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25 Oct 2005, 13:06
Hey Valleyball,
Here are a few techniques I've come up w/ for DS:
1. Try to rephrase in the context of the given statements 1) and 2). This means simplify the question which makes it easy to plug in the information given by the statements (This may be nothing new).
2. When plugging in required, make sure to test out -, +, even, odd, fraction, x>0, x<0, 0 etc. when needed. All of these will not need to be tested so use some logic to decide which are needed for the particular problem.
3. Realize that statement 2 often only adds a small, but necessary, bit of information which compliments statement 1 (or vice versa). For example, a quadratic function may yield -2,2 for 1) and 4,2 for 2). Together, you know its 2. (You have probably encountered all this, but i think its important to note that such problems occur quite frequently).
4. The DS diagrams are often drawn to confuse you, so use the info given and make ur own diagram.
5. On DS word problems, try to figure out what variables could give you what is asked for. If 1) and 2) are insufficient alone, treat them as one big word problem. Remember - whatever the number of variables in the problem, you will need the same number of equations relating at least one of the variables. It helps to translate the stem into algebra, look at the number of variables, and see if you can manipulate the equation to give you what the question is asking for. (For example, to find x-y, you need not necessarily know the values of x and y; maybe you can put them on side of the equation).
These may seem obvious but they give a good idea of how the test makers think, and in what ways they set up traps.
Hope it helps!!