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
Start free 5-day trial
Read 559 reviewsTarget Test Prep

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

Understanding Absolute Values

Problem Solving — algebra and arithmetic (GMAT Focus Edition)
Expert replies
Post new topic Post Reply
Previous Topic Next Topic
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 62
Joined: Thu May 28, 2015 1:13 am
Thanked: 5 times
by Bullzi » Thu Oct 01, 2015 10:33 pm
Hello..

I have been having trouble with questions on Absolute Values. I realize that I may not have grasped all the basics right, yet. Do you have any suggestions on good resources I could use to understand all that's required about Absolute Value concepts that get tested on GMAT?

Thanks
Bullzi
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Source: — Quantitative Reasoning |

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
Elite Legendary Member
Posts: 10392
Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pmFollowed by: 511 members
Location: Palo Alto, CA
Thanked: 2867 times
GMAT Score:800

by [email protected] » Fri Oct 02, 2015 8:43 am
Hi Bullzi,

Taking an 'algebra-heavy' approach to Absolute values might be what's causing the 'trouble' that you're experiencing. Most (if not all) Absolute Value questions can be solved with a bit of 'brute force' and TESTing VALUES.

Do you have any examples of specific Absolute Value questions that are giving you trouble? If you do, then you should post them in the Forums.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Contact Rich at [email protected]
Image
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 62
Joined: Thu May 28, 2015 1:13 am
Thanked: 5 times

by Bullzi » Fri Oct 02, 2015 8:51 am
Thanks Rich for your response..

I went back to brush up my basics again and I figured I was doing two main things wrong,

1. I was forgetting or not realizing that there could be two values of x in the equation |x| = 1
2. I wasn't testing probable extraneous solutions back on the original equation thereby getting answer solutions wrong

Let me try some problems again and post a few troublesome ones on the forum. Thanks again..!

Thanks
Bullzi
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 2095
Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2012 3:22 pmFollowed by: 247 members
Thanked: 1443 times

by ceilidh.erickson » Tue Oct 06, 2015 2:13 pm
Not to plug my own company here, it's just the resource I know best... Manhattan's Foundations of Math guide takes you through the basics of all of these algebraic concepts, and gives you numerous drill sets to practice these. We also have additional online drill sets to help you to establish solid foundations.

More information here: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/stor ... gmat-math/
Ceilidh Erickson
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Oct 06, 2015 5:19 pm

by patco » Wed Oct 07, 2015 1:19 pm
[email protected] wrote:Hi Bullzi,

Taking an 'algebra-heavy' approach to Absolute values might be what's causing the 'trouble' that you're experiencing. Most (if not all) Absolute Value questions can be solved with a bit of 'brute force' and TESTing VALUES.

Do you have any examples of specific Absolute Value questions that are giving you trouble? If you do, then you should post them in the Forums.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Good point. Thank you. This helped me too! :)
It's not so hard to raise and train a dog as long as you know what exactly to do... A good community to read some good dog training tips where you can learn a lot.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 2630
Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2012 3:32 pmFollowed by: 119 members
Location: East Bay all the way
Thanked: 625 times
GMAT Score:780

by Matt@VeritasPrep » Thu May 11, 2017 8:18 pm
Here's a good walkthrough.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 2630
Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2012 3:32 pmFollowed by: 119 members
Location: East Bay all the way
Thanked: 625 times
GMAT Score:780

by Matt@VeritasPrep » Thu May 11, 2017 8:20 pm
Some of the crucial properties:

|x - y| is the distance between x and y on the number line

|x + y| is the distance between x and -y on the number line

|x| ≥ 0 for all x

|x| = 0 if and only if x = 0

|x| = √x²

|x| = y has two solutions: x = y and -x = y
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Post new topic Post Reply
• Page 1 of 1