GRE/GMAT

MATH REVIEW
WELCOME
If it’s been years since you’ve taken a math class, then you might feel that your computation skills and math
knowledge are a little rusty. It’s probably been some time since you’ve regularly done multiplication and long
division without a calculator handy. You may not remember the precise definition of a prime number or how
to solve an inequality.
These sorts of skills and knowledge form the basis of what’s tested in GRE and GMAT math sections.
Many questions test your knowledge of math concepts, and even the most difficult questions involve math
fundamentals. To do your best, you also need to be able to perform calculations quickly and accurately. In
this seminar, we will help bring you back up to speed by reviewing math basics.
We can’t cover everything you need to know about math in just a few hours, so we’ll focus on the most
important core material. We’ll discuss:

• Number properties

• Fractions, decimals, and percentages

• Algebra

• Exponents and Roots

Rest assured that the prework and lessons in your course offer comprehensive coverage of all the math tested
on your exam. You’ll build on what you learn in this session, and you will be prepared for anything you
might encounter on the GRE or GMAT.

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 GMAT/GRE Math Review

NUMBER PROPERTIES

INTEGERS
Integers are whole numbers including negative numbers and 0. No fractions; no decimals.

Examples of Integers Examples of Non-integers

7 3
−14, −5, 0, 39, 1438 −23.6, − , , 59.475
3 4
Circle the integers below:

6 12
− 7.00
8 4

EVEN AND ODD

An even number is divisible by 2. An odd number is not divisible by 2. Even and odd apply only to
integers! There’s no such thing as an even or odd fraction.

Rules for Operations with Even and Odd Numbers

If you forget these rules, you can always figure them out by testing a pair of numbers. Note that there are no
even/odd rules for division. Division often produces fractions, which are neither even nor odd.
Rule Example

Even × Even = Even 4 × 6 = _______

Even × Odd = Even 8 × 7 = _______

Odd × Odd = Odd 3 × 5 = _______

Even ± Even = Even 12 + 6 = _______

Odd ± Even = Odd 17 − 6 = _______

Odd ± Odd = Even 7 + 5 = _______

Indicate whether x is even, odd, or if it’s impossible to determine:

1. 4x + 7 is odd Even Odd Can’t determine

2. x = 32,455 × 2,021 Even Odd Can’t determine

3. x = even number ÷ even number Even Odd Can’t determine

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POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE

Negative numbers are less than 0. Positive numbers are greater than 0.

Rules for Multiplication and Division

If the signs are the same, multiplication or division produces a positive result.

Positive × Positive = Positive 3 × 7 = _______

Negative ÷ Negative = Positive −30 ÷ −10 = _______

If the signs are different, multiplication or division produces a negative result.

Positive × Negative = Negative 6 × −7 = _______

Negative ÷ Positive = Negative −2 ÷ 8 = _______

Indicate whether x is positive, negative, or if it’s impossible to determine.

−45
( )
2
1. x= × 5.35 Positive Negative Can’t determine
2
−
3
2. 3x − 7 is even Positive Negative Can’t determine

3. 0 ÷ x = 0 Positive Negative Can’t determine

PROPERTIES OF ZERO
Zero has some special properties that are important to remember:
• 0 is an integer.
• 0 is an even number.
• 0 is neither positive nor negative.
• 0 times anything is equal to 0.
• 0 divided by anything is equal to 0.
• Anything divided by 0 is undefined. Division by 0 is impossible.

Determine whether the following statements are true or false.

1. All odd numbers are positive or negative. True False

2. All even numbers are positive or negative. True False

3. 1 ÷ 0 = 0 True False

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ABSOLUTE VALUE
Remember the number line?

–6 –5 –4 –3 –2 –1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

How many units away from 0 is the number 5? _______ This number represents the absolute value. The
absolute value of any positive number is simply the number itself.

How about negative numbers? What’s the absolute value of −5? How many units away from 0 is −5? _____
This is the absolute value. The absolute value of any negative number is the positive equivalent of the number.

