The GMAT Quantitative Section

In the Quantitative section of the GMAT, 37 multiple choice questions will appear. The candidate’s score in this section will depend on the number of questions answered, number of correct answers and the level of difficulty of the questions in the test. The GMAT score ranges within the range of 0 and 60. This score is then scaled, added with the verbal score and depicted on a range of 200-800. The mathematical ability of the candidate is tested in the exam, along with his/her ability to understand, solve and analyze problems that usually are of the type, arithmetic, geometic or algebraic. Good mathematical knowledge combined with adequate calculational accuracy and lots of effective practice make the section an easy one to crack. Some questions that demand interpretation of charts, tables and other diagrams may also appear on the test. There are two types of questions that appear on the GMAT, they are Problem Solving and Data Sufficiency.

Problem Solving

The Problem solving questions are relatively simpler than the data sufficiency questions as they test only basic mathematical skills of the candidate. To score well on this section, candidates need to have knowledge of the subject and adequate practice before the test. Hence it is very essential to learn all the concepts in mathematics that are likely to be tested in this section, well in advance. These concepts are listed later on in this article. These topics may come in the form of any type of questions, either direct, indirect or as word problems.

Data Sufficiency

The most challenging section in the GMAT exam, second only after the critical reasoning in the verbal section is the data sufficiency. These questions are not the direct ones that test particular concepts but also the candidate’s level of understanding the same concepts. They also require the ability to distinguish between necessary and unnecessary information. All data sufficiency questions follow the same format. A question followed by two statements will be present. The candidate has to choose an option based on whether either one independently, both together or neither statements are necessary to solve the question.

The candidates who are appearing for the GMAT need to show excellent knowledge in the following concepts of mathematics:

1. Arithmetic

2. Elementary Algebra and
3. Basic Geometry

In these concepts, there are further a lot more topics that the candidates need preparation in. The following list is a rough representation of the topics that will be tested as multiple choice questions in the GMAT and not the exact syllabus one needs to adhere to.

Topics in Arithmetic that Need Importance are:

Number Systems,

Percentages and averages,

Profit & Loss,

Simple Interest & Compound Interest,

Speed, Time and Distance,

Time and Work,

Ratio, Proportion ,

Mixtures and Alligation

and Clocks and Calendars.

Topics in Algebra / Modern Math that Require Detailed Study are:

Permutation & Combination,

Probability,

Progressions – Arithmetic,Geometric and Harmonic Progression,

Quadratic Equations,

Set Theory,

Inequalities

and Basic statistics.

Topics in Geometry to be Dealt with are:
Basic concepts in Geometry,

Co-ordinate Geometry,

Mensuration

and Trigonometry.