5 Tips for GMAT Table Analysis Questions

Use the first screen to get an overall sense of the table. What would be the title of the table if it had one? Is it showing change over time, relationships between scores and percentiles, gross income versus adjusted income, etc.?

As you move through the remaining sorted-screens, pay attention to how each table’s variables relate to each other.  If one variable consistently increases as another variable increases, we can say they have a direct relationship. If one variable consistently decreases as another variable increases, we can say they have an indirect, or inverse relationship. Sometimes variables will have a more complex relationship and may have both types of relationship within a spread of data. Write these relationships down in shorthand on your scratch pad. You may want to use arrows or other symbols to simplify.

If a question has more than five or six screens and the table is vast, don’t waste time trying to understand every piece of data. Try to grab the overall gist of the relationships of each one, and keep an eye on the clock. You’ll need time to interpret the statements.

Some statements will only require one table to answer. Ask yourself: which table would give me the clearest picture in order to answer this statement? It’s fine to flip between one or two sorted-screens, but trust your understanding of the variables. You’ll know where to look for the answer.

If calculation are required, round the data presented in the tables to the nearest integer to make your calculation easier. Don’t feel like you have to use decimals or fractions. Especially with yes/no statements, a quick approximation may be all the math that’s required.