GMAT Two-Part Analysis Preparation Tips

GMAT Two-part analysis questions need both critical reasoning and analytical skills to answer. The tips mentioned below can help the test-takers to solve the GMAT Two-part analysis questions correctly and within time.

Question Scanning

Candidates need to start by scanning the question to understand its type. If there are formulas and numbers present, that is a quantitative question. If the question contains inferences, finding correlations, or assumptions then it is a verbal question.

Summarizing Information

After understanding the question type, proceed by summarizing the information given in the question. This is applicable for both verbal and quant-based questions. In case of rules questions, summarize all the rules given in the passage.

Determine if the task is dependent or independent

Candidates will be required to practice GMAT IR two-part analysis questions to know if the question is independent or dependent. They need to examine if the value of one answer is dependent on the other. In case the task is dependent, then follow an approach that relates both the answers. In the case of the independent task, solve the easier ones first.

Take Notes

The information in the passage can be quantitative and verbal data and sometimes, the combination of both. You may need to take notes to find out the answer.

Practice Table interpretations

Learn how to interpret the table and how to understand its relationship with the question. It may take time but it is possible. In GMAT two-part analysis, the answer has to be given in the form of a table, so it is necessary to learn. You can take the help of the books to understand table analysis and interpretation correctly.

Have Clarity

Understand what the question is actually asking. Try not to have any confusion regarding the question. It will be a great help in reaching the correct option.

Remember, until you understand exactly what is being asked, it will be twice difficult to answer.

Keep Common Sense Aside and Derive the answer from the provided Information

To solve the question, use your analytical knowledge to get the answer from the information provided. You don’t need to check whether the information is true or false. Also, you don’t need to check if anything is missing there.

Always stick to the information provided within the data. Remember, the answer has to be logically derived from the provided information – not from outside information.

Be Careful While Marking the Answer

Always review all the options before marking. Sometimes eliminating the wrong option leads us to the right answer quickly. But, before eliminating the answer option, be sure that it is the wrong one. The answer options are close and confusing – so, be extra careful. This saves time and helps in increasing speed too.

Go Through Realistic Question Papers

Over the internet, you can find out the GMAT practice papers for integrated reasoning. Go through these and practice every day to speed up. You are allowed to spend 2.5 minutes in each question but while solving the paper, you will feel that this time is not sufficient at all. As you master the skills, you will start to solve each question in less time.

GMAT Two-Part Analysis Questions and Explanations

Below 10 questions of GMAT two-part analysis is provided with the solution. Hopefully, it will make the questions easier to solve for the candidates

Question 1:

Set 1: Red, Blue, Yellow

Set 2: Pink, Turquoise, Orange

Set 3: Purple, Green, Brown

Set 4: Black, White, Silver

A certain company is launching three new products. Color schemes for the packaging are to be selected from colors in the four sets above. Four different colors are needed for each product. For each color scheme, not more than two colors can be selected from one set, and colors from not more than three sets can be used.

The first three colors selected for each of the products are

Select a color that could be used for the fourth color for all three products. Select a color that could not be used as the fourth color for any of the products.

SOLUTION AND EXPLANATION 1:

Since for product 1, the color cannot be purple, green or brown, or yellow, for product 2 it cannot be yellow or white as it is already used white and for product 3, it cannot be red, blue, or yellow. So, the fourth color for all the three products is Orange. After analyzing all these statements, it is clear that the color, which is not suitable to complete any of the color schemes, is Yellow.

Question 2:

A taxi service charges a base fare of $5 and a rate of $M per mile for the first 10 miles. Thereafter the rate is $0.5M per mile. There is also a charge of $3 per suitcase. Students traveling from and to the local college get a twenty percent discount on the mileage rates. A is a teacher traveling a distance of 8 miles with one suitcase. B is a student traveling 30 miles with two suitcases from the college to the station.

Select the expression for the difference between the amounts paid by A and B in dollars, and for the amount paid by A in dollars.

SOLUTION AND EXPLANATION 2:

A has to pay 5+8M+3 which is equivalent to 8+8M which can also be written as 8(1+M). Also, B has to pay 5+0.8(10M+0.5M*20) which is equivalent to 11+0.8(20M) or it can be written as 11+16M.

The difference in their amount is 11+16M / 8+8M which is equivalent to 11+16M / 8-8M = 3+8M.

