BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem

Target Test Prep · GMAT

Choose how you want to prepare

Learn live with an expert or move at your own pace. Every option includes the complete TTP study system.

★★★★★5.0559 reviews
GMATLiveTeach Starts Oct 17
Chris Peckover, Target Test Prep GMAT expert
LIVE ONLINE CLASSES

Get Ready for GMAT Test Day Faster with Live Online Classes

with Chris Peckover, 100th-Percentile GMAT Scorer

Oct 17 · Chris Peckover
Sat · 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM ET
Oct 20 · Chris Peckover
Tue, Thu · 8:00 to 10:00 PM ET
Oct 25 · Josh Braslow
Sun · 1:00 to 4:00 PM ET
Included
40 hours of live online classes + 6 months of TTP OnDemand
  • Attend the first class for free
  • Every class is recorded, so you never fall behind
View classes & enroll
Limited seats availableTarget Test Prep
EALiveTeachOnDemand 5 seats left Start anytime
EXECUTIVE ASSESSMENT

Target Test Prep EA OnDemand

Self-paced EA prep. Study on your schedule.

Logan Thompson
EXECUTIVE ASSESSMENT

Sep 6 to Dec 6, 2026

with Logan Thompson

165+ EA score guarantee
$05-day trial no automatic billing
Schedule
Sun · 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM ET
Included
40 hours of live online classes plus six months of access to the complete TTP EA OnDemand course.
  • 165+ EA Score Guarantee
  • 4,100+ Quant, Verbal, and Integrated Reasoning practice questions
  • 400+ hours of in-depth video lessons
  • 3,000+ step-by-step video solutions
View EA class & enroll Start free 5-day trial
Limited cohort · enrollment openTrial includes full course accessTarget Test Prep
GMATOnDemand Start anytime
SELF-PACED MASTERCLASS

Target Test Prep GMAT OnDemand

Complete access from day one. Study on your schedule.

715+ score guarantee
$0to start then $127/mo
  • Personalized study plan and analytics
  • Thousands of lessons and practice questions

Compare the format, schedule, and included access before enrolling. Prices and seat counts shown reflect the supplied offer details.

A rectangular solid brick of iron is melted and shaped into a cube. If the areas of different sides of the brick were 24

Expert replies
by AAPL » Mon Jun 07, 2021 3:06 am

Timer

00:00

Answers

A

B

C

D

E

Stats

Difficulty—

E-GMAT

A rectangular solid brick of iron is melted and shaped into a cube. If the areas of different sides of the brick were 24, 36, and 54 square units respectively, what is the surface area of the cube in square units?

A. 36
B. 156
C. 216
D. 432
E. 2592

OA C
Join the discussion
Source: — Problem Solving |

We have a rectangular block measuring L by W by H, and we know:

LW = 54
LH = 36
WH = 24

Notice if we multiply all three of LW, LH and WH together, we get

(LW)(LH)(WH) = (54)(36)(24)
(L^2 W^2 H^2) = (6)(9)(6^2)(6)(4)
(LWH)^2 = (2^2)(6^4)(3^2)
LWH = 2*6^2*3 = 6^3

So the volume of the rectangular block is 6^3. If we reshape it into a cube, the volume won't change (or at least, if it did, the question has no solution), so our cube has volume 6^3, and thus has edges of length 6, and a surface area of 6*6^2 = 6^3 = 216, since we have six square faces each with area 6^2.

There is an issue with the question, however. The only way to solve the question is to assume the volumes of the rectangular block and of the cube are the same. But when we melt iron, it expands -- the volume does change. If you use actual data about iron density here, the correct answer is more like 235, and not 216.

You can also pick what is likely the right answer without doing much work. The surface area of the original block is 2(24 + 36 + 54) = 228. When we reshape that into a cube, we'll get a lower surface area for the same volume. To see that, you can imagine instead flattening a rectangular block so the top and bottom faces become enormous and the height becomes minuscule -- then the surface area becomes huge for the same volume. Doing the reverse, i.e. making the edges all equal, will make the surface area smaller for the same volume. So we want an answer comparable in size to, but smaller than, 228, and only B or C are plausible. But if we divide each of B and C by 6, we get 26 and 36, and if we assume the edges of the resulting cube will turn out to be integers here (which would usually but not always be true on a GMAT question like this), C is the most likely answer.
For online GMAT math tutoring, or to buy my higher-level Quant books and problem sets, contact me at ianstewartgmat at gmail.com

ianstewartgmat.com
Join the discussion