Introduction
Data analysis questions present you with
a chart on the left side of the screen and two or three
questions (presented one at a time) on the right of the
screen. You will be required to analyze data from the
chart in order to answer the question.
Data Analysis Tips and Strategies
Read the chart carefully before
you answer the questions. Pay attention to the
heading of the chart(s). Look for a chart key and be
sure to pay attention to the units of the chart. Don't
assume that tick marks on a graph represent single
units: they may represent two units, five units, ten
units, etc. Become acquainted with the types of charts that can
appear on the GRE. The GRE uses pie charts, bar
charts, line graphs, and tables. Practice at least one
of each type before taking your real GRE test, so you
can briefly review how to read each type of chart. When answering questions, try to divide before you
multiply. There are many little tricks to make the
math in these questions simpler, but the simplest is to
always divide before you multiply. For example, if you
are faced with 25 x 35 ÷ 7, divide by seven first. This
will give you 25 x 5, which is much easier to multiply
than 25 x 35. This technique will also help you avoid
long division, which is time consuming. Use estimation and approximation. Round off
numbers to make your math easier. In bar charts and line
graphs, you will often be required to approximate a
value. Don’t worry; the GRE questions are not designed
to trick you by using extremely close values. Use your
best approximation for the value and do the math as you
normally would.
Click here to see our
data analysis practice questions
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