GMAT Ninja Quant Ep 3: Exponents

Do you struggle with exponents questions on the GMAT or Executive Assessment? Do you get baffled when it comes to negative or fractional exponents? Can you see the quadratics hidden in exponents questions? Do you know when and how to convert the "base" in a GMAT exponents question?

In this video, Bransen -- a GMAT Ninja tutor -- will show you how to think about GMAT exponents questions efficiently and effectively. He'll help you understand how a flexible, consistent approach to exponents can increase your efficiency and accuracy.

This is video #3 in our series of full-length GMAT quant lessons. For updates on upcoming videos, please subscribe!

This video will cover:
➡️ Exponents and quadratics
➡️ Base conversion
➡️ Factoring exponents
➡️ Negative and fractional exponents
➡️ Roots

This video is for you if:
➡️ You don’t know where to start on exponent problems
➡️ You “know” all the rules but still struggle
➡️ You lack efficiency or flexibility in applying exponent rules

Want more GMAT test-prep tips and advice?

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
04:06 Question 1 - Exponents Basics
09:11 Question 2 - Fractions and Negative Powers
17:29 Question 3 - Factoring Exponents
21:27 Question 4 - Changing Bases
30:13 Question 5 - Factoring Exponents Part II
39:05 Question 6 - Hidden Roots
44:17 Question 7 - Hidden Quadratics
53:38 Question 8 - "Push the Question" on DS
1:03:17 Question 9 - Standard Form and Hidden Quadratics Part II

[All_Walks_]

I'm not going to lie, this might have been the hardest video in the series

[rejoicingGrace]

Some are among the hardest exponent questions that I saw recently but they come with helpful tips and efficient solutions. Really appreciate this session and look forward to next one! Thank you GMAT Ninja team!

[bombaybarbell]

Absolutely amazed by the way you approach solving these problems! Can't thank enough. Loved it.

[sims_ran]

Not gonna lie, you had us in the first half!

[HalfGermany]

Best of luck all of you. Pretty challenging video tbh

[arpitbafna]

Can you please mark the answers, that makes it really convenient for when I'm just cross-checking :)

[jheteale]

Hey Bransen, thanks for the vid! In Q8. Could you square a^b/2 > a^2b, to show a result of a^b > a^4b. This would arrive at the same conclusion, that a<1?

[ashishsinha]

Thanks GMAT Ninja Tutoring for sharing and solving some of the toughest questions on Exponents !

[prachitabakliwal]

Hi Bransen, in the second last question, I solved using following technique.
Q : a^b/2<a^2b ==>> is b/2<2b ==>> b<4b
Now we know that be would be b<4b only when b is less 1 (greater than 0)
So as per condition 1, we know that b>1, hence sufficient.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

By the way, great content. I look forward to these webinars every week :) keep it up GMATNinja :)

[NeuralNewsletters]

TLDR: Understanding and applying exponent rules is crucial for solving challenging math problems on the GMAT, and practicing with advanced exponent questions can improve efficiency and flexibility in solving these types of problems.

00:00 📈 This video covers challenging quant questions on exponents and quadratics, focusing on advanced topics and providing practice questions for those looking to improve their efficiency and flexibility in applying exponent rules.
11:03 📝 Simplify exponents by manipulating and applying exponent rules to eliminate answer choices and solve the problem step by step.
17:30 📝 Understanding exponent rules and simplifying complex expressions is crucial for solving challenging math problems on the GMAT.
29:54 📝 Understand exponents, factor out lesser exponent, simplify equations, find values of a and b, and solve challenging questions together.
44:05 📝 Exponent questions on the GMAT provide valuable skills and takeaways, including finding factors of numbers and checking for divisibility by odd numbers.
52:51 📝 The speaker discusses how to simplify and compare exponents in a GMAT question, emphasizing the importance of logical deduction and statement sufficiency.
01:05:40 📝 Rewrite equations in scientific notation, manipulate exponents, and cancel out terms to simplify expressions in GMAT quant questions.
01:13:18 📈 Remember key strategies for solving exponent problems and don't worry if you struggled with challenging questions, as you can still achieve a good quant score.

[ryantash]

Great video Bransen, tough but engaging 👍

[ИванДрагушев]

I couldn't get my head around the last question at all. But I noticed something - if we divide the last digit of the numerator by the last digit of the denominator for both numbers, we get 9/1=9 and (7)5/5=(1)5. This means that whatever the first number is, its last digit on the right from the decimal point must be 9 and the last digit of the second number must be 5. When we substract number 1 and number 2 we get - = and the answer is the .994. Could somebody tell me if this is a valid way to solve this question?

[gojosatoru]

how much tougher/easier or equal level are these questions compared to the original GMAT exam??

[shermainn]

Hi Branson, just curious why question 8 was not answer E, as a<1 at the beginning and then when solving for (1) a>1 ? Would you be able to elaborate more on this, thanks!

[benjaminng]

For qn8, when proving that statement one is sufficient, you deduced that for b^a > b, a has to be greater than 1. However, if a is 0.25 and b is 0.5 then wouldnt it still equate to b^a > b?

[dushyantkanal]

Hi Bransen
Quick question on 4th one
I follow when you say that a negative number raised to an even exponent will lead to a positive number but here we haven't yet executed the power right?

What I mean is, for eg
-2^8 = +256 only after the exponents have been used for the repeated multiplication. Similarly, when we have variables, shouldn't the negative hold true for the base till the time the exponents have been utilized an even number of times to then neutralize the negative?

Drawing from the above shouldn't the answer actually be option A and not D?
Or can it be either option?

[SosoCaramello]

thank you so much for these doing the lords work with these run downs

[somasundaram]

in Q4 (1/-4(^4a)) and (1/-2(^8a)) is obviously positive, so we can eliminate some options. Then taking some terms common we can just arrive to option D wryt?

[marcopecorale]

Hi, in the question 5, can I factor out also for 5^a ?

[prajeeshps]

I haven't learned exponents yet, but still I managed to get 7/9 correct, (the last one seemed extremely new to me) does that mean I am good with exponent Questions.