FAST Math for the GMAT (Part 2 of 5)
Did you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GMAT courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.
Welcome to part 2 of our Fast Math series! In Part 1, I acquainted you with the fact that I’m a lazy math person: I don’t want to do any more than I have to in order to answer the question. And this series shows you how! ☺
Principle #2: Learn shortcuts for when you do have to do the math.
You already saw the first example of this in Principle #1:
Shortcut #1: When multiplying a string of numbers, pair off the 5’s and 2’s and multiply them first.
What if that last problem in part 1 hadn’t had a 20 in it? If you had to multiply 5 and 81…how would you do that? Read more
How to Get a Perfect GMAT Quant Score
How can you get the elusive Q51 on the GMAT? To start, let’s be clear that this question is mostly a matter of curiosity. You don’t need a 51 on Quant to score a 700 on the GMAT: technically, with a perfect Verbal score, you would only need a 36! You don’t need a 51 on Quant to get into HBS: the median score last year was 48. You don’t even need a 51 to be a test prep teacher (although if you want to work for MPrep, you do need to be in the 99th percentile)!
And this is a good thing, because as you’re about to learn, getting a 51 on Quant involves at least a little bit of luck.
“I’m Bad at Math” And Other Lies You Tell Yourself
“I’m just not a math person” is probably the most common thing GMAT students tell me about themselves on the first day of class. I’m here to tell you the same thing I tell each of those students: Odds are, you’re totally wrong.
GMAT Rate Problems
If this post is 1500 words long, and you can process 120 words per minute, then how long will it take you to read this whole post? If you could read 20% faster, then what effect would that have on how long it takes you to read the whole thing? If I were adding 80 words per minute to the blog post, then how long (at your original speed) would it take for you to reach the end?
Those questions were a taste of the often daunting world of GMAT Rate problems. Before we get any deeper, we should acknowledge that Rate problems do not seem to be tested as frequently on GMAT Quant nowadays as they once were. So while you’ll see plenty of Rate problems in the Official Guides and on Manhattan Prep’s practice GMATs (take a free one), you might not see many or any of these on your real GMAT.
Quick GMAT Math Hacks
Here are a few of the most useful quick GMAT math tricks I’ve learned over the years. They won’t show up on every problem, or even on every Quant section. But, if you happen to use one of these GMAT math hacks on test day, it could save you anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes.
Common Math Errors on the GMAT
Do you ever make mistakes on GMAT math that just don’t make sense when you review? That’s not unusual, and in fact, it’s probably one of the most common reasons to miss easy GMAT math problems. Here’s why:
- When you’re under pressure, your memory becomes less reliable.
- Each person will find some things easier to remember than others.
Here’s How to Avoid Calculations on GMAT Quant Problem Solving
Last time, we talked about how to avoid annoying calculations on Data Sufficiency. It’s not so surprising that you can do this on DS, since you don’t “really” have to solve all the way on this question type.
But you can avoid annoying calculations on Problem Solving, too! Try this problem from the GMATPrep® free exams to learn how. Read more
GMAT Data Sufficiency: Ratio Stories – Part 2
Recently, we took a look at a story problem dealing with ratios, and I finished up by giving you a second problem to test your skills. How did you do?
If you haven’t already, try the GMATPrep® problem below and then we’ll talk about it. Give yourself about 2 minutes. Go! Read more
GMAT Data Sufficiency Ratio Stories — Part 1
How are you with story problems? Most math concepts can be presented in story form on the test and the GMAT test writers do like to get wordy with us. You’ve got a double task: you have to translate the words into math and then you still have to do the math! How can we get through these as efficiently as possible?
Try the GMATPrep® problem below and then we’ll talk about it. Give yourself about 2 minutes. Go!
The Importance of Getting to No on the GMAT — Part 2
Last time, we talked about how crucial it is to develop the instinct to go for the “No” when taking the GMAT. If you haven’t read the first installment, do so right now, then come back here to learn more.
I left you with this GMATPrep® problem from the free exams.
“*If 0 <r< 1 <s< 2, which of the following must be less than 1? “I.
“II. rs
“III. s – r
“(A) I only
“(B) II only
“(C) III only
“(D) I and II
“(E) I and III”
Let’s talk about it now!