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

Redeem
TTP OnDemand GMAT Video Course
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
Start Free 5-Day Trial Read 559 Reviews →

List T consist of 30 positive decimals, none of which is an

Expert replies
Post new topic Post Reply
Previous Topic Next Topic
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 187
Joined: Tue Sep 13, 2016 12:46 am
by alanforde800Maximus » Sat Nov 19, 2016 4:36 am
List T consist of 30 positive decimals, none of which is an integer, and the sum of the 30 decimals is S. The estimated sum of the 30 decimals, E, is defined as follows. Each decimal in T whose tenths digit is even is rounded up to the nearest integer, and each decimal in T whose tenths digits is odd is rounded down to the nearest integer. If 1/3 of the decimals in T have a tenths digit that is even, which of the following is a possible value of E - S ?

I -16
II 6
III 10

A I only
B I and II only
C I and III only
D II and III only
E I, II, and III

I am totally horrified with the solution given in OG is there any alternate and best approach that can be applied to above problem??

Please suggest.

Thanks in advance.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Source: — Problem Solving |
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 235
Joined: Wed Oct 26, 2016 9:21 pmFollowed by: 5 members
Thanked: 3 times

by Anaira Mitch » Sat Nov 19, 2016 4:42 am
Same here looking for some alternate approach that can be applied in 2 minutes.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 2135
Joined: Mon Feb 03, 2014 9:26 amFollowed by: 140 members
Location: https://martymurraycoaching.com/
Thanked: 955 times
GMAT Score:800

by MartyMurray » Sat Nov 19, 2016 5:12 am
Key point:

1/3 of the decimals in T have a tenths digit that is even.

There are 30 decimals in T. So 10 have even tenths digits and ten have odd tenths digits.

Notice:

When you round down one of the decimals, you are reducing E. So you are reducing E - S.

When you round up one of the decimals, you are increasing E. So you are increasing E - S.

So according to the question we will be rounding up and increasing E ten times and rounding down and reducing E 20 times.

Possible even decimals are .2, .4, .6 and .8. So rounding up adds .8, .6, .4 or .2.

Possible odd decimals are .1, .3, .5, .7 and .9. So rounding down subtracts .1, .3, .5, .7 or .9.

So really the question is can (10 values from the adds list) - (20 values from the subtracts list) equal one of the given answers.

Check the values:

I. -16 is pretty low. So to get it we need to do some serious subtraction and not much addition.

Let's try minimizing E by minimizing the addition, by choosing the smallest number from the adds list, and maximizing the subtraction, by choosing the largest number from the subtracts list.

(10 x .2) - (20 x .9) = 2 - 18 = -16

Value I works.

II. 6 is between -16 and 10. So I am going to skip it for now. If 10 works, I think 6 is going to as well.

III. 10 is pretty high. So let's maximize the addition and minimize the subtraction.

(10 x .8) - (20 x .1) = 8 - 2 = 6.

So 10 does not work, but 6 does.

The correct answer is B.
Marty Murray
Perfect Scoring Tutor With Over a Decade of Experience
MartyMurrayCoaching.com
Contact me at [email protected] for a free consultation.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 15539
Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 12:04 pmFollowed by: 1906 members
Location: New York, NY
Thanked: 13060 times
GMAT Score:790

by GMATGuruNY » Sat Nov 19, 2016 7:44 am
I posted some advice and a solution here:
https://www.beatthegmat.com/og15-ps-218-t291281.html
Private tutor exclusively for the GMAT and GRE, with over 20 years of experience.
Followed here and elsewhere by over 1900 test-takers.
I have worked with students based in the US, Australia, Taiwan, China, Tajikistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia -- a long list of countries.
My students have been admitted to HBS, CBS, Tuck, Yale, Stern, Fuqua -- a long list of top programs.

As a tutor, I don't simply teach you how I would approach problems.
I unlock the best way for YOU to solve problems.

For more information, please email me (Mitch Hunt) at [email protected].
Student Review #1
Student Review #2
Student Review #3
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Post new topic Post Reply
• Page 1 of 1