GRE Quant Techniques: 10 Pointers for a Perfect Score

If you are preparing for the GRE right now, you are aware that a high score requires you to learn a considerable deal of material. You will learn a great deal of material if you follow a well-thought-out study plan that provides practice and subject learning. Creating practical GRE quantitative techniques will be another aspect of your achievement. They will guide you through the challenges of GRE Quant and help you plan an effective and efficient test-day strategy. Thus, we’ll cover a ton of GRE Quant strategy, guidance, and ideas in this post, along with preparation recommendations for the math portion of the exam.

First tip: If at all possible, choose smart numbers

“Smart numbers” is a word that you have probably encountered when preparing for the GRE. This is just one of the several math methods for the GRE that we will cover in this post. Smart numbers are actual numbers that you select to simplify the necessary computations in a particular situation as much as feasible.

For illustration purposes, suppose you had to ascertain what percentage of an item’s original price remained after a 20% increase and a 40% fall in price. We compute as follows after using the initial price of 100 as the “smart number” to make this question simple to answer.

Tip #2: See your calculator as a friend rather than a foe.

Don’t put off familiarizing yourself with the GRE calculator. You are not allowed to use your personal calculator during the GRE exam; the calculator is an onscreen tool provided! This is how the calculator appears on the screen.

Make sure you receive lots of practice using the calculator before test day, whether you use it in the TTP GRE self-study course or on the ETS website during a practice exam.

Tip #3: Learn the meaning of the QC Answer Choices by heart.

There are four main question categories in the GRE Quant section, and Quantitative Comparison questions (QC) are one of the most difficult ones. There are two quantities in QC questions: quantity A and quantity B. You need to ascertain whether the two have a consistent relationship.

The fact that there are always the same options for answers to quantitative comparison questions is one of their best features. To save time answering these questions, you should commit these response options to memory. Recall that every second matters!

Tip #4: Think About All Available Data When Answering QC Questions

You might have noticed that the question stem of certain quantitative comparison inquiries occasionally contains “given information.” The “given information” is crucial, particularly if it includes exclusions. Qualifiers can be expressed as follows: y is an even number, x is a positive integer, or x > 0.

A qualification may narrow down your options for answers, but if you are not cautious, it is very simple to ignore. But keep in mind that omitting any information might be the difference between an accurate response and an inaccurate one.

Tip #5: In GRE quantitative questions, the phrase “closest to” has meaning.

As we’ve already covered, it’s critical to pay attention to every piece of information included in GRE Quant questions, no matter how little. One example might be the term “closest to.” This is a crucial sentence since it suggests that estimating may be used to generate a solution. If this information is absent from a question, we could probe the question far further than is necessary to elicit a response.

Tip #6: Commit Key Quant Formulas to Memory

Since the GRE is a timed test, as you are aware, every second matters while solving problems! To maximize efficiency when taking the GRE Quant, commit as many formulae, ideas, and techniques to memory. The importance of memorizing as one of your primary problem-solving techniques cannot be overstated.

For instance, you must immediately use the calculation average rate = (total distance)/(total time) if you see an average rate query. Alternatively, you must be able to use the formula (x + y)(x – y) = x^2 – y^2 rapidly if you come across an issue requiring the difference of squares. Though these are only a few instances, I hope you get the idea!

Advice #7: Avoid “gambling” with the appearance of quant questions.

“What are the Quant topics that are most likely to appear on my GRE?” is a question I am asked a lot. Regretfully, no GRE expert worth their salt would deny you that you can never be certain of what will be tested. It makes no difference if you have studied for every official GRE practice question or even if you have committed everything you observed on past GREs to memory. The truth is that no one can predict with absolute accuracy what will be tested on any specific GRE since each test is different.

So, to ensure that you don’t find yourself spinning a roulette wheel on test day, master every GRE Quant topic thoroughly rather than attempting to manipulate the system by guessing what you might see.

Keep in mind that there are just 27 quantitative questions on the GRE (12 in the first segment and 15 in the second). As such, your chances of succeeding on the GRE Quant are limited to 27. Therefore, you will find yourself in a difficult situation on test day if you choose to forego studying for a few key GRE Quant subjects and ten questions covering those topics appear.

Tip #8: Handle VIC Issues Just Like Any Other Quant Issue

One particular kind of GRE Quant problem is called a “VIC” problem. Questions with “Variables in (the answer) Choices” are referred to as VIC issues. Even these VIC issues appear more daunting than standard GRE Quant questions, the math required to solve them is the same as that required when dealing with real numbers. This concept is significant because it implies that you should solve a VIC problem in the same way as you would if real numbers were involved.

Stated otherwise, you are not need to substitute real values for the variables! You would be slower and more likely to make mistakes if you did this.

Tip #9: Respond to all inquiries!

The GRE’s ability to go back and forth between questions within a segment is one of its best features. Put differently, you can mark a question for review, skip it, and come back to it at a later time if you are not confident of the answer. You must realize, nevertheless, that providing incorrect responses will not result in punishment.

Consequently, DON’T LEAVE IT BLANK, even if you don’t know the answer and plan to look it up later! The reason for this is because if you leave a question blank, there is an absolute certainty that you will answer it incorrectly if you forget to go back to it or run out of time before you get an opportunity to review it. But there’s a possibility your prediction may be accurate if you make one!

Tip #10: Avoid Going Over Your Work Again

I have far too frequently had conversations with students who claim they ran out of time on the GRE after they failed the test. They did not, however, cite exam anxiety or a lack of knowledge of the subject as their justification. It was the fact that they reviewed their work twice! Keep in mind that the average time allotted for a GRE math question is just one minute and forty-five seconds. You will need that much time to answer most questions, if not more. You may thus anticipate that you won’t have time to review your work. You should “bank that time” to use on a subsequent task that could take you longer than 1:45 if you solve a question quickly.