Question 3:

On planet K, there is essentially no atmosphere, so objects in freefall experience no air friction. At time t = 0, an object released from rest accelerates downward at a uniform rate: it’s downward speed uniformly increases. At time t = 2 seconds, the object has fallen a distance D in meters from its original height. At time t = 5 seconds, the object is 75 meters below its original height and is moving at a downward speed of v in meters per second.

1. the table below, select values of D, the distance below the initial height at t = 2 seconds, and v, the downward speed at t = 5 seconds, that are consistent with the information provided. Make only two selections, one in each column.

SOLUTION AND EXPLANATION:

As it can be observed from the question that the object has fallen 75 meters in 5 seconds, that accounts for the average being 15 meters per second. The initial speed is 0. This means that the average speed for the entire five seconds becomes:

Initial speed+Final speed2

0+Final speed2 = 15

Final Speed= 30.

This is the speed at time t= 5 seconds. Now, it is given that the object is increasing the speed at a uniform rate from 0 to 30 seconds, so at t= 2 seconds, the speed is 12.

So, the average speed over the first two seconds is given as:

Initial speed+Final speed2

If the object moved downward at an average speed of 6 meters/second for 2 seconds, then it covers 12 meters.

v = 30

D = 12

QUESTION 4:

1. P, from Design Solutions, costs $60 per chair. Chair Q, from Seat Unlimited, costs $90 per chair. An office manager often has to buy several chairs to stock the floor space of new offices. On one occasion, she orders p of chair P and q of chair Q. The average cost of a chair would be

Average = (60p+ 90q )(p+q)

In the table, select a value for p and value for q corresponding to an average cost per chair of $70. Make only two selections, one in each column.

SOLUTION AND EXPLANATION:

Here, it is given that the average is $70, so it means

Average = (60p+ 90q )(p+q)

70= (60p+ 90q )(p+q)

70(p + q) = 60p + 90q

70p + 70q = 60p + 90q

10p + 70q = 90q

10p = 20q

p = 2q

This gives the relationship between p and q. The only numbers that satisfy this relationship are p= 56 and q= 28.

QUESTION 5:

commissioner: at present, the forty-mile stretch of interstate highway from the town of Hillsborough to the city of West Fredericksport is clogged every weekday with a commuter who lives in Hillsborough and work in West Fredericksport. Our department is considering increasing the lanes in this stretch of the interstate highway, and the town of Hillsborough could benefit its citizens by contributing to this highway improvement.

Mayor of Hillsborough: we could contribute much more to the well-being of citizens of Hillsborough by investing that same money in a stimulus package to increase the number of jobs here in Hillsborough.

Suppose that the highway commissioner’s and mayor’s statements express their genuine opinions. Select statements (1) and (2) as follows: the highway commissioner would likely disagree with (1), and the mayor would take (2) to present logical support for (1). Select only two statements, one per column.

SOLUTION AND EXPLANATION:

Here, first, consider Choice A. According to this option, the highway commission would disagree with this but it is not clear if a mayor would agree or not. The fact is that even if expanding the highway is not a good option, that doesn’t mean it is harmful too.

Option B. Also, The mayor would agree with this but it is not clear in the case of the higher commissioner. Nothing in what the highway commissioner says gives any clear indication that he would disagree with this.

Choice C is not at all relevant. It is not at all clear if the speaker would agree or not. The same is in the case of Option D.

Choice E somehow opposes the highway commissioner’s argument but paraphrases that of the mayor. Hence, it is clear that the commissioner would disagree and the mayor would support this. This is a good candidate for Statement (1).

Choice F is not directly relevant. Here, it is clear that the highway commissioner might agree but it is not at all clear in the case of the mayor if he would agree or disagree.

So, the answer is:

Statement (1) = (E)

Statement (2) = (B)

QUESTION 6:

Among the teachers at Ashcroft High School, English and History teachers have the heaviest grading burden. In addition to the smaller daily assignments that all other teachers must grade, English and History teachers, especially of junior and senior students, must grade lengthy writing assignments a few times a semester — literary essays in English and term papers in History. Therefore, since English and History teachers grade more, they should be paid more than the teachers of other subjects.

Select Strengthen for the statement that would, if true, most strengthen the argument, and select Weaken for the statement that would if true, most weaken the argument. Make only two selections, one in each column.

SOLUTION AND EXPLANATION:

Let us examine each option individually.

Choice A is irrelevant because the question is based on time spent grading the students, so time spent meeting with students doesn’t hold any significance.

