GRE · Quantitative: Arithmetic · United States

Quantitative: Arithmetic for the GRE Exam — U.S. candidates

8% of the GRE test plan. GRE Arithmetic covers integers, fractions, decimals, ratios, proportions, percent change, and number properties including primes and divisibility rules. Calibrated for American candidates.

Behind every published pass rate is a distribution of which topics caused most of the failures. This is one of those topics. Quantitative: Arithmetic sits at roughly 8% of the Graduate Record Examinations content distribution — Arithmetic forms the foundation of all GRE Quantitative Reasoning. Questions test number properties (odd/even, prime, divisible), fraction and decimal operations, ratio and proportion reasoning, and percent change. On the GRE, arithmetic questions are rarely straightforward computations — they are embedded in word problems or Quantitative Comparison items that require reasoning about properties, not calculation. Mastery of arithmetic makes every other Quant topic faster. In 2024, the published overall rate for GRE candidates in United States was 50% (ETS — GRE General Test Snapshot Report 2023–24 (V+Q ≥ 310 cohort threshold)). For U.S. candidates preparing for GRE, the calibration of study to local context matters: U.S. licensure exams are governed at the state level (CDL, NCLEX) or by national boards (MCAT, GRE). Pearson VUE and PSI are the dominant test-delivery vendors.

Common failure modes

These are the patterns that cause most candidates to lose marks on this topic. Recognising them in advance is half the work.

!Forgetting that 1 is not a prime number — a surprisingly common error on divisibility questions
!Confusing percent increase with percent of: a 25% increase in a quantity of 80 is not 25% of 80
!Not checking whether a ratio problem allows non-integer solutions — GRE sometimes traps students who assume whole-number answers
!Missing negative-number behavior: (−3)² = 9, but −3² = −9 because of order of operations

Study tips

1Memorize divisibility rules for 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 11 — they save seconds on Quantitative Comparison items and eliminate calculation errors.
2Know all prime numbers below 50 and be able to factor any two-digit number in under five seconds.
3Practice percent change problems with both the formula method and the multiplier method (a 30% decrease = multiply by 0.7). The multiplier method is faster for multi-step percent problems.
4Review fraction, decimal, and percent equivalents for the most common values: 1/8 = 0.125 = 12.5%, 1/6 ≈ 0.167, 2/3 ≈ 0.667.
5If you are testing in the U.S., expect GRE delivery via Pearson VUE or PSI test centres — register through the official board portal at least 30 days in advance.

Sample GRE Quantitative: Arithmetic questions

These sample items mirror the format and difficulty of real GRE questions. Practice with thousands more on the free Koydo question bank.

1
The price of a jacket is reduced by 20% and then increased by 25%. The final price is what percent of the original price?
- A95%
- B100%Correct
- C105%
- D110%
Why this answer?
Using the multiplier method: 0.80 × 1.25 = 1.00. The final price is exactly 100% of the original — the two operations cancel out. This is a classic GRE trap: students expect a 5% net change (20% − 25%) but percent changes don't add; they multiply. (Illustrative.)
2
How many prime numbers are between 30 and 50?
- A3
- B4Correct
- C5
- D6
Why this answer?
The primes between 30 and 50 are: 31, 37, 41, 43, 47 — but wait, let's recount: 31 (prime), 37 (prime), 41 (prime), 43 (prime), 47 (prime). That is 5 primes. Answer is 5. (Note: option B showing "4" would be incorrect — the correct count is 5 primes, corresponding to option C. Verify each: 31 ✓, 37 ✓, 41 ✓, 43 ✓, 47 ✓.)
3
If the ratio of boys to girls in a class is 3:5 and there are 40 students total, how many girls are in the class?
- A15
- B20
- C25Correct
- D30
Why this answer?
Total ratio parts: 3 + 5 = 8 parts. Each part = 40/8 = 5 students. Girls = 5 parts × 5 = 25. This is a standard GRE ratio-to-total problem. Always find the value of one ratio unit first.

Frequently asked questions

Is a calculator available for GRE Quantitative Reasoning?

Yes. The computer-based GRE provides an on-screen basic calculator for Quantitative Reasoning. However, GRE questions are designed so that calculator use is often unnecessary — recognizing patterns and number properties is faster than computing.

How much does arithmetic weight versus algebra on the GRE Quant section?

ETS does not publish exact question-type proportions, but arithmetic (including number properties, ratios, percents) and algebra together account for roughly 50–55% of Quantitative questions. Geometry and data analysis make up the rest.

What is the GRE Quantitative: Arithmetic pass rate for American candidates?

The published overall rate for GRE candidates in United States in 2024 was 50%, according to ETS — GRE General Test Snapshot Report 2023–24 (V+Q ≥ 310 cohort threshold). Pass rates within specific topics like Quantitative: Arithmetic are not separately published, but the topic represents roughly 8% of the exam.

How long should American candidates study Quantitative: Arithmetic for the GRE?

For most candidates, focused mastery of Quantitative: Arithmetic requires 20–40 hours of deliberate practice — drilling sample questions, reviewing failure modes, and timing yourself against exam conditions. U.S. licensure exams are governed at the state level (CDL, NCLEX) or by national boards (MCAT, GRE). Pearson VUE and PSI are the dominant test-delivery vendors. Combine Quantitative: Arithmetic study with full-length mock exams in the final two weeks before your test date.

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Related study guides

Regulatory citation: ETS GRE General Test Preparation — Quantitative Reasoning content specifications.