GRE Math : GRE Quantitative Reasoning

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GRE Math

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : How To Find The Sale Price

A department store sells a set of hand weights for $X. If the store offers a 20% discount on the original price of the weights, and then an additional 10% employee discount, what will be the price of the weights if an employee purchases them?

Possible Answers:

0.7X

0.72X

0.88X

0.64X

0.8X

Correct answer:

0.72X

Explanation:

This is a straightforward percentage problem. After the first discount, the price of the weights is $0.8X. This price is then further reduced by 10% for the employee discount. 90% of 0.8X = 0.9(0.8X) = 0.72X.

Example Question #1 : How To Find The Sale Price

A shirt is originally $20 and marked down 30%.  After this it is marked up by 40% then marked down again by 10%.  What is its final price?

Possible Answers:

$17.64

None of the other answers

$18.50

$7.56

$20

Correct answer:

$17.64

Explanation:

The easiest way to solve this is to note that a 30% markdown reduces the cost to 70% of the original cost.  Likewise, a 40% markup is the same as making the price 140% of its current value.  Using this, we can solve our problem in one string of multiplications:

New cost = Original * 0.7 * 1.4 * 0.9

New cost = 20 * 0.7 * 1.4 * 0.9 = 17.64

Example Question #2 : How To Find The Sale Price

A dress originally costs $50 but is on sale for 25% off. In addition, you have a 10% off coupon. How much will the dress cost after these discounts?

Possible Answers:

$42.15

$35.25

$32.50

$33.75

Correct answer:

$33.75

Explanation:

To find 25% of $50 you multiply 50 and 0.25. This gives you 12.50. This means the dress is $12.50 cheaper, so it now costs 50 – 12.50 = $37.50. You have an additional 10% off, so you multiply 37.50 by 0.10 to get 3.75. 37.50 – 3.75 = $33.75. This is the cost of the dress. NOTE: You CANNOT add 25% and 10% and take 35% off of the $50 dress. You will get the wrong answer. 

Example Question #2 : How To Find The Sale Price

Product X costs $27 to manufacture at the rate of 50 per hour. Production can only be increased in groups of 10 units per hour. For each such increase, the production cost increases 30% of its previous amount. If the output is to be doubled, for how much must each unit be sold to make at least a 25% profit?

Possible Answers:

$198.28

$157.32

$219.38

$125.32

$213.75

Correct answer:

$125.32

Explanation:

To calculate a 30% increase in cost, you can multiply the base cost by 1.3; therefore, if we are going to increase the rate five times, we will multiply by 1.3 five times, which is the same as 1.35. The cost of creating 100 units per hour is 27 * 1.35 = 100.25. 

If we want to make a 25% profit, we can set up the equation:

Price = 1.25 * 100.25 or 125.3125. To make at least a 25%, this will be $125.32.

Example Question #2 : How To Find The Sale Price

To promote a new ice cream flavor, an ice cream parlor is selling their $1.29 cones at 70% of the original price. Approximately how much will be saved by buying 4 of their cones?

Possible Answers:

$3.20

$3.16

$1.29

$1.56

$.90

Correct answer:

$1.56

Explanation:

First let's calculate what 70% of $1.29 is: .7(1.29) = .9

Next, calculate how much 4 cones would have cost at the original price vs. the sale price:

4(1.29) = 5.16

4(.9) = 3.60

5.16 – 3.60 = $1.56 saved

Example Question #301 : Arithmetic

Betty buys a sweater for $36. The next week, Alice buys the same sweater on sale for 25% off. The week after that, Chelsea buys the same sweater that is now 15% off the sale price. How much did Chelsea spend on the sweater? 

Possible Answers:

$30

$30.60

$27

$22.95

$21.60

Correct answer:

$22.95

Explanation:

The sweater price starts at $36. Alice pays $36 – (.25 * $36) = $27. Chelsea then pays $27 – (.15 * $27) = $22.95, which is the correct answer.

When solving percentage questions such as this one, do NOT try to add up the discounts and find the final sale price all in one step. If you tried to do that here, the answer would have been $36 – (.25 + .15) * $36 = $21.60. This is an answer choice, but the wrong answer!  Most GRE percentage questions will always give you this as one of your answer choices to try and trick you!

Example Question #4 : How To Find The Sale Price

How much does a sweater cost that is 18% more than a $50 dress?

Possible Answers:

59

64

55

68

54

Correct answer:

59

Explanation:

18% of the dress is .18 * 50 = $9.  Then the sweater costs $50 + $9 = $59.

Example Question #11 : How To Find The Sale Price

Jenny is at a store and would like to buy a shirt. The shirt is labelled \dpi{100} \small 20\% off, and the store is having a store-wide sale where everything is \dpi{100} \small 15\% off. What percent of the original price does Jenny have to pay? 

Possible Answers:

\dpi{100} \small .68\%

\dpi{100} \small 68\%

\dpi{100} \small 75\%

\dpi{100} \small .75\%

\dpi{100} \small 65\%

Correct answer:

\dpi{100} \small 68\%

Explanation:

Based on the shirts label, Jenny should pay \dpi{100} \small 80\% of the full price. With the store's discount, she will pay \dpi{100} \small 85\% of this. Thus, she will pay \dpi{100} \small .8\times .85=.68 of the full price. This is equivalent to \dpi{100} \small 68\%

Example Question #81 : Percentage

A car dealer purchased a used truck, marked it up to make a 30% profit, then sold it at a 30% discount from the sticker price.

Quantity A: The amount that the dealer paid for the truck

Quantity B: The amount for which the dealer sold the truck

Possible Answers:

The two quantities are equal

The relationship cannot be determined from the information given

Quantity A is greater

Quantity B is greater

Correct answer:

Quantity A is greater

Explanation:

Since no price is given, you can pick $100 as the starting point for the value of the truck. $100 marked up 30% is $130, and the 30% discount brings it to $91.

Example Question #11 : How To Find The Sale Price

A retail chain wishes to make at least a  profit on a new item. If it can only sell its items for integer values, what is the lowest price it can sell the item for if it costs the chain  to purchase it?

Possible Answers:

None of the answers are correct.

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Let's begin by finding the absolute amount necessary for a 27% profit. Following that, we will adjust for the needs of having a whole number price.  If the sale price is S, we can set up the following equation:

(S – 23)/23 = 0.27

S – 23 = 6.21

S = 29.21

The product must, however, be sold for at least $30 because it has to be an integer value.

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