I am the least creative person I know, and not only for the GMAT quant section but in general I am just not a creative person.
For example take this question:
In a factory that produces computer circuit boards, 4.5 percent of all boards produced are found to be defective and are repaired before being sold, but 10 percent of all defective boards are sold without being repaired. What percentage of boards produced in the factory are defective?
A. 4.5%
B. 5.0%
C. 6.0%
D. 10.0%
E. 14.5%
Correct Answer: B
I know its a proportions question, in fact I know proportions pretty well. But I would never even think to use proportions to solve it. My first thought when I saw it is "what does this even say?" Is it telling me 10% of the 4.5%, 10% of some abstract number? I just had no idea that they wanted proportions, and its not like I can memorize this method because this problem, like millions of other GMAT problems, is one of a kind. To know how to do them all I'd need to memorize millions of different methods to account for every problem that's one of a kind. So is there a way to deal with these problems?
For example take this question:
In a factory that produces computer circuit boards, 4.5 percent of all boards produced are found to be defective and are repaired before being sold, but 10 percent of all defective boards are sold without being repaired. What percentage of boards produced in the factory are defective?
A. 4.5%
B. 5.0%
C. 6.0%
D. 10.0%
E. 14.5%
Correct Answer: B
I know its a proportions question, in fact I know proportions pretty well. But I would never even think to use proportions to solve it. My first thought when I saw it is "what does this even say?" Is it telling me 10% of the 4.5%, 10% of some abstract number? I just had no idea that they wanted proportions, and its not like I can memorize this method because this problem, like millions of other GMAT problems, is one of a kind. To know how to do them all I'd need to memorize millions of different methods to account for every problem that's one of a kind. So is there a way to deal with these problems?
