The 8 GMAT word-problem traps everyone falls for.
You don't need more practice. You need to recognise the same eight patterns the GMAT runs over and over.
If you've taken three or four GMAT mocks and your word-problem score hasn't moved much, the problem is almost never that you don't know algebra. It's that the GMAT keeps disguising the same eight patterns as new questions, and you're reading every problem as if it were brand new.
I scored 720 on the GMAT after two retakes. The single biggest jump (615 → 690) came from one habit: when I missed a word problem, I didn't just review the solution — I wrote down the category. After 60 wrong answers I had a list of eight categories. They covered 92% of my mistakes.
1. The "without replacement" trap
The most common trap by far. The prompt mentions drawing, picking, or sampling — and quietly says "without replacement" in the middle of a sentence. Half the test-takers compute (7/20)² when they should have computed 7/20 × 6/19. The difference is small, the trap is huge.
Before doing any arithmetic, search the prompt for "without replacement," "after drawing," "remaining," or "the second one." If you see any of them, circle the word. You will not fall for this trap again.
2. The unit-mismatch trap
Cents and dollars. Hours and minutes. Per-day and per-week. The GMAT loves switching units mid-prompt and watching solvers carry the wrong one through. If a problem mentions two units, write both down before you start.
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