Skip to Main Content

Assumptions and Estimation

Linnea Newman
Lesson by Linnea Newman
Magoosh Expert
Next Lesson
Geometry (Not tested on Focus edition)
Summary
Understanding how to interpret figures on the GMAT is crucial for avoiding traps and making accurate deductions based on geometric reasoning rather than assumptions or appearances.
  • Lines that appear straight in GMAT figures can be trusted as straight, but most other visual cues cannot be assumed to be accurate.
  • Assumptions about equal lengths, horizontal or vertical lines, parallel or perpendicular lines, and right angles cannot be made without explicit information in the problem text.
  • Diagrams on the GMAT are not necessarily drawn to scale, emphasizing the importance of relying on provided information and geometric reasoning over visual estimation.
  • Logical deductions based on the rules of geometry and information explicitly given in the problem text or figures are reliable and should be used to navigate GMAT questions.
  • The GMAT may present misleading figures to test takers, highlighting the importance of skepticism towards the appearance of figures and focusing on facts and logical deductions.
Chapters
00:00
The Reliability of Straight Lines
00:59
The Pitfalls of Assumptions in Geometry
02:33
Figures Not Drawn to Scale
04:47
Trusting Logical Deductions Over Appearances