Manhattan Prep Instructor
Joined: 28 Aug 2009
Posts: 144
Location: St. Louis, MO
Schools:Cornell (Bach. of Sci.), UCLA Anderson (MBA)
Re: How to solve these types of question efficiently?
[#permalink]
22 Feb 2010, 14:52
In a DS context, these problems are sometimes about spotting a certain combination of variables.
For example
At a certain store, all t-shirts have the same price and all hats have the same price. What is the total price of 2 t-shirts and 5 hats?
Translation: What is (2T + 5H)?
(1) The total price of 4 t-shirts and 10 hats is $50.
Translation:
4T + 10H = $50
2(2T + 5H) = $50
Therefore, (2T + 5H) = $50/2 = $25
Plugging in test numbers would potentially cost a lot of time unnecessarily; we don't care about T and H individually, so it doesn't pay to plug in for them individually.
Take-away: Translate to algebra, and if the question concerns a combination of variables, look for that combo in the statements.
In other DS questions, these scenarios can be about an implied integer constraint.
For example
The post office sells only 3 cent stamps and 16 cent stamps. If a total of 25 stamps were sold on Wednesday, how many 3 cent stamps were sold on Wednesday?
(1) The total price of the stamps sold on Wednesday was more than $2.72 and less than $2.95.
Translation:
3x + 16y = total, which is in the range 272 to 295.
x + y = 25
For such a small range for total price (23 cents is not much more than a single 16 cent stamp!), it is worth it to plug in some possible x and y pairs to see how many give a total in the range (it's gonna be one or two pairs that work).
To keep the time manageable, just be organized about it.
15*(16 cents) = 240 and 10*(3 cents) = 30. Total = 270...too low.
16*(16 cents) = 256 and 9*(3 cents) = 27. Total = 283...OK.
17*(16 cents) = 272 and 8*(3 cents) = 24. Total = 296...too high.
The number of 3 cent stamps must be 9, SUFFICIENT.
Take-away: Don't be lazy about plugging on DS; you might see the trick with just a little work.
If you see this on PS, some plugging is probably necessary too.
For example
At a certain store, all t-shirts have the same integer price and all hats have the same integer price. Which of the following could be the total price of 2 t-shirts and 6 hats?
Tips:
(1) Factor as much as you can. What could be 2T + 6H? ---> What could be 2(T+3H)? The answer will be even.
(2) If you must plug, do so in a chart. Be organized. Look for patterns. Cross off answers as you go.
Take-away: Be neat, and trust the process. The problems are designed to be done in 2 minutes, so how bad can plugging be?