GMAT Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield GMAT facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. A firm decides to cut its cheapest product line to boost average profit margin. This assumes that: → Cutting the line will not reduce sales of other products
2. A table lists monthly revenue; a question asks for the quarter-over-quarter growth. You should: → Sum each quarter's months, then compute the percentage change
3. When a passage's first paragraph poses a question and later paragraphs answer it, the main idea usually corresponds to: → The answer the passage develops
4. In a tournament, 80 players entered. 55 won at least one match, 40 won at least two matches, and 25 won exactly two matches. How many won exactly one match? → 15
5. The circumference of a circle is 16π. What is the area of the circle? → 64π
6. A scatter plot shows no discernible pattern, with points spread randomly. The correlation coefficient is closest to: → 0
7. If p:q = 3:5 and q:r = 2:7, what is p:r? → 6:35
8. The ratio of cats to dogs in a shelter is 5:3. If there are 40 animals total, how many are dogs? → 15
9. A boldface statement provides the reason that explains a phenomenon stated elsewhere. It functions as: → An explanatory premise
10. If 3 pencils and 2 pens cost $13, and 2 pencils and 3 pens cost $12, what is the cost of one pen? → $2
11. A waterfall chart starts at 100, shows +40, then -30, then -20. The final value is: → 90
12. To find the median of a numeric column in a sortable table, the most efficient approach is to: → Sort the column and select the middle value(s)
13. A study of a single hospital shows a new drug works, so the company says it will work nationwide. The key assumption is that: → That hospital's patients are representative of the broader population
14. If $5000 is invested at simple interest and grows to $5900 in 3 years, what is the annual interest rate? → 6%
15. If a:b = 7:3, and b is increased by 6 to make a:b = 7:5, what was the original value of a? → 21
16. Using the same scenario, the speed covering 240 miles in 6 hours is: → 40 mph
17. Each Table Analysis question presents statements that you must evaluate as which of the following? → True/False or Yes/No based only on the table
18. In a trade-off scenario, you must choose a strategy that maximizes reach and one that minimizes cost. Why might these require different selections? → Optimizing one objective often conflicts with the other
19. How many positive divisors does 36 have? → 9
20. Three friends split a bill so that the second pays twice the first and the third pays $10 more than the first. If the total is $70, how much does the first pay? → $15
21. A passage describes a problem in its first paragraph and a proposed solution in its second. The main idea most likely concerns which of the following? → Both the identified problem and the suggested remedy
22. A train travels 240 miles at a constant speed. If the speed had been 20 mph faster, the trip would have taken 1 hour less. What was the original speed? → 40 mph
23. A set S consists of five distinct positive integers. What is the median of the set? → The sum of the integers is 35, and the range is 4.
24. A statement reads 'every region with population over 1M also had a budget over $10M.' This is verified by: → Filtering to regions over 1M population and confirming each has a budget over $10M
25. A mixture must be 40% acid. You combine two solutions; one selection is the percentage that, mixed equally with 60% acid, yields 40%. That value is: → 20%
26. If the ratio of length to width of a rectangle is 5:3 and the perimeter is 64, what is the length? → 20
27. A scientist argues that a chemical is safe because lab rats showed no harm at low doses. Which assumption does this rely on? → Effects on rats at low doses predict effects on humans at typical exposure
28. A pie chart shows Marketing at 25%, Sales at 40%, R&D at 20%, and the remainder as Admin. What percentage is Admin? → 15%
29. A histogram of customer ages peaks at the 30-39 bin. This peak is called the: → Modal class
30. An author notes that "the theory explains the observations better than any rival." What is implied? → Rival theories explain the observations less well