{"id":11607,"date":"2016-06-24T21:37:29","date_gmt":"2016-06-24T21:37:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/?p=11607"},"modified":"2019-09-05T15:59:45","modified_gmt":"2019-09-05T15:59:45","slug":"gmat-data-sufficiency-follow-your-process-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/blog\/gmat-data-sufficiency-follow-your-process-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"GMAT Data Sufficiency: Follow Your Process (Part 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ManhattanDid you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GMAT courses absolutely free? We\u2019re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Data Sufficiency problems are fantastic because you can avoid doing lots of math calculations! Data Sufficiency problems are really annoying because they\u2019re so tricky; it\u2019s very easy to fall into a trap. \":(\"<\/p>\n

So how do we take advantage of the benefits of DS without falling prey to the test-writer\u2019s tricks?<\/p>\n

Try this GMATPrep\u00ae problem from the free problem sets and then we\u2019ll talk!<\/p>\n

\u201c*If both x <\/i>and y<\/i> are nonzero numbers, what is the value of \u00a0\"y\/x\"?<\/p>\n

\u201c(1) x<\/i> = 6<\/p>\n

\u201c(2) \"y^2=x^2\"\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

(Wondering where the answer choices are? I haven\u2019t put them here. If you haven\u2019t done enough DS to know what the answer choices are already, then don\u2019t start with this article. Start here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Got your answer? Okay, let\u2019s get started.<\/p>\n

\"Glance<\/a><\/p>\n

Glance at the problem. It\u2019s DS! Draw a T on your scrap paper and jot down the relevant info as you read. Also note that the information looks pretty straightforward in both the question stem and the statements\u2026so work methodically. Don\u2019t get sloppy and make a careless mistake.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Now what? You could go straight to the statements and start working, but reflect a moment.<\/p>\n

\"Reflect<\/a><\/p>\n

What would<\/i> be sufficient to answer that question?<\/p>\n

If they tell me the values for x<\/i> and y<\/i> individually, then I can answer the question. Or if they tell me the value of the quantity or combination \"y\/x\", then I can also answer the question.<\/p>\n

Okay, let\u2019s do this.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

That first statement tells me x\u00a0<\/i>\u2026 but nothing about y<\/i>, either alone or in relation to x<\/i>. That\u2019s not sufficient. What about the second one?<\/p>\n

\"\"Careful! Trap number 1 is lurking. Forget what you saw in statement (1).<\/i> It doesn\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n

Next, can you manipulate that equation? Let\u2019s see.<\/p>\n

\"y^2\/x^2=1\"
\nDoes that mean that just plain\u00a0\"y\/x\"\u00a0is also 1? Maybe. But not necessarily! Here\u2019s trap number 2.<\/p>\n

Either one of the base variables could be negative. For instance, x<\/em> could be 3 and y<\/em> could be -3. If so, then the answer would be \u20131, not +1. This one is really tempting, but it\u2019s not enough on its own. This statement is not sufficient.<\/p>\n

What happens when we put them together?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Finally, this one must be sufficient, right?<\/p>\n

Nope! This is trap #3. It\u2019s true that x<\/i> = 6, but y<\/i> could still be +6 or \u20136, so the answer is either 1 or \u20131. That\u2019s not sufficient; for a value question, there has to be just one answer.<\/p>\n

The correct answer is (E)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The math on this problem is not super-advanced. The question is definitely a beautiful question though\u2014at least, from the point of view of the test writer. \":)\" They set two traps to steer you towards choice (B) and a third trap to steer you towards choice (C), all in a problem that looked pretty straightforward at first glance. Now imagine how mentally fatigued you\u2019re going to get as the test progresses and you can see how easy it might be to fall into one of these traps without even realizing it.<\/p>\n

Check back next time when we\u2019ll\u00a0add a few more process layers that are specific to DS.\u00a0?<\/p>\n

Key Takeaways for Data Sufficiency:<\/strong><\/p>\n

(1) Have a consistent process and stick to it.<\/i> The process I describe in this article is the one I use, but you don\u2019t have to use mine. Whatever you do use, just make sure that it clearly delineates the various steps you need to take and that you always follow the same steps, every time.<\/p>\n

(2) Don\u2019t rush when you think something is easy!<\/i> Speed causes careless mistakes. When you know how to do something, make sure you get that point. Save rushing for the ones that are really hard! Chances are good that we\u2019ll get those wrong anyway; we might as well get them wrong faster.<\/p>\n

* GMATPrep\u00ae questions courtesy of the Graduate Management Admissions Council. Usage of this question does not imply endorsement by GMAC.<\/p>\n

\n

Can\u2019t get enough of Stacey\u2019s GMAT expertise? Attend the first session of one of her upcoming GMAT courses<\/a> absolutely free, no strings attached. Seriously.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

\"stacey-koprince\"<\/a>Stacey Koprince<\/a> is a Manhattan Prep instructor based in Montreal, Canada and Los Angeles, California.<\/strong> Stacey has been teaching the GMAT, GRE, and LSAT \u00a0for more than 15 years and is one of the most well-known instructors in the industry. Stacey loves to teach and is absolutely fascinated by standardized tests. Check out Stacey\u2019s upcoming GMAT courses here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Did you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GMAT courses absolutely free? We\u2019re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here. Data Sufficiency problems are fantastic because you can avoid doing lots of math calculations! Data Sufficiency problems are really annoying because they\u2019re so tricky; it\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,873,929,52871,8],"tags":[52873],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-11607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-data-suff","category-for-current-studiers","category-gmat-prep","category-gmat-strategies","category-quant-on-gmat","tag-follow-your-process"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11607","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11607"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11607\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11614,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11607\/revisions\/11614"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11607"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=11607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}