GenEd Math is a small slice of the LET — roughly 20 of the 150 General Education items — but it's where examinees who "haven't done math since college" lose the most points. The good news: the topics repeat every cycle, and almost everything is at high-school level.
Here are the 8 GenEd Math topics that actually show up, with one sample LET-style item for each.
1. Fractions, decimals, and percentages
The rule: Convert everything to one form (usually decimals) before computing. Percent of a number = decimal × number.
Sample: A shirt marked ₱800 is sold at 25% off. What's the sale price? → ₱600.
Watch for: Reverse-discount problems — "the sale price is ₱600 after 25% off; what was the original?" Original = 600 ÷ 0.75 = ₱800.
2. Ratio and proportion
The rule: Set up two equal ratios and cross-multiply.
Sample: If 3 teachers grade 60 papers in 2 hours, how many papers can 5 teachers grade in 3 hours at the same rate? → 150.
Watch for: Mixture and scale problems disguised as ratios. Read carefully whether the ratio compares parts to parts (3:2) or parts to whole (3 out of 5).
3. Linear equations and basic algebra
The rule: Isolate the variable. Whatever you do to one side, do to the other.
Sample: If 3x + 7 = 22, what is x? → 5.
Watch for: Consecutive-integer setups ("the sum of three consecutive integers is 51 — find the smallest"). Let the integers be n, n+1, n+2 and solve.
4. Word problems (age, work, distance, mixture)
The rule: Define one variable, write everything else in terms of it. Translate keywords: "older than" = +, "of" = ×, "is" = =.
Sample: Maria is 4 years older than Ana. In 6 years, the sum of their ages will be 40. How old is Ana now? → 12.
Watch for: Time-frame shifts ("in 6 years," "5 years ago"). Add or subtract from both ages, not just one.
5. Geometry — perimeter, area, angles
The rule: Memorize a small toolkit. Rectangle: A = lw, P = 2l + 2w. Triangle: A = ½bh. Circle: A = πr², C = 2πr. Sum of interior angles of an n-sided polygon: (n − 2) × 180°.
Sample: A polygon's interior angles sum to 1080°. How many sides does it have? → 8.
Watch for: Radius vs. diameter, and "interior" vs. "exterior" angles. The exterior angles of any polygon always sum to 360°.
6. Statistics — mean, median, mode
The rule: Mean = sum ÷ count. Median = middle value when sorted. Mode = most frequent value.
Sample: Five test scores are 78, 82, 85, 90, 95. What's the median? → 85.
Watch for: Even-numbered data sets — the median is the average of the two middle values, not just one of them. "Average" usually means mean, but read the question.
7. Probability (basic)
The rule: P(event) = favorable outcomes ÷ total outcomes. Complement rule: P(not A) = 1 − P(A).
Sample: A bag has 3 red and 7 blue marbles. What is the probability of NOT picking a red marble? → 7/10.
Watch for: "And" vs. "or." With independent events, P(A and B) = P(A) × P(B); P(A or B) = P(A) + P(B) − P(both). Also: "with replacement" vs. "without."
8. Number sense — LCM, GCF, sequences
The rule: GCF (greatest common factor) is the largest number that divides into all of them. LCM (least common multiple) is the smallest number all of them divide into.
Sample: What is the LCM of 6 and 8? → 24.
Watch for: Word problems hiding LCM — "two bells ring every 6 and 8 minutes; when do they next ring together?" → 24 minutes. Sequences usually ask for the next term or the rule (arithmetic = +d, geometric = ×r).
Quick exam-day reminders
- Estimate before computing. Rules out two wrong choices for free.
- Watch units. cm vs. m, hours vs. minutes — the LET often hides a unit conversion in the stem.
- If your answer is an ugly decimal, you probably set it up wrong. The choices are almost always clean numbers.
- Don't burn 4 minutes on one item. Flag it, move on, return at the end.
If math is your weak spot, drill in our GenEd Mathematics topic page — every question has a step-by-step plain-English explanation.