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When you're staring at a mountain of data, a ticking timer, and a half-hearted calculator, it starts to feel like the universe is conspiring against you. But the real test here isn’t your math skills but it’s your judgment.
Should you estimate like a chill yogi or calculate like a caffeinated accountant? Let’s try to demystify this judgement a little.
The Estimation Vibe
Estimation is your lazy genius mode. It’s like when your friend asks, “How much did that cost?” and you say, “Around 500 bucks,” even though you know it was $513.47 after coupon, tax, and emotional damage.
Use estimation when:
Tip: Think of it like GMAT's way of asking, "Are you street-smart of just book-smart?"
Example:
Does the lightest horsepower model produces the most horsepower per pound of vehicle weight?
Pick up the extremes -
Let's compare these fractions => 300/3756 (Granato) and 590/3920 (Chauffer)
Easy estimation techniques => 300/3756 = 30/376 and 590/3920 = 59/392 = ~30/196
We can see that second fraction would be more than the first one, and hence, the answer to this question is NO.
Common Estimation Techniques
Accurate Calculation
This is when GMAT stops being polite and starts getting real. If you estimate here, you’ll end up picking the prettiest option instead of the right one.
Use accurate calculation when:
Example:
If the dollar value of sugar exports remained constant for the five years after 2011, while all other products continued to grow at their respective average annual percentage rates (as given in the last column), the dollar value of exactly two products would surpass that of sugar exports by 2016?
Poultry: 8073*1.18^5
Coffee: 8026*1.22^5
Corn: 2716*1.41^5
For the first two calculations, if I were being a bit lazy about it, I’d say 1.2^2 is around 1.44, and then squaring that gives about 1.96, so 1.18^4 should be roughly 1.95. That means by the 5th year, it’s definitely crossing 2x, so I don’t need to stress too much about the exact value. It feels like a reasonably safe estimate, but take the last one, if I round 2700 × 1.4^5 and get roughly 14,500, I might confidently pick “Yes” as the answer. But in reality, the actual value comes out to 15,136, which flips the answer to “No.” Small estimation gap, big outcome difference.
Tip: Try to use the calculator as sparingly as possible because it can eat up valuable time, especially with how long it takes to key in each digit. For most sub-questions, the time you spend won’t be worth the payoff.
Be a Manager, Not a Mathematician
The GMAT doesn’t care if you know how to calculate 22.6% of 3,875 in your head (but kudos if you do). It’s testing whether you know when that number matters and when it’s okay to say “eh, close enough” and move on.
So next time you're in the middle of the test, ask yourself: “Do I need to be exact... or just close enough?”
Because sometimes, that’s the real test.
Should you estimate like a chill yogi or calculate like a caffeinated accountant? Let’s try to demystify this judgement a little.
The Estimation Vibe
Estimation is your lazy genius mode. It’s like when your friend asks, “How much did that cost?” and you say, “Around 500 bucks,” even though you know it was $513.47 after coupon, tax, and emotional damage.
Use estimation when:
- The options are spread wider than your sleep cycle post-mocks: 22%, 40%, 61%, 89%.
- The table already gives you ratios/percentages and you’re still trying to open your calculator. (Stop. Read.)
- The question is about trends, not perfection. Growth? Ballpark. Decline? Rough cut. You're not filing taxes here.
Tip: Think of it like GMAT's way of asking, "Are you street-smart of just book-smart?"
Example:
| Model | Weight (lb) | Engine size (L) | Horsepower (HP) | Price ($) | $/HP ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biota | 3208 | 6.2 | 430 | 45170 | 105.5 |
| Boris | 3232 | 3.7 | 332 | 40450 | 121.84 |
| Chaffer | 3920 | 5.4 | 590 | 41930 | 77.65 |
| Corbin | 3972 | 5.7 | 368 | 34000 | 92.39 |
| D2 | 3704 | 4 | 420 | 48900 | 116.43 |
| Dasher | 3860 | 6.2 | 426 | 33195 | 77.92 |
| Gazelle | 3524 | 3.5 | 306 | 34050 | 111.27 |
| Gia | 4083 | 6.1 | 425 | 34000 | 80 |
| Granato | 3756 | 4.6 | 300 | 26695 | 88.98 |
| Hawk | 3947 | 5.7 | 376 | 40000 | 106.38 |
| Olsen | 3582 | 3 | 300 | 40800 | 136 |
| Phantom | 4027 | 6.1 | 376 | 40000 | 94.12 |
| PTZ | 3913 | 6.2 | 305 | 33195 | 82.99 |
| Stallion | 3603 | 5 | 425 | 33500 | 81.31 |
| T-400 | 3725 | 6 | 400 | 27170 | 67.93 |
| Tesco | 3466 | 5.7 | 310 | 24120 | 77.81 |
| Titan | 4006 | 4.6 | 368 | 33000 | 89.67 |
| Victor | 3909 | 5 | 500 | 99100 | 198.2 |
| Windsor | 3578 | 3.5 | 306 | 36550 | 119.4 |
| XR3 | 3534 | 4.6 | 315 | 29695 | 94.27 |
Does the lightest horsepower model produces the most horsepower per pound of vehicle weight?
Pick up the extremes -
Let's compare these fractions => 300/3756 (Granato) and 590/3920 (Chauffer)
Easy estimation techniques => 300/3756 = 30/376 and 590/3920 = 59/392 = ~30/196
We can see that second fraction would be more than the first one, and hence, the answer to this question is NO.
- Rounding Smartly
- 3874 -> 3900
- 1148 -> 1150
- Be cautious while rounding 1148 -> 1,000 by being sure that wide approximation is safe (i.e., widely spaced answer choices).
