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Terry has some oranges. Out of that, 4% were thrown away
Categories : Percents

GMAT Orange Percentage ProblemTerry has some oranges. Out of that, 4% were thrown away, 80% of the remaining oranges were sold and he is now left with 96 oranges. What was the initial number of oranges with him?

A) 100
B) 200
C) 300
D) 350
E) 400

Solution: This is a Percentages question. Let us take variable X as the total number of initial oranges with Terry.

Oranges thrown away: 4%*X

Remaining oranges: 96%*X

Oranges sold: 80%*96%*X

Total oranges left: 96 oranges

The equation for total number of oranges is therefore,

X – (4%*X + 80%*96%*X) = 96

=> X – (0.04X + 0.8*0.96*X) = 96
=> X - 0.77X = 96
=> 0.23X = 96
=> X = 300

Correct Answer: C


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At a contest with 1,500 participants, 1/2 of the people
Categories : Change in percent, Percents

At a contest with 1,500 participants, 1/2 of the people are aged 8 to 12. Next year, the number of
people aged 8 to 12 will increase by 1/3. After this change, what percentage of the total 1,500 people will the 8 to 12 year olds represent?

A. 33%
B. 40%
C. 50%
D. 55%
E. 66.66%

Answer

Total Participants: 1500

This Year: Ages 8 to 12 - 750
Next Year: Ages 8 to 12 - 750 + 1/3 x 750 = 750 + 250 = 1000

Choice E: The new percentage is 1,000/1,500, or 2/3, which corresponds to 66 2/3%.

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GMAT Percentages – Common Traps and Pitfalls
Categories : Percents

The topic of percentages is one of the easiest that you will tackle on the GMAT. We are all accustomed to calculating percentages in our daily lives, and any potential question on this topic would seem to be a cakewalk to most. While that is generally true, there are also some traps and pitfalls that the GMAT will lay down for you. Be careful not to get caught in them! Here are some handy tips, tricks, and trap warnings to help you negotiate your way around GMAT questions on this topic:

Error Type 1: Using the wrong base when calculating percentage change

The percentage increase in a quantity when it is increased by a certain amount is [(new value – old value)/old value] x 100. Similarly the percentage decrease is [(old value-new value)/old value] x 100. This point seems to be fairly obvious. However, an exam situation can play tricks on anyone and cause them to make silly mistakes in a hurry.

A common error involves taking the new value in the denominator. If the price of a product increases from 120 to 140, the percentage increase is (20/120)*100 = 16.67%, not (20/140)*100 = 14.28%.

Another example: If a is 60% of b, what % of a is b?

Answer...

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Understanding "Of" for GMAT Quant and Verbal Sections
Categories : Misplaced Modifiers, Percents, Problem Solving, Sentence Correction

Word OfOne of the smallest and least noteworthy words in the English language, the word “of” is crucial to your success on the GMAT, on both the quantitative and verbal sides of the exam. It is of great importance that you recognize these two common appearances of, and traps set by, the word “of“:

1) Sentence Correction

In Sentence Correction questions, the word “of” is usually employed as a modifier, which the GMAT often throws in to lengthen sentences and distract you from subject-verb agreement errors. Consider the following items:

The number of applicants to business schools are increasing given the current economic climate.

The House of Representatives are meeting this week to continue working on an environmental bill.

In each instance, the subject is actually the singular noun before the word “of” – “of applicants to business schools” just tells us “which number?”, and “of Representatives” simply indicates “which House?”. The authors of the GMAT know that examinees are often unsure of which noun to choose as the subject; by using the word “of” to set up modifiers with multiple nouns, the writers can exacerbate this problem. If you...

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