Study and Strategy questions relating to the GMAT.
NeilS645
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General strategy for roman numeral problems

by NeilS645 Wed Jan 18, 2023 11:07 pm

While solving an official guide problem ( OG 2022, PS 112, Page:129), I came across a roman numeral problem.

Are there any generalised strategies around solving such problems? Apologies if this is covered elsewhere, but I could not find any references in any of the Quant books.

Some advice I've see over the internet is:
    Always try and solve option that shows up most frequently first

    Is it possible to construct a grid and eliminate options as you go like with DS?
StaceyKoprince
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Re: General strategy for roman numeral problems

by StaceyKoprince Thu Jan 19, 2023 5:21 pm

Great question!

First, many roman numeral problems take longer to solve than "regular" problems—so the first thing to ask yourself is whether you even want to spend time on this problem. If it's a topic that is harder for you and/or the problem looks really complicated, the best call might be to guess and move on.

Next, the mix of answer choices changes, so there isn't a way to set up a standard "elimination grid," like you do for DS. But there are still some best practices as you work through the problem:
— Start with whichever statement seems easiest to you (ie, don't necessarily do them in order). If they all seem about the same, either start with the first one or start with one that appears in about half of the answers (so that you can cross off multiple answers regardless of whether this statement does or doesn't work).
— As soon as you've processed one of the three statements, cross off all of the answers that can be crossed off.
— Then, before you choose which statement to work on next, examine the remaining answer choices. You may discover, for example, that all of the remaining answers include statement II...so it must work (or that none of them include statement II, so it must not work). Either way, you don't have to bother to check statement II.
— If more than one statement still remains, again choose whichever one looks easiest to you.
— If you can tell that you're going over 2 minutes and there's still a lot of work to do, consider just guessing from among the answers remaining. You've narrowed down your answers somewhat, so you're still in a good position on the problem. Spending a lot more time might not be worth it.

By the way, I would *not* start with the one that shows up most frequently first—the Internet hasn't thought that logic through. For example, let's say one statement appears in 4 answers. If it works, then you'll only be able to cross off one answer...and if it does appear in 4 of the answers, then chances are it does work. :?

Go for easiest first—or, if they're all about the same, choose one that appears in either 2 or 3 answers. That way, you know you'll be able to eliminate either 2 or 3 answers after you've evaluated it.
Stacey Koprince
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NeilS645
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Re: General strategy for roman numeral problems

by NeilS645 Fri Jan 20, 2023 10:36 pm

Awesome thank you @stacey!

A grid that works for me and is easy to build:
- First scan all answer choices and mark them where I, II or III show up. rows are the roman numeral, columns are the answer choices.
- If roman numeral II is true. Eliminate (strike entire column) ALL columns where II is not marked.
- If roman numeral II is false. Eliminate ALL columns where II is marked.
- Repeat.


........|A|B|C|D|E|
-------------------------------------------
I.......|Y|N|Y|Y|Y|
II......|N|Y|Y|Y|Y|
III.....|N|Y|N|N|Y|


Thoughts?
StaceyKoprince
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Re: General strategy for roman numeral problems

by StaceyKoprince Mon Jan 23, 2023 5:55 pm

I like it! Just have to be careful to make sure that you transcribe correctly. Because that will take a little time, I could see some people preferring to just jot down ABCDE and then scan on screen and X off the answer letters on their scratch paper accordingly. (If anyone does the latter, though, make sure you are still scanning those answers carefully! Neil's method might take a little longer but you're also less likely to make a mistake with it.) (Separately: That's always the tradeoff when looking for shortcuts / faster ways to do things—you increase the chances of a careless mistake. So there's a balance to be found between efficiency and accuracy.)

Another idea for those taking the test online: I might also try just positioning the online whiteboard right next to the answer choices and Xing them off on there (so that I don't have to copy the answers onto my scratch paper). I did that on the Verbal section when taking the exam online and I found it a pretty easy way to keep track of answer eliminations.
Stacey Koprince
Instructor
Director, Content & Curriculum
ManhattanPrep