Absolute value is a term that represents how far a number is from 0 on the number line. The symbol
for absolute value is . Thus, 5 = 5 and –5 = 5.

Determine the value of x in the following:

1. x = –3

2. x = 244

3. x =6

FACTORS
Factors are numbers that divide evenly into a given number.

For example, 6 is a factor of 18 because 6 divides evenly into 18 three times. 18 ÷ 6 = 3. This also means that
3 is a factor of 18 because 18 ÷ 3 = 6. We can say that 3 and 6 are both factors of 18.
To find all the factors of a number, start with 1 and the number itself. Move up in pairs until the num-
bers converge.
Here are all the factors of 60. (In ordinary math and on standardized tests, we only concern ourselves
with positive factors.)

1 and 60

2 and 30

3 and 20

4 and 15

5 and 12

6 and 10
That’s it. Notice that the pairs have gotten closer together. There are no factors between 6 and 10, so you
know you’ve found them all.
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List all the factors of the following numbers:

36 45 72

MULTIPLES
A multiple is the result of multiplying two positive integers. To put it another way, a multiple is a
number that is divisible by a factor.

Multiples are the flip side of factors. Because 6 is a factor of 18, 18 is a multiple of 6. While you can list all
the factors of a number, you can’t list all the multiples, because they go on forever. The multiples of 6 are 6,
12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48, ... never ending.
1. What is the first multiple of 15?

2. Is 21 a multiple of 42?

3. What is the lowest common multiple of 6 and 8?

PRIME NUMBERS
A prime number is a number with only two factors—one and itself. The number 1 is not prime.

The first ten prime numbers are 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, and 29. Prime numbers only refer to positive
integers—there’s no such thing as a negative prime number or a prime fraction. Two is the first prime num-
ber, and it’s the only even prime number. All other prime numbers are odd.
Answer the following questions:
1. x is the product of an even single-digit prime number and an odd single-digit prime
number. What are the possible values of x? _______

2. How many prime numbers are there between 30 and 50? _______

3. Integer y has a factor n such that 1 < n < y. Is y prime? _______

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PRIME FACTORIZATION
Breaking a number down into its prime factors can be handy in a number of situations. To do so, create a
factor tree and keep breaking the numbers into factors until you have prime numbers.
120
/ \
6 20
/\ /\
23 45
/\
22
Thus, the prime factorization of 120 is 2 × 3 × 2 × 2 × 5.
Break down the following numbers into their prime factorizations.
28 72 154

ORDER OF OPERATIONS
When you’re answering test questions, you must know in what order to perform calculations. The standard
acronym for this is PEMDAS, which you can also be remember with the sentence: Please Excuse My Dear
Aunt Sally. More properly it looks like this:

P|E|M D|A S
P stands for parentheses. Solve expressions in parentheses first.
E stands for exponents. Solve expressions with exponents next.
M stands for multiplication, and D stands for division.
Do all the multiplication and division together in the same step, going from left to right.
A stands for addition, and S stands for subtraction.
Do all the addition and subtraction together in the same step, going from left to right.

Perform the following operations:

( )
2
1. 6 − 150 ÷ 3 2 + 3 ×5+4=

2. ( )
7 × 3 − 15 8 − 4 + 82 − 44 ÷ 4 =

3. (−4 − (10 − 25)) + 3 2

×2=

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FRACTIONS, DECIMALS, AND PERCENTAGES

Fractions, decimals, and percentages are simply different ways of expressing part-to-whole relationships. It’s
important to be comfortable working with all three.

