Exponents, Inequalities & CR Reasoning
Week 4 is where GMAT starts testing whether you can think under abstraction. This week will be a bit heavier, so try to start early and pace it out.
Slow is smooth: untangle the logic before the algebra
Global Resources
Your daily launcherOne tap to any tool the plan uses. Bookmark this page, and Error Log & Analytics next to it, for your daily habits.
Daily practice
Questions
Quiz 5 free/day
Timed sets with analytics. Weeks link exact presets. Unlimited with a subscription or with rewards points.
Question Banks FreeEvery question, tagged by topic and difficulty.
Quiz gives every member 5 free questions a day. Beyond that you need a subscription from $19.99/mo or 49 rewards points, which you earn just by doing timed practice here. Question Banks are free with no daily limit.
Tests & mocks
Weeks 3 · 6 · 9 · 11
GMAT Prep Mocks 2 free + 4 paid
The official exams. Scheduled at weeks 3, 6, 9, 11.
GMAT Club Tests 1 free testHarder-than-real quant & DI. Best in weeks 7-12.
Your first full GMAT Club Test is free. After that they come with a subscription, with rewards points, or free for everyone on public holidays. The GMAT Prep mocks above are separate and come from mba.com.
Earn as you learn
Auto-tracked · redeem anytimeTimed questions you record on GMAT Club count toward these: forum practice and preset quizzes. GMAT Club Tests practice does not count. Reach a milestone and the reward unlocks automatically.
Counted automatically from your GMAT Club timer history. Questions need a submitted answer and a real attempt to count. Prefer the long game? 49 rewards points still buys the full Quiz subscription.
Community
Study together
GMAT Club on YouTube Free
Lessons and live sessions; many are linked inside the weeks. New lectures drop regularly, so subscribe and YouTube notifies you.
Subscribe This week's discussion thread ForumPost your weekly update, ask about questions, and compare notes with everyone on the same week.
Suggestions & feedback Help us improveBroken link, better video, clearer wording? Post it and it ships in a weekly update, with credit.
Live chat rooms · pick one, not all of them
Study Buddy Chat
Find someone on your timeline. A partner two weeks ahead of you is worth more than three rooms you skim.
GMAT Questions ChatStuck on a specific question? Post it here rather than sitting on it for twenty minutes.
General GMAT chat ChatEverything else: timelines, score goals, what to do when a week goes badly.
GMAT Test Takers on WhatsApp FreeThe same conversations on your phone, if you would rather not keep a browser tab open.
Joining chat earns a rewards point every 3 days, so this counts toward unlocking the Quiz.
Study Plan chat group · pick yours by test date
Jan / FebTest window
Mar / AprTest window
May / JunTest window
Jul / AugTest window
Sep / OctTest window
Nov / DecTest window
Set your goal & test date in the sidebar and we highlight your group automatically. Each group lives on GMAT Club Chat and WhatsApp; they mirror each other.
Recommended books
Print or eBook
GMAT Official Guide Bundle Official
All 4 guides: main OG plus Quant, Verbal & Data Insights Reviews. Real retired questions with a 12-month online question bank.
Print bundle · Amazon eBook · mba.com
All the Quant + DI Amazon
Manhattan Prep. The quant & DI backbone, weeks 1-8.
All the Verbal Amazon
Manhattan Prep. CR and RC chapters throughout.
PowerScore CR Bible Amazon
The deep CR alternative. Pick this or All the Verbal.
Buy the Official Guide new, not used. Each copy ships with a single-use code for the online question bank, and used copies usually arrive with that code already redeemed. Manhattan and PowerScore books are fine to buy used.
My notes
All weeks, one place
Private to you, saved on this device with your progress. In the full version this becomes its own page, synced to your account.
Error Log & Analytics
Tracking system · every weekThe same tracking system runs across all 12 weeks: log every miss, review the pattern, redo it. Two tools, one daily habit.
Minimum fields to track
Use the built-in error log tracker above, the Analytics portal, or a customized Excel/Google Sheets spreadsheet, whichever you'll actually keep up with.
- Topic:
fractions, ratios, percent, CR conclusion, etc.
- Error type:
concept gap / setup error / calculation slip / rushed reading.
- Trigger:
what in the prompt pulled you off track.
- Fix:
one-sentence rule you will apply next time.
