Master GMAT Quant: Know What to Expect to Maximize Your Prep

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Last Updated on April 23, 2024

GMAT preparation will take a significant amount of time. To make your studying efficient, you need every tool you can find. Thus, it will be advantageous for you to have a GMAT exam syllabus, or “lay of the land,” when it comes to GMAT Quant topics. By knowing which math topics are covered in GMAT Quant, you can get a realistic expectation of the road you must travel during your prep. You’ll also get a good feel for how long it will take you to be ready for whatever they can throw at you in the GMAT Quant section on test day.

Here are the topics we’ll cover:

• The Quant Section of the GMAT
  • Problem Solving (PS) Questions
    • Problem Solving (PS) Problem Example
  • Data Sufficiency (DS) Questions
    • Data Sufficiency (DS) Question Example
• The Major GMAT Quant Topics
  • Basic Arithmetic Subtopics
  • Linear Equations Subtopics
  • Quadratic Equations Subtopics
  • Exponents and Roots Subtopics
  • Number Properties Subtopics
  • Inequalities and Absolute Value Subtopics
  • General Word Problems Subtopics
  • Rates, Work, and Unit Conversions Subtopics
  • Percents and Ratios Subtopics
  • Overlapping Sets Subtopics
  • Statistics and Probability Subtopics
  • Combinations and Permutations Subtopics
  • Geometry Subtopics
  • Coordinate Geometry Subtopics
  • Functions and Sequences Subtopics
• Summary: GMAT Quant Syllabus
• What’s Next?

Let’s start our coverage of the GMAT Quant syllabus with an overview of the GMAT Quant section.

The Quant Section of the GMAT

There are four sections on the GMAT: one Analytical Writing section (with one essay prompt), one Verbal Reasoning section, one Quantitative Reasoning section, and one Integrated Reasoning section.

The Quantitative section of the GMAT is 62 minutes long and contains 31 questions. In the Quant section, you will encounter two question types:

1. Problem Solving (PS) — traditional multiple choice
2. Data Sufficiency (DS) — two statements are given, and you must determine if either, both, or neither are sufficient to answer the question.

Two important features of GMAT Quant are that you may not use a calculator and you may not go back and change an answer. This latter feature is called question-adaptivity, which means that once you answer a question, the difficulty of the following question is based on whether you correctly answered the previous question.

Let’s look at an example of each type of Quant question you will encounter on the GMAT.

Problem Solving (PS) Questions

The most common and recognizable questions in GMAT Quant are the multiple choice questions, referred to as Problem Solving (PS) problems. PS questions present you with 5 answer choices, one of which is correct. These questions are similar to the multiple-choice questions that you encountered in high school or on the ACT or SAT.

Let’s practice a basic PS question.

Next, let’s discuss Data Sufficiency (DS) questions.

Data Sufficiency (DS) Questions

A DS question assesses your ability to analyze two given statements to determine whether you have enough information to answer the question. You’re not actually required to solve a problem but rather to decide if the information provided is sufficient to solve the problem. Your answer will indicate whether each statement individually can be used to answer the question, whether both statements together can answer the question, or whether both statements used together still do not provide sufficient information to answer the question.

Let’s consider a basic example that illustrates the logic of a DS question.

Now that we have reviewed the two GMAT Quant question types, let’s discuss the Quant topics covered on the GMAT.

The Major GMAT Quant Topics

Students often ask, “What Quant topics are on the GMAT?” There are roughly 20 major GMAT Quant subjects. The GMAT math syllabus breakdown is below:

• Basic Arithmetic
• Linear Equations
• Quadratic Equations
• Exponents and Roots
• Number Properties
• Inequalities
• Absolute Value
• General Word Problems
• Rates
• Work
• Unit Conversions
• Ratios and Proportions
• Percents
• Overlapping Sets
• Statistics
• Combinations and Permutations
• Probability
• Geometry
• Coordinate Geometry
• Functions and Sequences

This list contains all the Quant topics you can expect to see on the GMAT. But because the exam contains only 31 Quant questions, you don’t know which ones you’ll encounter on test day. Thus, you need to master each of them. You’ll want to take a structured and topical approach to your prep to make sure that you are well prepared.

Next, let’s review the many important subtopics within each major math topic. We will start with basic arithmetic.

