GMAT GEOMETRY NOTES

1. Polygons
● For any polygon with n sides,

o Sum of all internal angles = (n-2) * 180°

o Sum of all external angles = 360°

o Number of diagonals = n*(n-3) / 2

● For a regular polygon with n sides

o Each exterior angle (in degrees) = 360°/number of sides

o Each interior angle (in degrees) = (n-2) * 180°/n

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2. Triangles
● Sum of all interior angles = 180 degrees

● Exterior angle is equal to the sum of the two non-adjacent opposite

interior angles

● Side opposite to the greatest angle will be the greatest and the
side opposite to the smallest angle will be the smallest

● Sum of any two sides is always greater than the third side

● Difference of any two sides is always less than the third side

● Area = ½ *(Base)* (Height) [Note: Highly important for GMAT]

● Height = Perpendicular distance between the base and the vertex

opposite to it.

● Median is a line segment that bisects the base opposite to it .

Median = height in an equilateral triangle or in an isosceles triangle if

the median is drawn from the vertex carrying the equal sides.

● Equilateral Triangles
o Area of an equilateral triangle =√ ¾ * side2
o Perimeter of an equilateral triangle = 3 * (side)
o Height of an equilateral triangle = √3/2 * (side)

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 ● In an equilateral triangle, median = height = perpendicular bisector
= angle bisector of vertex angle
● In an isosceles triangle, median drawn on the unequal side =
perpendicular bisector of the unequal side = angle bisector of the
unequal angle
● RAT

● Commonly seen primitive Pythagorean triplets – (3,4,5), (5,12,13),

(8,15,17),(7,24,25), (20,21,29) and (9,40,41).

30-60-90 RAT

Side ratio for a 30-60-90 triangle is 1 : √3 : 2

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45-45-90 RAT

Side ratio for a 45-45-90 triangle is 1:1:√2

Similarity
● Similarity can be proved using AA,SAS,SSS postulates
● If two triangles are similar,
Ratio of their perimeters = Ratio of their heights = Ratio of their
medians = Ratio of sides
● Ratio of their areas = (Ratio of sides)2

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3. Quadrilaterals
(a) Parallelogram

(b) Rhombus

(c) Rectangle

(d) Square

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 Properties Parallelogram Rhombus Rectangle Square
Opposite Sides are parallel Y Y Y Y
Opposite sides are equal Y N Y N
All sides are equal N Y N Y
Opposite angles are equal Y Y N N
All angles are equal N N Y Y
Adjacent angles are
Y Y Y Y
supplementary
Diagonals are equal N N Y Y
Diagonals bisect each
N Y N Y
other at right angles
Diagonals bisect the
N Y N Y
vertex angle
Diagonals divide the
entire triangle into 4 N Y N Y
congruent triangles

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4. Circle Properties
● Diameter = 2 * radius
(Ensure you know the “centre” of the circle to come to any inference)
● Tangent is a straight line outside the circle that touches the circle at
only one point.It makes 90 degrees with the radius

● Chord is the line segment joining any two points on the

circumference of the circle.

● The diameter is the longest chord of a circle which passes through

the centre of the circle. It makes 90 degrees at any point on the
circle.

● The sector of a circle is said to be a part of a circle made of the arc of

the circle along with its two radii. The area and perimeter of a sector
is dependent on the central angle or the angle made by the arc at
the centre.

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Theorems associated with circle

1. Angle made at the centre is twice the angle made any point on the
circumference.
2. Same Arc/ Chord subtends Same Angles
3. For a sector with arc ABC and central angle ‘x’,
4. x / 360 = Area of sector / Area of circle and
5. x/360 = Circumference of sector / Circumference of circle

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5. 3D Figures
Figure Area Perimeter
Sum of the
Triangle ½ * Base * Height
sides
Equilateral Triangle
√3/4*a2 3*a
with side ‘a’
Right Angled ½ * Product of the perpendicular Sum of the
Triangle sides sides
Base (any side) * Height 2 * Sum of
Parallelogram (perpendicular distance between adjacent
parallel sides) sides
Rhombus ½* Product of diagonals 4 * Side
2 (Length +
Rectangle Length * Breadth
Breadth)
a2 OR ½ * d2 where d is the
Square of side ‘a’ 4 * Side
diagonal of the square
½ * Sum of parallel sides * Height
Sum of the
Trapezium (perpendicular distance between
sides
parallel sides)
Circle with radius ‘r’ πr2 2πr
Semicircle with
πr2 / 2 πr+2r
radius ‘r’
Quarter circle
(Quadrant) with πr2/4 πr2+2r
radius ‘r’

Volume & Surface Area of 3-D figures (Solids)

1. Volume = Area of the Base * Height of the Solid

2. Volume is always expressed in cubic units viz m3 or ft3 or in3 etc.,
3. Surface Area = Perimeter of the Base * Height of the Solid
4. Surface Area is always expressed in square units viz m2 or ft2 or in2
etc.

