-
akshaydhande
- Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
- Posts: 8
- Location: Navi Mumbai
- GMAT Score:630
BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course
Redeem
Featured Course
Target Test Prep GMAT OnDemand
Scott Woodbury-Stewart’s private virtual classroom — 400 hours of master-class video lessons for the GMAT Focus Edition.
- 715+ score guarantee — highest in the industry (99th percentile)
- 52 chapters · 1,500+ lessons · 4,000+ practice questions
- 400 hours of video · 1,500+ instructor-led HD smartboard lessons
- 300,000+ students accepted to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Booth & Sloan & more
- 24/7 live support + weekly Zoom office hours with GMAT instructors
- TTP AI Assist — 24/7 AI-powered virtual tutor for instant help
- 1,200+ flashcards + AI-powered study assistant & daily calendar
- OnDemand, LiveTeach & GMAT Bootcamp formats available
- Also: GRE, SAT Math & Executive Assessment courses
- MBA Admissions Consulting now available
- 🏆 2025 EdTech Breakthrough Award: Test Prep Solution Provider of the Year
- 200,000+ students served
- 5-day free trial — $0 to start, no auto-billing, cancel anytime
★★★★★
5.0
(559 reviews)
130-pt guarantee
$0 to start
then $127/mo
Kiindy help with is DS problem
Source: Beat The GMAT — Data Sufficiency |
-
akshaydhande
- Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
- Posts: 8
- Location: Navi Mumbai
- GMAT Score:630
GMAT/MBA Expert
-
Brent@GMATPrepNow
- GMAT Instructor
- Posts: 16207
- Location: Vancouver, BC
- Thanked: 5254 times
- GMAT Score:770
Here's one solution (in case others are having difficulty)
Here's the full question and one possible solution.
This question is a great candidate for rephrasing the target question.
Aside: We have a video with tips on rephrasing the target question: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gmat- ... cy?id=1100
To begin, notice that we have two nice rules:
- If k > 0, then √(k²) = k
- If k < 0, then √(k²) = -k
Now observe that (3-x) = -(x-3)
Given the above information, under what conditions will √[(x-3)²] = 3-x?
In other words, under what conditions will √[(x-3)²] = -(x-3)?
This will occur IF x-3 is NEGATIVE.
So, we can now rephrase the target question as: Is (x-3) negative?
Or we can write: Is x-3 < 0?
Or better yet...
REPHRASED target question: Is x < 3?
Now that we've REPHRASED the target question in much simpler terms, we can check the statements.
Statement 1: x not equal to 3
This does not give us a definitive answer to the REPHRASED target question (Is x < 3? )
As such, statement 1 is NOT SUFFICIENT
Statement 2: -x|x| > 0
First notice that this implies that x does not equal zero.
Next, notice that, if x does not equal zero, then |x| will always be positive.
So, -x|x| > 0 is the same as saying (-x)(positive) > 0
In other words, the product (-x)(positive) results in a positive number.
This tells us that (-x) must be positive, which means x must be negative.
If x is negative, then x is definitely less than 3.
Since we can answer the REPHRASED target question with certainty, statement 2 is SUFFICIENT
Answer = B
Cheers,
Brent
Here's the full question and one possible solution.
Target question: Is √[(x - 3)²] = 3 - x ?Is √[(x - 3)²] = 3 - x ?
1. x is not equal to 3
2. -x|x| > 0
This question is a great candidate for rephrasing the target question.
Aside: We have a video with tips on rephrasing the target question: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gmat- ... cy?id=1100
To begin, notice that we have two nice rules:
- If k > 0, then √(k²) = k
- If k < 0, then √(k²) = -k
Now observe that (3-x) = -(x-3)
Given the above information, under what conditions will √[(x-3)²] = 3-x?
In other words, under what conditions will √[(x-3)²] = -(x-3)?
This will occur IF x-3 is NEGATIVE.
So, we can now rephrase the target question as: Is (x-3) negative?
Or we can write: Is x-3 < 0?
Or better yet...
REPHRASED target question: Is x < 3?
Now that we've REPHRASED the target question in much simpler terms, we can check the statements.
Statement 1: x not equal to 3
This does not give us a definitive answer to the REPHRASED target question (Is x < 3? )
As such, statement 1 is NOT SUFFICIENT
Statement 2: -x|x| > 0
First notice that this implies that x does not equal zero.
Next, notice that, if x does not equal zero, then |x| will always be positive.
So, -x|x| > 0 is the same as saying (-x)(positive) > 0
In other words, the product (-x)(positive) results in a positive number.
This tells us that (-x) must be positive, which means x must be negative.
If x is negative, then x is definitely less than 3.
Since we can answer the REPHRASED target question with certainty, statement 2 is SUFFICIENT
Answer = B
Cheers,
Brent
Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com
-
DavidG@VeritasPrep
- Legendary Member
- Posts: 2663
- Location: Boston, MA
- Thanked: 1153 times
- GMAT Score:770
And the GMAT loves including absolute values in inequality questions. See here for another one: https://www.beatthegmat.com/is-x-1-gmat- ... 65922.html
