Last visit was: 24 Apr 2026, 12:03 It is currently 24 Apr 2026, 12:03
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
User avatar
krishnasty
Joined: 03 Nov 2010
Last visit: 20 Oct 2013
Posts: 93
Own Kudos:
549
 [2]
Given Kudos: 8
Status:Still Struggling
Location: India
GMAT Date: 10-15-2011
GPA: 3.71
WE:Information Technology (Computer Software)
Posts: 93
Kudos: 549
 [2]
Kudos
Add Kudos
2
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
skovinsky
User avatar
Kaplan GMAT Instructor
Joined: 21 Jun 2010
Last visit: 17 Dec 2019
Posts: 129
Own Kudos:
Location: Toronto
Posts: 129
Kudos: 635
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
krishnasty
Joined: 03 Nov 2010
Last visit: 20 Oct 2013
Posts: 93
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 8
Status:Still Struggling
Location: India
GMAT Date: 10-15-2011
GPA: 3.71
WE:Information Technology (Computer Software)
Posts: 93
Kudos: 549
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
stanford2012
Joined: 02 Apr 2010
Last visit: 09 Mar 2012
Posts: 78
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 18
Posts: 78
Kudos: 297
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
I agree with skovinsky that the solution is simply 12!/(9!*3!) = 220.

I've studied quite a lot of combinatorics for my GMAT and I've never come across the formula you listed above. It looks too fancy to be relevant for the GMAT :) . For the GMAT it's enough to remember just the basic formulas for combinations and permutations. If you understand these formulas and know how to apply them you should be able to answer pretty much all the questions.
User avatar
Bunuel
User avatar
Math Expert
Joined: 02 Sep 2009
Last visit: 24 Apr 2026
Posts: 109,818
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 105,873
Products:
Expert
Expert reply
Active GMAT Club Expert! Tag them with @ followed by their username for a faster response.
Posts: 109,818
Kudos: 811,051
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
krishnasty
well, that seemed a very easy approach to do so..

The formula that i have used was posted by Bunuel in some of his post. And to tell you the truth, i have often used this formula to derive the correct answer..

@Bunuel, can you please point out if i used the formula incorrectly or where exactly i made a mistake.

Thanks Guys!!

As OA given to be 220 then skovinsky's interpretation of the question is correct and the answer is simply 12C3=220.

You are applying the formula of dividing a group of people (items) equally into smaller groups when order matters, but it's not the case here, as we don't have 4 projects to make 4 groups of 3 to assign to them. Note that even in this case you can solve the question without this formula, for more on this check:

probability-88685.html?hilit=different%20items%20divided%20equally
probability-85993.html?highlight=divide+groups
combination-55369.html#p690842
sub-committee-86346.html?highlight=divide+groups
combination-and-selection-into-team-106277.html

Hope it's clear.
User avatar
bumpbot
User avatar
Non-Human User
Joined: 09 Sep 2013
Last visit: 04 Jan 2021
Posts: 38,975
Own Kudos:
Posts: 38,975
Kudos: 1,117
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Automated notice from GMAT Club BumpBot:

A member just gave Kudos to this thread, showing it’s still useful. I’ve bumped it to the top so more people can benefit. Feel free to add your own questions or solutions.

This post was generated automatically.
Moderators:
Math Expert
109818 posts
Tuck School Moderator
853 posts