GMAT Official Guide 2019 What was the median annual

[BTGmoderatorDC]

What was the median annual salary for the employees at Company X last year?


(1) Last year there were 29 employees at Company X.

(2) Last year 12 employees at Company X had an annual salary of $24,000.

[GMATGuruNY]

What was the median annual salary for the employees at Company X last year?

(1) Last year there were 29 employees at Company X.

(2) Last year 12 employees at Company X had an annual salary of $24,000.

The median salary is equal to the 15th highest salary.
When the statements are combined, the 15th highest salary can be any positive value.
Thus, the two statements combined are INSUFFICIENT.

The correct answer is E.

[Scott@TargetTestPrep]

What was the median annual salary for the employees at Company X last year?


(1) Last year there were 29 employees at Company X.

(2) Last year 12 employees at Company X had an annual salary of $24,000.

Solution:


Question Stem Analysis:

We need to determine the median annual salary for the employees at Company X last year.

Statement One Alone:

Knowing the number of employees at the company does not allow us to determine the median annual salary of the company. Statement one alone is not sufficient.

Statement Two Alone:

Knowing the salaries of 12 employees does not allow us to determine the median annual salary of the company. Statement two alone is not sufficient.

Statements One and Two Together:

Knowing both the number of employees at the company and the salaries of some of the employees still does not allow us to determine the median annual salary of the company. For example, here we know there were a total of 29 employees at the company and the salaries of 12 of them. If these 12 employees (who each made $24,000 last year) were at the low-end or the high-end of all salaries, then we can’t determine the median salary since the median salary of 29 employees should be the 15th highest of all salaries. However, if the 12 employees were in the “middle of the pack,” then the median salary would be $24,000. Thus, we see that both statements together are not sufficient.

Answer: E