144
e) 240
Geometry - 16

Geometry - 17
Trapezoid Practice
Finally, the trapezoid. A trapezoid has at least one pair
of parallel sides, and these form the bases of the
trapezoid. The other sides are not necessarily parallel. In
an isosceles trapezoid, the two non-parallel sides are of
equal length and form equal angles with the bases. As
with the above quadrilaterals, the definitions for these
shapes can overlap quite a bit. A square for example is a
special type of trapezoid… a special type of isosceles
trapezoid, even.*
To find the area of a trapezoid, we can use:
(𝐵𝑎𝑠𝑒 1) + (𝐵𝑎𝑠𝑒 2)
𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 = × 𝐻𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡
2
Q1. What is the area of trapezoid 𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷 pictured to the right?
a) 75
b) 75√2
c) 75√3
d) 150
e) 150√3
Note: figure not to scale.
Q2. The area of trapezoid 𝐿𝐼𝑋𝑌 is what percent of the

area of rectangle 𝑆𝐸𝑋𝑌?
1) The area of rectangle 𝑆𝐸𝑋𝑌 is 69.
2) The ratio of 𝐿𝐼 to 𝑆𝐸 is 1 to 2.
Geometry - 17

Geometry - 18
Working with Quadrilaterals

The table below sums up the properties of the different quadrilaterals. Notice though that sometimes the ✖ means
that the statement is not always true (but could be). For example, in a trapezoid, at least two sides are parallel… in
which case, all four sides could be parallel. But since we cannot say this is always true, there is a ✖ in the box.
In the formulas 𝑠 means side, 𝑑 means diagonal, 𝑏 means base, and ℎ means height.
Property Square Rhombus Rectangle Parallelogram Kite Trapezoid
All sides equal ✔ ✔ ✖ ✖ ✖ ✖
Opposite sides
Sides
equal ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✖ ✖
Opposite sides
parallel ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✖ ✖
All angles equal ✔ ✖ ✔ ✖ ✖ ✖

Angles
Opposite angles
equal ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✖ ✖
Adjacent angles
add to 180° ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✖ ✖
Diagonals
Bisect each other ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✖ ✖
Bisect
perpendicularly ✔ ✔ ✖ ✖ ✔ ✖
𝑑1 × 𝑑2 𝑑1 × 𝑑2 𝑏1 + 𝑏2
Area 𝑠2 𝑏×ℎ 𝑏×ℎ
Formulas
×ℎ
2 2 2
Sum of all
Perimeter 4𝑠 4𝑠 2(𝑏 + ℎ) 2(𝑏 + 𝑠) 2(𝑠1 + 𝑠2 ) sides
𝑑1 ×𝑑2
• Notice that in any quadrilateral with perpendicular bisectors, the area can be found using the formula
2
• Be careful not to over-assume: if you’re told that a quadrilateral has two equal sides, they could be opposite or
adjacent or both, giving a square, a rectangle, a parallelogram, a rhombus, a kite, or even a trapezoid. If you’re told
that a quadrilateral has two equal opposite sides, then it could still be any quadrilateral. If a quadrilateral has equal
diagonals, it could also be ANY quadrilateral (yes, you can construct a trapezoid or kite with equal diagonals).
• Reason by drawing. Draw different shapes to get a clearer idea of the ideas in the problem. If you’re told that a
quadrilateral has 3 equal sides, draw 3 equal sides and try to find the weirdest shapes you can make under those
conditions. Don’t assume that everything is symmetric and pretty, unless they say it is.
• At the beginning of any geometry problem, just like in any other problem, spend a moment to think about your
strategy. Can you approximate to find the answer? Can you answer a data sufficiency question by drawing different
shapes? If not, then you’d better set up some equations. We emphasize alternative techniques like approximation
because it’s unnatural for most students, but that doesn’t mean every problem should be solved in some alternative
way; sometimes the best method is to translate everything directly into equations, and then to solve them.
Geometry - 18

Geometry - 19
CIRCLES
Vocabulary – if 𝑂 is the center of the circle to the right, then:
Q1. What’s the name of line segment 𝐷𝐸?
Q2. What’s the name of line segment 𝑂𝐷?
Q3. What’s the name of line segment 𝐴𝐵?
Q4. What’s the name of region 𝐶𝑂𝐷?
Q5. What’s the name of the part of the circumference of the circle between 𝐴 and 𝐵?
• The perimeter of a circle is called the circumference, and 𝐶 = 2𝜋𝑟
• The area of a circle is given by 𝐴 = 𝜋𝑟 2
Answers:
Q1. Diameter
Q2. Radius
Q3. Chord
Q4. Sector
Q5. An arc; either the major arc (from 𝐴 to 𝐷 to 𝐵), or the minor arc (from 𝐴 to 𝐸 to 𝐵).
Tangency
A tangent is a line that touches a curve without

“cutting” or crossing it. For instance, the red line
in this picture is tangent to the black curve, and
to the black circle:
Further, a line tangent to a circle will always

be perpendicular to the circle’s radius.
Angle, Area, Arc Length
In circle 𝑂 to the right, angle 𝜃 is cutting out a piece of the area of the
circle. We could also say that it’s cutting out a piece of the
circumference of the circle. In fact, whatever fraction of 360° is
represented by 𝜃, we’re cutting that same fraction out of the area, and
out of the circumference.
1
For example, if 𝜃 is of 360°, then:
3
1
the area of sector 𝐵𝑂𝐴 is of the area of the circle, and:
3
1
minor arc 𝐵𝐴 is of the circumference of the circle.
3
𝜃 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑆𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝐿𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ𝐴𝑟𝑐
Thus: = =
360° 𝜋𝑟 2 2𝜋𝑟
Geometry - 19

Geometry - 20
Circle Practice
Q1. What is the length of major arc 𝐷𝐸?
a) 3
b) 3𝜋
c) 17
d) 17𝜋
e) 85𝜋
Q2. If 𝜃 = 45°, and 𝑂𝐴 = 4, what is the area of sector 𝐵𝑂𝐴?
a) 2𝜋
b) 3𝜋
c) 4𝜋
d) 14𝜋
e) 16𝜋
Q3. If the area of sector 𝐵𝑂𝐴 is equal to the square of minor arc 𝐵𝐴 , 𝜃 is
approximately:
a) 18°
b) 28°
c) 38°
d) 48°
e) 58°
Geometry - 20

Geometry - 21
Central and Inscribed Angles

A central angle is an angle that connects the center of a circle to two points on the circumference. In the circle to the
right, 𝑂 is a central angle, connected to points 𝐴 and 𝐵.
An inscribed angle is an angle that connects a point on the

circumference of a circle to two other points on the
circumference. In the circle to the right, angle 𝑋 and angle
𝑌 are both inscribed angles, connected to points 𝐴 and 𝐵.
Any inscribed angles connected to the same arc will be

congruent. Since angles 𝑋 and 𝑌 are both connected to
points 𝐴 and 𝐵, angles 𝑋 and 𝑌 are congruent.
Any central angle will be twice as big as an inscribed angle

connected to the same arc. Angle 𝑂 is also connected to 𝐴
and 𝐵, so angle 𝑂 is twice as big as angles 𝑋 and 𝑌. This
will be true so long as the inscribed angle is on the “back”
of the circle from the perspective of the central angle.
Q1. Point 𝑂 is the center of the circle to the right. The measure of angle 𝐶𝐵𝐴 is
30°. The length of 𝐴𝐵 is 10 cm. What is the length of the chord 𝐵𝐶?
a) 5 cm
b) 5√3 cm
c) 8 cm
d) 8√3 cm
e) 9 cm
Q2. Point 𝑂 is the center of the circle to the right. Chord 𝐶𝐴 intersects radius 𝑂𝐵
at a 90° angle. If angle 𝐶𝑂𝐵 = 52°, what is the value of angle 𝐴𝐵𝑂?
a) 64°
b) 52°
c) 48°
d) 37°
e) 26°
Despite the lengthy explanation above, the most common use you’ll see for the central/inscribed angle theorem is to
show that if a triangle inscribed in a circle shares one side with the diameter of the circle, it is a right triangle.
Geometry - 21

