How to Plug in "Smart" Numbers on GMAT Math Problems: 4 Tips

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In "How to Plug in 'Smart' Numbers on GMAT Math Problems: 4 Tips", Erika John from PrepScholar GMAT teaches you how apply one of the most misused GMAT Math strategies successfully on test day with four GMAT Math tips.

Like we discussed in our Online Lesson: Intro to Data Sufficiency video (check it out here if you haven't already:    • Online Lesson: Introduction to GMAT D...   ) , picking numbers should not be our go-to strategy for most questions on the GMAT Math section. However, some questions lend themselves more to number picking than others. Our first tip explores how we can identify problems that are good candidates for number picking.

In our second tip, we delve into our goals for number picking. One of the reasons that number picking is not always an effective strategy is that test takers plug numbers in randomly without considering how the result will impact their decision-making. We look at how we should have different goals for different GMAT Math question types, and how these goals will impact the types of numbers (as well as how many numbers) we pick.

Our third and fourth GMAT Math tips explore how to pick numbers to meet these goals. First, we look at how thinking about categories of numbers can give us a window into which numbers "work" in our problem and which numbers don't. Then, we consider how to pick numbers specifically for quick math without a calculator.