GMAT MATH - DATA SUFFICIENCY

GMAT MATH - DATA SUFFICIENCY

Question

If r, s, and t are all positive integers, what is the remainder of 3^p/10 if p = qst?

(1) s is even
(2) p = 4t

A) Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) alone is not sufficient.
B) Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) alone is not sufficient.
C) Both statements TOGETHER are sufficient, but NEITHER one ALONE is sufficient.
D) EACH statement ALONE is sufficient.
E) Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOT sufficient.

Solution

Answer B

When a number is divided by 10, the remainder is simply the units digit of that number. For example, 243 divided by 10 has a remainder of 3.

Statement 1 INSUFFICIENT: If s is even, we know that the product qst is even and so is p. Knowing that p is even does not help us with definate value to find the reminder.

Statement 2 is SUFFICIENT: If p = 4t and t is an integer, p must be a multiple of 4. so any possible value for p will be (0,4,8,12...). Since at any point we know a definite value of p we know the value of 3 ^ p. So we can find reminder by dividing it by 10.

GMAT Sentence Correction Practice

 Question

Unlike most other species of cat, regardless of being domesticated or not, the claws of the tiger are not retractable and so it is more like a dog in that way.
A) regardless of being domesticated or not, the claws of the tiger are not retractable and so it
is more like a dog in that way
B) domestic or wild, the tiger does not have retractable claws and so is more like a dog in that
respect
C) regardless of domestication or not, the tiger's claws are not retractable and so it more like
a dog in that respect
D) domestic or wild, the claws of the tiger are not retractable and so it is more like a dog in
that way
E) domestic or wild, the tiger does not have retractable claws and so they are more like a
dog's in that respect

Solution

Answer B

When you have to choose between 'regardless of being domesticated or not' and 'domestic or wild' you can easily eliminate 'regardless of being domesticated or not' for not being concise. So you can eliminate A and C.

In option D the verb 'are' is used for 'the tiger' so it is wrong.
In option E the use of 'have' for singular 'the tiger' is wrong.

So we are left with answer choice B, which is the correct choice.

Visitor's Poll

Visitor's Poll

 Last month I was conducting a survey to know what kind of average score usually a test taker scores on his/her first attempt on the GMAT test.

Results so far 

15 people participated

Below 550 - 7 Test Takers
550+  - 3 Test Takers
600+  - 2Test Takers
650+  - 1 Test Takers
700+  - 1 Test Taker
750+  - 1 Test Taker

The results speak for themselves. However, I feel the sample size is very small. So I am running this poll in the month of February too.

Please participate !!!

GMAT Math - Fractions

GMAT Math - Fractions

Question

When 1/10 of 1/10 of 10,000 is subtracted from 1/10 of 4000, the difference is

(A) 100
(B) 200
(C) 300
(D) 400
(E) 500

Solution

Answer (C)

When you rewrite 1/10 of 1/10 of 10,000 is subtracted from 1/10 of 4000, you get this

(1/10 (4000)) - (1/10 (1/10(10000))
400 - (1/10 (1/10(10000))
Solving the inner fraction first
400 - (1/10 (1000))
400 - 100
=300

How to Prepare for GMAT Math?

How to Prepare for GMAT Math?

For success on the GMAT Math, you will have to have this motto  "I LOVE MATH". If you hate math then learn to fake you mind for a few days. Don't worry it is not at all tough.


May people wonder where to start their GMAT Math preparation. Whether you have a strong background in math or not you will have to work on the following pointers to score high on GMAT math.

1) Build your basic concepts

2) Identify the your weakness / Initial diagnostics

3) Practice and practice

4) Repeat

5) Diagnostics

Build your Basics

No matter how good you are at math, I would suggest buying a GMAT guide and brushing up on all the different kinds of math questions that they might throw at you on test day. I used the "Total GMAT Math, by Jeff Sackmann. This might sound very elementary and obvious, but the fact is that most of us fail to realize and understand what types of math questions they will face come test day. If you have a solid working knowledge of the typical questions, this is the first step in boosting your GMAT quant score. But you need to know what skills of Quant GMAT is going to test you on. So it is very important to focus on the right set of topics.

Identify the your weakness / Initial diagnostics

Once you have brushed up your basics, take a initial diagnostics by taking any free GMAT test and see the areas where you are comfortable and the areas where you are not. Once you know the areas of weaknesses then you can take extra care with more practice.

Practice and Practice

After the diagnostics, you will be able to tell what your strengths and weaknesses are. As far as strengths go, it probably doesn’t make too much sense to keep practicing these types of problems that you are comfortable with. As you go along, start to hone in on the areas that are giving you trouble. Perhaps you can keep a spreadsheet or notes of what types of questions are holding you back.

Repeat

The key here is repetition; just do as many as you can. Soon you will discover a comfort level with once more difficult types of questions and you will be on your way to acing the exam. As you go from question to question during your exam, you will really thank yourself for your efforts.

