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 7 seats left
Chris Peckover
NEXT LIVE COHORT

Oct 13 to Jan 7, 2027

with Chris Peckover

Schedule
Tue, Thu · 8:00 to 10:00 PM ET
Included
40 live hours + 6 months of GMAT OnDemand
  • Live instruction and real-time questions
  • Class recordings and assigned practice
View class & enroll
Limited cohort · enrollment openTarget Test Prep
EALiveTeach 5 seats left
Logan Thompson
EXECUTIVE ASSESSMENT

Sep 6 to Dec 6, 2026

with Logan Thompson

Schedule
Sun · 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM ET
Included
Live EA class + 6 months of EA OnDemand
  • Expert-led weekly online sessions
  • EA Masterclass access between classes
View EA class & enroll
Limited cohort · enrollment openTarget Test Prep
GMATOnDemand Start anytime
SELF-PACED MASTERCLASS

Target Test Prep GMAT OnDemand

Complete access from day one. Study on your schedule.

130-point score guarantee
$0to start then $127/mo
  • Personalized study plan and analytics
  • Thousands of lessons and practice questions

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

What is the remainder when 7^74 - 5^74 is divided by 24?

Expert replies
by Vincen » Wed Oct 11, 2017 6:40 pm
What is the remainder when 7^74 - 5^74 is divided by 24?

A. 0
B. 1
C. 2
D. 3
E. None of these

The OA is A.

Wow. I need a lot of help here. How can I solve this PS question? Experts, can you help me?
Join the discussion
Source: — Problem Solving |

by Matt@VeritasPrep » Thu Oct 12, 2017 9:13 pm
This one requires remainder and/or factoring skills that the GMAT doesn't expect of you, at least in 2017. The cleverest ways of solving this will use remainder properties that will spark more questions than they answer, so let me give a clumsier approach that's more in keeping with the GMAT.

7�� - 5�� =>

(7²)³� - (5²)³� =>

49³� - 25³�

And what do you know, 49 has remainder 1 by 24, and 25 has remainder 1 by 24! This means we've really got

1³� - 1³�, or 0

So that big number is divisible by 24, and its remainder by 24 is 0.
Join the discussion

by Matt@VeritasPrep » Fri Oct 13, 2017 11:20 am
Just to follow up on my last post, that solution relies on multiplicative remainders, a topic that shouldn't appear on the GMAT. To get a feel for how these work, consider something like this:

5 has remainder 1 when divided by 4. (For the rest of the post, I'll use the term "mod 4" rather than "when divided by 4".) Notice that 5 * 5 = 25, which also has remainder 1 mod 4. This because the remainders are multiplicative: if we multiply remainder 1 mod 4 by remainder 1 mod 4, we end up with remainder 1 * 1 mod 4. We need to be treating each number by the same mod (we can't do remainder 1 mod 4 * remainder 1 mod 3, at least not that simply), but if we do, the multiplication sorts out our remainders for us.

With that in mind, once I see that 49 = 1 mod 24, I can replace any 49 I see with 1, so 49 * 49 * 49 * ... * 49 is the same, mod 24, as 1 * 1 * 1 * ... * 1.
Join the discussion

by Matt@VeritasPrep » Fri Oct 13, 2017 11:30 am
I know I said above that I wouldn't do this, but here's another explanation I just couldn't resist:

7�� - 5�� =>

(7² - 5²) * (7�² + 5² * 7�� + 5� * 7�� + ... + 5�� * 7² + 5�²) =>

24 * (7�² + 5² * 7�� + 5� * 7�� + ... + 5�� * 7² + 5�²)

So our number divides by 24! :)

To make this useful, here's a follow up question: how do I know that my factorization works?
Join the discussion

Vincen wrote:
Wed Oct 11, 2017 6:40 pm
What is the remainder when 7^74 - 5^74 is divided by 24?

A. 0
B. 1
C. 2
D. 3
E. None of these

The OA is A.

Wow. I need a lot of help here. How can I solve this PS question? Experts, can you help me?
Note that 7^2 = 49 produces a remainder of 1 when divided by 24. Since 7^3 = 7^2 x 7, the remainder from the division of 7^3 by 24 is 7 and since 7^4 = 7^2 x 7^2, the remainder from the division of 7^4 by 24 is 1. We can generalize this as follows: 7^n produces a remainder of 1 when n is even and produces a remainder of 7 when n is odd.

Similarly, 5^2 = 25 produces a remainder of 1 when divided by 24. Since 5^3 = 5^2 x 5, the remainder from the division of 5^3 by 24 is 5 and since 5^4 = 5^2 x 5^2, the remainder from the division of 5^4 by 24 is 1. We can generalize this as follows: 5^n produces a remainder of 1 when n is even and produces a remainder of 5 when n is odd.

Thus, the remainder from division of 7^74 and 5^74 by 24 are both 1, and so the remainder from the division of 7^74 - 5^74 is 1 - 1 = 0.

Answer: A

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
Join the discussion