An unfortunate thief was caught while trying to decode the 3-digit numerical code of a lock...

This topic has expert replies
Moderator
Posts: 2505
Joined: Sun Oct 15, 2017 1:50 pm
Followed by:6 members

Timer

00:00

Your Answer

A

B

C

D

E

Global Stats

Source: e-GMAT

An unfortunate thief was caught while trying to decode a 3-digit numerical code of a lock. The police caught him while he was making the second-last possible unique attempt. How many attempts did the thief make in total?

A. 5
B. 26
C. 719
D. 999
E. 1000

The OA is D
Source: — Problem Solving |

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 8083
Joined: Sat Apr 25, 2015 10:56 am
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Thanked: 43 times
Followed by:29 members
BTGmoderatorLU wrote:
Wed Aug 05, 2020 3:43 am
Source: e-GMAT

An unfortunate thief was caught while trying to decode a 3-digit numerical code of a lock. The police caught him while he was making the second-last possible unique attempt. How many attempts did the thief make in total?

A. 5
B. 26
C. 719
D. 999
E. 1000

The OA is D
Solution:

The second-last attempt is the same thing as the next-to-last attempt. Since there are 10 x 10 x 10 = 1000 codes possible, including his second-last possible attempt, the thief has made a total of 999 attempts.

Answer: D

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder and CEO
[email protected]

Image

See why Target Test Prep is rated 5 out of 5 stars on BEAT the GMAT. Read our reviews

ImageImage