Redo rule
Redo rule: redo every missed question after a fixed frequency (recommended: after each week) without looking at the solution.
Analytics: what to check before wrap-up
- Accuracy by topic: which sub-skills are still under 80%.
- Timing by topic: where you're consistently over 2 min/question.
- The trend across your last few sessions, not just one bad day.
Week 4 Overview & Rules
Group RulesHow was your experience with your first full-length official mock?
Hope you all got a flavor of what to expect from the GMAT after taking a full-length mock last week.
Don’t worry too much about the outcome. Just note down your total and sectional scores in your error log against your target score. Based on that, start thinking about where you need to invest more time. Some sections will need heavier lifting, and you’ll have to put in extra hours to bridge that gap.
Also, don’t shy away from making mistakes. Those are your best learning opportunities. The ones you get wrong now are the ones you’ll get right on test day.
Week 4 is where GMAT starts testing whether you can think under abstraction. This week will be a bit heavier, so try to start early and pace it out.
You’ll see
- Powers and roots doing weird things
- Inequalities that refuse to behave
- Absolute values that flip logic on its head
- Verbal questions that feel simple... or do they...
That discomfort is normal. It means you’re on the right track.
Weekly time budget: 20 to 25 hours total
Week 4 rules (so the group stays aligned)
- Quant:
still no calculator
Timing ramp stays intact
Error log remains sacred
- New rule:
If you feel confident too quickly, double-check. GMAT loves confident mistakes.
Week 4: Exponents, Roots, Quadratics, Inequalities, Absolute Values
Quant TrackThis is where GMAT starts taking familiar concepts and making them a bit uncomfortable. Same exponents, same inequalities, just less structure and more chances to slip if you’re not careful.
What this week is really about
By the end of Week 4, you should be able to:
- Apply exponent and root rules without second-guessing
- Handle quadratics without panic or over-expansion
- Respect inequalities (especially when multiplying or dividing)
- Treat absolute values as cases, not equations
- Stop assuming numbers are positive unless GMAT explicitly says so
Core reads
- Exponents on the GMAT
- GMAT roots and indices guide
- GMAT quant roots overview Magoosh
- Exponents and roots tips and hints GMAT Club Forum
- Inequalities made easy GMAT Club Forum
- Manhattan inequalities guide Manhattan Prep
- Max and min strategies – focus on extremes GMAT Club Forum
- Manhattan tackling max min statistics – Part 1 Manhattan Prep
- GMAT exponents practice and strategy guide
Book reference (if you have it)
Manhattan GMAT Quant + DI Ch. 12 & Ch. 13 & Ch. 14 & Ch. 16 & Ch. 28
Read carefully: Chapter 12: Exponents; Chapter 13: Roots; Chapter 14: Quadratic Equations; Chapter 16: Inequalities and Max Min; Chapter 28: Odds, Evens, Positives and Negatives.
Find it on AmazonVideos
Click to watch inlineExponents and Quadratics
Inequalities and Absolute values
Don’t try to finish all videos. Understand enough to move confidently into practice.
Practice Sets
Phase 1: Easy-mode practice80% accuracy on 20 questions or a streak of 15 correct
You have two ways to do this. Pick the one that fits how you usually study.
Forum = Click the links below, sort by Kudos and solve questions directly on the forum. Quiz = preset Forum Quiz (subscription or rewards points).
Goal is the same as Option A: 80% on 20 or a streak of 15 · Do small sets (15 questions). Review after each set.
Timing ramp for Phase 1
- Set 1: Untimed
(focus on setup and accuracy)
- Set 2: Soft-timed
(generous time, still process-focused)
- Set 3: Normal pacing
only after accuracy is stable
Phase 2: Official-style questions (only after Phase 1 feels comfortable)90% accuracy on 30 questions or a streak of 20 correct
Once the practice sets feel comfortable, it's good to start testing yourself on official-style questions:
Common traps to actively watch for
- Forgetting to test negative values
- Treating absolute values like normal equations
- Ignoring "could be zero" cases
- Solving algebraically when plugging numbers would be safer
GMAT loves edge cases. Assume nothing.
What’s coming next week
Work & Rate and Distance & Speed.
