GMAT Word Problems Guide for Nepali Students explains how to translate current Quant Problem Solving questions involving percentages, ratios, rates, work, movement, mixtures, averages, ages, sets and business quantities. It provides a no-calculator workflow for identifying the target, defining variables, carrying units, testing constraints, using answer choices and reviewing errors.
Information checked on 25 July 2026 against official mba.com current Exam Content, Quantitative Reasoning strategies, Sample Questions and calculator policy. Current Quant has 21 Problem Solving questions in 45 minutes and tests arithmetic and elementary algebra application.
Key facts at a glance
| Problem factor | Current preparation focus |
|---|---|
| First step | State the target and units |
| Translation | Define variables and relationships |
| Percentages | Identify the correct base |
| Rates | Carry and convert units |
| Work | Add work rates, not completion times |
| Averages | Use total divided by count or weighted totals |
| Calculator | Not available in Quant |
Read for structure
Identify what is given, what changes, what remains fixed and what must be found. Ignore names and context until the relationships are clear.
Underline restrictive words such as integer, at least, exactly, remaining and different.
State the target
Write the requested quantity with its unit before forming equations. A problem can provide enough data for several values but ask for only one.
Return to the target before selecting an answer.
Define variables with labels
Use short variables tied to meaning, such as r for rate or n for number of items. Record units beside them.
Avoid creating more variables than the relationships require.
Translate one sentence at a time
Convert each factual sentence into a relationship, then combine them. Keep comparative wording in its original order.
Check that more than, less than, times, percent and percentage points have not been confused.
Use a diagram or table
A rate-time-distance table, work-rate table, mixture table or before-after table can organise changing quantities.
Use structure only when it reduces cognitive load; do not build a large table for a one-equation problem.
Solve percentage problems
Identify the base and write percent as part divided by base. For change, divide by the original value.
Use multipliers for successive increases or decreases rather than adding percentage changes.
Separate percent and percentage points
A move from 20 percent to 25 percent is five percentage points but a 25 percent relative increase.
Read the wording and choices before choosing the denominator.
Solve ratio problems
Label the ratio order and determine whether it compares parts or part to whole. Represent quantities as common multiples when the total is unknown.
A simplified ratio does not reveal actual counts without another condition.
Solve rate problems
Use distance equals rate times time or the relevant unit-rate relationship. Convert minutes to hours or other units before combining.
For average speed, use total distance divided by total time, not the simple average of speeds unless time conditions justify it.
Handle relative movement
When objects move toward each other, closing rates can add; when they move in the same direction, relative rates can subtract.
Draw the direction and define the meeting or separation condition before calculating.
Solve work problems
Represent a worker’s rate as one job divided by completion time. Add rates for simultaneous independent work.
Account for late starts, breaks or changing teams with separate time intervals.
Solve mixture problems
Track amount times concentration for each component and conserve the relevant substance. Distinguish total volume from active ingredient.
Check that the final concentration lies between the source concentrations when appropriate.
Use weighted averages
Convert each group mean into a group total, add totals and divide by combined count. Do not average means when group sizes differ.
A weighted-average result should usually lie between the component values.
Handle profit and discount
Identify whether the percentage base is cost, marked price, selling price or revenue. Write each change with its own multiplier.
A discount followed by a markup of the same percentage does not normally return to the starting value.
Solve age problems
Choose one time reference and express every person’s age relative to it. Age differences remain constant while sums change.
Reject negative, non-integer or otherwise impossible ages when the context requires.
Handle sets and overlap
Use total in either group equals first plus second minus both. Add neither only after defining the full population.
For more categories, use a labelled diagram or a controlled table rather than mental inclusion-exclusion.
Use smart numbers
Choose 100 for pure percentage relationships or a common multiple for ratios and fractions when no fixed total is given.
Verify that the answer does not depend on the chosen scale and that all constraints remain valid.
Backsolve from choices
Test an answer choice in the original relationship when choices are numerical and equations would be longer. Start strategically with an ordered middle value.
A tested value must satisfy every sentence and unit.
Estimate before computing
Predict sign, direction and magnitude. Use answer-choice spacing to decide whether exact arithmetic is necessary.
A rough result must preserve enough accuracy to distinguish the options.
Carry units
Write units through each operation and convert before combining. Unit cancellation can reveal the correct equation.
An answer with the wrong dimension is invalid even when the number appears among the choices.
Check constraints
Counts may need to be whole numbers, probabilities between zero and one, and times or lengths positive.
Substitute the final result into the original story, not only the simplified equation.
Manage pacing
Quant provides a little over two minutes per question on average. Use checkpoints and move from exact work to estimation or choices when justified.
Protect completion because unanswered items receive a score penalty.
Review translation errors
Tag the first failed step as target, variable, base, direction, unit, equation, arithmetic, constraint or timing.
Rewrite the same relationship in new wording and solve a transfer question.
Use current official practice
Read the official Exam Content page, Quant strategies and current sample questions.
Practise mixed official Problem Solving so context changes do not hide the underlying relationship.
Follow a seven-step word-problem method
State the target; define variables; translate relationships; align units; choose algebra, smart numbers or choices; solve; then verify every condition.
Use the same method under timed mixed practice until it is automatic.
Connect word problems with applications
For programme research and overseas application planning, visit MKS Education. For guided GMAT Problem Solving practice, explore MKS Prep.
Bring the diagnostic and translation-error log to counselling so preparation follows evidence.
Frequently asked questions
What word problems are on the GMAT?
Current Quant Problem Solving can apply arithmetic and elementary algebra to percentages, ratios, rates, work, averages and other relationships.
What is the first step in a word problem?
State exactly what must be found, including its unit, then identify the relevant relationships.
Can I use a calculator?
No. A calculator is not available or permitted in Quantitative Reasoning.
When should I backsolve?
Backsolve when numerical choices are easy to test and the choice can be checked against every original condition.
How do I improve translation?
Define labelled variables, translate one sentence at a time, carry units and classify the first failed step in every error.