FRACTIONS
2
Fractions are expressed with a fraction bar, which is also a division bar. When we write the fraction , we’re
really saying 2 ÷ 3. 3

2
The top part of a fraction is called the numerator, and the bottom is called the denominator, so in , 2 is the
numerator and 3 is the denominator. 3
part
Another good way of thinking about fractions is as a relationship.
whole

If there are 5 men in a room and 7 women, what fraction of the room is male? _______

When the numerator is greater than the denominator—and they’re both positive—you have a fraction
5
greater than 1, also called an improper fraction. For example, is greater than 1. If you did the division, you
1 2
would get 2 . This is called a mixed number.
2
2
1. How would you express 4 as an improper fraction? _______
3
2. Express 16 as a fraction. _______

A reciprocal is what you get when you flip a fraction upside down.

1. What is the reciprocal of 16? _______

1
1
2. What is the reciprocal of ? _______
4

5
3. What is the value of ? _______
5

Any number divided by itself is equal to _______.

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Comparing Fractions
Answering test questions may require you to compare fractions and determine which quantity is greater.

5 6 12 13
Which is larger, or ? or ?
8 8 5 5

When the numerator of a fraction changes, and the denominator remains the same, the value of the fraction
will go in the ______________ direction as the numerator.

3 3 7 7
Which is larger, or ? or ?
7 8 2 3
When the denominator of a fraction changes, and the numerator remains the same, the value of the fraction
will go in the ______________ direction as the denominator.

The Bowtie makes it easy to compare fractions. Multiply diagonally up (opposing denominators and numer-
ators). The side with the larger product has a greater value.

4 5
Which is larger, or ?
7 9
8 13
Which is larger, or ?
3 5
Reducing Fractions
Reducing fractions means dividing the top and bottom of the fraction by the same number until no more
division is possible. Reduce the following fractions:
18 12 23
126 60 56

Multiplication and Division

Multiplying fractions is a snap. Just multiply across the top and bottom. You can multiply and reduce, or
you can cancel first, then multiply.
3 2 3×2
1. × = =
4 5 4×5
6 5
2. × =
4 9
Dividing fractions is also simple. Just flip the second fraction upside down and multiply.

3 5
1. ÷ =
5 8

9 3
2. ÷ =
5 10

Addition and Subtraction

When the denominators are the same, simply add or subtract the numerators.
3 5
+ =
11 11

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Addition and subtraction are a little trickier when you have different denominators, but using the Bowtie
makes the calculation easy.
2 3
1. + =
9 4
5 1
2. – =
4 3
7 5 5 2
3. + – + =
9 2 6 3
On problems like the last one, you’re best off finding common denominators. For other problems, you can
use the Bowtie or common denominators, whichever allows you to solve problems more quickly and accu-
rately.

Fraction Tricks
1
1. Multiplying a number by is the same as dividing it by ______________.
5
1
2. Therefore, of 42 = ______________.
7
2
3. What is of 42? ______________
7
One way to take a fraction of a number is to divide by the ______________ and then multiply by the
______________.

DECIMALS
part
Decimals are another way of expressing a relationship. Any fraction can be converted into a decimal
and vice versa. whole

Adding and Subtracting Decimals

To add and subtract decimals, line up the decimal points, and add or subtract as you normally would.
1. 46.15 + 127.74 =

2. 8.654 − 3.27 =

Multiplying Decimals
There’s a neat trick for multiplying decimals. Ignore the decimals at first and multiply the numbers as if they
were just plain integers. Next, count how many decimal places were in your original numbers and add them
back to the result.
1. 4.21 × 3.6 =

2. 12.9 × 25.8 =

3. 4.7 × 3.1 × .44 =

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Dividing Decimals
Dividing decimals is a little different from multiplying them. Move the decimal points of both numbers until
the divisor—the number you’re dividing by—is an integer.

1. 148.75 ÷ 42.5 )
42.5 148.75

2. 12.8 ÷ 6.25 )
6.25 12.8

3. 21.6 ÷ 8 )
8 21.6

Place Value
It’s useful to understand place value when dealing with decimals. What does each digit represent in the
number 4368.3279?
4 3 6 8 3 2 7 9
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____

.325 expressed as a fraction is __________.

