PREPSCHOLAR GMAT FORMULAS PDF
GMAT Geometry Formulas
AREA & PERIMETER FORMULAS
Square: Area: (length)2 | Perimeter: 4(length)
Rectangle: Area: length * width | Perimeter: 2(length) + 2(width)
Parallelogram: Area: base * height | Perimeter: 2(base) + 2(height)
Circles: Area: πr2 | Circumference of a circle: 2πr
Triangle: Area: (1/2) base * height | Pythagorean Theorem (for determining the length of sides of
a right triangle): a2 + b2 = c2
Trapezoid: Area: (1/2) (a+c)/h where a and c are the length of the parallel sides
CIRCLE FORMULAS
Central Angle: 2(inscribed angle)
Area of Sector: (x/360) * πr2
VOLUME FORMULAS
Cube: (length)3
Rectangular prism: length * width * height
Cylinder: πr2h
Cone: (1/3) πr2h
Pyramid: (1/3) base length * base width * height
Sphere: (4/3)πr3
GMAT Arithmetic Formulas
ORDER OF OPERATIONS
Parentheses – Exponents – Multiplication – Division – Addition – Subtraction (PEMDAS)
NUMBER PROPERTIES
(Positive Number) * (Positive Number) = (Positive Number)
(Positive Number) * (Negative Number) = (Negative Number)
(Negative Number) * (Negative Number) = (Positive Number)
(Positive Number) / (Positive Number) = (Positive Number)
(Positive Number) / (Negative Number) = (Negative Number)
(Negative Number) / (Negative Number) = (Positive Number)
(Odd Number) + (Odd Number) = (Even Number)
(Odd Number) – (Odd Number) = (Even Number)
(Odd Number) + (Even Number) = (Odd Number)
(Odd Number) – (Even Number) = (Odd Number)
(Even Number) + (Even Number) = (Even Number)
(Even Number) – (Even Number) = (Even Number)
(Odd Number) * (Odd Number) = (Odd Number)
(Odd Number) * (Even Number) = (Even Number)
(Even Number) * (Even Number) = (Even Number)
PERMUTATIONS AND COMBINATIONS
Permutation formula: nPr = n! / (n-r)!
Combination formula: n Cr = n! / (r!)(n-r)!
PROBABILITY
Probability = (Number of favourable outcomes) / (Number of all possible outcomes)
Probability of events A & B happening = (Probability of A) * (Probability of B)
Probability of either event A or B happening = (Probability of A) + (Probability of B)
GMAT Algebra Formulas
ABSOLUTE VALUE
|x| depicts the absolute value.
|x| = x
|-x| = x
|x| = |-x|
|x| ≥ 0
|x| + |y| ≥ |x+y|
BASE - EXPONENT RELATIONSHIPS
In the expression xn, ‘x’ is the base and ‘n’ is the exponent. The way to interpret is that the base
‘x’ gets multiplied ‘n’ times.
Some rules and formulas that apply to base/exponents:
0n = 0
1n = 1
x0 = 1
x1 = x
(x)-n = 1 / xn
xm * xn = xm+n
xm / xn = xm-n
(xm)n = xm*n
(x/y)n = (x)n/(y)n
QUADRATIC EQUATIONS
ax2 + bx + c = 0
x = (-b ∓ √[b2 - 4ac]) / 2a
INTEREST
Simple Interest = P*r*t
P = starting principle; r = annual interest rate; t = number of years
Annual Compound Interest = P(1+r)t
Compound Interest = P(1 + r/x)xt ; x = number of times the interest compounds over the year
OTHER
Distance = Speed * Time
Wage = Rate * Time