GMAT Quant: Ratio-Proportion-Variation Prep

Ratios compare two quantities. Proportion is the relationship between two equal ratios or between a part and the whole. Variation describes how one quantity changes when another changes. A proper understanding of these concepts is an essential part of any comprehensive GMAT preparation course. This page provides an organized subtopic wise playlist, along with a few worked examples, for steady preparation of this concept

Snapshot of Ratio, Proportion, Variation Problems on GMAT

Key Concept for Solving Proportion Problems

Proportion questions often unsettle students because they look simple on the surface, yet a small hidden idea changes everything. The crucial insight is that a ratio such as A:B = 1:3 does not claim that A is 1 and B is 3. It tells you that A and B stand in this relationship through common multiples, whether those values are large or small, positive or negative. Seeing this clearly is the starting point for handling proportion based questions with speed and accuracy. A popular GMAT pattern adjusts A and B by certain amounts and then sets them equal to a new ratio. Once you express each term in relation to a single constant, such questions unfold in a clean, straightforward manner. The short video below presents this approach, shows how it functions on real questions, and prepares you to use it in GMAT drills, sectional tests, and full-length GMAT simulations.

The Concept of “Variation” or “Proportionality”

Variation questions on the GMAT grow naturally out of ratio and proportion problems, but they call for a deeper sense of how quantities relate to one another. Instead of working only with simple ratios, you now meet the ideas of constants and proportionality. A quantity may change directly with one variable, inversely with another, or through a blend of both. The central task is to turn these worded relationships into clear mathematical statements and then solve them calmly, step by step. For example, if A varies directly as the square of B and inversely as C, you express this as A ∝ (B² / C). When you replace the proportionality sign, a constant enters the equation, and you can plug in values to find unknowns. With patient, thoughtful practice, these questions begin to feel straightforward and manageable. The brief video that follows explains this idea step by step and shows how it can be tested on the GMAT.

How and Where to Practice GMAT Ratio-Proportion-Variation Questions

Real practice for Ratio-Proportion-Variation problems begins when you solve them on a software simulation that closely matches the official GMAT interface. You need a platform that presents the question stem and the related information in a GMAT like layout, lets you work with the numbers and answer choices naturally, and provides all the on screen tools and functionalities that you will see on the actual exam. Without this kind of experience, it is difficult to feel fully prepared for test day. High quality Ratio-Proportion-Variation questions are not available in large numbers. Among the limited, genuinely strong sources are the official practice materials released by GMAC and the Experts’ Global GMAT course.

Within the Experts’ Global GMAT online preparation course, every Ratio-Proportion-Variation problem appears on an exact GMAT like user interface that includes all the real exam tools and features. You work through more than 100 Ratio-Proportion-Variation questions in quizzes and also take 15 full-length GMAT mock tests that include several Ratio-Proportion-Variation questions in roughly the same spread and proportion in which they appear on the actual GMAT.

All the best!