GMAT* Test

The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a standardized test that's used to predict a college graduate's likelihood of succeeding in graduate schools of business. While not all business schools require candidates to take the GMAT test, the vast majority do. Scores range between 200 and 800 on the GMAT test, and everything else being equal, a higher score naturally improves your chances of gaining admission to the business school of your choice. It's a timed test, which you can take just about any month of the year, which consists of three parts.

The first part is Analytical Writing GMAT test section.. You'll have one hour to complete two writing assignments-in the first one, you'll analyze an issue that's presented. In the second, you'll analyze a selected argument. The second part is Quantitative, which lasts 75 minutes and consists of 37 multiple questions concerning problem solving and data sufficiency. Finally there's the Verbal section, which also is timed at 75 minutes, and tests your skills at critical reasoning and reading comprehension of complex passages. Although you won't receive your official scores for about three weeks, which you can receive online or in the mail, you can view your unofficial scores for the Verbal and Quantitative portions before you leave the testing facility.

The GMAT test is a difficult test, and should not be taken lightly. Because so much is riding on a good score, you'll want to start preparing long before you actually take the test.

GMAT Practice Questions

Quantitative Problem Solving

1. In a spelling bee, Anish's placement is both the 11th highest and the 25th lowest among all the spellers who participated. How many spellers participated in the spelling bee?

a. 33
b. 34
c. 35
d. 36
e. 37

2. At a wedding reception, only 60 percent of the 750 invited guests show up. Of those in attendance, 46 percent are males. How many of the guests in attendance are female?

a. 207
b. 243
c. 345
d. 405
e. 450

3. Abby is selling magazine subscriptions. She has turned in 3 order forms totaling $75, $40, and $107. She has 1 additional order pending. If Abby's average (arithmetic mean) order is to be exactly $80 on 4 forms, the fourth order must total how much?

a. $18
b. $74
c. $80
d. $98
e. $101

4. A pilot traveled the first 1,500 miles of a 3,000-mile journey with an average speed of 400 miles per hour. At what speed must the pilot travel the remaining 1,500 miles to record an average speed of 500 miles per hour for the entire flight?

a. 261 2/3 MPH
b. 600 MPH
c. 666 2/3 MPH
d. 800 MPH
e. 5,625 MPH

5. If 3/8 of the money in a certain college fund was spent on tuition, 1/4 was spent on room and board, 1/5 was spent on books, and the remaining $7,000 remained in the fund, what was the total amount of the college fund?

a. $7,000
b. $8,485
c. $33,000
d. $40,000
e. $47,000

Data Sufficiency Problems

These exercises consist of a question and two statements, (1) and (2), which present specific and limited data. The question you must answer is whether or not the information given is sufficient for solving the problem, using only the information in the statements along with your math skills, as well as widely known facts (such as which way is clockwise, or how many days there are in June). You will have five choices (shown below), and only one choice is correct in each problem.

b. Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) is not sufficient.

b. Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) is not sufficient.

c.  BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient.

d. EACH statement ALONE is sufficient.

e.  Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOT sufficient.

 

 

1. If a total of 1,500 Democrats, Republicans, and Independents participated in a voters' survey, how many Independents were surveyed?

(1) 40 percent of the voters were Republicans.      

(2) The number of Independents surveyed was 25 percent of the combined total of Democrats and Republicans surveyed.

a.                     b.                     c.                      d.                     e.

 

32. Is the value of p closer to 10 than to 25?

(1) 25 - p < p - 10.      

(2) p < 20.

a.                     b.                     c.                      d.                     e.

 

34. If the average (arithmetic mean) of m consecutive integers is 7, what is the greatest of the integers?

(1) The range of the m integers is 8.      

(2) The least of the m integers is 3.

a.                     b.                     c.                      d.                     e.

 

35. Janika buys fabric in each of her three school colors: black, white, and red. If the total yardage of the fabric is 19, how much white fabric did she buy?

(1) The amount of white fabric is 1.5 times the amount of black fabric and two-thirds the amount of red fabric.      

(2) The sum of the amounts of white and black fabric is 1 yard more than the amount of red fabric.

a.                     b.                     c.                      d.                     e.

