Five Simple Tips for GMAT Word Problems
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This article won’t teach you how to solve GMAT word problems from scratch. (Check out our Word Problems Strategy Guide for that!) However, it will suggest five easy changes that’ll help you save time, earn points, and reduce stress. Make just a few small changes to how you solve word problems, and watch your Quant score improve.
- Check the answer choices early.
Always read the answer choices before you start doing math. The test writers know that most people don’t do this, so they sometimes put clues in the answer choices to reward diligent test takers. The answer choices will tell you whether to use the Choosing Smart Numbers or Backsolving strategies, and might give you other hints as well.
- Create an answer box.
Jot down what you’re solving for before you write anything else. Then draw a box around it, so it’ll stand out on your scratch paper. There are three good reasons to do this. First, if you can’t work out what you’re solving for, you can be certain that you won’t successfully solve the problem in two minutes. You have my permission to move on from these problems! Second, doing this forces you to read thoroughly before you start doing math, rather than scribbling down equations that you might not even use. Third, it’ll help keep you from accidentally solving for the wrong thing, a mistake which the test writers often anticipate.
- Name your variables wisely.
No more x, y, and z — that’s only good for impressing your high school math teachers. Name your variables based on what they stand for, so you won’t forget which letter stands for what. Are you solving for the total number of bananas purchased? Call your variable b. Are you solving for a rate of travel? Call it r, for rate.
- Keep your scratch work tidy.
For every second you gain by writing quickly and sloppily, you’ll lose two seconds trying to decipher your own work. The best GMAT test takers use their neatest handwriting and organize their scratch work carefully. Well-organized thinking leads to well-organized work, but the opposite is also true for many test takers. Personally, I like using charts and tables to organize my work on word problems whenever I can. For an overall strategy to organize your scratch pad, try out the Yellow Pad Technique, described in this article by Stacey Koprince.
- Slow down your reading, speed up your math.
You ought to spend at least 45 seconds reading and thinking about every word problem before you begin doing math. That may seem like way too much time at first, but the point is to know exactly what steps you’ll take before you start writing. It’s okay to ‘just try something and hope that it works’ when you’re reviewing a problem, but on test day or when doing timed practice, it’s a waste of time. When it matters, build your plan first, and then work. If you think that doesn’t leave you enough time to do the mathematical calculations, then speed up your math! Foundations of Math is a great resource for speed drills, as are websites like Zetamac Arithmetic and MathDrills.
Put it all together
If you’re doing a so-so job on GMAT Word Problems and you want to step up your game, incorporate these five tips into how you work. Test them out one at a time, and if a strategy seems to improve your speed, accuracy, or confidence, keep using it! Thoughtful practice will reveal the best way for you to solve problems. ?
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Chelsey Cooley
is a Manhattan Prep instructor based in Seattle, Washington. Chelsey always followed her heart when it came to her education. Luckily, her heart led her straight to the perfect background for GMAT and GRE teaching: she has undergraduate degrees in mathematics and history, a master’s degree in linguistics, a 790 on the GMAT, and a perfect 170/170 on the GRE. Check out Chelsey’s upcoming GMAT prep offerings here.