Multiple-Choice (One Answer)

What Is Multiple-Choice (One Answer)?

Solve a quantitative problem and select one correct option. Questions may involve arithmetic, algebra, geometry or data analysis. Translate the wording into mathematical relationships before calculating.

Detail	Study reference
Exam	GRE General Test
Response	Select one option
Timing	Shared Quantitative section timer
Primary skill	Modeling, units and calculation

How It Is Scored

Exactly one answer is correct. Use estimates and answer choices as checks, but verify that your result answers the requested quantity and satisfies every condition. The Quantitative measure uses a 130–170 reporting scale.

Official Video

ETS introduces the skills assessed across the GRE. This is a general exam overview; use the worked examples below for this task.

Explore ETS preparation videos for Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning and Analytical Writing.

Technical Foundations

Percent change versus percentage points

A rise from 20% to 25% is 5 percentage points and a 25% relative increase: (25 − 20)/20. Always identify the original base. Successive percentage changes multiply rather than simply add.

Rates and units

Distance = rate × time. Combine rates only after converting to compatible units. For a fixed job, a worker finishing in a hours has rate 1/a jobs per hour; combined independent rates add.

Algebra and estimates

Translate less than, at least and twice carefully. Predict a reasonable range before using the on-screen calculator so a decimal-entry error is visible.

Step-by-Step Approach

Step	Action and purpose
1	Identify what must be found and assign units to every given number.
2	Build an equation, ratio, diagram or organized table.
3	Solve efficiently; use choices to backsolve when that is simpler.
4	Substitute the answer into the original conditions and check its units.

Worked Examples

These are original teaching examples, not official ETS questions. Suggested practice timings are study targets, not extra test time.

Example 1

A price rises by 20% and then falls by 20%. If it began at 100, what is the final price? Options: 80, 96, 100, 104, 120.

Explanation / model: 96. Multiply 100 × 1.20 × 0.80. The decrease uses the new base of 120, so the changes do not cancel.

Example 2

One pipe fills a tank in 6 hours and another in 3 hours. Working together at constant rates, how long do they take?

Explanation / model: 2 hours. The combined rate is 1/6 + 1/3 = 1/2 tank per hour. Time for one tank is 1 ÷ (1/2). Adding 6 and 3 would add times rather than rates.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake	Why it fails	Correction
Answering an intermediate quantity	The calculated value may not be the requested one.	Reread the final question.
Using the wrong percentage base	The denominator determines the comparison.	Write change/original.
Trusting a calculator blindly	Wrong inputs yield precise wrong answers.	Estimate first and check units.

Practice Routine

Work a mixed set of percentages, rates, equations, geometry and statistics. After solving, write one alternative approach for two questions: algebra versus backsolving, or exact calculation versus estimation. Log conceptual mistakes separately from arithmetic slips and revisit the relevant foundation before increasing speed.

Quick Reference

Check	Reminder
Before answering	Identify what must be found and assign units to every given number.
Before submitting	Substitute the answer into the original conditions and check its units.
Review focus	Modeling, units and calculation

Sources and Format Check

Format checked on 22 October 2026 against ETS GRE guidance. Explanations, examples, routines and time allocations within tasks are teaching guidance. Follow the instructions and timer on your test screen.