Home MCQs GRE Quantitative Reasoning Question #8182
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GRE Quantitative Reasoning QUESTION #8182
Question 1

A company employs 80 people, each with a different salary. Among these 80 salaries, Mark's salary of \$43,700 is the second-highest in the first quartile. If 8 new employees are hired at salaries below the current minimum salary, what is Mark's new position among the 88 salaries?

  • The fourth-highest salary in the first quartile
  • The highest salary in the first quartile
  • The second-lowest salary in the second quartile
  • The fifth-lowest salary in the second quartile✔️
Correct Answer Explanation

With 80 employees, the first quartile (Q1) covers the bottom 25%, which is the bottom 20 salaries (positions 1–20). Mark is the 2nd-highest in Q1, meaning he is at position 19 out of 80.

After hiring 8 new employees at the lowest salaries, there are 88 employees. The new employees occupy positions 1–8. Everyone else shifts up by 8 positions.

Mark's new position: $19 + 8 = 27$ out of 88.

New Q1 covers positions 1–22 (bottom 25% of 88). Mark at position 27 is above Q1, now in Q2.

Mark is the 5th from the bottom of Q2 (positions 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 → 5th lowest in Q2).

Answer: The fifth-lowest salary in the second quartile.