Which is larger, the hundreds digit of 10,674, or the hundredths digit of 1.438?

Decimal Tricks
One of the neat things you can do with decimals is multiply and divide numbers by 10 simply by moving
the decimal point. Multiplying by 10 moves the decimal one place to the right, and dividing by 10 moves
the decimal one place to the left.

1. 13.458 × 100 = __________

2. 142 ÷ 10 = __________

PERCENTAGES
part
Percentages are one more way of expressing a relationship. A percentage is a fraction of 100. Percent
whole 35
literally means per cent—per 100. So 35% is the equivalent of . It’s also equivalent to the decimal .35.
100
Percentages can thus be converted easily into decimals and fractions, and vice versa.
To convert a percentage into a decimal, move the decimal point two spaces to the __________.
To convert a decimal into a percentage, move the decimal point two spaces to the __________.

1
1. 12 % = __________
2
2. 1.36 = __________%

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Percent Translation
Many word problems involving percentages can be translated into math equations, which you can then
solve. Here’s a quick English-Math dictionary.

English Math

percent 100
of ×

what x, y (any variable)

is =
1. What is 15% of 60?

2. 20 is what percent of 125?

3. 30% of 50% of 60 is equal to __________.

Percent Change

To calculate percent change, use the formula:

difference
Percent change = ×100
original

If the problem asks for a percent increase, or what percent greater, then the original number is the _______
one. (You can only increase if you started smaller than you ended up.)

If the problem asks for a percent decrease, or what percent less, then the original number is the
__________ one. (You can only decrease if you started larger than you ended up.)
1. In 1995, only 2,400 homes in Belmont County had high-speed internet access. In
1999, 3,000 homes had high-speed internet access. What was the percent increase
in Belmont County of homes with high-speed internet access?

2. Jason’s music collection contains 600 CDs. Sandra’s music collection contains 500
CDs. Sandra’s music collection is what percent smaller than Jason’s?

3. Which is larger, the percent increase from 4 to 5, or the percent decrease from 5 to 4?

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Percentage Tricks
Be careful whenever you’re asked to compare, add, or subtract percentages. There are some sneaky pitfalls
you must avoid.
1. If you increase the price of an item 25% and then reduce the new price by 25%, the
resulting price is lower than/higher than/the same as (circle one) the original price.

2. If you discount an item 10% and then reduce the price by another 10%, the total dis-
count is 20%. True False

3. If 32% of the boys in a school are honor students and 32% of the girls in a school are
honor students, then there are an equal number of male and female honor students
at the school. True False

Tip Calculation
The technique you use to calculate a 15% or 20% tip can be used in other situations with percentages.
Restaurant check = $52.40

Desired tip = 15%

10% of 52.40 = __________

5% of 52.40 = __________

15% of 52.40 = __________

Now try these:

1. 30% of 75 =

2. 12% of 1,200 =

BALLPARKING
Ballparking, or estimating, is a very important skill for standardized tests. Not only does this technique save
you from considering answer choices that, with a little thought, are clearly too large or too small to be cor-
rect, but it also allows you to use easier numbers in your calculations.

3
1. expressed as a decimal is approximately .
7
2. 4π is approximately equal to .

3. .247 × 40 is approximately equal to .

How to Round Numbers

In order to know whether it’s safe to round a number, consider the size of the number you’re starting with
and by how much you’re rounding. As a rule of thumb, never round by more than 10 percent and try to keep
it to 5 percent or less.

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Are the following roundings are safe to use?

1. 225 to 300?

2. 246,000 to 250,000?

3. 53 to 50?

4. 13 to 10?

5. .343 to .35?

ALGEBRA
If it’s been a long time since you had algebra in high school, you might be a little rusty, but with a little prac-
tice you’ll be back in the swing of things.

WORKING WITH EQUATIONS

The most basic part of algebra is manipulating equations. Often the goal is to solve for a variable, but some-
times you simply need to shift terms around. Manipulating equations starts with the following fundamental
rule.