Geometry - 22
GENERAL GEOMETRY STRATEGY

Geometry PS Strategy Practice
When you see a geometry PS question, you should first check to see whether you can use approximation.
Q1. Right triangle 𝑋𝑌𝑍 has legs of length 3 and 5. 𝐴𝑋 is

an altitude of triangle 𝑋𝑌𝑍. What is the length of 𝐴𝑋?
8
a)
5
10.5
b)
5
13
c)
5
15.5
d)
5
18
e)
5
Q2. Triangle 𝐵𝐶𝐷 is isosceles, and both 𝐶𝐷 and 𝐶𝐵 are

tangent to circle 𝐴. If 𝐴𝐶 = 𝐴𝐵 = 𝐴𝐷 and 𝐷𝐵 = 12,
then what is the radius of circle 𝐴?
2
a)
√2
3
b)
√3
4
c)
√2
5
d)
√3
6
e)
√2
Q3. Right triangle 𝐴𝐵𝐶 has legs of lengths 3 and 4. Circle 𝑂 is inscribed inside
of triangle 𝐴𝐵𝐶. What is the radius of circle 𝑂?
√2
a)
3
√3
b)
3
c) 1
2
d)
√2
3
e)
√2
Geometry - 22

Geometry - 23
Geometry DS Strategy Practice

When you see a geometry DS question, you should first think in terms of whether a shape is fixed. If that fails, then
set up equations/formulas if necessary. In the following questions there is no calculation necessary.
Q1. 𝐻 is a regular hexagon. What is the area of 𝐻?
1) The shortest distance from the center to a side is √3.
2) Each side has length 2.
Q2. Triangle 𝑇 has angles of 𝑥°, 𝑦°, and 90°. What is the length of triangle 𝑇’s hypotenuse?
1) The side opposite the 𝑥° angle has length 10.
2) 𝑦 is twice as big as 𝑥.
Q3. The area of a certain parallelogram is 25. What is its perimeter?
1) One side of the parallelogram has length 5.
2) One of the parallelogram’s internal angles is 30°.
Q4. What is the area of trapezoid 𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷, if 𝐵𝐶 = 25, 𝐵𝐸 = 20, and 𝐴𝐸 = 15?
1) 𝐶𝐷 = 10√5
2) 𝐴𝐷 = 50
Q5. Quadrilateral 𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷 is inscribed inside of a circle. Is quadrilateral 𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷 a square?
1) ∠𝐴𝐵𝐶 = ∠𝐵𝐶𝐷 = 90°
2) The length of side 𝐶𝐷 is equal to the radius of the circle.
A final important fact: “regular” polygons (and circles) give a large area for a small perimeter. More technically: for
a given perimeter, a regular polygon/circle gives the maximum area that can be enclosed within that perimeter.
Similarly, for a given area, a regular polygon/circle gives the minimum perimeter that can surround that area.
For example, if you want to enclose an area of 16 square units, you could do so with a circle, whose perimeter would
be 8√𝜋 ≅ 14 units, and this would be the minimum perimeter possible for any shape. You could also do so with an
equilateral triangle, which would have a perimeter of about 18.2 units – any non-equilateral triangle with the same area
would have a higher perimeter. You could do so with a square, whose perimeter would be 16 units, and this would be
the minimum perimeter possible for any quadrilateral. You could do so with a regular pentagon, whose perimeter
would be about 15.3 units, and this would be the minimum perimeter possible for any pentagon. As you add more
sides, you get closer and closer to a circle, and closer to that minimum perimeter of about 14 units.
Geometry - 23

Geometry - 24
Q1. Is quadrilateral 𝑄 a rhombus?
1) The sides of 𝑄 are of equal length.
2) The diagonals of 𝑄 are perpendicular bisectors.
Q2. In the circle to the right, 𝑥 and 𝑦 are central angles. If the ratio of 𝑥 to 𝑦 is
4: 5, what is the value of 𝑥?
a) 160
b) 170
c) 180
d) 190
e) 200
Q3. Is quadrilateral 𝑅 a square?
1) The diagonals of 𝑄 are of equal length.
2) The sides of 𝑄 are of equal length.
Q4. Triangle 𝑅 is a right triangle containing an angle of 45°. If the perimeter of 𝑅 is 8 + 8√2, what is the length of
the hypotenuse of 𝑅?
a) 4√2
b) 8
c) 8√2
d) 16
e) 16√2
Q5. If 𝑥 and 𝑦 are the lengths of the legs of a right triangle, is the area of the triangle an integer?
1) 𝑥 is a prime number.
2) 𝑦 is 3 more than a multiple of 8.
Geometry - 24

Geometry - 25
Q6. OPQ, OQR, ORS, and 𝑂𝑆𝑇 are isosceles triangles. If the
area of triangle 𝑂𝑃𝑄 is 3, what is the area of triangle 𝑂𝑆𝑇 ?
a) 3√2
b) 6
c) 12
d) 12√2
e) 24
Q7. Triangle 𝐴𝐵𝐶 is inscribed in a circle. If 𝐴𝐵 = 12, what is the area of triangle 𝐴𝐵𝐶?
1) 𝐵𝐶 = 𝐴𝐶
2) The area of the circle is 144𝜋.
Q8. A drawbridge is raised at noon with the sun directly overhead. When the end of the drawbridge is 52 feet above
the road, it casts a shadow 39 feet long. When the end of the drawbridge is 60 feet above the road, how long will
its shadow be?
a) 20
b) 25
c) 26
d) 31
e) 34
Q9. If 𝐴 is a rectangle, is the area of 𝐴 less than 100?
1) The diagonal of 𝐴 is less than 14.
2) The perimeter of 𝐴 is less than 40.
Q10. Circle 𝐴 is inscribed inside of square 𝐵, and square 𝐵 is inscribed inside of circle 𝐶. If the radius of circle 𝐶 is
2√3 − √6 more than the radius of circle 𝐴, what is the area of square 𝐵?
a) 6
b) 12
c) 24
d) 36
e) 96
Geometry - 25

Geometry - 26
Q11. If triangle 𝐴𝐵𝐶 is inscribed in a circle with diameter 𝐴𝐶, is the area of 𝐴𝐵𝐶 less than or equal to 100?
1) 𝐴𝐶 = 20
2) 𝐴𝐵 = 16
Q12. Katie is at a park with her dog Solo on an 18 m long

leash. Solo starts running loops counterclockwise around
Katie and a pair of nearby trees, wrapping the leash around
them. How many times will Solo pass Tree 𝐵, if Tree 𝐴 is
1 m from Katie?
a) 3
b) 4
c) 5
d) 6
e) 7
Q13. In the figure to the right, triangle 𝐴𝐵𝐶 is inscribed inside of a circle with
center 𝑂. Segment 𝐶𝐷 = 4, and is perpendicular to 𝐴𝐵. What is the length
of segment 𝐴𝐵?
1) 𝐴𝐷 = 2
2) 𝐵𝐶 = 4√5
Q14. If a certain triangle has sides that satisfy the equation 3𝑥 − 𝑥 2 = 2, what could NOT be the triangle’s perimeter?
a) 3
b) 4
c) 5
d) 6
e) Any of the above are possible.
Geometry - 26

