Skip to content

Chapter 2 of 7

Divisibility Tests

The fastest divisibility checks on the GMAT rely on digit rules. A number is divisible by 2 if its last digit is even (0, 2, 4, 6, 8); by 5 if its last digit is 0 or 5; by 4 if its last two digits form a multiple of 4 (such as 1532 because 32 ÷ 4 = 8); by 8 if its last three digits form a multiple of 8; by 25 if its last two digits are 00, 25, 50, or 75; and by 125 if its last three digits are one of 000, 125, 250, 375, 500, 625, 750, or 875.

Composite divisibility conditions combine the prime tests. A number is divisible by 6 if it is both even and divisible by 3; by 12 if it is divisible by both 3 and 4; and by 15 if it ends in 0 or 5 and has a digit sum divisible by 3. A common trap is assuming that divisibility by both 4 and 6 forces divisibility by 24, but in fact LCM(4, 6) = 12 is the correct threshold.

For 3, 9, 11, and 7 the digit tests are less obvious but extremely useful. A number is divisible by 3 or 9 exactly when its digit sum is divisible by 3 or 9 respectively; thus 1458 with digit sum 1+4+5+8 = 18 is divisible by 9 (and 3 and 2). For 11 the alternating sum of digits, positive at odd positions and negative at even, must be a multiple of 11, so 143 has alternating sum 1 − 4 + 3 = 0, confirming 143 = 11 × 13. The 7-test doubles the last digit and subtracts from the rest: 105 becomes 10 − (2·5) = 0, so 105 is divisible by 7, and 203 becomes 20 − 6 = 14, also divisible by 7.

All chapters
  1. 1Foundations: Number Types and Parity
  2. 2Divisibility Tests
  3. 3Prime Factorization, Divisors, GCD, and LCM
  4. 4Modular Arithmetic and Last-Digit Patterns
  5. 5Factorials, Powers, and Special Integer Properties
  6. 6Series, Sums, and Means
  7. 7Percentages, Rates, and Applied Word Problems

Drill it

Reading is not remembering. These come from the Gmat Quant Number Properties Tricks deck:

Q

Divisibility by 3?

Sum of digits divisible by 3. E.g., 4521 → 4+5+2+1=12 → divisible.

Q

Divisibility by 4?

Last two digits divisible by 4. E.g., 1532 → 32 ÷ 4 = 8.

Q

Divisibility by 6?

Even AND divisible by 3.

Q

Divisibility by 8?

Last three digits divisible by 8.