Whatever you do to one side of the equation, you must do to the other side.

Let’s start with some basic equations.

1. 5y − 4 = 8 + 2y

2. 10 + z = 3z + 6

3. 6x − 9 = −5

Clearing Fractions
When an equation contains a fraction, you usually need to clear the fraction in order to solve the equation.
Remember that a fraction bar signals division. Therefore, to clear a fraction, you need to multiply.

x
1. + 9 = 16
3

8
2. = 16
5z

2
3. y−4=8
3

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Cross Multiplication
When you have two fractions set equal to each other, you can cross-multiply.

3 2
1. =
2y 5

2. 5x 4
=
x −1 3

Simultaneous Equations
Can you solve for the value of x in the following equation? What about the value of y?
2x + 7y = 22

What if we have a second equation?

−2x − 4y = −11

To solve a linear equation with two variables, you need two equations. Let’s look at those last two equations
again, this time stacked:
2x + 7y = 22

−2x – 4y = –11
Solve these pairs of equations for x and y.
1. 2y − 3x = 2
9y + 3x = 75

2. 3x + 2y = 8
12x + 5y = 47

Pay attention to what you’re being asked to find. Sometimes you don’t need to solve for the individual vari-
ables.
If 3w + 3z = 13, and 4w − 4z = 6, then what is the value of 7w − z ?

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Inequalities
For the most part, you can manipulate inequalities as you do equations. There is one extra rule to remem-
ber.

Whenever you multiply or divide an inequality by a negative number, you have to flip the direction
of the inequality sign.

1. 4x − 5 > 43

2. 6x − 9 < 8x + 11

3
3. If x < , is xz < 3 ?
z

EXPONENTS
Exponents are shorthand for multiplication. Instead of writing 3 × 3 × 3 × 3, we write 34 . This means that
you can always expand an exponent into a multiplication problem if you need to.
x2 i x3 =
When you multiply with the same base, you __________ the exponents.
y4
=
y2
When you divide with the same base, you __________ the exponents.

(z )
3
2
=

When you raise an exponent to another power, you __________ the exponents.

Together, these rules give you the acronym MADSPM. Try these problems.
1. w4 × w =

z7
2. =
z6

(y )
4
3. 4
=
3
 x5 i x7 
4.  4
 =
 x 

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Special Exponent Rules

Any number raised to the first power is __________.

1 raised to any power is __________.

0 raised to any power is __________.*

Any number raised to the 0 power is __________.*

*00 is undefined, but this isn’t tested on standardized tests.

( )
What is the value of −3 2 ? __________

( )
3
What is the value of −3 ? __________

Any negative number raised to an even power is __________. Any negative number raised to an odd power
is __________.

( ) ( )
32 31
Which is larger, −5 or −6 ?

If x 2 = 16 , what is the value of x? __________

Be careful. Variables raised to even powers have two solutions.

If y 2 ≥ 25 , what is the value of y? __________

Watch out for inequalities that contain variables. Make sure you consider the negative solution as well as the
positive one.
2
 1 1
Which is larger,   or ?
 2 2

When you apply exponents to proper fractions between 0 and 1, they become __________.

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Negative and Fractional Exponents

Negative and fractional exponents look much scarier than they really are.

1. x −2 = __________

2. 2−3 = __________

y2
3. = __________
y6
Negative exponents have nothing to do with negative numbers. When you see a negative exponent, flip the
number upside down to get the reciprocal.
1

1. x 2 = __________
1

2. 4 2 = __________
1

3. 8 3 = __________
2

4. 8 3 = __________

If you see a fractional exponent, remember that the bottom of the fraction is the root, and the top is the
exponent. One last thing to remember is that negative and fractional exponents obey all the MASDPM rules
that we looked at a little while ago.
3

y 2 × y −2 = _______

Factoring and Canceling Exponents

Since exponents are all about multiplication, you can break an exponent problem into factors that produce
your original number.

