GMAT Math Tricks

The GMAT is also known as the Graduate Management Admission Test and is a test that measures business management skills.  The GMAT is usually taken by post-graduate students as an application requirement to most business schools.  The test is timed and covers many areas of mathematics.  Test preparation is critical in helping you pass the test with a score that will help you be accepted into your desired business school.  

GMAT Techniques

• Always read the problem solving question carefully.  Test writers like to form the questions so they can be easily misinterpreted and once a question is answered, it can’t be changed. 


• Write down your work on a scrap of paper for each question.  Viewing your work will help you prevent simple mistakes. 


• The GMAT is designed using high-school level math, so do not get caught up in complicated calculations.  Look at the answers, the answer to the question is usually a value and the value choices can easily be eliminated. 


• Work backwards if you are having difficulty with a question.  Insert an answer choice into the equation and see if it solves the problem.  If the answer choice is not correct, eliminate it and move on to another answer choice.  Sometimes you will be able to tell if the correct answer is higher or lower than the answer choice you selected.  This can help narrow down your answer choices.


• Diagrams are drawn exactly as it pertains to the question.  A common mistake is relying on your visual judgment to answer diagram questions.  For example, do not assume that two lines form a right angle, when this fact is not stated anywhere in the question. 


• Use scrap paper to draw the diagrams and see all the facts indicated in the question clearly.  Take at least 30 seconds to review all the diagrams and the corresponding question.


• The most commonly used graph types on the GMAT are bar, circle and line graphs.  Graph questions are used to test your ability to interpret and use tables and graphs.  These questions are not written using difficult math calculations.  The legend key, units of measurement and axis labels are more important than the data presented in the question.  The test writers will not use visual tricks on graph questions, so you can use visual estimates to answer these questions.


• Practice your strategies so that you will be comfortable with the questions.  Since the test is timed, don’t waste time looking for trick questions.  Some questions are designed to test your reasoning skills by asking a question using a function you never learned.  In these cases always use common sense and logic for the best answer.