Geometry - 27
Q15. In the picture to the right, a regular polygon peaks out from behind a wall. The
sum of the angles 𝐴 and 𝐵 is equal to half the sum of the angles 𝐶 and 𝐷. How
many sides does the regular polygon have?
a) 6
b) 7
c) 8
d) 9
e) 10
Q16. What is the area of quadrilateral 𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷?
1) The area of triangle 𝐴𝐵𝐸 is 6.
2) 𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷 is a parallelogram.
Q17. In the figure to the right, 𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷 is a rectangle and

̅̅̅̅
𝐶𝐷 = 10 , ̅̅̅̅𝐵𝐸 = 16 , and ̅̅̅̅ 𝐴𝐷 = 24 . The area of
triangle 𝐴𝑃𝑄 is one third that of triangle 𝐴𝐵𝐷. If ̅̅̅̅
𝐵𝐷
̅̅̅̅ ̅̅̅̅ ̅̅̅̅
is parallel to 𝑃𝑄 , what is 𝐸𝐹 × 𝑃𝑄 ?
40
a) 13
80
b) 13
80
c)
√3
160
d) 13
160
e)
√3
Q18. What is the area of quadrilateral 𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷, if 𝐴𝐷

is parallel to 𝐵𝐶?
1) The area of triangle 𝐴𝐷𝐸 is 10.
2) The area of triangle 𝐵𝐶𝐹 is 6.
Geometry - 27

Geometry - 28
Q19. The picture to the right shows a circle with center 𝑂 and an
equilateral triangle 𝑂𝑃𝑄, with 𝑃𝑄 tangent to the circle at the midpoint
of 𝑃𝑄. What is the ratio of the area of the shaded region to the total
area of the equilateral triangle?
2√3−𝜋
a)
6√3
2√3−𝜋
b)
4√3
3√3−𝜋
c)
4√3
2√3−𝜋
d)
4√2
2√3−𝜋
e)
3√2
Q20. If 𝐴 is the center of the circle and 𝑥 and 𝑦 are both less than 180°, arc 𝐵𝐶 = 2, then
what is the length of arc 𝐷𝐸?
1) The ratio of 𝑥 to 𝑦 is 1 to 2.
2) The area of sector 𝐴𝐶𝐵 is twice the area of sector 𝐴𝐷𝐸.
Q21. In the rectangular solid pictured, what is the length of a straight line from
𝐴 to 𝐶?
a) 5
b) 5√2
c) 5√3
d) 6
e) 6√2
Q22. Is quadrilateral 𝐿𝐴𝑀𝑃 a rectangle?
1) 𝐿𝑀 and 𝐴𝑃 are perpendicular.
𝐿𝑀 = ̅̅̅̅
2) ̅̅̅̅ 𝐴𝑃
Geometry - 28

Geometry - 29
Q23. The figure to the right shows two concentric circles. If the shaded area between
the two circles is equal to the area of the smaller circle, then the radius of the larger
circle is approximately what percent larger than the radius of the smaller circle?
a) 25%
b) 30%
c) 35%
d) 40%
e) 45%
Q24. In the figure to the right, the area of triangle 𝐴𝐸𝐹 is 10.
What is the area of triangle 𝑋𝑌𝑍?
1) 𝐴𝐹 = 𝑋𝑍
2) 𝐶𝐷 and 𝐴𝐵 are parallel.
Q25. 𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷 is a square with area 36. The ratio of 𝐴𝐸 to 𝐸𝐵 is 1 to 2, and the ratio
of 𝐶𝐹 to 𝐶𝐷 is 1 to 3. What is the sum of the areas of triangles 𝐴𝐸𝐺 and 𝐶𝐹𝐺?
a) 3
b) 6
c) 9
d) 12
e) 15
Q26. Rhombus Garden is the most beautiful green area of Algebrapolis. As its name implies, Rhombus Garden is a
rhombus. Eliad Kigchope, the best runner of Algebrapolis, runs 21 times around the perimeter of the garden to
prepare for his next race. What distance did Kigchope run around the park?
1) The sum of the lengths of the diagonals of Rhombus Garden is 1400 meters.
2) The area of Rhombus Garden is 240,000 square meters.
Geometry - 29

Geometry - 30
Q27. What is the area of the triangle to the right?
a) 16
b) 16 + 16√2
c) 16 + 16√3
d) 18 + 18√2
e) 32 + 32√3
𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑋
Q28. If 𝑋 is a circle, and 𝑌 is a non-equilateral triangle, is > 1?
𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑌
1) The circumference of 𝑋 is less than 2𝜋
4
2) The longest side of triangle 𝑌 is 2 ∙ √3
Q29. In the cube to the right, what is the measure of angle 𝐴𝐵𝐶?
a) 60°
b) 75°
c) 90°
d) 105°
e) 120°
Q30. In the figure to the right, line segment 𝐴𝐵 and line segment
𝐶𝐵 are both tangent to the circle. What is the measure of
angle 𝐴𝐵𝐶?
a) 20°
b) 35°
c) 40°
d) 55°
e) 120°
Geometry - 30

Geometry - 31
Q31. If inscribed triangle 𝐴𝐵𝐶 is equilateral with sides of length 𝑋, what is the area
of the circle in terms of 𝑋?
𝜋2𝑋 2
a)
3
𝜋𝑋 2
b)
√3
2𝜋𝑋 2
c)
√3
3𝜋𝑋 2
d)
16
𝜋𝑋 2
e)
3
Geometry - 31

Geometry - 32

Q1. D
Q2. A
Q3. C
Q4. B
Q5. E
Q6. C
Q7. E
Q8. B
Q9. D
Q10. C
Q11. A
Q12. D
Q13. D
Q14. B
Q15. A
Q16. C
Q17. E
Q18. C
Q19. B
Q20. D
Q21. B
Q22. E
Q23. D
Q24. C
Q25. B
Q26. C
Q27. C
Q28. E
Q29. A
Q30. C
Q31. E
Geometry - 32

Sets/Rates/Counting - 2
The GMAT
Part 9: Overlapping Sets, Rates, Counting, and Probability

And Ethan Berlant


OVERLAPPING SETS
Q1. In a certain room there are 30 people who speak French and 20 people who speak English. How many people
are in the room?
Q2. In a certain room, everybody speaks either French, or English, or both. If there are 30 people who speak French,
20 people who speak English, and a total of 42 people in the room, then there are how many people who speak
both French and English?
Q3. In a certain room, everybody speaks at least one of French, English, and German. There are 30 people who speak
French, 20 people who speak English, and 10 people who speak German. If 4 people speak all 3 languages, and
8 people speak exactly 2 languages, then how many people in total are in the room?
Q4. In a certain room, everybody speaks at least one of French, English, and German. There are 30 people who speak
French, 20 people who speak English, and 10 people who speak German. If 4 people speak all 3 languages, and
8 people speak at least 2 languages, then how many people in total are in the room?

