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21 Sep 2026, 23:08
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1: greater than 24 orders
2: greater than 24 orders
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!
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A fulfillment company compares the daily numbers of orders processed at two distribution centers, Center A and Center B, during November. The average number of orders processed per day was 500 at each center. On each day in November, the numbers of orders processed at Centers A and B differed from their respective averages, with the difference being greater at Center A.
Statement: If the standard deviation of the daily numbers of orders processed at Center B is ___1___, then the standard deviation of the daily numbers of orders processed at Center A is ___2___.
Select for 1 and for 2 the options that complete the statement so that it most accurately reflects the information provided. Make only two selections, one in each column.
The OA will be automatically revealed on Thursday 24th of September 2026 11:08:39 PM Pacific Time Zone
Statement: If the standard deviation of the daily numbers of orders processed at Center B is ___1___, then the standard deviation of the daily numbers of orders processed at Center A is ___2___.
Select for 1 and for 2 the options that complete the statement so that it most accurately reflects the information provided. Make only two selections, one in each column.
| 1 | 2 | |
| equal to 12 orders | ||
| less than 18 orders | ||
| greater than 24 orders | ||
| equal to 18 orders | ||
| greater than 18 but less than 24 orders |
The OA will be automatically revealed on Thursday 24th of September 2026 11:08:39 PM Pacific Time Zone
22 Sep 2026, 09:49
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I’d start with what the question tells us about the distance from the mean. On every day in November, the number of orders processed at Center A was farther from its mean than the number processed at Center B was from its mean. That should immediately bring standard deviation to mind: SD measures how spread out the values are around their mean.
So what does this information tell us? Center A’s standard deviation must be greater than Center B’s. We don’t know either value, but we do know their relationship. In my experience, I haven’t encountered a GMAT question that required calculating standard deviation from scratch. We certainly don’t need to do that here. This is something worth remembering, especially on difficult questions: even when there is information we cannot determine, there are still conclusions we can draw with certainty. Here, we can be certain that A’s standard deviation is greater. Let’s keep that in mind rather than look for something to calculate.
Now I’d work through the options, treating each one as a possible condition for B and asking what would necessarily follow for A.
Suppose B’s standard deviation is equal to 12. Then A’s must be greater than 12. Does that guarantee any of the descriptions listed for A? No. Some of them could be true, but none has to be true. So this condition doesn’t give us a valid pair.
What about B’s standard deviation being less than 18? Be careful here: that does not mean A’s must be greater than 18. B’s could be 2, 3, or 10, for example. A’s could then be 12 or 13, or it could be much larger. It must still be greater than B’s, but that doesn’t tell us which side of 18 it falls on. Is A’s necessarily greater than 24? No. Is it necessarily equal to 18? No. Again, none of the listed descriptions is guaranteed.
Now consider the third option: B’s standard deviation is greater than 24. Must A’s also be greater than 24? Yes. We already know that A’s standard deviation exceeds B’s. If B’s is above 24, A’s must be above 24 as well. This gives us a pair that works. Let’s check the remaining options.
If B’s standard deviation is exactly 18, then A’s must be greater than 18. We can rule out “equal to 12,” “less than 18,” and “equal to 18” as descriptions of A. But neither of the other two descriptions is guaranteed: A’s standard deviation does not necessarily exceed 24, and it does not necessarily fall between 18 and 24. We know it is above 18; we have no reason to impose that upper limit of 24.
Finally, suppose B’s standard deviation is greater than 18 but less than 24. A’s must be greater than whatever B’s actual value is. But A’s could still be within that same interval, or it could be 24 or more. Once again, neither of the relevant descriptions is guaranteed.
So I would select “greater than 24 orders” in both columns. The point is not to find two values that could work together. It is to find a condition for B that makes the selected conclusion about A unavoidable.
I hope it's clear and correct.
So what does this information tell us? Center A’s standard deviation must be greater than Center B’s. We don’t know either value, but we do know their relationship. In my experience, I haven’t encountered a GMAT question that required calculating standard deviation from scratch. We certainly don’t need to do that here. This is something worth remembering, especially on difficult questions: even when there is information we cannot determine, there are still conclusions we can draw with certainty. Here, we can be certain that A’s standard deviation is greater. Let’s keep that in mind rather than look for something to calculate.
Now I’d work through the options, treating each one as a possible condition for B and asking what would necessarily follow for A.
Suppose B’s standard deviation is equal to 12. Then A’s must be greater than 12. Does that guarantee any of the descriptions listed for A? No. Some of them could be true, but none has to be true. So this condition doesn’t give us a valid pair.
What about B’s standard deviation being less than 18? Be careful here: that does not mean A’s must be greater than 18. B’s could be 2, 3, or 10, for example. A’s could then be 12 or 13, or it could be much larger. It must still be greater than B’s, but that doesn’t tell us which side of 18 it falls on. Is A’s necessarily greater than 24? No. Is it necessarily equal to 18? No. Again, none of the listed descriptions is guaranteed.
Now consider the third option: B’s standard deviation is greater than 24. Must A’s also be greater than 24? Yes. We already know that A’s standard deviation exceeds B’s. If B’s is above 24, A’s must be above 24 as well. This gives us a pair that works. Let’s check the remaining options.
If B’s standard deviation is exactly 18, then A’s must be greater than 18. We can rule out “equal to 12,” “less than 18,” and “equal to 18” as descriptions of A. But neither of the other two descriptions is guaranteed: A’s standard deviation does not necessarily exceed 24, and it does not necessarily fall between 18 and 24. We know it is above 18; we have no reason to impose that upper limit of 24.
Finally, suppose B’s standard deviation is greater than 18 but less than 24. A’s must be greater than whatever B’s actual value is. But A’s could still be within that same interval, or it could be 24 or more. Once again, neither of the relevant descriptions is guaranteed.
So I would select “greater than 24 orders” in both columns. The point is not to find two values that could work together. It is to find a condition for B that makes the selected conclusion about A unavoidable.
I hope it's clear and correct.
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