- Use Benchmarks
- 10% of X = move decimal one place left
- 25% = half of 50%
- 75% = 3/4
- Useful when options are in percent form or you're working with pie charts, ratios, or bar graphs.
- Pick Ratios That Are Easy To Visualize
- Instead of computing 147/238, approximate as 150/240 -> 5/8 -> 62.5%
- Keep standard ratios on top of your mind - 1/2, 1/3, 2/3, 1/4, 3/4, 1/5, 2/5, 3/5, 4/5, 1/6, 1/8, 3/8, 5/8, 7/8, 1/9
- Get comfortable with fraction manipulation and estimation like figuring out which fraction is bigger, and how to compare them by bringing them to a common base or converting them into simpler, relatable terms.
- Helps when comparing performance metrics, growth, etc.
- Backsolve or Plug Choices Strategically
- One strategy Manhattan recommends is to start with options B and D, then proceed strategically, since the choices are often arranged from low to high.
- Ballpark With Lower And Upper Bounds
- 18% of 8073
- 10% = 807
- 20% = 1614
- So 18% is somewhere between 1450–1500. This gives you enough confidence to eliminate wrong answers.
- 18% of 8073
This is when GMAT stops being polite and starts getting real. If you estimate here, you’ll end up picking the prettiest option instead of the right one.
Use accurate calculation when:
- You see “compounded annually for 5 years” and options like 14.9%, 15.1%, 15.2%, 15.3%. (Estimation will get you emotionally betrayed.)
- You’re comparing multiple close values to decide what just crosses a threshold.
- You’re dealing with unit conversions or mismatched scales, like thousands versus millions or ratios versus raw counts. One slip and you’ll be confidently wrong, which is GMAT’s favorite kind of wrong.
Example:
| Product | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | Average Annual % Change (2006–2011) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beef | 3,890 | 4,354 | 5,081 | 3,890 | 4,564 | 5,077 | 5 |
| Coffee | 2,953 | 3,405 | 4,168 | 3,791 | 5,204 | 8,026 | 22 |
| Corn | 482 | 1,919 | 1,405 | 1,302 | 2,216 | 2,716 | 41 |
| Dairy | 139 | 274 | 510 | 148 | 132 | 98 | -7 |
| Eggs | 30 | 53 | 95 | 86 | 115 | 110 | 30 |
| Live animals | 89 | 285 | 418 | 471 | 697 | 492 | 41 |
| Nuts | 247 | 294 | 289 | 304 | 3,307 | 345 | 7 |
| Pork | 1,022 | 1,209 | 1,448 | 1,204 | 1,321 | 1,416 | 7 |
| Poultry | 3,472 | 5,019 | 6,921 | 5,700 | 6,691 | 8,073 | 18 |
| Processed meats | 71 | 105 | 152 | 142 | 151 | 161 | 18 |
| Rice | 60 | 53 | 312 | 268 | 163 | 613 | 59 |
| Sugar | 6,167 | 5,101 | 5,483 | 8,378 | 12,762 | 14,942 | 22 |
| Wheat | 64 | 30 | 204 | 63 | 227 | 699 | 61 |
If the dollar value of sugar exports remained constant for the five years after 2011, while all other products continued to grow at their respective average annual percentage rates (as given in the last column), the dollar value of exactly two products would surpass that of sugar exports by 2016?
Poultry: 8073*1.18^5
Coffee: 8026*1.22^5
Corn: 2716*1.41^5
For the first two calculations, if I were being a bit lazy about it, I’d say 1.2^2 is around 1.44, and then squaring that gives about 1.96, so 1.18^4 should be roughly 1.95. That means by the 5th year, it’s definitely crossing 2x, so I don’t need to stress too much about the exact value. It feels like a reasonably safe estimate, but take the last one, if I round 2700 × 1.4^5 and get roughly 14,500, I might confidently pick “Yes” as the answer. But in reality, the actual value comes out to 15,136, which flips the answer to “No.” Small estimation gap, big outcome difference.
Tip: Try to use the calculator as sparingly as possible because it can eat up valuable time, especially with how long it takes to key in each digit. For most sub-questions, the time you spend won’t be worth the payoff.
Be a Manager, Not a Mathematician
The GMAT doesn’t care if you know how to calculate 22.6% of 3,875 in your head (but kudos if you do). It’s testing whether you know when that number matters and when it’s okay to say “eh, close enough” and move on.
So next time you're in the middle of the test, ask yourself: “Do I need to be exact... or just close enough?”
Because sometimes, that’s the real test.
bhaskar1999
Joined: 05 Dec 2022
Last visit: 04 Nov 2025
Posts: 35
Given Kudos: 58
Location: India
Concentration: Marketing, Strategy
Schools: HEC MiM '26 Wharton '26 Anderson '26 ESSEC MiM '26
GMAT Focus 1: 615 Q80 V83 DI78 
GPA: 7.9
WE:Management Consulting (Technology)
Products:
Schools: HEC MiM '26 Wharton '26 Anderson '26 ESSEC MiM '26
GMAT Focus 1: 615 Q80 V83 DI78
Posts: 35
06 Oct 2025, 23:07
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I am always stuck in doing calculations and spend much of my time reviewing the mistakes that I made while calculating , this helped me a lot in approximating answers .
While I feel confident with the concepts, I’ve noticed that anxiety during practice and mocks is holding me back from improving further. Even when I know the answer, I sometimes overthink or freeze under time pressure.
While I feel confident with the concepts, I’ve noticed that anxiety during practice and mocks is holding me back from improving further. Even when I know the answer, I sometimes overthink or freeze under time pressure.
30 Oct 2025, 06:01
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Thank you very much for the guidance offered through such elaborate articles and writeup using examples.
hr1212