 

Reading Comprehension

These questions pertain to the following passage:

One of the key features of the music scene in the past decade has been the increasing popularity of outsiders, especially those with a career. In previous decades, amateur status was seen as a lower calling or, at best, a step on the way to professional status, but many musical insiders now believe that amateurs actually constitute an elite group within the music scene, with greater chances of eventual success. Professionals, once able to fully devote themselves to the advancement of their musical careers, now find themselves hamstrung by a variety of factors that were not issues even a decade ago, giving the edge to people who do not depend on music for a livelihood. A number of technological, demographic, and economic factors are to blame for this change.

Full-time musicians always had difficulties making ends meet, but these difficulties have been vastly increased by a changing music scene. The increased popularity of electronic music, mega-bands, and other acts that rely heavily on marketing, theatrics, and expensive effects has made it harder than ever for local acts to draw crowds. The decreasing crowds at coffee houses, bars, and other small venues leave the owners without the ability to pay for live music. Amateurs can still play the same coffee houses as ever, and the lack of a hundred-dollar paycheck at the end of the night is hardly noticed. Professionals, however, have to fight more desperately than ever for those few lucrative gigs.

An even bigger factor has been the rise of digital media in general and digital file sharing in particular. People have been trading copies of music for decades, but in the days of analog tapes there was always a loss. The tape one fan burned for another would be of lesser quality than the original, prompting the recipient to go out and buy the album. Now that music fans can make full-quality copies for little or nothing and distribute them all over the world, it can be very hard for bands to make any money on music sales. Again, this does not make much difference to amateurs, but it robs the professionals of what has traditionally been one of their biggest sources of revenue.

All of this results in a situation so dire for professional musicians that their extra experience often doesn't balance out their lack of economic resources. The amateurs are the only ones who can afford to buy new gear and fix broken equipment, keep their cars in working order to get to shows, and pay to promote their shows. The professionals tend to have to fall back on "day jobs," typically at lower rates and with less opportunity for advancement. Even those professional musicians who are able to supplement their incomes with music lessons, wedding shows, and other traditional jobs are often living at such a low level that they cannot afford to buy the professional equipment they need to keep the higher-paying gigs. A fairly skilled amateur, by contrast, may not have the same level of virtuosity but will be able to fake his way through most of what a professional does at a more competitive rate, which will allow him to play professional shows.

1. The author of this essay is mainly

1. arguing for a return to a climate more favorable to professional musicians
2. examining the causes of the increasing success of amateur musicians over professionals
3. revealing the psychological toll the current economy takes on professional musicians
4. disputing the claim that unsuccessful professional musicians simply don't work hard enough
5. comparing the relative contributions of professional and amateur musicians

2. Which of the following statements about musicians does the essay most directly support?

1. Bars and coffee houses should be willing to pay a fair wage to professional musicians
2. The most popular professional bands have not been affected by the changes that plague most professional musicians
3. t is much easier for amateur musicians to book shows than it was a decade ago
4. rofessional musicians have recently lost some of their most important sources of income
5. ith the shrinking music scenes, it is nearly impossible for a modern musician to support himself on music alone

3. In his discussion of professional musicians in the last paragraph, the author

1. indicates that amateurs deserve their new, higher status
2. shows that in the current climate, professionals may not have the ability to purchase and maintain the tools that they need
3. points out the decrease in the market for wedding gigs and lessons
4. questions an assumption about the status of professional musicians
5. predicts a decline in the number of professional musicians

4. According to the essay, amateur musicians are becoming more successful at both amateur and professional gigs because professionals

1. exclusively performs high-paying gigs and are unwilling to play in clubs
2. are not able to relate to ordinary people as well as amateurs can
3. have financial needs that they are not able to meet in the current musical climate
4. are in an industry that is particularly susceptible to economic changes
5. don't receive the same respect as people with more lucrative careers

Sentence Correction

Look at the underlined section of each sentence. The compare the five choices below the sentence. The first of these is no different from the original; each of the others differs in some way. Out of the five choices, select the one that you believe is the correct expression.

1. Historians have discovered that fighting was a popular sport for ancient cultures, as that of modern civilizations.

1. as that of modern civilizations
2. like that for modern civilizations
3. exactly like modern civilizations do
4. as modern people do
5. as it still is for modern civilizations

2. Born John Joseph Lydon in North London in 1956, Johnny Rotten's first number 1 song, God Save the Queen was released during the week of Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee when the musician was 21.

