![\"Manhattan](\"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2018\/06\/gre-math-for-people-who-hate-math-cracking-gre-code-chelsey-cooley.png\")
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The GRE will never lie to you\u2014but it doesn\u2019t always tell you what you really want to know. The GRE is a little bit like my friend in this exchange:<\/span><\/p>\n Me: \u201cWhat do you think of this outfit?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n My friend: \u201cWell, it\u2019s very\u2026 creative.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Sure, it\u2019s not like she lied (zebra-striped leggings <\/span>are<\/span><\/i> pretty creative). But she also didn\u2019t come right out and call me a fashion victim. In order to work that out, I had to crack the code. <\/span><\/p>\n You already know how to \u201ccrack the code\u201d in English. Codebreaking is how we figure out what people really mean, even though we exaggerate, simplify, avoid touchy topics, and change the subject. And on the test, codebreaking is how you start to understand a GRE Math problem. <\/span><\/p>\n Here\u2019s an example of a GRE Math problem that\u2019s full of code:<\/span><\/p>\n What is the largest integer <\/span>n<\/span><\/i> such that 5<\/span>n<\/sup><\/span> is a factor of 10!?<\/span><\/p>\n 1. \u2026<\/span><\/p>\n 2. …<\/p>\n This problem looks fairly intimidating, but if it just said what it meant in plain English, it\u2019d be a lot easier. The people who write GRE Math problems <\/span>want<\/span><\/i> to intimidate you a little, if they can\u2014that way, they can reward people who calm down, take a deep breath, and focus on what the problem really means. Let\u2019s do exactly that right now.<\/span><\/p>\n 10! is pronounced as \u201c10 factorial,\u201d and it\u2019s code for a very large number: the number you\u2019d get by multiplying 10, times 9, times 8, times 7, and all the way down to 1.<\/span><\/p>\n If something is a factor of 10!, you can divide 10! evenly by that number. For instance, 2 is a factor of 10!. So is 20.<\/span><\/p>\n We really want to know whether 5<\/span>n<\/sup><\/span> divides evenly into this large number. 5<\/span>n<\/sup><\/span> is code too. An exponent just refers to a number such as 5, 5×5, 5x5x5, 5x5x5x5, or any number of 5s multiplied together. Since the problem asks about the <\/span>largest integer n<\/span><\/i>, you\u2019re looking for the <\/span>largest<\/span><\/i> number of 5s that you can possibly divide evenly into 10!. <\/span><\/p>\n So, here\u2019s what the problem says now:<\/span><\/p>\n 10x9x8x7x6x5x4x3x2x1 can be evenly divided by 5x5x…x5. What is the largest number of 5s that can be evenly divided into the larger number?<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDivisible\u201d or \u201cevenly divided\u201d is code as well. If you want to know if one number is divisible by another number, here\u2019s a great way to do it. Write a fraction, with the bigger number on the top and the smaller number on the bottom. Start simplifying that fraction, a little bit at a time. If you can cross off the entire bottom of the fraction, you know the number is divisible. If you can\u2019t, it isn\u2019t divisible. <\/span><\/p>\n If we were solving this problem, we\u2019d write our fraction like this:<\/span><\/p>\n How many 5s can be crossed off on the bottom? As many 5s as there are on the top. Notice that 10 can be rewritten as 5 times 2.<\/span><\/p>\n So, there are exactly two 5s on the top of the fraction. The answer to the problem is 2: 10! is divisible by 5\u00b2<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n Here\u2019s what the GRE Math problem really said, ignoring all of the code:<\/span><\/p>\n In total, how many 5s can be divided out of the numbers 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1?<\/span><\/p>\n You aren\u2019t supposed to go through all of that codebreaking on GRE test day. There just isn\u2019t time. If you see a GRE Math problem that has code you don\u2019t know how to translate, consider guessing and moving on. But, here\u2019s why codebreaking is still important: <\/span>if you do it ahead of time, you\u2019ll recognize the code quickly when you see it on the test.<\/b><\/p>\n If anything about the problem we just did was surprising or challenging for you, take a moment to make some flashcards. On the front of the flashcard, write a piece of code you could see in a problem. On the back, write out what it <\/span>really<\/span><\/i> means. Here are the flashcards that I\u2019d make for this GRE Math problem:<\/span><\/p>\n Let\u2019s practice some codebreaking and get a few more flashcards made. Here are some snippets of \u201cGRE code.\u201d Take your time and work out what they\u2019re really saying, in plain English. Then, make a flashcard or two for each one. <\/span><\/p>\n Try it out, and let us know what you think in the comments! ?<\/span><\/p>\n See that \u201cSUBSCRIBE\u201d button in the top right corner? Click on it to receive all our GRE blog updates straight to your inbox!<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Chelsey Cooley<\/a> The GRE will never lie to you\u2014but it doesn\u2019t always tell you what you really want to know. The GRE is a little bit like my friend in this exchange:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[474284,921840,421,6,7,9,733445],"tags":[1362568,390447],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-11608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-studiers","category-gre-prep-2","category-gre-quant-2","category-gre-strategies","category-how-to-study","category-math-gre-strategies","category-study-tips-2","tag-gre-code","tag-gre-math-for-people-who-hate-math"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/127"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11608"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11608\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11766,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11608\/revisions\/11766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11608"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=11608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Manhattan](\"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2018\/06\/cc-73-image-1.png\")
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\n![\"Chelsey](\"https:\/\/cdn2.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2015\/11\/chelsey-cooley-150x150.jpg\" "\\"Chelsey")
<\/a>\u00a0is a Manhattan Prep instructor based in Seattle, Washington.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/i><\/b>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\u2019s degree in linguistics, a 790 on the GMAT, and a perfect 170Q\/170V on the GRE.\u00a0<\/em><\/i>Check out Chelsey\u2019s upcoming GRE prep offerings here<\/a>.<\/em><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"