Working with Overlapping Sets

When dealing with overlapping sets, the technique we use can depend on the number of sets we’re talking about. If
we only have two sets, we have a choice between representing them using a Venn diagram, or a table.
The two forms contain exactly the same information, it’s just a question of ease. The table method is usually easier,
but sometimes the Venn diagram is actually easier to use. And when you’re given the information in the appropriate
forum, the equation is the fastest method: 𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 = 𝐴 + 𝐵 − 𝐴 ∩ 𝐵 + (𝑁𝑒𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝐴 𝑛𝑜𝑟 𝐵)
In order to be able to use the equation, it’s essential to understand why you need to subtract the “overlap” (𝐴 ∩ 𝐵),
and to be able to come up with this equation on your own by picturing the sets, without simply memorizing it.
When dealing with three sets, we don’t have the option of using a table.
Instead, we use either the Venn diagram, or equations relating the sets
to the total. If we have three sets 𝐴, 𝐵, and 𝐶, we have three main ways
of writing the total.
(𝐴𝑡 𝐿𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡 2 𝐺𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑝𝑠) corresponds to 𝑏 + 𝑑 + 𝑒 + 𝑓
(𝐸𝑥𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑙𝑦 2 𝐺𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑝𝑠) corresponds to 𝑏 + 𝑑 + 𝑓
(𝐴𝑙𝑙 3 𝐺𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑝𝑠) corresponds to 𝑒
(𝑁𝑒𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝐴 𝑛𝑜𝑟 𝐵 𝑛𝑜𝑟 𝐶) corresponds to 𝑁
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 = 𝐴 + 𝐵 + 𝐶 − (𝐴𝑡 𝐿𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡 2 𝐺𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑝𝑠) − (𝐴𝑙𝑙 3 𝐺𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑝𝑠) + (𝑁𝑒𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝐴 𝑛𝑜𝑟 𝐵 𝑛𝑜𝑟 𝐶), or:
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 = 𝐴 + 𝐵 + 𝐶 − (𝐸𝑥𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑙𝑦 2 𝐺𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑝𝑠) − 2(𝐴𝑙𝑙 3 𝐺𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑝𝑠) + (𝑁𝑒𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝐴 𝑛𝑜𝑟 𝐵 𝑛𝑜𝑟 𝐶), or:
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 = 𝐴 + 𝐵 + 𝐶 − (𝐴 ∩ 𝐵) − (𝐵 ∩ 𝐶) − (𝐴 ∩ 𝐶) + (𝐴𝑙𝑙 3 𝐺𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑝𝑠) + (𝑁𝑒𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝐴 𝑛𝑜𝑟 𝐵 𝑛𝑜𝑟 𝐶)
Practice creating the above equations on your own by drawing a Venn diagram with 3 circles and reasoning
your way through them, or you won’t manage to use them on the test!

Overlapping Sets Practice

I recommend attempting each of these problems using at least 2 methods: the Venn diagram, the table (when possible),
and the equations on the previous page. They each have their advantages and disadvantages, and different situations
where they can be applied more easily. Also, practicing from different perspectives will give you a better understanding.
Q1. On a multiple-choice test, students faced 2 questions. Nobody studied, but 60 percent of them managed to guess
the first question correctly. Only 30 percent of the students guessed the second question correctly. If 20 percent
of the students got both questions right, what percentage of students got everything wrong?
a) 10%
b) 20%
c) 30%
d) 40%
e) 80%
Q2. On a multiple-choice math test, students faced 2 sections; one without calculator, and one with calculator. If 60
percent of the students passed the section without calculator, and 75 percent of the students passed the section
with calculator, what percent of the students passed both sections?
1) 20 percent of the students failed both tests.
2) 20 percent of the students only passed the section with calculator.
Q3. There are 200,000 citizens in McMinmaxville If 75% of them have computers, and 50% have iPads, how many
people could have both computers and iPads?
a) 25,000 − 100,000
b) 50,000 − 100,000
c) 50,000 − 150,000
d) 75,000 − 150,000
e) 150,000 − 200,000
Q4. Is the number of ongbloots more than the number of eekbliks?
1) 17% of ongbloots are also eekbliks.
2) 23% of eekbliks are also ongbloots.
Q5. In a certain class, there are 14 boys. 22 of the students play ultimate frisbee. The number of girls in the class is
five times the number of students who don’t play ultimate frisbee. How many students are in the class?
a) 2
b) 8
c) 20
d) 24
e) 34

Q6. Set 𝐴 contains 𝑎 elements, and set 𝐵 contains 𝑏 elements, where 𝑎 and 𝑏 are non-zero. If 𝑎 < 80, what is 𝑏?
1) 7𝑎 = 8𝑏
2) Exactly 0.4𝑎 elements belong to both set 𝐴 and set 𝐵
Q7. A certain commodity comes in type 𝑋 and type 𝑌. Each type can be either blue or green. In a shipment of these
commodities, 60% are blue. In the blue ones, 15% are of type 𝑋, and in the green ones, 30% are of type 𝑋.
What percent of commodities are of type 𝑌?
a) 21%
b) 30%
c) 45%
d) 65%
e) 79%
Q8. Of the 360 cars repaired by a certain garage in 2019, two thirds had broken air conditioning, one fourth had a
damaged clutch, and two fifths had a malfunctioning alternator. If every car had at least one of the aforementioned
problems, how many cars had all three of these problems?
1) 54 of the cars had broken air conditioning and a damaged clutch.
2) 108 of the cars had either broken air conditioning and a damaged clutch but a working alternator, or had a
damaged clutch and a malfunctioning alternator but working air conditioning, or had broken air conditioning and a
malfunctioning alternator but a working clutch.
Q9. A group of 500 people were surveyed on their vegetable preferences. When asked about broccoli, 300 people
said they liked it, 150 people disliked it, and 50 people weren’t sure. When asked about leeks, 350 people said
they liked them, 125 people disliked them, and 25 people weren’t sure. If 100 people liked broccoli but didn’t
say they liked leeks, how many people didn’t say they liked broccoli or leeks?
a) 25
b) 50
c) 75
d) 100
e) 125
Q10. A group of 900 linguists was surveyed, and 35% were found to be prescriptivists. How many of the linguists
surveyed were male?
1) Of the people surveyed, 42.5% of women and 30% of men were prescriptivists.
2) Of the men surveyed, 162 were prescriptivists.

WORK AND RATES

Let’s say it takes you 6 hours to paint a room. If a friend comes and helps you, how long will it take to paint the room?
If it takes you 6 hours to paint this room, and your friend paints faster than you do, how long will it take you together?
If it takes you 6 hours to paint a room, and your friends paints slower than you do, how long will it take you together?
copies
Q1. A machine makes copies at a rate of 2.5 . In how many minutes will the machine make 3,000 copies?
second
Q2. Machine 𝐴 can produce 1,000 widgets in 5 hours. Machine 𝐵 can produce 1,000 widgets in 10 hours. If
machines 𝐴, 𝐵, and 𝐶 working independently and simultaneously can produce 1,000 widgets in 3 hours, how
many hours would it take machine C alone to produce 1,000 widgets?
Q3. John, working alone, can do a certain job in half the time it takes Peter working alone. John and Peter, working
together, can do the job 2 hours faster than John working alone. How many hours would it take John, working
alone, to do the job?
Q4. When turned on all the way, the faucet in a tub would fill the empty tub in 5 minutes. If the tub were full, the
drain would empty the tub in 3 minutes. If Marion fills the tub for 5 minutes, then opens the drain while leaving
the faucet running, how long after she opens the drain will the tub be empty?
Steps to Using the Table:
1) Set up a row for each situation where there’s a different rate.

