The GRE will expect you to be proficient at manipulating and solving algebraic e

quations. If you havent faced equations since you were last in school, this can b
e intimidating. In this chapter, the objective is to help you become comfortable
setting up and solving equations. Youll start with some basic equations (without
the variables at first), and then work your way up to some pretty tricky proble
ms. Time to dive in.
The Order of Operations (PEM
Before you start dealing with variables, spend a moment looking at expressions t
hat are made up of only numbers, such as the example above. The GRE probably wont
ask you to compute something like this directly, but learning to use order of o
perations on numerical expressions will help you manipulate algebraic expression
s and equations. So you have a string of numbers, with mathematical symbols in b
etween them. Which part of the expression should you focus on first?
Intuitively, most people think of going in the direction they read, from left to
right. When you read a book, moving left to right is a wise move (unless youre r
eading a language such as Chinese or Hebrew). However, when you perform basic ar
ithmetic, there is an order that is of greater importance: the order