The GRE’s Quantitative Section contains Quantitative Comparison questions, Data Interpretation questions, and Problem-Solving Questions, which include algebra.

GRE Problems

The algebra part of the GRE exam consists of several multiple choice questions on various topics, including:

• Equations, inequalities
• Ratios and proportions
• Factoring
• Algebra word problems
• Polynomial comparisons

The GRE contains approximately 10 quantitative problems, some of which include algebra problems. You will have approximately 1.5 minutes to solve these questions, which means you need to work on your timing.

Algebra Examples

Here are 2 sample questions. Similar questions may appear on a GRE test, so you should pay attention and make sure you’re able to solve questions of similar type and difficulty level.

Column A:
Column B:

Answer: This is a comparison question where you have to decide whether column A or B is greater. You’ll quickly note that . So which side is bigger? You don’t know. C can be either positive or negative, which means the left side might be greater or less than 32, or even equal if C is 0. Thus, the answer would be D, you can’t decide from the information given.

If k is a positive integer, and , find k.

Answer: This is a simple enough equation to solve, it’s just quadratic and can be quickly factored into . The only positive integer solution is . While this might seem easy, remember that you’ll get lots of these questions, and it’s extra important to get them right.

Online GRE Practice Tests

Here are some great Algebra practice tests for the GRE. Make sure you solve all of them to practice for the test!
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Find Out More!

Don’t forget to practice the other sections of the GRE! There’s the Data Interpretation section, the Quantitative Comparison Section, and of course the Problem Solving Section. Good luck!