2) Name (assign a variable to) the thing you’re looking for.
3) Fill the info from the problem into the table.
4) Choose a nice value for the work, if necessary.
5) Set up the equation for when things work together (or against each other): 𝑅𝑇 = 𝑅1 + 𝑅2 + ⋯
The idea in work problems is that the total work is just the sum of the individual works: 𝑊𝑇 = 𝑊1 + 𝑊2 + ⋯
And when things are working at the same time, this simplifies to 𝑅𝑇 = 𝑅1 + 𝑅2 + ⋯
As things get more complex, having the table to help keep track of these equations is the most reliable.
𝑡1𝑡2
When two things work together (or against each other), to find the total time you can use the equation: 𝑇 =
𝑡1 +𝑡2

Work Practice
Q1. Working at the post office, Alan can lick 90 stamps per hour, and Bob can lick 70 stamps per hour. If Alan and
Bob together have 1000 stamps to lick in one day, and labor laws will not allow them to work more than 8 hours
per day, what is the least time in hours that Bob must spend licking stamps?
a) 4
2
b) 4
3
1
c) 5
3
d) 6
1
e) 6
4
Q2. How many minutes would it take Clémentine and Coraline to drink a large barrel of hot chocolate together?
1) Clémentine is capable of drinking 0.8 𝐿 per minute.
2) Alone, Coraline would drink the entire barrel in 42 minutes.
Q3. Two men, working together at different constant rates, took 6 hours to dig a certain hole. If the rate of one man
was 50% greater than the rate of the other, in how many hours would the faster man have dug the hole alone?
a) 4
b) 5
c) 8
d) 10
e) 15
Q4. Pumps 𝐴, 𝐵, and 𝐶, each working at a different constant rate, can fill a certain tank with water in 7 hours. How
many hours would it take pump 𝐴 alone to fill the tank?
1) Pumps 𝐴 and 𝐶, working together, can fill the tank in 9 hours.
2) Pumps 𝐵 and 𝐶, working together, can fill the tank in 10 hours.
Q5. Type 𝑥 machines work twice as fast as type 𝑦 machines. Type 𝑧 machines work half as fast as type 𝑦 machines. If
it takes 40 type 𝑦 machines, working 9 hours per day, 60 days to complete a project, how many days will it take
25 type 𝑥 machines and 20 type 𝑧 machines to complete the same project if they work 12 hours per day?
a) 15
b) 30
c) 40
d) 50
e) 70

Distance
When it comes to speed and distance, the idea is essentially the same as with work. We just have to think about what
it means to work together (as with John and Peter earlier) or against each other (as with the faucet and the drain).
Q1. Train 𝐴 departs Jamesville at 6:00 am and proceeds at a steady speed of 75 miles per hour towards Jesseville.
Train 𝐵 departs Jesseville at the same time and proceeds along the same track towards Jamesville at a steady speed
of 125 miles per hour. If there are 650 miles of track between Jamesville and Jesseville, at what time will the
trains crash, killing everyone aboard?
a) 3:15
b) 3:25
c) 9:15
d) 9:25
e) 9:45
Q2. Train 𝐴 departs Jamesville at 6:00 am and proceeds at a steady speed of 75 miles per hour towards Jesseville.
Train 𝐵 departs Jesseville at 7:20 am and proceeds along the same track towards Jamesville at a steady speed of
125 miles per hour. If there are 650 miles of track between Jamesville and Jesseville, at what time will the trains
crash, killing everyone aboard?
a) 2:45
b) 4:05
c) 9:45
d) 10:05
e) 11:08
Q3. Train 𝐴 departs Jamesville at 6:00 and proceeds at a steady speed of 75 miles per hour towards Jesseville. Train
𝐵 departs Jesseville at 7:20 and proceeds along the same track towards Jamesville at a steady speed of 125 miles
per hour. At 9:44, the conductor of train 𝐴 realizes that train 𝐵 is being controlled by a murderous chimpanzee
that escaped from a lab, so the driver of train 𝐴 reverses course (instantly) and heads back towards Jamesville at
75 miles per hour. If there are 650 miles of track between Jamesville and Jesseville, at what time will the
chimpanzee board train 𝐴 and tear everyone to pieces?
a) 10:05
b) 11:08
c) 11:48
d) 12:12
e) 13:05
Q4. Joey ran from his house to his friend’s house at a speed of 15 kph, then walked back along the same route at a
speed of 5 kph. What was his average speed in kilometers per hour for the round trip?
a) 5 kph
b) 7.5 kph
c) 10 kph
d) 12.5 kph
e) 15 kph

COUNTING
Q1. If Anthony has 2 t-shirts and 3 pairs of shorts, how many possible outfits could Anthony create?
Q2. If in Anthony’s closet he has 12 t-shirts, 7 button-up shirts, 4 pairs of slacks, and 3 pairs of shorts, and Anthony
wears either a t-shirt and shorts or a button-up shirt and slacks, how many possible outfits could Anthony create?
Q3. How many “words” can be made with the letters 𝐴, 𝐵, 𝐶, 𝐷, and 𝐸?
Q4. How many five-letter “words” can be made with the letters 𝐴, 𝐵, 𝐶, 𝐷, and 𝐸, if we can’t repeat the letters?
Q5. How many three-letter “words” can be made with the letters 𝐴, 𝐵, 𝐶, 𝐷, and 𝐸, if we can repeat the letters?
Q6. How many three-letter “words” can be made with the letters 𝐴, 𝐵, 𝐶, 𝐷, and 𝐸, if we can’t repeat the letters?
Q7. How many three-digit codes can be created for a combination lock that uses the numbers 0 − 9 ?
Q8. In how many ways can you seat one person from each of three couples in a line of three chairs?
Q9. How many 4-digit even numbers have a prime as their second digit?
Q10. Jo has 4 calls to make this morning and 5 to make this afternoon. In how many ways can she schedule her calls?
Q11. In how many ways can you seat 3 men and 3 women in a line of 6 chairs such that no men are neighbors?
Q12. In how many ways can 5 pieces of candy be distributed to 4 kids?

Irrelevant Orders
The previous questions represent counting when we care about the order of the items we count: we consider 𝐴𝐵 to
be different from 𝐵𝐴. In the following questions we do not care about the order, at least amongst certain items. To
decide whether we care about the order, think: “if I swap the position of these items, would that change something?”
Q1. In how many ways can we rearrange 3 people in 5 chairs?
Q2. In how many distinct ways can we rearrange the letters {𝐴𝐴𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐷𝐸}?
Q3. In how many distinct ways can we rearrange the letters {𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐵𝐵𝐵𝐵}?
Q4. In how many ways can we choose a team of 4 representatives from a department of 7 people?
Q5. In a tennis tournament with 10 players, if each player plays every other player once, how many games will be
played in total?
Q6. If you walk into a family reunion with 10 family members waiting for you, and everyone hugs each other once,
how many hugs will be hugged in total?
Q7. If you walk into a family reunion with 10 family members waiting for you, and everybody does “la bise” together,
how many “bisous” will there be (if everybody does 2 “bises”)?
Q8. In how many ways can a team of 2 seniors and 1 junior be chosen from a group of 6 seniors and 4 juniors?
Q9. In how many ways can a team of 2 seniors and 1 junior be chosen from a group of 6 seniors and 4 juniors if each
member of the team will have a different, specific role?

Eliminating Copies
When rearranging letters, or rearranging things that can be represented by letters, we have a convenient formula for
counting the distinct arrangements. This idea can be extended further, though. In general, the process is as follows:
1. Overcount (by ignoring repetitions, for example).

