Chapter 23

Rates & Work

One common type of Word Problem (WP) on the GRE is the Rate problem. Rate problems come in a variety of forms on the GRE, but all are marked by three primary components: rate, time, and distance or work.

These three elements are related by the following equations:

Rate × Time = Distance       OR        Rate × Time = Work

These equations can be abbreviated as RT = D or as RT = W. Basic Rate problems involve simple manipulation of these equations.

This chapter will discuss the ways in which the GRE makes rate situations more complicated. Often, RT = D problems will involve more than one person or vehicle traveling. Similarly, many RT = W problems will involve more than one worker.

The first step is to review some fundamental properties of Rate problems.