Live GMAT classes with Target Test Prep start Nov 21 and Nov 22. First class free.

See classes
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.

Newsweek Readers’ Choice Awards 2026 winner: Target Test Prep, #1 Test Prep

Target Test Prep was voted #1 Best Test Prep in the 2026 Newsweek Readers’ Choice™ Awards.

★★★★★5.0563 reviews
GMATLiveTeachStarts Nov 22
Josh Braslow, Target Test Prep GMAT expert
LIVE ONLINE CLASSES

Get Ready for GMAT Test Day Faster with Live Online Classes

with Josh Braslow, 20+ years in test prep

Nov 22 · Josh Braslow
Sun · 9:30 AM to 12:30 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
EALiveTeachOnDemandStart anytime
EXECUTIVE ASSESSMENT

Target Test Prep EA OnDemand

Self-paced EA prep. Study on your schedule.

EXECUTIVE ASSESSMENT

with

165+ EA score guarantee
$05-day trial no automatic billing
Schedule
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
GMATOnDemandStart 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

Hard MGMAT question

Expert replies
by pg850 » Mon Jul 27, 2009 9:57 am
In a certain game, a large bag is filled with blue, green, purple and red chips worth 1, 5, x and 11 points each, respectively. The purple chips are worth more than the green chips, but less than the red chips. A certain number of chips are then selected from the bag. If the product of the point values of the selected chips is 88,000, how many purple chips were selected?
  • 1
    2
    3
    4
    5
OA: 2
Join the discussion
Source: — Problem Solving |

by vinayakdl » Mon Jul 27, 2009 10:11 am
IMO : 2

here is the solution:

88000 = (5^3)(2^6)(11)
now since x is greater than 5 and less that 11 we can conclude that x = 2^3 = 8
so

88000 = (5^3)(8^2)(11)

hence 2.

Let me know if this makes sense or i am missing something.

Vinayak
Join the discussion

by ManSab » Mon Jul 27, 2009 11:53 am
Vinayak
How you came with 5^3 and 2^6?
88000 = (5^3)(2^6)(11)

Thanks in advance
Join the discussion

by vinayakdl » Mon Jul 27, 2009 12:14 pm
ManSab wrote:Vinayak
How you came with 5^3 and 2^6?
88000 = (5^3)(2^6)(11)

Thanks in advance
np...

88000 = 88x1000 = 8x11x10x10x10
= 2^3x11x5x2x5x2x5x2 = 2^6x11x5^3

Vinayak
Join the discussion

by ghacker » Mon Jul 27, 2009 1:09 pm
the question is about factors

So factorize 88,000

88,000 = 88*1000 = 2^3*11*5^3*2^3 = 2^6*5^3*11

But purple is greater than 5 and less than 11 so it should be 8

Why 8 = 2^3 so 2^6 = 8^2

Hence ans= 2
Join the discussion

by pg850 » Mon Jul 27, 2009 9:00 pm
vinayakdl wrote:IMO : 2

here is the solution:

88000 = (5^3)(2^6)(11)
now since x is greater than 5 and less that 11 we can conclude that x = 2^3 = 8
so

88000 = (5^3)(8^2)(11)

hence 2.

Let me know if this makes sense or i am missing something.

Vinayak
Isnt it possible that 88000 blue chips were picked or 8000 red chips were picked. How can we assume that some quantity of each colored chip was picked from the bag, in which case we cannot find out a definite value for x. Maybe I am missing something but I felt the question should have specified these things.
Join the discussion

by pg850 » Mon Jul 27, 2009 9:22 pm
Wait.. I think i figured it out.. "product of the point values" - i.e. even if there were 88,000 blue chips, the product would just be 1.. damn, that was tricky! - need to read the question carefully..

Thanks vinayak!
Join the discussion

by kaulnikhil » Tue Jul 28, 2009 9:22 am
y cant we consider 10 as the value of X

we can represent it as
5*(no of green chips = 5*32 )*10*(no of purple chips = 1)* 11 = 8800

so no of purple chips = 1
Join the discussion

by tohellandback » Fri Jul 31, 2009 12:54 am
IMO 2
88000=5^3*2^6*11
clearly blue, green, purple and red chips worth 1, 5, x and 11 points each, respectively.

since purple chips are worth more than green chips and less than red chips, purple chips can be worth 6,7,8,9,or 10 points.
88000=5^3*2^6*11- from this we know that there are 3 green chips and 11 red chips.
2^6 represents the purple chips. this can only be written as 8^2. you cannot write it in terms of 6,7,9,or 10. so purple chips are worth 8 points and two of them were selected
The powers of two are bloody impolite!!
Join the discussion

simple, but elegant

by shahdevine » Fri Jul 31, 2009 8:21 am
blue=1
green=5
purple = x
red = 11

we know that red>purple>green, therefore purple's point value is 6,7,8,9, or 10.

since the products of the chips equal 88000 then we can factor 88000 into its primes. We get 5^3*2^6*11. So even although we don't know which chips were picked, based on the prime factors we can figure it out. There were 3 green chips, and 1 red chip. However we have 2^6, is not represented. If we manipulate 2^6 we get 8^2, which means we have a point value for the purple chip which is less than red but greater than green. And we have two purple chips of value 8. Therefore 2 is answer.

blue skies,

sd
Join the discussion

What about the blue chips ??

8 is the point value of the purple chips . Agreed . But there can be 1 purple chip and 8 blue chips .

(i.e ) 2^6 = 2^3 * 2^3 . So 1 purple chip + 8 blue chips.

What in the question gives a hint there are multiple purple chips and 1 blue chip.
Join the discussion

pink_08 wrote:What about the blue chips ??

8 is the point value of the purple chips . Agreed . But there can be 1 purple chip and 8 blue chips .

(i.e ) 2^6 = 2^3 * 2^3 . So 1 purple chip + 8 blue chips.

What in the question gives a hint there are multiple purple chips and 1 blue chip.
blue chips are worth only 1 point so you can have as many of them as you want..doesn't matter.. but purple chips you can have only 2 because of the 8^2
The powers of two are bloody impolite!!
Join the discussion

by pink_08 » Tue Aug 04, 2009 6:26 pm
Agreed. Blue chips can be as many as needed ( their face value being 1)

What tells that there are 2 purple chips.. 8^2 means you can have even one purple chip and 8 blue chips..What dictates the split of 2 purple
Join the discussion

by tohellandback » Tue Aug 04, 2009 6:49 pm
pink_08 wrote:Agreed. Blue chips can be as many as needed ( their face value being 1)

What tells that there are 2 purple chips.. 8^2 means you can have even one purple chip and 8 blue chips..What dictates the split of 2 purple
8^2= 8^8. If you have only 1 purple chip then what about the other eight. I think you have mistaken the sum for the product.
pink_08 wrote:8^2 means you can have even one purple chip and 8 blue chips
. those 8 blue chips will give you only one point.
The powers of two are bloody impolite!!
Join the discussion

by adssaini » Wed Aug 05, 2009 9:15 am
take a factors of 88,000

its : 11 X 8000

then 8000 = 5 X 1600

16000 = 5 X 320

320 = 5 x 64

64 = 8 X 8

Its given in the question that purple chips are worth more than the green chips, so 8 is higher than 5, and there are two 8's, hence there are 2 purple chips.
Join the discussion