2. Choose one specific arrangement, then find the number of copies we’ve counted of that specific arrangement.
3. Divide the result in step 1 by the number of copies found in step 2.
Q1. 6 people sit at a round table. In how many different arrangements can they be seated?
Q2. 6 people sit at a round table. In how many distinct ways can they be seated such that two arrangements are
equivalent if everybody is seated by the same neighbors?
Q3. 6 people sit at a round table. If 3 are men and 3 are women, in how many distinct orders can they be seated such
that no men are neighbors?
Q4. In how many ways can you divide a group of 6 people into two different teams of 3 ?
Q5. How could you change the wording of the previous problem so that you do NOT have to divide by 2 ?
Q6. In how many ways can you evenly divide 𝑛 people into 𝑘 teams of 𝑟 people, if 𝑛 is a multiple of both 𝑘 and 𝑟?
Q7. A dodecahedron is a regular three-dimensional solid formed by 12 pentagonal faces, with 3 pentagons meeting at
each vertex. How many vertices does a dodecahedron have?
Q8. A dodecahedron is a regular three-dimensional solid formed by 12 pentagonal faces, with 3 pentagons meeting at
each vertex. How many edges does a dodecahedron have?
Q9. If there are 474,474 ways to seat 3 people selected from 𝑛 people in 3 chairs, in how many ways can you form a
committee of 3 people selected from 𝑛 people?

Groups and Anti-Groups

Q1. In how many distinct ways can we rearrange the letters {𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷𝐸} if the letters 𝐶, 𝐷, and 𝐸 can’t be separated
by another letter?
Q2. In how many distinct ways can we rearrange the letters {𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐵𝐶𝐷𝐸} if the letters 𝐶, 𝐷, and 𝐸 must be separated
by at least one other letter (for example, 𝐶𝐷𝐴𝐸 would be acceptable)?
Q3. At a movie theatre, each row contains 12 seats. If 2 couples, a group of 6 friends, and 2 strangers sit in one row,
in how many different ways could they sit, if groups who came together want to sit together?
in how many different ways could they sit if 2 people from the group of friends don’t want to sit together?
in how many different ways could they sit if 3 people from the group of friends don’t want to sit near each other?
Q6. Five children are lined up together at school to go outside to play. In how many ways could they possibly be
arranged, supposing Ashley refuses to stand next to Derek, but insists on standing next to Brad?
These are the basic ideas of counting:

1. If we have groups, we put them together first.
2. Then we count as if we cared about the order, and as if everything were distinct.
3. Then we remove re-orderings we don’t care about, or repetitions we don’t care about.
4. We combine by translating “and” as multiplication, and “or” as addition.
It’s a good idea to start by phrasing a question in terms of choices connected by “and” or “or.” If you can get
the structure first, then you only have to plug in the number of choices afterwards.
You can get through most counting problems by thinking, as in the previous problems, about counting the number of
“choices” you have for different “positions.” If you want to use formulas, don’t just memorize them, memorize from
what types of situations they come from. If we’re dividing by 𝑘! for example, it’s because there are 𝑘! repetitions we
don’t want to count, or 𝑘! re-orderings we don’t want to count. But everyone likes formulas, so here they are. If we’re
selecting 𝑘 items from a total of 𝑛 items, we have:
Order Matters, Order Matters, Order Doesn’t Matter, Order Doesn’t Matter,
Repetitions Not Allowed Repetitions Allowed Repetitions Not Allowed Repetitions Allowed
𝑛! 𝑛! (𝑛 + 𝑘 − 1)!
𝑛𝑘
(𝑛 − 𝑘)! 𝑘! (𝑛 − 𝑘)! 𝑘! (𝑛 − 1)!

Fun with Factorials

Q1. What’s 0! ?
Q2. What’s (−2)! ?
7
Q3. What’s ( )?
2
7
Q4. What’s bigger, (
5
) or (72) ?
Q5. (𝑛𝑘) = (𝑛?)
7
Q6. What’s ( )?
6
7
Q7. What’s ( )?
0

PROBABILITY
If you didn’t like the counting chapter… well, here’s more of it! Probability is at its root just a counting problem. We
can do this using all the same rules as with counting: “and” means we multiply, “or” means we add.
# 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑠𝑓𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑊𝑒 𝑊𝑎𝑛𝑡

In probability we count: , or,
# 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑃𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠
Q1. What are the odds that, if Marie picks one marble from a bag containing 9 blue and 7 red marbles, she picks a
red marble?
Q2. What are the odds that, if Marie picks two marbles simultaneously from a bag containing 9 blue and 7 red
marbles, she picks two red marbles?
Q3. What are the odds that, if Marie picks two marbles without replacement from a bag containing 9 blue and 7 red
marbles, she picks one red and one blue marble?
Q4. What are the odds that, if Marie picks five marbles simultaneously from a bag containing 9 blue and 7 red
marbles, she picks two red and three blue marbles?
Q5. What are the odds that, if Marie picks five marbles without replacement from a bag containing 9 blue and 7 red
marbles, she picks at least one blue marble?
Q6. What are the odds that, if Marie picks three marbles simultaneously from a bag containing 9 blue and 7 red
marbles, she picks either three blue, or two red and one blue marble?
We can do all the above problems by considering them in terms of either sequential events, or simultaneous events.
Try both ways for the probability problems you do.
Some important ideas about probability:

• The highest possible probability of an event is 1.
• If two events 𝐴 and 𝐵 are independent, then 𝑃(𝐴 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐵) = 𝑃(𝐴) × 𝑃(𝐵)
• By drawing a Venn diagram of events 𝐴 and 𝐵, we can see that 𝑃(𝐴 𝑜𝑟 𝐵) = 𝑃(𝐴) + 𝑃(𝐵) − 𝑃(𝐴 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐵)

Probability Practice
Q1. If two people from a certain class are selected at random, what is the probability that they will both be girls?
1) Boys make up 40% of the class.
2) There are 10 fewer boys in the class than girls.
Q2. If you pick two cards from a standard deck of cards without putting the first card back in the deck, what is the
probability of picking a pair?
1
a)
26
1
b)
17
1
c)
21
2
d)
17
3
e)
26
Q3. A stack of cards contains cards of 3 different colors. If you pick five cards at random from the stack without
replacement, what is the probability that the third card is red?
1) 40% of the cards are red.
2) There are 10 fewer red cards than non-red cards.
1
Q4. The probability of winning a certain game is . How many times must that game be played for there to be at least
4
a 50% chance of winning at least once?
a) 1
b) 2
c) 3
d) 4
e) 5
Q5. A pond is entirely contained within a square garden such that the pond’s edge touches all 4 boundaries of the
garden, without crossing them. What is the probability that a given drop of rain falls in the pond, given that it falls
in the garden?
1) The pond is circular.
2) The pond’s area is 4𝜋.

