Free GMAT Exam Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the GMAT Exam practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1A retailer's monthly revenue rose from $240,000 to $300,000. What was the percentage increase?

   1. A.20%
   2. B.25%Correct answer: B
   3. C.30%
   4. D.60%

   Explanation: OpenStax asks, "The increase is what percent of the original amount?" The increase is $60,000, and $60,000 ÷ $240,000 = 0.25, or 25%.

   Reference: Elementary Algebra, Section 3.2: Solve Percent Applications — Following Try It 3.34, Find the Percent Increase, Step 2

2. 2An aquifer is rock that can transmit groundwater to wells and springs. Precipitation replenishes aquifers, but recharge rates differ. If wells pump water too quickly, the supply can fall and wells may run dry. Wells drawing from the same aquifer can affect one another. Which statement best expresses the passage's main point?

   1. A.Aquifers refill uniformly regardless of rainfall.
   2. B.Aquifer use depends on recharge and can affect shared wells.Correct answer: B
   3. C.Well failures are caused only by changes in precipitation.
   4. D.Groundwater reaches wells only through artificial pumping.

   Explanation: USGS says, "The rate of recharge is not the same for all aquifers" and warns that heavy pumping can affect a neighboring well. Together these support the passage’s focus on recharge and shared withdrawals.

   Reference: Aquifers and Groundwater — Aquifers and Groundwater, aquifer recharge and pumping

3. 3What is the value of x? (1) x/3 = 2. (2) x > 4. Which of the following describes the sufficiency of the statements?

   1. A.Statement 1 alone determines x; statement 2 alone does not.Correct answer: A
   2. B.Statement 2 alone determines x; statement 1 alone does not.
   3. C.The statements determine x only when combined.
   4. D.Each statement determines x by itself.

   Explanation: OpenStax says, "Multiply both sides of the equation by that LCD." Statement (1) gives x = 6. Statement (2) allows, for example, x = 5 or x = 6.

   Reference: GMAT Exam Content — Data Sufficiency

4. 4A retailer marks up an item by 25% of its cost. If its list price is $150, what was its cost?

   1. A.$112.50
   2. B.$120Correct answer: B
   3. C.$125
   4. D.$137.50

   Explanation: OpenStax states, "The retailer then adds a mark-up to the original cost to get the list price" and "The mark-up is usually calculated as a percent of the original cost." Thus the list price is 1.25 times cost, so cost is $150 ÷ 1.25 = $120.

   Reference: Elementary Algebra, Section 3.2: Solve Percent Applications — Following Try It 3.48, Applications of mark-up

5. 5Where neighboring households draw water from one underground reservoir, heavy withdrawal by either can lower the other well's supply. Rainfall gradually refills that reservoir, although replenishment rates vary. The wells can affect one another chiefly because they may:

   1. A.Draw water from the same underground supply.Correct answer: A
   2. B.Receive identical amounts of local rainfall.
   3. C.Operate pumps at the same speed each day.
   4. D.Reach the same depth in separate aquifers.

   Explanation: USGS states, "pumping your well too much can even cause your neighbor's well to run dry if you both are pumping from the same aquifer." The shared source explains the connection.

   Reference: Aquifers and Groundwater — Aquifers and Groundwater, aquifer recharge and pumping

6. 6Is the positive integer n even? (1) n is divisible by 3. (2) n is divisible by 4. Which of the following describes the sufficiency of the statements?

   1. A.Only statement 1 settles the evenness question.
   2. B.Only statement 2 settles the evenness question.Correct answer: B
   3. C.Both statements are needed together to settle evenness.
   4. D.Either statement separately settles the evenness question.

   Explanation: OpenStax explains that "the patterns of multiples that we found can be used as divisibility tests." Multiples of 4 are even; statement (1) allows both 3 and 6.

   Reference: GMAT Exam Content — Data Sufficiency

7. 7An account earns simple interest at an annual rate of 4%. How much interest does a $2,500 principal earn in three years?

   1. A.$100
   2. B.$200
   3. C.$300Correct answer: C
   4. D.$400

   Explanation: OpenStax states, "To find the interest we use the simple interest formula, I=Prt." Here P = 2,500, r = 0.04 and t = 3, so I = $300.

   Reference: Elementary Algebra, Section 3.2: Solve Percent Applications — Following Try It 3.38, Solve Simple Interest Applications

8. 8Corals under stress may expel the algae living in their tissues, turning white. A bleached coral is still alive, and some recover if the stress is not severe. If the loss of algae and the stressful conditions persist, however, the coral can eventually die. What role does the statement that bleached coral is still alive play in the passage?

   1. A.It claims that every bleached coral will eventually recover.
   2. B.It qualifies the apparent implication that bleaching is immediate death.Correct answer: B
   3. C.It suggests that bleaching has no effect on future coral health.
   4. D.It treats the later death of coral as a cause of bleaching.

   Explanation: NOAA states, "When a coral bleaches, it is not dead." The passage uses this distinction before discussing possible recovery and later death.

   Reference: What Is Coral Bleaching? — What Is Coral Bleaching?, explanatory paragraph

9. 9Two positive integers a and b satisfy a > b. What is their product? (1) a + b = 15. (2) a − b = 3. Which of the following describes the sufficiency of the statements?

   1. A.The sum alone is sufficient, but the difference alone is not.
   2. B.The difference alone is sufficient, but the sum alone is not.
   3. C.The sum and difference together are sufficient, but neither alone is.Correct answer: C
   4. D.Each of the two statements is sufficient by itself.

   Explanation: OpenStax describes reducing "two equations and two variables" to "one equation with one variable." Statement (1) alone allows 8 and 7 or 9 and 6. Statement (2) alone allows 4 and 1 or 5 and 2. Together a = 9 and b = 6, giving product 54.

   Reference: GMAT Exam Content — Data Sufficiency

10. 10A number divided by 3 plus the same number divided by 4 equals 21. What is the number?

    1. A.28
    2. B.30
    3. C.36Correct answer: C
    4. D.42

    Explanation: OpenStax explains that to clear fractions, "Multiply both sides of the equation by that LCD." Multiplying x/3 + x/4 = 21 by 12 gives 7x = 252, so x = 36.

    Reference: Elementary Algebra, Section 2.5: Solve Equations with Fractions or Decimals — Following Try It 2.96, Strategy to solve equations with fraction coefficients