GRE Quant Question Formats
1. Core Idea
The GRE Quant section uses four formats, and each has its own scoring rule and its own risks. Students lose points not because they cannot do the maths, but because they answer in the wrong form — selecting one option when the question wanted all that apply, or rounding when the question wanted an exact fraction.
2. Must-Know Rules
| Format | What it looks like | Key rule |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple choice, one answer | 5 options, oval buttons | Exactly one is correct |
| Multiple choice, one or more | 3-8 options, square boxes | Select every correct one; no partial credit |
| Numeric entry | a box (or two, for fractions) | No options to guide you; type the answer |
| Quantitative comparison | the standard four choices | Compare, don't compute |
How to tell the two multiple-choice types apart: oval buttons = pick one; square boxes = pick all that apply. Teach students to check the shape before answering.
Multiple-answer questions:
- There is no partial credit. Two of three correct scores zero.
- The number correct is usually not stated — check every option independently.
- Treat each option as its own true/false question.
Numeric entry:
- No answer choices means no back-solving and no elimination. Your work must be right.
- Enter fractions in the two-box form when offered; they need not be reduced.
- Follow any rounding instruction exactly ("round to the nearest 0.1").
- Negative answers: use the minus sign in the box.
- Do not type units, commas or symbols unless the format shows them.
Section structure (current GRE): two Quant sections — the first has 12 questions in 21 minutes, the second 15 questions in 26 minutes. That is roughly 1 minute 45 seconds per question — but DI sets and QC questions should run faster to leave room for the hard ones.
The on-screen calculator is available throughout the Quant section. It is basic (four functions plus a square root) and slower than mental arithmetic for simple work.
3. Worked Examples
Example 1 — Multiple answer
Which of the following are factors of 60? Select all that apply. (A) 4 (B) 7 (C) 12 (D) 15 (E) 18
Test each independently:
- 4: 60/4 = 15. Yes.
- 7: not a factor. No.
- 12: 60/12 = 5. Yes.
- 15: 60/15 = 4. Yes.
- 18: 60/18 is not an integer. No.
Answer: A, C and D. Selecting only A and C scores zero.
Example 2 — Numeric entry with a fraction
If 3x + 5 = 14, what is x/3? Enter your answer as a fraction.
3x = 9 -> x = 3. So x/3 = 1.
Enter 1/1 or 1 — but check the format shown. If two boxes are given, 1 and 1 is safe; if one box, enter 1.
Example 3 — Rounding instruction
A circle has radius 5. What is its area, rounded to the nearest integer?
Area = 25 pi = 78.539...
79.
Answering 25 pi, or 78, both score zero.
4. GRE Traps
- Answering a multiple-answer question with one selection. Check the box shape.
- Stopping after finding two correct options. There may be a third.
- Rounding when no rounding was asked for, or failing to round when it was.
- Entering a decimal when a fraction was requested (or vice versa).
- Typing units ("5 cm") in a numeric-entry box.
- Choosing D on a QC question with no variables.
- Over-relying on the calculator. It cannot handle order of operations well and is slower than paper for most GRE arithmetic.
5. Speed Tricks
- Check the button shape first. One second, and it prevents a full-mark loss.
- For multiple-answer questions, go down the list once, marking yes/no. Do not try to be clever about how many are correct.
- Numeric entry: work carefully, then sanity-check. With no answer choices, there is no safety net — budget an extra 15 seconds to verify.
- Back-solve on single-answer multiple choice when the algebra is ugly. Start with the middle value.
- Plug in numbers when the question is entirely variables and the choices are expressions.
- Flag and move on. Both Quant sections allow review within the section; a question you cannot start in 30 seconds should be flagged and revisited.
6. Self-Check
Q1. A question shows square selection boxes. How many answers should you select?
Q2. A numeric entry question asks for an answer "to the nearest tenth" and your value is 4.267. What do you enter?
Q3. In a QC question, both quantities are 12 x 17 and 13 x 16. Can the answer be D?
Answers
A1. All that are correct — could be one, could be all of them. There is no partial credit.
A2. 4.3.
A3. No — both are specific numbers, so a definite relationship exists. (204 vs 208, so B is greater.)
7. One-Line Summary for the Board
Oval = pick one, square = pick all. Numeric entry has no safety net — verify. Follow rounding instructions exactly.