Q6. What is the probability that Will and Lea will both be promoted if their boss has decided to promote 4 employees
from a total of 12?
a) 1/12
b) 2/165
c) 4/165
d) 15/22
e) 1/11
Q7. The probability that 𝑋 occurs, and the probability that 𝑌 occurs, are completely unrelated (independent). Is the
probability that both 𝑋 and 𝑌 occur greater than 0.75 ?
1) The probability that 𝑋 occurs is 0.7.
2) The probability that 𝑌 occurs is 0.6.
Q8. If Joe does a test with 3 questions and each question has answers A, B or C then what is the probability he gets
at least 2 questions correct answering randomly?
a) 12/27
b) 5/54
c) 1/4
d) 7/27
e) 3/8
Q9. The probability that 𝑋 occurs, and the probability that 𝑌 occurs, are related (dependent). Is the probability that
both 𝑋 and 𝑌 occur less than 0.5 ?
1) The probability that either 𝑋 or 𝑌 or both occur is 0.9.
2) The probability that 𝑋 occurs is 0.8, and the probability that 𝑌 occurs is 0.7.
Q10. The probability of winning a certain game is 𝑝. The probability of winning is non-zero, and the probability of
losing is non-zero. Is the probability of playing 3 games and winning at least 2 of them greater than the probability
of playing 1 game and winning?
1) 𝑝 < 0.6
2) 𝑝 > 0.5

Q11. If a bag contains 2 green, 6 red and 4 blue marbles, and you pick three (without replacement), what is the
probability of getting three different colors?
12
a)
55
2
b)
55
1
c)
4
7
d)
60
11
e)
60
Q12. A bag of jellybeans contains vomit-flavored jellybeans and non-vomit-flavored jellybeans in a ratio of 5 to 73.
What is the probability that you take a vomit-flavored jellybean from the bag?
1) After taking a jellybean from the bag, you eat it (instead of replacing it).
2) You take a total of 18 jellybeans from the bag.
Q13. What is the probability that a randomly selected integer between 1 and 1000 (inclusive) will be a perfect cube?
1
a)
2
1
b)
10
1
c)
20
1
d)
100
1
e)
200
Q14. What is the probability that a jellybean selected from a bag will be both vomit-flavored and green?
1) 6 of the 15 total jellybeans are vomit-flavored.
2) 12 of the 15 total jellybeans are green.
Q15. Is the probability that a jellybean selected from a bag will be both vomit-flavored and green less than 40% ?
1) 6 of the 15 total jellybeans are vomit-flavored.
2) 12 of the 15 total jellybeans are green.

𝜋
Q1. Two buses travel around a circular highway ringing a city. Bus 𝑋 travels clockwise at kph and Bus 𝑌 travels
5
3𝜋
counterclockwise at kph. If the highway has a radius of 0.6 kilometers and the buses both start from the same
25
point at the same time, after how many hours will they first return to their starting point together (assuming they
spend zero time stopping)?
a) 6
b) 10
c) 15
d) 30
e) 60
Q2. If set 𝑋 contains 10 numbers, and set 𝑌 contains 20 numbers, and the range of 𝑋 ∩ 𝑌 is 5, which of the
following must be true?
I. The range of 𝑋 is less than 11.

II. The range of 𝑌 is greater than 5.
III. The range of 𝑌 is less than 21.
a) I only
b) II only
c) III only
d) All of the above.
e) None of the above.
Q3. A widget factory has 5 widget machines. Two machines are fast, and three are slow. The slow machines each work
at half the rate of each of the slow machines. All the machines working together to do a certain job will take what
fraction of the time it would take the two fast machines working together to do the same job?
a) 1/2
b) 4/3
c) 3/4
d) 7/4
e) 4/7
Q4. Working together, Rayan and Clara can eat a certain amount of chocolate in 2 hours. In how many hours can
Rayan eat the chocolate alone?
1) Eating alone, Rayan can eat the chocolate in 3 hours less time than Clara, eating alone, can eat the chocolate.
2) Eating alone, Rayan can eat the chocolate in half the time that Clara, eating alone, can eat the chocolate.

Q5. Of students from a different GMAT prep course, 35% did badly on the quant, 42% did badly on verbal, and
15% did badly on both. If 5,000 students took the exam, how many did well on one section but not both?
a) 1,000
b) 1,350
c) 1,850
d) 2,350
e) 3,150
Q6. Arthur took a test with 50 questions. If each question was worth 2 points, and Arthur needed a score of at least
60 points in order to pass, did Arthur pass the test?
1) Arthur answered 20 more questions correctly on the first half of the test than on the second half.
2) Arthur answered more than 56% of the questions on the test correctly.
Q7. A box is filled with 5 green marbles, 4 blue marbles, and 3 white marbles. If 5 different marbles are removed one
after the other, what is the probability that the fifth marble removed is white?
a) 0
b) 0.15
c) 0.25
d) 0.3
e) 0.35
Q8. Bob and Jim are installing a roof. If Bob were working alone, it would take him exactly 198 hours of work to
install the roof. If Bob and Jim work together, will it take them less than 99 hours to install the roof?
1) One person works twice as fast as the other.
2) Jim works faster than Bob.
Q9. Seamstress Tania takes 𝑡 hours to sew a scarf. Seamster René-Marie takes 𝑟 hours to sew a scarf. If Tania sews
alone for 𝑎 hours and is then joined by René-Marie until 20 scarves are sewn, for how long did they sew together?
20𝑡 𝑟
a) −
𝑎 𝑡+𝑟
𝑟+𝑎
b)
20𝑡+𝑟
20𝑡(𝑟−𝑎)
c)
𝑡+𝑟
20𝑡𝑟 𝑎
d) −
𝑎 𝑡+𝑟
𝑟(20𝑡−𝑎)
e)
𝑡+𝑟

Q10. A cage contains 10 puppies, and we take 2 of them out at random. How many of the puppies are male?
1) The probability that both are female is 1/15.
2) The probability that one will be male and the other will not is 7/15.
Q11. HEC and INSEAD review the applications of 7 students. If every one of the 7 students will be accepted to one
or the other school but not both, and at least one student will go to HEC, in how many different ways could HEC
and INSEAD accept students?
a) 21
b) 42
c) 127
d) 128
e) 5040
Q12. If 80% of animals at a zoo like hamburgers, are there more than 300 animals at the zoo who like hamburgers?
1) There are more than 350 animals at the zoo.
2) There are 240 more hamburger likers than non-hamburger likers at the zoo.
Q13. Yesterday, Emily rolled a 1.4-meter diameter beachball from her house to her favorite spot on the beach. Today,
Emily instead rolled a 1.6-meter diameter beachball along the same path, to the same spot. What was the percent
change from yesterday to today in the number of revolutions made by Emily’s beachballs during the trip?
a) −14.3%
b) −12.5%
c) 0%
d) 12.5%
e) 14.3%
Q14. How long did it take Benjamin to run from his home to the Sacré Coeur?
1) Benjamin’s average speed for the trip was 18 𝑘𝑝ℎ.
2) If Benjamin’s average speed had been 20% faster, the trip would have taken 3 hours.

Q15. If 𝑦 = 𝑥 2 − 9𝑥 + 18, and 𝑥 is an integer between 1 and 10 (inclusive), what is the probability that 𝑦 < 0 ?
1
a)
10
1
b)
5
3
c)
10
2
d)
5
3
e)
5
Q16. A bag holds 8 green and 𝑏 blue balls. If 2 balls are taken from the bag without replacement, is the probability
that 2 green balls will be selected higher than the probability that 1 green and 1 blue ball will be selected?
1) 𝑏 ≥ 4
2) 𝑏 < 5
Q17. In a group of 33 aardvarks, 20 like to eat ants, 25 like to eat termites, and 18 like to eat beetles. 15 like ants and
termites, 12 like termites and beetles, and 10 like ants and beetles. If every aardvark likes to eat at least one of
these 3 insects, how many only like to eat ants?
a) 0
b) 2
c) 4
d) 6
e) 8
Q18. If among the first 10 runners who crossed the finish line of a race, 4 were French and 8 represented Team
Cauliflower, how many runners who represented Team Cauliflower and finished in the top 10 were not French?
1) 2 of the French runners who finished in the top 10 did not represent Team Cauliflower.
2) Each of the top 10 finishers was either French, or represented Team Cauliflower, or both.
Q19. Two trains travel in opposite directions around a circular track, starting from opposing ends of a diameter. They
first cross paths after train A has traveled 𝜋 kilometers. The next time they cross, train B has traveled 𝜋 kilometers
since the first time they crossed paths. If each train travels at a constant speed, what is the diameter of the track?
a) 1.5 kilometers
b) 2 kilometers
c) 3 kilometers
d) 3.5 kilometers
e) 4 kilometers