Diagnostics

It is always good to test your preparedness and check if you have overcome your past weaknesses. Another diagnostic at this stage comes very handy. After every diagnostics fine tune your weaknesses so that you are well prepared for the final examination.

Put in your time and it will pay off. Good luck!!

Tips for GMAT PREP

Tips for GMAT PREP

Many students who prepare for the GMAT test usually design the same curriculum for themselves that they find on a popular forum: get a bunch of books or online prep courses, do as many practice problems as possible, and think success will follow. I've seen it work occasionally, but this is not necessarily a great idea that promises 100% success on the test day. 

Having said that I am not trying to lower your confidence. Anybody can score high on the GMAT. It's just a matter of effort and strategy. This is a recommended GMAT study program to help you achieve that top GMAT score. It's a one-stop solution for anybody who is asking "how should I study for this exam?" Feel free to follow the whole program or to pick and choose what you like and incorporate it into your personal strategy.

Three steps to planning an effective practice session

1) Be consistent - lower your expectations of how many practice problems you'll do in a sitting, in a week, in a month, or in your entire course of preparation. The trick here is to completely understand the questions you are attempting and identifying the patterns.

2) Try to  always practice the same way--the way you'll do questions on the test.  To do this you may take simulated free tests every week to see how you performed and which areas or topics require study and improvement.

3) The third step is to set a reasonable goal for one sitting--and not take a break. Depending on how challenging the problems are relative to your current progress (as well as what types of problems you're working on), the exact number will differ.

It is important to review

After every practice test you need to review so that you know what is going wrong. You'll probably find that you missed a few of the questions because of careless errors; perhaps you missed a key "NOT", or failed to carry the one. Maybe the correct path to some of the problems became apparent only after you had worked through it the wrong way. Regardless, for every problem you missed, starred, or took too long the first time through, do it again.

Yep, that's right: do them all again.

While preparing everyday as you answer questions in the official guides or other preparation books and materials, record all your answers in this spreadsheet while you're solving questions. Get out of the habit of writing in a book; That way when you review, you can still work on questions you got correct but were slow at, or review questions you got correct but were possibly partially guessing or not in complete command of.

Do not worry much TIME CONSTRAINTS during first 15 days of PREP

When you prepare for GMAT, learn how to avoid cutting corners in order to save time. You must read the question carefully, as there is a possibility that you might come across questions that will have incorrect answer choices, so you must always read the questions twice before attempting if you are not very sure.

Right before the test, do not attempt to comprehensively review everything. Rather, it's advisable to pick a few problems you're very comfortable with and complete them under test day conditions. This is a good way to determine your level of GMAT preparedness. This also helps to get into the bubble of self confidence. But be aware of over confidence. 

Lastly think about your dream GMAT SCORE all the time.

GMAT Preparation

GMAT Preparation

Preparing for GMAT is a huge investment and commitment, which requires discipline and hard work. Along with discipline and hard work you will also require smart work and the ability to recognize standard patterns. GMAT is more about testing your psychology than about testing how good you are in applying MATHS and ENGLISH rules. 

It is very important for you to understand that in the GMAT , the test creators are trying to test (or may be play)  with your psychology. The creators do not leave a single opportunity to create a panic situation during the test. They are trying to test your ability to simplify overly confusing items to simple parts/sections and apply the basic rules that your learned during your school days. The reason behind this is simple. In the real business world we come across many complicated situations and we are usually able to solve them by breaking them down into smaller pieces or by identifying patterns in the problem. The real GMAT test also tests you on the same parameters how well qualified you are to use your brains to break complex problems into smaller ones and solve them.

So do not panic !!!  

Here I will list some basic fundamentals that you will require to follow while preparing for the GMAT.

1) You do not need to solve every problem RIGHT. GMAT rewards for accepting the truth that no one has 100% accuracy.

2) Don’t freak out about time constraint! Realize early on that you do not need to get even close to every problem right to obtain a high score.

3) Preparation is important but what is also important is how you handle the pressure on the test day.

4) If you are not native English speaker then you may think that some things on verbal do not come naturally to you. Having said that, I think that the GMAT Verbal is less of an English test and more a test of your reasoning skills. So trust yourself and start practicing.

5) Personalize your studies, different people use different ways to study they discuss all of their ways and success stories on places like beatthegmat and gmatclub. These stories are good but remember that these stories are their personal stories and not yours so do not start following them blindly. Try to follow a routine that is comfortable to you.

6) Comfortable routine does not mean that you skip your studies for a week in between because of some reason. You need to be have discipline.

7) Never lose hope, remember persistence can take you places.

8) Lastly relax, begin your every day study session with a relaxed mind. Listen to music before your start studying or meditate for some time. I like to listen to music. Music has a positive effect on the mind, and listening to the right type of music can actually improve studying and learning, 

I hope this helps you.