Basic Arithmetic Subtopics

Basic arithmetic prepares you to deal with components of more advanced questions. Any good study plan will ensure that you review basic arithmetic before you cover more advanced topics. Basic arithmetic covers the following:

• Addition and subtraction of fractions
• Multiplication and division of fractions
• Decimal rules
• Estimation
• Practice with PEMDAS
• Basic factorial arithmetic

Let’s take a look at linear equations next.

Linear Equations Subtopics

Linear equations and systems of linear equations are the bread and butter of algebra. Without a solid foundation in linear equations, you will struggle with many other math topics. For example, you will notice that your algebra skills play a large role in solving word problems, ratio questions, or coordinate geometry questions. So, don’t skimp on learning about linear equations.

Here is a list of some of the subtopics to expect:

• Solving one-variable equations
• Solving two-variable equations
• Using the substitution method of solving a system of linear equations
• Using the combination method of solving a system of linear equations
• Expressing one variable in terms of another variable

Next, let’s discuss quadratic equations.

Quadratic Equations Subtopics

Working with quadratic equations is generally more challenging than working with linear equations, and they can pop up in other GMAT Quant topics, such as Combinations, Probability, and Functions. Some quadratic equations subtopics are:

• The FOIL technique
• Factoring a quadratic trinomial
• 3 basic quadratic identities
• The Zero Product Property
• Eliminating fractions from equations

Our next topic is exponents and roots.

Exponents and Roots Subtopics

Learning the rules when you study exponents and roots is critical. The good news is that if you know those rules and processes, you really should not have any issues solving these types of questions. Below are some of the exponent and roots subtopics:

• Multiplying and dividing exponential expressions
• Adding and subtracting exponents or roots
• Non-perfect roots
• Rationalizing fractions
• Fractional and negative exponents
• Solving exponential equations

Let’s move on to number properties.

Number Properties Subtopics

Number properties is a topic concerned with how numbers “behave.” This topic covers the properties that help to express the basic characteristics of real numbers. Generally, number properties topics are not extensively covered in traditional geometry, algebra, or calculus courses, so many students must devote extra time and attention to this topic.

Here are the major subtopics of number properties:

• Integers
• Even/odd integers
• Positive/negative integers
• Prime numbers
• LCM and GCF
• Remainder theory
• Evenly spaced sets
• Divisibility
• Units digit patterns

Another important topic tested on the GMAT is inequalities and absolute value.

Inequalities and Absolute Value Subtopics

Inequalities and absolute value concepts build on many of the rules you learned for linear equations, with certain exceptions and warnings. Both inequality and absolute value questions require practice for the average student to gain familiarity and comfort. Short of a few new rules, you will use many of the techniques you learned for linear equations to answer inequality and absolute value questions.

Some subtopics of inequalities and absolute value are:

• Equations versus inequalities
• Adding and subtracting inequalities
• Multiplication of an inequality by a negative number
• Compound inequalities
• Absolute value basics
• Solving absolute value equations
• When two absolute value expressions are equal to each other

Let’s move on to general word problems.

General Word Problems Subtopics

You will need to know how to quickly and efficiently translate from words into equations when you encounter GMAT word problems. Below we have listed the more common types of word problems on the GMAT, but this list is not exhaustive:

• Money questions
• Age questions
• Mixture questions
• Consecutive integer questions
• Profit and loss questions
• Salary questions
• Simple interest questions
• Compound interest questions
• Linear growth versus exponential growth questions

Let’s now consider work, rates, and unit conversions.

Rates, Work, and Unit Conversions Subtopics

Rate questions and work questions are similar, and they use similar formulas. For rates, the basic formula is rate x time = distance, and for work, the formula is rate x time = work. For more complicated questions, you may need to use one of the basic formulas with the additional requirement of performing a unit conversion.

Subtopics of rates, work, and unit conversions cover:

• Basic rate or work
• Average rates
• Converging and diverging rates
• Catch-up or catch-up and pass rates
• Round trip rate questions
• Combined workers performing work
• Opposing workers performing work
• Basic unit conversions
• Unit conversions in which units are squared or cubed

Let’s now focus our attention on percents and ratios.