129
1. = __________
36
105 × 53
2. = __________
2
154
3. = __________
252

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SQUARE ROOTS

The sign denotes the positive square root only. The sign is also sometimes called the radical
sign.

25 = __________

x 2 = 9 gives the same information as x = 9. True False

Combining Square Roots

The only time you can add or subtract square roots is when you have the same number under the
square root sign.

2 5 + 4 5 = _______
Multiplying and dividing square roots, however, is easy.

1. 12 × 3 = 12 × 3 =

75 75
2. = =
3 3

3 × 15 3 × 15
3. = =
5 5

Factoring Square Roots

Because you can combine square roots with multiplication, you can also split them apart by factoring. This
is important for simplifying square roots, because you have to pull out any perfect square factors from the
square root sign. Keep an eye out for the following perfect squares:

The Perfect Squares up to 12 2

12 = 1 22 = 4 32 = 9 42 = 16

52 = 25 62 = 36 72 = 49 82 = 64

92 = 81 102 = 100 112 = 121 122 = 144

Let’s simplify a few square roots by factoring out the perfect squares.

1. 75 =

2. 48 =

3. 2 45 =

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Estimating Square Roots

You can estimate the value of square roots by looking for the nearest perfect squares to the number under the
radical sign. Let’s work with 44 .

44 lies between which two perfect squares? __________ and __________

Therefore, 44 lies between which two numbers? __________

44 ≈
Estimate the value of the following square roots:

1. 72 ≈

2. 3 18 ≈

3. 6 24 ≈

Rationalizing Square Roots

10
Sometimes you find a fraction with a radical in the denominator, such as . There’s nothing wrong with
2
this if you’re going to do something with the fraction, for example, multiply it, add to it, or compare it to
something else. However, the fraction is not considered fully reduced. In order to reduce it, you need a little
trick called rationalizing the denominator.

Rationalize a root in the denominator of a fraction by multiplying the numerator and denominator
by the root. Because you’re multiplying the fraction by 1, you won’t change the value.
x x y x y
= • =
y y y y

10 10 2
= × =
2 2 2

Try one yourself:

5
=
3

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Comparing Square Roots

To compare two numbers that contain square roots, square both numbers to clear out the radicals.

Which is larger, 3 6 or 5 2 ?
2
 3 6 =
 
2
 5 2 =
 
8
Which is larger, or 6?
2

THE DISTRIBUTIVE LAW

When solving problems, it’s often useful to rearrange expressions. The distributive law allows you to factor
common terms from expressions.

The distributive law states:

( )
a b + c = ab + ac

For example, 3( 2 + 5) = (3 × 2) + (3 × 5) = 21.

1. (
3 4+5 = )
2. 3 xz − 9 zw =

5 xy + 10 x
3. =
y +2
4. x2 + x3 =

4y5 − 2y5
5. =
2y3

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KEEP WORKING
We hope you’ve found this session useful. Here are some ideas for how to continue to build your math
knowledge.

MAKE FLASHCARDS
When you encounter a term or formula, create a flashcard. Put the term or formula on one side and the
definition or explanation on the back. Carry a few cards at a time, and quiz yourself whenever you have a
few free minutes.

USE YOUR MATH SKILLS

Practice the techniques you’ve learned here in your everyday life. If you’re shopping and an item is advertised
as 20 percent off, quickly calculate the discount. When you’re at the grocery store, try Ballparking your total
bill. At work, add up the budget numbers without a calculator, and then use the calculator to check your
results when you’re done. The more you practice math skills, the more proficient you’ll become.

ANALYZE TEST QUESTIONS

When you’re doing homework, analyze problems before you solve them. Ask yourself:

• What concepts is this problem testing?

• What rules do I have to apply to solve the problem?

• What kinds of calculations do I have to perform?

The better you get at spotting what a question is testing, the better and faster you will become at solving
math problems.

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