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 Total Surface
Solid Volume
Area
Cube of dimension ‘a’ a3 6 * a2
2 (l*b + b*h +
Cuboid of dimensions l, b and h l*b*h
l*h)
Cylinder (or right circular cylinder) of radius ‘r’ and
πr2h 2πrh+2πr2
height ‘h’
Cone (or right circular cone) of radius ‘r’, height ‘h’
1/3π r2h πrl+ πr2
and slant height ‘l’
4/3 * π *
Sphere of radius ‘r’ 4* π* r2
r3
2/3 * π *
Hemisphere of radius ‘r’ 3* π * r2
r3

Note: The slant height ‘l’ of a cone is given by l2= r2+ h2, where ‘r’ and ‘h’
are the radius and the height of the cone respectively.

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6. Co-Ordinate Geometry
● The x-axis and the y-axis divide a plane, known as the rectangular
plane OR the Cartesian co-ordinate plane OR just Co-ordinate plane,
into 4 quarters known as Quadrants. These are named as the I, II , III
and IV quadrants.

● Every point on the co-ordinate plane is represented by an ordered

pair of values (x,y) where ‘x’ is known as the x co-ordinate (or
abscissa) and ‘y’ is known as the y co-ordinate (or ordinate).

● The x co-ordinate represents the distance of the point from the

y-axis i.e. it always represents the horizontal distance measured from
a vertical reference line.

● The y co-ordinate represents the distance of the point from the

x-axis i.e. it always represents the vertical distance measured from a
horizontal reference line.

●
Distance between two points P(x1, y1) and Q (x2,y2) = √ (x2- x1)2+( y2-
y1)2

● Distance of a point P(x,y) from the origin O(0,0) = √x2+ y2

● Co-ordinates of the midpoint of the line segment connecting the

points P(x1, y1) and Q(x2,y2) = { (x1+ x2)/2, (y1+ y2)/2 }

● Slope or the gradient of the line connecting points P(x1, y1) and Q (x2,
y2) = (y2- y1)/(x2- x1)

● If two lines are parallel then their slopes are equal

m1 = m2

If the slopes of two lines are equal (m1 = m2), then either the lines are
parallel (no intersection) or they are coincident

● If two lines are perpendicular to each other, the product of their

slopes is –1
m1 * m2 = –1

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● The x-intercept of a line is that portion of the x-axis which lies
between the line and the y-axis. Alternatively, it can also be thought
of as the point where the line intersects the x-axis.

● The y-intercept of a line is that portion of the y-axis which lies

between the line and the x-axis. Alternatively, it can also be thought
of as the point where the line intersects the y-axis.

● The general form of the equation of a straight line is

ax + by = c where a,b,c are real numbers.

● When expressed in the general form, the slope of such a line = -a/b

● The slope-intercept form of the equation of a straight line is

y = mx + c.

In the slope-intercept form, the co-efficient of y is 1, the co-efficient of

x is the slope of the line and c is the y-intercept of the line.

● The point-slope form of the equation of a straight line is

(y-y1) = m (x-x1)

In the point-slope form, m represents the slope of the line and (x1, y1)
represent a point in the co-ordinate plane through which the line is
passing.

● Two Point Form of the equation of a straight line is

(𝑦2 – 𝑦1)
(y-y1) = (𝑥2 – 𝑥1) *(x-x1), where

(x1, y1) and (x2, y2) are two points through which the line is passing

● The intercept form of the equation of a straight line is

x/a+ y/b =1(RHS is 1)

In the intercept form of the equation of a straight line, the RHS of the
equation is always 1. When this is so, the denominator of x
represents the x-intercept of the line and the denominator of y
represents the y-intercept of the line.

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