rather than or instead of

[varun007]

pls can somebody explain when should we use the phrase rather than and instead of

[JonathanSchneider]

I'm not convinced that the GMAT considers this solid enough to be testable in its own right. You'll probably see some other split that can get the job done. However, my understanding is that "rather than" is for verbs, whereas "instead of" is for nouns. Example: I prefer to jog rather than run. I chose bacon instead of hotdogs.