12 Winning Strategies for GRE Quant Section

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GRE Quant Section can seem too simple for some of us to pay it the required attention at a first glance. But the fact is that the split score matters a lot and a minimum of 160 (as per the new pattern) is a ‘MUST’ for engineering students, who are familiar with most of the topics.


So, apart from engineering students to take it not lightly, the other students need to make extra efforts and solve as many questions as they can.
Solve some notes from a renowned author, or practice our Skill Maestro GRE Quant wizardNotes as and when you get time during your preparation.

Winning GRE Math strategies to keep in mind while solving the Quant section:

  • Keep in mind that the GRE Math section questions are not designed to test your ability to carry out lengthy calculations but to test your number sense and logic skills.
  • Almost all GRE Math questions can be solved using more than one approach.
  • Plan to spend no more than 2 minutes per question. Each Quantitative section has approx. 20 questions and you are given 35 minutes in which to complete them. Some questions you will be able to solve in 1 minute, and some will take 2. If you’ve already spent more than 2 minutes on a question, you should make an intelligent guess and move on.
  • Always look at the choices before solving the question
    • If there’s a huge difference among the choices then estimating the answers makes sense
    • If the difference is small then:
      1. look for an alternate approach
      2. lengthy calculations can, at times, be a possibility
  • Substitution is a very useful technique for solving GRE math problems. It often reduces hard problems to routine ones. In this method, we choose numbers that have the properties given in the problem and plug them into the answer-choices.
  • Analyze tables & graphs thoroughly. For Data Interpretation questions don’t straightaway go to the problems. Read the titles, labels, units, and take a look at the general trends of the data beforehand. How do the variables interact with one another? What general conclusions can be drawn about the presented information? You’ll know exactly where to find the correct answer if you already fully grasp the data.
  • Remember to approximate/estimate or intelligent guess, wherever possible.
  • Try to eliminate as many choices as possible
  • Another habit that may be inculcated in you from your math background is to “get the right answer by solving all the problems completely”. But the question is if this is the right approach? Well, yes and no: yes in Problem Solving and Data Interpretation, but no in Quantitative Comparison questions where your job is not necessarily to solve the problems but rather to learn enough about quantities A and B to compare them. So especially in QCs—but also in the other question types approximating values may save time.
  • GRE is a selection-level adaptive test, which means that your performance in the first math section will decide the difficulty level of the next math section. In order to get a difficult next section (which you must try to, in order to get high score), you must work quickly to answer all or nearly all questions with as much accuracy as possible.
  • GRE has no negative marking or penalty on guess work so there’s no point in leaving a question unanswered. You can either save last thirty seconds for randomly guessing the answers for the remaining questions or using the ‘mark’ feature you can flag questions for review and pick a random answer anyway – just in case you do not get time to come back.
  • Avoid Making Silly Mistakes: Considering the pressure; the timing restrictions on the exam, it is possible to select wrong answers for questions a candidate knows very well. But it doesn’t have to be this way. To avoid careless mistakes, follow these tips:
    • Slow down: Although rushing may allow you to answer more questions, a multitude of wrong answers, could be deleterious for your GRE score. Think through the questions before jumping in to solve them. Taking the necessary time to select the proper approach will help you get off on the right foot before investing your time in a wrong direction.
    • Read the question carefully: The test makers often have a knack for asking regular questions with a little twist. Make sure that you answer the question asked rather than the question you think they might ask. If possible, reread the question one last time before making your final selection to make sure you’re giving them what they want.


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