Repetition or Not - 1

1 Be on the lookout for contextual information in the question statement to understand if repetition of entities is allowed or not while filling up
the spaces.

For example:

In the following scenario, repetition is NOT allowed.

10 cards numbered from 0 to 9 are placed in a bowl. Steve picks 4 cards, one
at a time. He creates a 4-character password, using the numbers on the cards
in the sequence in which he picked the cards. How many unique passwords
can be created in this manner?

But in the following scenario, repetition IS allowed.

10 cards numbered from 0 to 9 are placed in a bowl. Steve picks 4 cards, one
at a time. As he picks a card, he writes the number and places the card back in
the bowl. He creates a 4-character password using the written numbers in
the sequence in which he picked them. How many unique passwords can be
created in this manner?

© Copyright YPS Corporation

Repetition or Not - 2

2 Sometimes the context of the problem is such that it is understood that the spaces will be filled up with different entities.

For example:

When we seated three boys in three spaces, it was understood that once a
boy is seated in a chair, he cannot be seated in the other chairs -> Repetition
is NOT allowed.

Thus, always approach such problems using a logical approach. Do not apply
a formulaic approach.

© Copyright YPS Corporation

Skills to Master GMAT Quant
Apply Constraints

Consider
Visualize All Cases

Process
Infer Translate

Skills

Manipulate
Simplify

PS & DS Strategy

Know More

unauthorized copying and re-distribution

© Copyright YPS Corporation is prohibited
Make learning more enjoyable & impactful

Know More

unauthorized copying and re-distribution

© Copyright YPS Corporation is prohibited