1. Johnny Rotten's first number 1 song, God Save the Queen was released during the week of Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee when the musician was 21
2. Johnny Rotten's first number 1 song, God Save the Queen, released during the week of Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee when the musician was 21
3. Johnny Rotten's God Save the Queen, his first number 1 song was released during the week of Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee when the musician was 21
4. Johnny Rotten released his first number 1 song, God Save the Queen, during the week of Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee when the musician was 21
5. during the week of Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee, Johnny Rotten released his first number 1 song, God Save the Queen when the musician was 21

3. In musical recording, one advantage of simultaneous multi-track recording over recording one musician at a time is that the harmonies are blended as the music is played rather than a digital simulation requiring extra processing and remixing.

1. rather than
2. rather than in
3. as opposed to
4. and not
5. instead of having been with

4. The Discordian Society believes that, since the untimely demise of their leader Kerry Thornley, they did and will keep continuing the chaotic goals of Thornley and his cabal, the Legion of Dynamic Discord, who have begun to sow the seeds of worldwide anarchy.

1. they did and will keep continuing the chaotic goals of Thornley and his cabal, the Legion of Dynamic Discord
2. they did and will keep continuing Thornley's, and his cabal the Legion of Discord's, chaotic goals
3. it did and will keep continuing the chaotic goals of Thornley and his cabal, the Legion of Dynamic Discord
4. it has maintained and will continue to maintain the chaotic goals of Thornley and his cabal, the Legion of Dynamic Discord
5. it has continued the chaotic goals of Thornley and his cabal, the Legion of Dynamic Discord

Answers

Quantitative Problem Solving

1. C: If Anish was the 11th highest speller, 10 participants placed higher. If Anish was the 25th lowest speller, 24 participants placed lower. Therefore, the total number of participants was 10 + 24 + 1 (Anish) = 35

2. B: The total number of guests in attendance is 0.6(750) = 450. If 46 percent of the attendees are male, then 54 percent are female. Therefore, the number of females in attendance is 0.54(450) = 243.

3. D: Let x equal the amount of the fourth order. Then using the formula Avg = (sum of values)/(# of values), the given information can be expressed in the following equation: (75 + 40 + 107 + x)/4 = 80. Cross-multiplying, we get 75 + 40 + 107 + x = 320, or x = 98.

4. C: Use the Distance Formula: distance = rate × time AND time = distance/rate.

1. First half of trip: 1,500 = 400 × time, so time = 15/4.
2. Second half of trip: 1,500 = rate × distance/rate = rate × 1500/r.
3. Total trip: 3,000 = 500 × time, so total time = 6.

The total time of the trip is the sum of the times for the first 1,500 miles and the second 1,500 miles. So, 15/4 + 1500/r = 6. Solving for r, we multiply both sides of the equation by 4r and get:

15r + 6,000 = 24r
6,000 = 9r
r = 666 2/3.

5. D: Let F equal the total amount in the college fund. Then the amount spent on tuition, room and board, and books is 3/8 F + 1/4 F + 1/5 F.

Finding the LCD, 3/8 F + 1/4 F + 1/5 F = (15 +10 + 8)F/40 = 33/40 F.

The remainder of the fund is therefore 1 - 33F/40, or 7F/40.

We are told 7F/40 = $7,000, so F = $40,000.



Data Sufficiency

1. B

Justifications:

If we let d, r, and i be the number of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents surveyed respectively, then d + r + i = 1,500.

(1) We are told that 40 percent of the voters are Republicans, so r = 0.40(1,500) = 600. Plugging that into the equation d + r + i = 1,500, we get d + 600 + i = 1,500, or d + i = 900 and i = 900 - d. The value of this expression varies, so (1) is not sufficient.

(2) We are told i = 0.25(d + r), or 4i = d + r. By substituting 4i for d + r in the original equation, we get 4i + i = 1,500, or i = 300. So (2) is sufficient. Therefore, the correct answer is B; Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) alone is not sufficient.

 

 

2. A

Justifications:

First we find the midpoint of 10 and 25: (10 + 25)/2 = 17.5. So any number greater than 17.5 is closer to 25 and any number less than 17.5 is closer to 10.

(1) 25 - p < p - 10

35 < 2p or 17.5 < p, so (1) is sufficient.

 

(2) We are told p < 20, but it could be, for example, 19 (closer to 25), or 11 (closer to 10). So (2) is not sufficient.

Therefore, the correct answer is A; Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) alone is not sufficient.

 

3. D

Justifications:

If we let i be the greatest of the consecutive integers, then the set of integers is {i - (m - 1) or i - m +1, ..., i - 3, i - 2, i - 1, i}.

