As explained by Chris Ryan, Director of Product and Instructor Development at ManhattanGMAT, the Quantitative Section of the GMAT takes 75 minutes to complete and is composed of 37 questions. More specifically, there are two types of quantitative questions – problem-solving (where the question normally asks “What is X?” and the set of answers correspond to numbers) and data sufficiency.
Data sufficiency questions
The data sufficiency types of questions are unique to the GMAT – they do not exist on any other standardised test. They require test takers to determine not the answer to a given question, but to figure out whether you can answer that question using a couple of clues. It is like a logic puzzle wrapped around a math question. This is one of the areas to focus on when you are first starting to prepare for the GMAT.
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Steve Shaheen, GMAT Instructor at Manhattan GMAT, further clarifies that there are two types of data sufficiency questions – the “yes/no” questions and the ones that require a numerical answer. One of the main tips that test takers need to remember is the importance of rephrasing when answering data sufficiency questions. Because many of them will be formulated in a complicated way, applicants need to learn how to strip them down to their essence and simplify them.
Speed and ease
Another important piece of advice to keep in mind is being able to give up on the questions that turn out most difficult because in the end, spending too much time on solving them may hurt your overall performance and lower your score. The ability to optimise your timing as well as how easily you can solve certain problems will ultimately save you the time and effort of being stuck on one question for too long. Those two factors of speed and ease are ones that GMAT test takers often overlook.
Most importantly, set your expectations in a way that is realistic. The more you progress, especially if you get into the 700 percentile, the more difficult it will be to get a higher score. Although GMAT practice is not easy, it is certainly doable if you invest a lot of work in it.
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