Fractions in GMAT Exam

The GMAT exam consists of 4 sections which are Analytical Writing, Integrated Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, and Quantitative Reasoning. These segments evaluate the efficiency of candidates and help universities pick the best students from the lot. Quantitative Reasoning is considered to be a difficult topic that comprises various maths-based concepts. The topic Fractions in GMAT is really important to score well in the quant section. Here is an insightful blog covering some life-saving tricks for Fractions in GMAT. 

Fractions in GMAT: Addition

It is one of the easiest operations on the topic of Fractions. While adding a fraction you may either come across fractions with the same denominators for the ones having different denominators. If we are adding fractions that have the same denominators, we will simply add up all the values together present at numerator and denominator respectively.  For Example 1/8 + 1/8 = 2/8

On the other hand, if we are adding fractions that do not have the same denominators, then, we will have to either reduce one of the fractions or expand one of them. Before you go on with the process of reducing or expanding a fraction, you must check that it should be in its lowest form. Most commonly LCM is used to make the terms have the same denominators. Let us have a look at an example to understand fractions in GMAT better- 

Example:  Find the sum of ¾ + 5/3. 
Solution: 
As you can see that the denominators of both the fractions are different, so we will proceed by calculating the LCM. 

The LCM of 4 and 3 is 12
Now we will divide 12 by 4 and multiply the answer with the numerator of 3/ 4. Then, we will now divide 12 with three and multiply the answer by the numerator of 5/ 3. 

So, [3 (3) + 5 (4)]/ 12 = 29/ 12

The answer is 29/12

Arithmetic Questions for GMAT Quantitative Reasoning Section

Fractions in GMAT: Subtraction 

While subtracting two or more fractions, you will encounter questions demanding the same procedures as aforementioned.  If you want to subtract fractions having the same denominators, you can simply subtract the digits at numerators and denominators of both the fractions respectively. When you are required to subtract fractions with different denominators, a similar procedure as that of addition will be used. 

Apart from these two cases the most common questions of fractions in GMAT for subtraction are that of mixed fraction. Let’s examine how to subtract mixed fractions. 

Example: Subtract- 2 – 6/7 – 3 – 2/5 = ?

Solution:
So we will begin by converting these mixed fractions into a simple form
2 – 6/7 = 20/7 
3 – 2/5 = 17/5 

As we can see that both the fractions have different denominators we will now use the LCM method to subtract them. 

LCM of 7 and 5 is 35 
[20(5) – 17(7)] / 35= (100- 89)/ 35 = 11/ 35

Therefore the answer is 11/ 35

Multiplication 

The next topic that we will discuss here is the multiplication of fractions. In the GMAT exam, there are at least one or two questions from this topic. Whether directly or indirectly, multiplication of fractions is often used while attempting GMAT. Unlike addition and subtraction, the equivalency of numerator or denominators is not essential while multiplying two fractions. Here are some examples to understand this concept better-  

Example: Multiply 8/9 with 7/8

Solution:
For solving this question, we don’t have to make the denominators equal
We will just simply multiply numerators and denominators is with each other

8 x 7 / 9x 8 = 56 / 72

Now you can see that the answer that we have got is not in the simplest form, hence we will now have to convert the answer into the simplest form. Both numbers are even so we can divide them by 2 but it would be easier if we divide both the numbers by 8 since both of them are multiples of 8. 

So our final answer would be 7/9

Simplification Questions for GMAT

Division 

The division of fractions is similar to multiplication. While dividing a set of fractions, we have to reciprocate one of the fractions and then have to multiply them to find the exact answer.

For example:  5/ 9 ÷ 7/11 = ?

For finding the exact answer to this question we will proceed by writing the statement like- 
5/9 × 11/ 7 (here we have reciprocated the fraction which has to be divided) = 55/63

Therefore the answer is 55/63 

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Fractions in GMAT: MCQ Practice Questions  

1. Which of the following fractions is greater than ¾ and less than ⅚?

A. ⅚ 

B. ¾ 

C. ½ 

D. ⅘

2.  If 47. 2506 = 4*A + 7/B + 2*C + 5/D + 6*E, then the value of 5*A + 3*B + 6*C + D + 3*E is?

A. 253.6003

B. 153.6003

C. 353.6003

D. None of the above

3.  ? % of 10.8 =32.4

A. 100

B. 400

C. 300

D. 600

4.  ? / .0025 = 800

A. 1

B. 3

C. 2

D. 4

5. 0.001 / ? = 0.01

A. 0.1

B. 0.01

C. 0.001

D. 0.0001

6.  The number 0.127 is how much greater than ⅛?

A. 1/550

B. 1/400

C. 1/1000

D. 1/500

7. When 0.232323…. is converted into a fraction, then the result is?

A. 24/29 

B. 23/99

C. 25/99

D. 24/99

8.  What decimal of an hour is a second?

A. 0.0025

B. 0.0028

C. 0.0027

D. 0.0021

9. How many digits will be there to the right of the decimal point in the product of 95.75 and 0.2554?

A. 8

B. 9

C. 7

D. 6

10. The price of commodity X increases by 40 paise every year, while the price of commodity Y increases by 15 paise every year. If in 2001, the price of commodity X was Rs. 4.20 and that of Y was Rs. 6.3?

A. 2011

B. 2012

C. 2013

D. 2014

Answers 

1. D
2. B
3. C
4. C
5. A 
6. D
7. A 
8. C
9. D 
10. A

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