Triangle ABC is symmetric about the y-axis. Point A is located at (-4,0), and AB is the longest side of ABC. If the perimeter of ABC is 18, what is the area? 3√2 6 6√2 12 24 Step #1 With coordinate geometry questions in which there is no coordinate plane, always make sure to draw [...]
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GRE Coordinate Geometry Shortcut: No Graphs!
For many, coordinate geometry is already a daunting concept. When a question dispenses with the graph all together, students can feel even more at a loss. If you fall into this group, do not despair. Here is a helpful guideline: Do Not Always Draw the Graph This advice may seem counterintuitive. After all, the [...]
GRE Geometry Formulas
Perhaps you recall with more than a little dread your high school geometry class: fifteen-step proofs and the law of cosines were two things you were certain you’d never see again. Well, if you are taking the GRE, you were by no means mistaken—proofs and indeed all of trig are nowhere to be found on [...]
Will there be Parabolas on the GRE?
Probably not. Meaning that parabolas can show up on the GRE, but probably won’t show up on the GRE you are taking. That is my initial take based on forums and students experiences. Still, parabolas, along with absolute value graphs, are included in the Practicing to Take the Revised GRE book. ETS obviously didn’t put [...]
GRE Coordinate Geometry Practice Question of the Week #35 Answer
Here’s the answer to yesterday’s practice question! Thanks for commenting with your answers! Video Explanation
GRE Coordinate Geometry Practice Question of the Week #35
Here’s this week’s practice question– good luck, we’ll be posting the answer and explanation tomorrow afternoon. Hint: draw a diagram! The points A(0, 0), B(0, 4a – 5) and C(2a + 1, 2a + 6) form a triangle. If , what is the area of triangle ABC? 102 120 132 144 256 Update: Answer and [...]
GRE Math Formulas: How to (Not) Use Them
I’m not actually a fan of formulas. Instead, I encourage students to think critically about how formulas are derived. That way, these students are able to have a stronger intuitive sense of the way the math behind the formula works. For instance, say you have a 30-60-90 triangle. Many students falter because they always mix [...]
New GRE Numeric Entry: Practice Question of the Week #11
This is one of the new question types for the quantitative section, where you type in your answer into a box on the screen. No choices to plug in or guess from makes this problem type a little tougher than multiple choice. We’ll post the answer and explanation for this question tomorrow, along with a [...]
