GRE Prep – Quantitative 101

“The Quantitative section measures your basic mathematical skills, your understanding of elementary mathematical concepts, and your ability to reason quantitatively and solve problems in a quantitative setting. There is a balance of questions requiring arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis. These are content areas usually studied in high school.”

What you can expect from the quantitative section of the GRE:

• 28 questions
• 45 minutes

There are three types of questions: Quantitative Comparison, Problem Solving, and Data Interpretation.

Quantitative Comparison questions measure:

• your ability to reason accurately about the relative sizes of two quantities and perceive whether or not
• your ability to determine whether enough information is provided to sufficiently answer a question

These questions are formatted similarly each time. For each question you will be given two columns and asked to determine how the quantities in each column related to one another. You will be provided with the same five possible answers for each question:

1. The quantity in Column A is greater
2. The quantity in Column B is greater.
3. The two quantities are equal.
4. The relationship cannot be determined by the information given.

Problem Solving – Discrete Quantitative Questions measure:

• Basic math knowledge
• Your ability to read and solve abstract or actual situations

Data Interpretation Questions measure:

• Ability to synthesize information and select appropriate data for answering a question
• Ability to determine the sufficient information for answering a question is not provided

For more about the math concepts covered in the Quantitative section please see our GRE – Math Primer.