DATA SUFFICIENCY TUTORIAL

Data Sufficiency Introduction:

Each data sufficiency question consists of 3 parts:
Often, an initial information, and the question itself;
Statement (1);
Statement (2).

(A) Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) alone is not sufficient to answer the
question asked;
(B) Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) alone is not sufficient to answer the
question asked;
(C) BOTH statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question asked, but
NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient;
(D) EACH statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question asked;
(E) Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOT sufficient to answer the question asked, and
additional data are needed.
Data sufficiency questions are unlike most of the math questions in that often you don't have to
arrive to the answer of the question; rather, you have to decide whether it is possible to arrive to a
unique answer.
What constitutes a sufficient statement?
It is convenient to distinguish two types of questions in Data Sufficiency problems: (a) The
questions whose answer is YES or NO; (b) The questions whose answer is a numerical value.
To be sufficient, a statement must allow you a UNIQUE answer to the question.
In the case of a yes/no question, to be sufficient, the statement must allow you to answer with a
DEFINITE YES or with a DEFINITE NO. In the case of a value question, to be sufficient, the
statement must allow you to answer with a UNIQUE VALID NUMERICAL VALUE.
Strategies for Data Sufficiency:
Learn the answer choice;
Keep the statements separate;
Simplify the question and data (to be seen in class);
Avoid unnecessary calculations (to be seen in class);
Use a process of elimination (to be seen in class);
Data Sufficiency tricks (to be seen in class).
Learn the answer choices:
The answers A, B, C, D and E are exactly the same for every data sufficiency question.
However they are quite confusing when you first see them. Therefore it is important that you learn
the choices so that you do not make the mistake of selecting the wrong answer in the real test.
As said before, the answers are as follows:
A. Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) alone is not sufficient.
B. Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) alone is not sufficient.
C. BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient.
D. EACH statement ALONE is sufficient.
E. Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOT sufficient.

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GMAT MATH

You are asked to determine which combination of the two statements is necessary and sufficient to
answer the question. It must be one and only one of the following five cases:

Keep the statements separate:

When you first start working on data sufficiency problems you will find it very easy to fall into
the trap of mixing up the data statements.
To ensure you don't fall into this trap you should tackle every data sufficiency questions in the
same way:
1. Write 1 & 2 on your note board;
2. Work out whether statement 1 alone is sufficient to answer the question;
3. Mark 1 on your board with a tick or a cross depending on whether you could answer the
question with 1 alone;
4. Work out whether statement 2 alone is sufficient to answer the question;
5. Mark 2 on your board with a tick or a cross depending on whether you could answer the
question with 2 alone;
6. Then work out which is the appropriate answer using the table below.
You can see that in the case Statement 1
Statement 2
Both statements Answer
where neither statement is
A
sufficient on its own, the
B
answer could be C, i.e. both
C
statements together can answer
D
the question, or E, i.e. even
E
with both statements together
you cannot answer the question. Therefore, in this case you will need to do more work to decide
whether the question can be answered with both statements together. Note that it is only in this
case that both statements are combined. If either statement is sufficient alone, you do not combine
them.

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GMAT MATH

The following chart will help you make your way through the logic of Data sufficiency until you
learn the process by heart.

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) alone is not sufficient.
Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) alone is not sufficient.
BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient.
EACH statement ALONE is sufficient.
Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOT sufficient.

For each of the following Data Sufficiency problems, determine whether the question is a yes/no
question or a value question, then answer the problem using one of the letters A, B, C, D, or E.

2. What is the value of ?

(1) 2 = 36
(2) is positive integer.
Answer:

3. If William is 20 years old, how old is Jane?

(1) William is older than Jane.
(2) Jane is half as old as William.
Answer:
4. Is = 5?
(1) 2 = 36
(2) is a negative integer.
Answer:

5. Tom and Jack are in a line to purchase tickets. How many people are in the line?
(1) There are 20 people behind Tom and 20 people in front of Jack.
(2) There are 5 people between Tom and Jack.
Answer:
6. How much does John earn from his work
every month?
(1) John earns $31 per days work.
(2) Every month, John works for 20 days.
Answer:

7. Does John earn more than $1,000 per

month?
(1) John earns less than $32 per days work.
(2) John earns more than $30 per days work.
Answer:

8. At store X, every shirt is priced equally and every sweater is priced equally. Does a shirt cost
more than a sweater at store X?
(1) At store X, two shirts cost the same as three sweaters.
(2) At store X, the average (arithmetic mean) price of a shirt and a sweater is higher than the price
of a sweater.
Answer:
9. At store X, every shirt is priced equally and every sweater is priced equally. What is the price
of a sweater?
(1) At store X, each shirt is sold at a 10% discount and each sweater is sold at a 5% discount.
(2) At store X, before the discount, the price of a shirt was $10 higher than that of a sweater.
Answer:
10. What is the value of ?
(1) 2 = 16
(2) 5 < < 3
Answer:

12. If is negative, what is the value of ?

(1) 2 = 16
(2) 5 < < 3
Answer:

11. If is an integer, what is the value of ?

(1) 2 = 16
(2) 5 < < 3
Answer:

13. Is the average (arithmetic mean) of

and greater than 2?
(1) 2 + 3 = 12
(2) 4 <
Answer:

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GMAT MATH

1. Is = 5?
(1) 2 = 36
(2) is positive integer.
Answer:

Answer Keys:
1. (Yes/No)
2.
(Value)
3.
(Value)
4. (Yes/No)
5.
(Value)
6.
(Value)
7. (Yes/No)
8. (Yes/No)
9.
(Value)
10
(Value)
11
(Value)
12
(Value)
13 (Yes/No)

A
C
B
D
E
C
A
D
E
C
B
A
B

MBA TUTOR Riobamba 566 5toB, Capital Federal mbasuccess@gmail.com Tel.: 4372-8794

MBA TUTOR

GMAT MATH