Critical Reasoning - Evaluate the Argument, Find the Flaw, and Inference
Verbal TrackThis week, Verbal becomes less about just understanding the argument and more about evaluating it properly. You are not trying to fix the logic or react to it emotionally. You just need to step back and ask yourself whether it actually holds.
What you should get out of this week
By the end of the week, you should be able to:
- You automatically ask "what assumption is this relying on?"
- You spot gaps faster without getting emotionally pulled into the argument
- You avoid answers that strengthen or weaken when the question is asking you to evaluate
- You stop giving credit to answers that sound reasonable but aren’t fully supported
- You feel more in control when arguments or inferences feel messy
Core Reads
Read
Book Reading (pick one primary source)
pick onePowerScore CR Bible Ch. 4 & Ch. 10 & Ch. 13
Read carefully: Chapter 4: Must be True Questions; Chapter 10: Method of Reasoning and Flaw in the Reasoning Questions; Chapter 13: Evaluate the Argument Questions.
Find it on AmazonManhattan Prep – GMAT All the Verbal Ch. 21 & Ch. 22
Read carefully: Chapter 21: Evaluate the Argument and Find the Flaw; Chapter 22: Evidence Family.
Find it on AmazonVideos
Click to watch inlineChoose whichever style clicks for you.
Practice Sets
Phase 1: Easy-mode practice80% accuracy on 20 questions or a streak of 15 correct
You have two ways to do this. Pick the one that fits how you usually study.
Forum = Click the links below, sort by Kudos and solve questions directly on the forum. Quiz = preset Forum Quiz (subscription or rewards points).
Goal is the same as Option A: 80% on 20 or a streak of 15 · Do small sets (15 questions). Review after each set.
Timing ramp for Phase 1
- Set 1: Untimed
(focus on setup and accuracy)
- Set 2: Soft-timed
(generous time, still process-focused)
- Set 3: Normal pacing
only after accuracy is stable
Phase 2: Official-style questions (only after Phase 1 feels comfortable)90% accuracy on 30 questions or a streak of 20 correct
Once the practice sets feel comfortable, it's good to start testing yourself on official-style questions:
One mental check to keep repeating
- Evaluate and Flaw: Is the logic reliable?
- Inference: Is this guaranteed by the text?
Different questions. Different standards.
What’s coming next
G&T - Graphs
DI TrackThis week, DI is less about logic and more about how you read what’s in front of you. Graphs are not testing math. They’re testing whether you can handle visual data and avoid making unnecessary assumptions.
Core Reads
Book Reading
Manhattan Prep: GMAT All the Quant + DI Ch. 10
Read carefully: Chapter 10: Graphics Intrepretation.
Find it on AmazonVideos
Click to watch inlinePractice Sets
Phase 1: Easy-mode practice80% accuracy on 20 questions or a streak of 15 correct
You have two ways to do this. Pick the one that fits how you usually study.
Forum = Click the links below, sort by Kudos and solve questions directly on the forum. Quiz = preset Forum Quiz (subscription or rewards points).
Goal is the same as Option A: 80% on 20 or a streak of 15 · Do small sets (15 questions). Review after each set.
Timing ramp for Phase 1
- Set 1: Untimed
(focus on setup and accuracy)
- Set 2: Soft-timed
(generous time, still process-focused)
- Set 3: Normal pacing
only after accuracy is stable
End-of-week self-check
Once or twice this week:
- 6 to 10 graph-based questions
- Focus on units, axes, and what's changing vs what's constant
Most mistakes here are reading errors, not math errors.
What’s coming next
Error Log & Group Discussion Guidelines
Error LogContinue the same structure from Week 1.
Also, start tracking basic data from your mocks like overall score and sectional scores. Keep it simple for now, just enough to understand where you currently stand.
We’ll build this out in more detail as you take more full-length mocks and get closer to your target score, so you know exactly where you need to reach.
Post your stats, get a progress check
Need feedback, not sure whether you're ready to move on, or just stuck? Post these stats in your study group and a Moderator will give you an evaluation of your progress.
Reading sources & Time spent: Quant questions solved: Quant accuracy: absolute values __% | exponents __% | inequalities __% | roots __% Verbal questions solved: Verbal accuracy: evaluate __% | flaw __% | inference __% DI questions solved: DI accuracy: graphs __% One question link I want discussed (include your full attempt):