At a certain university, if 50 percent of the people who inquire about

Question

At a certain university, if 50 percent of the people who inquire about admission policies actually submit applications for admission, what percent of those who submit applications for admission enroll in classes at the university?

(1) Fifteen percent of those who submit applications for admission are accepted at the university.
(2) Eighty percent of those who are accepted send a deposit to the university.

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gmatophobia · Answer

I don't know if I am missing something, or I am not thinking in the right direction

. The question wants us to find out what percent of those who submit applications for admission enroll in classes at the university. Neither of the statements talk anything about enrollment in classes. Option E

Vibhatu · Answer

Question ask about how many people enroll in classes at the university?

None of the options talk about the number of student enrolled, they talk about acceptance and deposits, it does not mean that student enrol in class. 
 (1) Fifteen percent of those who submit applications for admission are accepted at the university.
(2) Eighty percent of those who are accepted send a deposit to the university.

Answer: E

bd06 · Answer

Is this an ambiguously worded question or am I missing something?

Statement (1) is insufficient as being accepted doesn't imply enrolling so that is clear.
The wording of statement (2) is unclear to me because if you are paying a deposit, it implies (and I assume) that it means you are enrolling? Therefore, wouldn't both statements be sufficient in answering this question?
 
Any help is appreciated

anirchat · Answer

Are we supposed to assume that sending a deposit is not equivalent to enrolling ?

agrasan · Answer

Hi  Bunuel   KarishmaB

Could you please explain why the answer is E?
I think it is fair to assume that paying a deposit will be an enrolment, otherwise why would someone do that. In that case, both statements together should be sufficient.

Nymsharma · Answer

I am not able to see the options, can someone please help.

Bunuel · Answer

Hi,

This is a data sufficiency question. Options for DS questions are always the same and usually omitted on the site.

The data sufficiency problem consists of a question and two statements, labeled (1) and (2), in which certain data are given. You have to decide whether the data given in the statements are sufficient for answering the question. Using the data given in the statements, plus your knowledge of mathematics and everyday facts (such as the number of days in July or the meaning of the word counterclockwise), you must indicate whether—

A. Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) alone is not sufficient to answer the question asked. 
 B. Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) alone is not sufficient to answer the question asked. 
 C. BOTH statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question asked, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question asked. 
 D. EACH statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question asked. 
 E. Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOT sufficient to answer the question asked, and additional data specific to the problem are needed.

Hope this helps.

sanjitscorps18 · Answer

Assuming that would be sane in a real-world scenario could be possible, however, for GMAT DS, no two things are same unless explicitly mentioned. So, for the test purposes consider "sending a deposit is not equivalent to enrolling"

Also, if they don't enroll, sometimes you may get your deposit back from the college (if you are lucky enough!!) so that would clarify further the reasoning of the answer.

Also responding to  bd06

abhikc3004 · Answer

Hey, are we to assume that sending a deposit is not the same thing as enrolling into class?

HarshavardhanR · Answer

https://gmatclub.com/forum/download/file.php?id=89138 I think the phrasing can be clearer. I guess paying a deposit is to be understood to be different from enrolling in a class. Enrolling in a class - would mean officially registering as a student in the class. Would paying a deposit mean enrolment or not? --- is a bit ambiguous. If someone got accepted into a program, and then, if they paid the deposit, is it not in essence confirming that they are enrolling in this program? If the question had asked about "joining the class", then one may see a refund on the deposit on account of not joining. GMAT-Club-Forum-mkjfxrnr.png

egmat · Answer

Hi abhikc3004,

You've put your finger on exactly the hinge of this question. And yes, on the GMAT you should  not  assume that "sending a deposit" is the same as "enrolling in classes."

Here's the logic behind that. Data Sufficiency runs on what the statements  literally  tell you plus ordinary facts - never on an extra step you supply yourself. Statement  (2)  says  80%  of accepted students  send a deposit . It does  not  say those depositors show up and register for classes. Real life backs this up: people put down deposits, then change their minds, go elsewhere, defer, or reclaim the deposit. The statement gives you no bridge from "sent a deposit" to "enrolled."

Because that bridge is missing, watch how the enrollment percentage can swing even when both statements hold. Start with  100  applicants:

-  (1)  →  15  are accepted.
-  (2)  →  12  of those send a deposit ( 80%  of  15 ).

Now the unknown step:
-  Case A:  all  12  depositors enroll → enrollment is  12%  of applicants.
-  Case B:  only  6  of them actually enroll → enrollment is  6%  of applicants.

Both cases obey statement  (1)  and  statement  (2) , yet the answer to the question is different. Same statements, two different answers -  not sufficient , so the answer is  E .

The takeaway rule: in DS, only equate two things when the problem says they're equal. "Deposit" and "enroll" are different words, so treat them as different events - and the moment a needed link is left unstated, you can build two valid cases that disagree.

Answer: E

agil31 · Answer

This is one of those tricky questions which you have to tackle by attacking the wording of the questions. On first read it might confuse you, but if you observe carefully, you will understand that none of the two statements say anything about enrolling in classes in the university. This is a question which has a bit of a Non-Math concept involved in it, doesn't require any pen to paper.

At a certain university, if 50 percent of the people who inquire about

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GMAT Data Sufficiency (DS) Questions

At a certain university, if 50 percent of the people who inquire about

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