Tackle GMAT Number Properties Like a GMAT Instructor

For quite a few students, number properties can be one of the more problematic areas of the exam. But it really doesn't have to be that way. The math portion is like any other difficult section in a standardized test: it can be mastered. The main element to mastering a standardized test is knowing how to take one. Remember the SAT or ACT back in High School? Mastering the right way to take those exams was imperative to an excellent score. Thankfully, those rules that you learned for those examinations still apply. Thus, getting prepared for the number properties portion is all about understanding and studying standard math concepts to conserve time. Below is a overview of foundational mathematical definitions:

Integers are numbers without a fractional element like 3, 2, 1. A number like 2.25, which is a decimal, is not an integer. Integers can be negative, for example -3,-2,-1 but do not use a fractional portion as well. Positive integers are identified as being whole numbers. The number 0 is also an integer.

Factors are considered to be numbers that divide equally into another number. To illustrate the number 3 is a factor of 12 because 12/4=3. It's also a factor of 6 because 6/2=3 or 9 because 9/3=3.

Prime numbers are whole numbers that just have two divisors, the actual number itself and also the number one. For example, the number 7 is a prime number because its only two divisors are 7 and 1.

The Greatest Common Factor or GCF for short is the largest number that divides two numbers evenly. As a way to determine the Greatest Common Factor is simply by setting up a prime factorization of two numbers and evaluating common factors. The largest common factor between the two numbers is the GCF.

To obtain the least common multiple, you complete a prime factorization in the same way as one would do to find the GCF. However, the least common multiple is the smallest number of a multiple of two numbers.

Unit digits are classified as the number to the right of the tens position. As an example, the units digit for the number 364 is 4.

After perusing standard subjects including the ones previously listed, developing a study schedule with practice problems is an effective way to see where your weaknesses and strengths are. Once, you understand where your weaknesses are, study accordingly.

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