Coming on choice B, it is irrelevant too. Because there is no indication regarding teaching different grade levels that would involve more or less time spent grading papers.

Choice C is vague because that appeals to what most schools do. All the schools do things differently, some give equal pay to teachers of all subjects while others do things differently. So, we cannot come to any conclusion.

Choice D is out of flaw here. Because science teacher spends time grading lab reports too while English and History teachers don’t do that. So, giving equal pay is not considered equal and fair. This is a weakener.

Choice E is irrelevant. It doesn’t matter who implements the decision of the payment system. It sounds as if the union is interested in basing pay on “merit”, which is a different criterion than the one supported in the argument.

F is considered as a strengthener. Because if this is true, then indeed, pay reflects hours of work, and so if the English and History teachers do work many more hours because of all the grading they have, then they would get paid accordingly.

So, the correct answers are:

Weakener- Option D

Strengthener- Option F

QUESTION 7:

A contractor is hired to construct two concrete retaining walls for the city: Harrison Wall and Jackson Wall. As part of his budget, he needs to calculate the cost of the concrete he will use. For raw materials for the concrete, he has to pay $9.75 per cubic meter of concrete. Harrison Wall will be 35 cm thick and will have dimensions of 11.5 m long and 8.1 m high. Jackson Wall will be 50 cm thick and will have dimensions of 31.0 meters long 11.8 m high.

In the table, select the value that the closest to the cost of the concrete for Harrison Wall as well as the cost of the concrete for Jackson Wall. Make only two selections, one in each column.

SOLUTION AND EXPLANATION:

The question is based on the estimation theory.

Here, the cost of concrete is $10 per cubic meter of concrete

So, that means Harrison Wall= Also, the cost of Harrison= $320

Now, Jackson Wall =

cost of Jackson = $1800

Hence, the answers are as calculated above.

QUESTION 8:

Better Home Mortgage has 1200 realtors on staff, while Dream Lenders has 2400. Each year, the number of realtors is increasing by a fixed amount. A housing market specialist suggests that if each organization keeps its current rate of increase, they will have the same number of realtors on staff after three years and that subsequently, Better Home Mortgage will have more realtors.

Identify the number of increased realtors per year for Better Home Mortgage and for Dream Lenders that are consistent with the specialist’s prediction. Make only one selection in each column.

Better Home Mortgage Dream Lenders

10

40

110

240

410

620

SOLUTION AND EXPLANATION:

The new equation after having an equal number of realtors after three years becomes:

1200 + 3x = 2400 + 3y

3x = 1200 + 3y

x = 400 + y

Better Home mortgages start with half as many relators, but in the course of a time of three years, it overtakes Dream Lenders. So, that means Better Home Mortgage must have a higher rate of realtors. It means that the answer is 410 and 10.

QUESTION 9:

Identify the number of lenders less than Better Home Mortgage Dream Lenders is adding to its organization annually if the specialist was mistaken and the number of realtors would be equal after just two years. Also, identify the number of lenders Better Home Mortgage will have after two years if they add 115% of that difference annually.

Dream Lender Better Home Mortgage

600

630

650

660

670

690

SOLUTION AND EXPLANATION:

The new equation according to the question given becomes:

1200 + 2x = 2400 + 2y

600 + x = 1200 + y

x = 600 + y

This means that for each year, Better Home Mortgage adds 600 more realtors than Dream Landers. It otherwise means that dream lander is adding 600 less mortgages every year. That means Better Home Mortgage will add 5% of “that difference” annually, or 600. 115% of 600 = 1.15(600) = 690. Hence, the answers are 600 and 690.

QUESTION 10:

A set of expressions consists of a total of four expressions: these three expressions {2n+8, n+4, 6n–2}, and one additional expression. From the following expressions, select the one that could be the fourth expression in the set and the one that could be the resulting arithmetic mean of the four expressions in the set. Make only one selection per column.

SOLUTION AND EXPLANATION:

In order to solve this question, we will evaluate all the three expressions given in the question. All three expressions that are provided are one digit values multiplied by n and then added to some other one-digit value or a digit value is subtracted from it. So, the similar expressions in the choice of answers given are expressions B, C, and F.

GMAT Two-part analysis questions are pretty challenging and most importantly, these questions often take more time to solve. However, the candidates need a thorough practice of GMAT two-part analysis question because compact preparation will make it a fun exercise and the test-takers will be able to ace GMAT IR section.