Percents and Ratios Subtopics

Because ratios compare two or more quantities, they are often represented by fractions. Additionally, ratios are related to percents and decimals. It may have been a long time since you studied these topics, so a deep review may be necessary. Here are the subtopics you should concentrate on:

• Two-part and three-part ratios
• How to use the ratio multiplier
• Ratios and proportions
• The basics of percents
• Percent expressions
• Percent change

No discussion of GMAT Quant topics is complete without mentioning overlapping sets.

Overlapping Sets Subtopics

If the term “Venn diagram” is familiar to you, you will recall that an overlapping set occurs when you have two sets and at least one element that appears in each set. You may encounter more complex scenarios, such as when three sets have common elements. Overlapping sets subtopics include:

• The set-matrix
• Calculating percents or occurrences in the set-matrix
• The Venn diagram for three overlapping sets

Our next topic is statistics and probability.

Statistics and Probability Subtopics

Most, if not all, of the probability and statistics topics tested on the GMAT are those that you learned in a basic statistics course. Here are the subtopics that you will encounter:

• Mean, median, and mode
• Evenly spaced sets
• The weighted average
• Range and standard deviation
• Basic probability
• The addition rule and mutually exclusive events
• The multiplication rule and independent events

Another topic often covered in an elementary statistics course is combinations and permutations.

Combinations and Permutations Subtopics

Combinations and permutations both refer to methods of counting the number of ways that a certain task can be completed or individuals can be selected. Combinations are used when the order of selection does not matter. Permutations, in contrast, are used when the order of selection does matter. Here are the subtopics you’ll need to know:

• The formula for combinations
• The fundamental counting principle
• Combinations with and without restrictions
• The formula for permutations
• Distinguishable and indistinguishable items
• Circular permutations
• Creating codes

Let’s move on to Geometry.

Geometry Subtopics

Many GMAT students have not studied Geometry for 7-10 years, so it is a topic that requires review. If you want to be confident when you’re facing a Geometry question, make sure you are familiar with the following subtopics:

• Lines
• Lines — parallel and intersecting angles
• Triangles
• The Pythagorean theorem
• Triangles — equilateral, isosceles, and scalene
• Parallelograms
• Rectangles, squares, and trapezoids
• Circles
• Inscribed and circumscribed shapes
• 3D geometry (rectangular prisms, cubes, and right circular cylinders)
• Areas and volumes

Let’s now consider coordinate geometry.

Coordinate Geometry Subtopics

You may be unfamiliar with the term “coordinate geometry,” but it simply refers to an activity you did many times in high school algebra class: graphing objects on the coordinate plane (with the x- and y-axis). Coordinate geometry also will bring back fond memories of the infamous y = mx + b form of a line. Having a solid background in this topic will serve you well. Here is a breakdown of coordinate geometry:

• Axes and quadrants
• Slope
• Slope-intercept form of a line
• Perpendicular and parallel lines
• The distance formula
• The midpoint formula
• Circles in the coordinate plane
• Graphing inequalities

Our final GMAT topic is functions and sequences.

Functions and Sequences Subtopics

Functions are like math machines in which an input produces an output. The function notation f(x) may be a bit intimidating, but with a bit of practice, you should be able to demystify functions.

Sequences are simply number patterns. The GMAT will not test you on the more complex sequences, but a solid understanding of basic sequences will serve you well.

Here are the subtopics you’ll need to know:

• Domain and range of a function
• Compound functions
• Graphs of functions
• Word problems with functions
• Arithmetic sequences
• Geometric sequences

Summary: GMAT Quant Syllabus

There is one Quant section on the GMAT, in which you have 62 minute to answer 31 questions. There are two question type that you will encounter in the Quant section:

• Problem Solving (PS) — traditional multiple-choice
• Data Sufficiency (DS) — evaluate whether one, both, or neither of two statements provide sufficient information to answer a question posed in the question stem

There are roughly 20 major Quant topics on the GMAT. Each of the topics on our list of topics to cover for GMAT has about 5-8 subtopics, which we have listed and discussed in this article.

We see that knowing what is on the GMAT will help immeasurably in making a study plan.

What’s Next?

Sun Tzu once said, “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” Now that you know which GMAT Quantitative topics (the “enemy”) are covered on the exam, you can get started with your prep. But don’t forget to get to know yourself, your abilities, and your limitations! If you work full-time, you will appreciate these tips for studying for the GMAT with a demanding job. The more you know, the better you’ll do. Good luck!