Tag Archives: Word Problems

quantQ
 Translating Directly from Word Problem to Algebra

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It goes without saying that your ability to transform word problems into equations and expressions is incredibly valuable on the GRE and GMAT. But don’t overthink it! Many of these translations can be done almost automatically. How would you translate the following word problem into expressions and equations you can use?

Question of the Day

If the square root of the product of and 4 is 6, and the arithmetic mean of  and  is , what is the value of ?

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Hopefully you are familiar with the word problem translation chart:

Words Math
More/Less Than Add To/Subtract From Next Term
Increased/Decreased Add/Subtract from original
Of/Times Multiply
Percent /100
What/A Number Variable
Is/Is Equal To/Equals =
Remaining/Left/Difference Subtract from original Quantity
Part Divide Part by Total
Total/Sum Add

Being able to translate words into expressions using this chart is not just necessary to get word problems right, it is also a key to doing them quickly! Using the values from this table allow you to bypass any heavy lifting for these problems and proceed directly to solving.

quantQ
 Algebraic Expressions

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On the GRE and GMAT, word problems are composed of encrypted expressions and equations, and nothing more. When you face a word problem, your highest priority should be to translate it directly into equations. Only after you have properly transformed the words of a word problem into equations should you pursue problem-solving.

What are the expressions that compose the following word problem?

Question of the Day

A car covers a distance of 39 km in 45 minutes. It moves at a speed of x km/h for the first 15 minutes, then moves at double the speed for the next 20 minutes, and finally moves at its original speed for the rest of the journey. What is the value of x in km/h?

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This is a tough problem, but gets easier as you translate one equation at a time. Once we’re able to completely view the description of the problem in terms of equalities and expressions, the problem instantly becomes solvable. The first and most important step of solving any word problem is going straight from words to math!