GMAT Probability Resources: Articles, Books, and Videos
GMAT Probability is a tricky subject, of course. Here is a list of articles, books, and videos that I have compiled to help you through your GMAT Probability journey.
Looking for free GMAT Probability PDFs or other great Probability resources? You’ve come to the right place. This is what’s available, almost all of it free, and that last bit isn’t even that expensive.
In short, there’s more Probability on this site than you can shake a stick at! Want some free stuff? Here’s a group of free sample probability questions to work on for practice…
Articles
There’s more Probability on this site than you can shake a stick at! But if you need anything else, like GMAT tutoring, be sure to check out the front page and navigate from there.
These articles on GMAT Probability will be updated frequently, so keep checking back to see what’s new!
- The Basic GMAT Probability Equations — if you want to discuss Probability, I’d suggest you start here. You don’t need these equations for everything, but they pop up often, particularly in easier GMAT Probability questions. This videos describes the most straightforward things you need to know to beat GMAT Probability.
- Independent vs. Dependent in GMAT Probability — if you’re struggling to figure out what the difference between Independent and Dependent Probability on the GMAT is (or even if you’re not) it would be well worth your time to read this short article to brush up your skills.
- “At Least Problems” in GMAT Probability — if you’re confused by the statement “at least,” this will answer all your questions. Sure, you can count all of the individual possibilities and add them, but where’s the fun in that when you can just subtract what you don’t want?
- Probability per Distribution x Number of Distributions — this is a common type of question with an equally common risk: are you calculating the Probability for one particular organization of selection (distribution) or are you calculating all the possible organizations? Make sure by reading this detailed guide.
- Collapsing Probabilities in GMAT Probability — this is a pretty rare type of question, but luckily there’s a simple solution to it. I’ve given a couple of different examples that will guide you through the process. It’s really easy as long as you remember that you calculate the first probability and then only calculate the second probability based on the outcome of the first.
- Collapsing Probabilities Part Deux — here’s another worked example to get you comfortable with this rare but simple form of GMAT Probability question.
- A Step-by-Step Guide Through a Complex GMAT Probability Question — a worked example that shows you how a question with lots of moving parts can be broken down quickly and effectively. Learn by doing!
- GMAT Probability — all the GMAT Probability articles in one place!
Videos
Here are a few GMAT Probability videos that I’ve created. Keep checking back, because more will be coming any day!
This is an easy Probability question from early in the Official Guide–notice how easy it is as soon as you’re comfortable with the idea of “desired outcomes over total outcomes.”
Here’s another combined Probability question from the GMAT Official Guide. It’s nice and simple as long as you remember to invert the value for Zelda: just multiply all the values together and you get the probability of X and Y and NOT Z–notice how it’s done in under a minute! Probability can be easy…
This one is nice and short. Imagine just how much GMAT Probability you can get done in less than a minute!
This one is a bit longer, and but it gives you some fundamental grounding on GMAT Probability equations.
This one uses the classic “Mississippi Rule” or partial combination to calculate a nice, straightforward problem. This technique appears throughout Probability and Combinatorics.
Here’s another simple Probability question. Notice how if you see the right approach it can be done in under a minute! It’s as simple as applying both conditions at once by multiplying!
Here is another question from quite a bit later in the Official Guide, so that means (hahaha) that it’s “harder.” Hardly–notice how you can use basic Probability principles and do this one in under a minute as well!
Books
Have you always wanted a book that will teach you everything you need to know about GMAT Probability from the beginning? Make sure you know all the stuff you need to do? Provide loads of worked GMAT Probability examples?
You might be wondering, especially if you’ve looked at the Probability questions available above, how to do some of those more complex Probability questions. This guide starts with the basics, from the simplest Probability theory through techniques such as counting methods and probability-per-distribution problems and even touches on Conditional Probability!
In short, you’ll see Probability questions from the easiest to the most difficult outlined in detail. You’ll understand better what to do when you see a question in the first place, and you’ll have this guide to refer back to when you’re stuck with Official GMAT Probability questions!
Look no further, because it’s here! Check out the GMAT Probability Guide here–I recommend you attempt the example questions first and then try them with the explanations.
GMAT knows you didn’t study Probability in school. Time to learn now…
The GMAT Probability Guide