(1) The range is the difference between the greatest and least members of the set, so 8 = i - (i - m + 1), which simplifies as 8 = m - 1, or m = 9. And, we are given that [(i - 9 + 1) + (i - 1) + (i - 2) ... + i]/9 = 7, or [(i - 9 + 1) + (i - 1) + (i - 2) ... + i] = 63. A unique value of i can be determined so (1) is sufficient.

 

((2) Because the integers are consecutive, they form a data set that is symmetric about its average. So, the average of the integers is the average of the least and greatest numbers: (3 + i) / 2 = 7, or 3 + i = 14, or i = 11. So (2) is sufficient.

Therefore, the correct answer is D; EACH statement ALONE is sufficient.

This expression can also vary in value, so (2) is not sufficient.

 

Given (1) and (2): y = z + 16 and y = 2z + 10, we can solve the equations simultaneously to obtain values of y and z.

 

Therefore, the correct answer is C; BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient.

 

4. A

Justifications:

(1) If there are x yards of black fabric then there are 1.5x yards of white fabric and (3/2)(1.5)x, or 2.25x yards of red fabric. So x + 1.5x + 2.25x = 19 or 4.75x = 19 or x = 4. So, the amount of white fabric can be determined: 1.5(4) = 6 yards. Thus, (1) is sufficient.

(2) If the sum of the amounts of the white and black fabrics is y, then the amount of red fabric is y - 1.So y + (y - 1) = 19 or 2y = 20, or y = 10. But we don't know how much of this quantity is black and how much is white. Thus, (2) is not sufficient.

Therefore, the correct answer is A; Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) alone is not sufficient.

This expression can also vary in value, so (2) is not sufficient.

 

 

5. C

Justifications:

(1) The even integers between 2 and 9 inclusive that are the square root of some integer are 2, 4, 6, and 8. So (1) is not sufficient.

(2) Of the integers 2 through 9, only 8 has a cube root that is an integer, so (2) is sufficient.

Therefore, the correct answer is B; Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) alone is not sufficient.

Reading Comprehension

1. B: In the first paragraph of the essay, the author characterizes amateurs as "an elite group within the music scene" and states that there are several "technological, demographic, and economic factors" that account for them doing better than professionals. The tone of the essay is documentary-the author doesn't make any judgments about whether this is a good development or a bad one. He simply states that amateurs are more successful relative to professionals than they have been before and goes on to examine the reasons for this.

2. D: The key is the phrase "directly support." The essay needs to come right out and say the correct answer, not imply that it is true. Paragraph 3 says that digital file sharing "robs the professionals of what has traditionally been one of their biggest sources of revenue." Paragraph 2 provides less direct evidence, saying that many clubs that were once able to pay professionals now can't. Professionals have lost most of their income from both small clubs and recordings.

3. B: The second sentence in the final paragraph is a giveaway. If the "amateurs are the only ones who can afford to buy new gear and fix broken equipment, keep their cars in working order to get to shows, and pay to promote their shows," then the professionals must not be able to do any of those things.

4. C: The essay as a whole discusses how the current musical scene negatively affects professional musicians while leaving amateurs unharmed. The second paragraph, for example, discusses how professionals are no longer able to make a living playing small venues and must "fight more desperately than ever for those few lucrative gigs." The final paragraph states that, because of the effect on their finances, professionals are unable to maintain the gear and transportation they need to "keep the higher-paying gigs." It goes on to say that "a fairly skilled amateur . . . will be able to fake his way through most of what a professional does . . . to play professional shows." Therefore, professionals are falling behind amateurs at small venues (which professionals can't afford to play because of the lack of pay) and at professional gigs (where professionals can't play because they can't afford professional gear).

 

 

Sentence Correction

1. E: This question is about parallel structure. If fighting "was" a popular sport in the past, then it "is" in the present.

2. D: The original sentence contains incorrect pronoun reference. It implies that "Johnny Rotten's first number 1 song" was "born John Joseph Lydon." The correct answer should show that it was Johnny Rotten who was born as John Joseph Lydon.

3. B: This question requires parallel structure. The phrase "as the music is played" means "at the same time." It should be contrasted with "in a digital simulation" meaning "at another time after the music is played."

4. E: The sentence contains an error of agreement. The Discordian Society is a collective group, and therefore takes the pronoun "it" and not "they." In addition, "they did and will keep continuing" is an extremely awkward construction.

 

 

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by Kelley O'Connor
Last Updated: 05/21/2013

 

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