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On GMAT Focus, every second matters — especially in DI and Quant, where one trap question can eat up 3+ minutes if you try to brute-force everything.
So I started tracking where I was wasting time... and built a small toolkit of mental math habits that now save me over 5 minutes per section,
without needing any fancy formulas or hacks. Just smart, efficient decision-making.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
These 10 tricks helped me the most:
1. % Change = Change / Original
Example:
Price goes from 240 to 300
→ Change = 60
→ % change = 60 / 240 = 1/4 = 25% increase
2. Build % values using 10%, 5%, and 1%
Example: What’s 17% of 260?
→ 10% = 26, 5% = 13, 2% = 5.2
→ Total = 26 + 13 + 5.2 = 44.2
3. Round + Adjust to multiply faster
Instead of multiplying numbers, round first and adjust.
Example:
198 × 24
→ Do 200 × 24 = 4800
→ Subtract 2 × 24 = 48
→ Final = 4752
4. Break division into chunks
Example: 1200 ÷ 48
→ 48 = 12 × 4
→ 1200 ÷ 4 = 300
→ 300 ÷ 12 = 25
5. Know these fraction-to-percent conversions:
1/2 = 50%
1/3 = 33.33%
1/4 = 25%
1/5 = 20%
1/8 = 12.5%
2/3 = 66.66%
3/4 = 75%
6. Convert “A is what % of B?” into a fraction
Example:
75 is what % of 240?
→ 75/240 = 5/16
7. If you can compare, don’t calculate
Example:
Set A = 180, Set B = 225
Ratio = 225/180 = 5/4 → 25% more
8. Use ranges to eliminate options quickly
Example: What’s 52% of 392?
→ 50% of 392 = 196
→ 60% of 392 ≈ 235
So 52% ≈ slightly above 200
Use this to eliminate obviously wrong choices fast.
9. Use multipliers for % increase or decrease
+25% = ×1.25
–20% = ×0.80
Example: Increase by 25%, then decrease by 20%
→ 1.25 × 0.8 = 1.00 (No net change)
10. Use 1.1 for ~10% increase estimation
Example:
360 × 1.1 = 396 quickly and mentally
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you found this helpful, please drop a kudos! It motivates me to share more and helps others see this post.
Also, share your favorite time-saving GMAT tricks — let’s build a toolkit together!
So I started tracking where I was wasting time... and built a small toolkit of mental math habits that now save me over 5 minutes per section,
without needing any fancy formulas or hacks. Just smart, efficient decision-making.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
These 10 tricks helped me the most:
1. % Change = Change / Original
Example:
Price goes from 240 to 300
→ Change = 60
→ % change = 60 / 240 = 1/4 = 25% increase
2. Build % values using 10%, 5%, and 1%
Example: What’s 17% of 260?
→ 10% = 26, 5% = 13, 2% = 5.2
→ Total = 26 + 13 + 5.2 = 44.2
3. Round + Adjust to multiply faster
Instead of multiplying numbers, round first and adjust.
Example:
198 × 24
→ Do 200 × 24 = 4800
→ Subtract 2 × 24 = 48
→ Final = 4752
4. Break division into chunks
Example: 1200 ÷ 48
→ 48 = 12 × 4
→ 1200 ÷ 4 = 300
→ 300 ÷ 12 = 25
5. Know these fraction-to-percent conversions:
1/2 = 50%
1/3 = 33.33%
1/4 = 25%
1/5 = 20%
1/8 = 12.5%
2/3 = 66.66%
3/4 = 75%
6. Convert “A is what % of B?” into a fraction
Example:
75 is what % of 240?
→ 75/240 = 5/16
7. If you can compare, don’t calculate
Example:
Set A = 180, Set B = 225
Ratio = 225/180 = 5/4 → 25% more
8. Use ranges to eliminate options quickly
Example: What’s 52% of 392?
→ 50% of 392 = 196
→ 60% of 392 ≈ 235
So 52% ≈ slightly above 200
Use this to eliminate obviously wrong choices fast.
9. Use multipliers for % increase or decrease
+25% = ×1.25
–20% = ×0.80
Example: Increase by 25%, then decrease by 20%
→ 1.25 × 0.8 = 1.00 (No net change)
10. Use 1.1 for ~10% increase estimation
Example:
360 × 1.1 = 396 quickly and mentally
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you found this helpful, please drop a kudos! It motivates me to share more and helps others see this post.
Also, share your favorite time-saving GMAT tricks — let’s build a toolkit together!
20 Jul 2025, 00:51
Kudos
Bookmarks
7. If you can compare, don’t calculate
Example:
75 is what % of 240?
→ 75/240 = 5/16 not 5/1
Example:
75 is what % of 240?
→ 75/240 = 5/16 not 5/1