Q20. A bag contains at least one red, green, and white marble, and no other colors. If one marble is picked randomly,
is the probability that the marble will be red higher than the probability that the marble is either green or white?
1) The probability of selecting a green marble is 4/9.
2) The number of marbles in the bag is less than 25.
Q21. On a piece of paper, Karthik draws 17 straight lines such that no 2 lines are parallel, and never do 3 lines all
intersect at the same point. At how many points will these 17 straight lines intersect each other?
a) 34
b) 127
c) 136
d) 171
e) 272
Q22. Cyrine, Marius, and Yvan clean a certain conference room each day. Working together, Cyrine and Marius can
1
clean the conference room in 3 hours, whereas Cyrine and Yvan together can do it in 2 hours. Can Cyrine,
2
Marius, and Yvan working together clean the conference room in less than 2 hours?
1) Marius cleans faster than Cyrine.
2) Working alone, Yvan can clean the conference room in less than 5 hours.
Q23. A certain machine working properly works at rate 𝑅. After working properly for some amount of time, the
machine has a technical problem and works at a rate of only 𝑅 − 1. After a full day of work with some time spent
at rate 𝑅 and some time spent at rate 𝑅 − 1, the machine has worked at an average rate of 1.6. If 𝑅 is an integer,
then what proportion of the work done by the machine that day was done at a rate of 𝑅?
a) 2/3
b) 3/2
c) 3/5
d) 5/3
e) 3/4
Q24. 8 people played in a chess tournament. How many chess matches were played in the tournament?
1) No person played more than 8 matches.
2) Each person played every other person at least once.

Q25. If 𝑥 is an integer such that 18 < 𝑥 < 70, and 𝐴 = 𝑥 3 − 𝑥, what is the probability that 𝐴 is a multiple of 12?
a) 4/51
b) 1/4
c) 4/17
d) 13/17
e) 39/50
Q26. If at least one student does not do their homework, then how many of 35 GMAT students do their homework?
1) Of the students who do their homework, 70% are female.
2) Of the students who do not do their homework, 56% are male.
Q27. Out of a group of 75 people, 60 own a dishwasher, 50 own a pet, and 40 own a car. If 5 people own none of
these things, then AT LEAST how many people own all three of these things?
a) 0
b) 5
c) 10
d) 15
e) 20
Q28. 2 people like triangles, 2 people like squares, and 2 people like pentagons. The person who doesn’t like triangles
doesn’t like squares, and the person who doesn’t like squares doesn’t like pentagons. If there are 3 people in total,
which of the following statements must be true?
I. Anybody who does not like triangles does not like pentagons.
II. Anybody who likes squares also likes triangles.
III. Anybody who likes squares does not like pentagons.
a) I only
b) II only
c) III only
d) I and II only
e) I, II, and III
Q29. If Benjamin has 99 luftballons, in how many ways can he select 𝑘 of them to let free at the break of dawn?
1) Benjamin can select 𝑘 + 1 luftballons in 3764376 different ways.
2) Benjamin can select 𝑘 − 1 luftballons in 4851 different ways.

Q30. A game is played where there is a 50% chance of winning. If the game is played 5 times in a row, what is the
probability that there will be a sequence of at least 3 consecutive wins?
a) 1/8
b) 1/4
c) 3/16
d) 5/16
e) 15/32
Q31. There are 12 jellybeans in a bag. If 2 jellybeans are taken one after the other without replacement from the bag,
what is the probability that they will both be red?
1) The probability that the first jellybean will be red is less than 0.15
2) The probability that the first jellybean will be blue is greater than 0.85


Q1. D
Q2. E
Q3. E
Q4. D
Q5. D
Q6. C
Q7. C
Q8. B
Q9. E
Q10. A
Q11. C
Q12. B
Q13. B
Q14. B
Q15. B
Q16. A
Q17. B
Q18. D
Q19. C
Q20. C
Q21. C
Q22. D
Q23. E
Q24. E
Q25. D
Q26. B
Q27. C
Q28. D
Q29. C
Q30. B
Q31. D

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Introduction to the GMAT

Overall 3h23 200 → 800

Total score: 568 (out of 800)

A total score of 600 puts you in the 53rd percentile

This is where you practice the timing.

Step 1: Building a Base

Homework In-Class Work

Step 3: Practice Tests

1. Review problems you’ve had a hard time with previously.

Video explanations for Official Guide 12th edition questions: gmatquantum.com/og12problemsolving

Video explanations for Quantitative Review 2nd edition questions: gmatquantum.com/og2main

Calculation practice flashcards: Flashcards | FactMonster

Q1. 𝑥 = 68 − 84 . Which of the following is NOT a divisor of 𝑥?

It can help to memorize: “1-2-TEN” or “one, two, together-either-neither.”

Q1. Does 𝑥 equal −2 ?

Q2. Does 𝑥 equal −2 ?

Q3. If 𝑎, 𝑏, 𝑐, and 𝑑 are integers, is their product odd?

2) 𝑎, 𝑐, and 𝑑 are odd.

Q4. If 𝑏 is an integer, is √𝑎2 + 𝑏 2 an integer?

Part 1: Number Properties

By Jesse Daniel Haug

© Jesse Daniel Haug 2022

© Jesse Daniel Haug 2022

© Jesse Daniel Haug 2022

Squares Cubes Powers of 2 Small Roots

𝟏𝟎𝟐 = 𝟐𝟎𝟐 = 𝟐𝟏𝟎 =

𝟏𝟏𝟐 = 𝟐𝟓𝟐 = 𝟐𝟏𝟏 =

© Jesse Daniel Haug 2022

Addition Subtraction Multiplication Division

263 263 19 234567

© Jesse Daniel Haug 2022

Q2. What is the result of 366 × 223 × 117 × 411 ?

Q3. What is the units digit of 25 × 34 × 43 ?

Q4. What is the units digit of 1235 × 7384 × 1941234567 ?

Q5. What is the units digit of 3737 − 7373 ?

© Jesse Daniel Haug 2022

Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division with Decimals

Q2. 0.007 × 0.09 =

Q3. 50,000 × 0.0000005 =

Q6. 72,000 × 0.00009 =

Q8. 12.678 + 3.239 =

Q9. 100 − 0.0029 =

© Jesse Daniel Haug 2022

Multiplication and division by 5 and 25

Squaring numbers that end in 5

152 252 352 852

© Jesse Daniel Haug 2022

0.198 × 0.827 × 0.29

But they won’t always be nice and TELL you to approximate!

Q3. 5206800 ÷ 17356 = ?

© Jesse Daniel Haug 2022

Q4. 3𝑥 − [𝑧 − (2𝑥 + 𝑧 − 𝑦)] =

© Jesse Daniel Haug 2022

Numbers and Definitions

Factors vs. Multiples - Fewer Factors and More Multiples!

For example, 1,3, and 9 are all factors of 9.

Multiple – A multiple of an integer is formed by multiplying that integer by any integer.

© Jesse Daniel Haug 2022

Statement Translation / Deduction