Category: GMAT Math Basics

A lot of students prepping for GMAT Quant, especially those GMAT students away from math for a long time, get lost when trying to divide by a square root. However, dividing by square roots is not something that should intimidate you. With a short refresher course, you’ll be able to divide by square roots in…

What are rates and ratios? How do rate and ratios problems differ? Hint: Not that much. Original photo by Pierre Rougier In fact, rates are just ratios in disguise. Here are a four GMAT practice problems exploring rates and ratios.  Remember: no calculator! Rates and Ratios Practice Problems 1) Someone on a skateboard is traveling 12 miles…

Here are ten reasonably challenging problems on powers and roots.  Solutions follow the problems.   Remember, no calculator! Statement #1: x < 1 Statement #2: x > –1 4 8 14 28 42 5) If A is an integer, what is the value of A? 11 30 45 75 225   Powers & roots This is…

Here are ten problems on fractions and decimals, some of which are quite challenging.  Remember, no calculator! (A) 0.1 (B) 1 (C) 10 (D) 100 (E) 1000 6)  Suppose you have access to a large vat of distilled water, several gallons large.  You have two precise measuring pipettes, one to measure exactly 1/3 of an…

First, a few practice problems: 1) In the figure above, AC = BC = 8, angle C = 90°, and the circular arc has its center at point C.   Find the area of the shaded region. 2)  Employees at a company will vote for an executive team of five people from eight qualified candidates.  The…

First of all, try these challenging GMAT Problem Solving practice problems without a calculator. (A) 2 (B) 3 (C) 4 (D) 5 (E) 6 2) In the month of August, Pentheus Corporation made $200,000 in profit.  Pentheus made 6% of that profit on the second Wednesday of August.   If the profits that day were approximately…

Here are four GMAT Data Sufficiency questions involving inequalities. Full solutions will come at the end of this article.   The arithmetic of equations: a review First of all, let’s review what should be more familiar — the arithmetic of equations.   Suppose A = B and P = Q.  The soundbyte is: you can combine…

First, a bank of eight practice problems 1) A certain zoo has mammal and reptiles and birds, and no other animals.  The ratio of mammals to reptiles to birds is 11: 8:5.  How many birds are in the zoo? Statement (1): there are twelve more mammals in the zoo than there are reptiles Statement (2):…

Many folks remember Order of Operations by means of the mnemonic PEMDAS.  Just for review, PEMDAS is a quick way to remember the following order of mathematical prioritization: Priority #1: P = Parentheses Priority #2: E = Exponents Priority #3: MD = Multiplication & Division Priority #4: AS = Addition and Subtraction A few things…