Data Interpretation

Data Interpretation (DI) is an act of analyzing data with the objective to gain useful information from it. It is done to draw conclusions from the given data. Different statistical tools are used to represent the data in organized structures

Data Interpretation form an integral part of every competitive exam. Some exams have complete section on Data Interpretation, some exams have DI clubbed with Quantitative and Reasoning could be separate. Since DI involves lots of calculations and approximations, so you need to revise tables along with percentage chart i.e. conversion of fractions to percentage and vice versa. Learning tables and percentage chart would help you in increasing your calculation speed and you will be able to approximate in a better manner. Besides that, you need to revise the basics of all the types of graphs that are primarily asked in the exam i.e. tables, pie charts, line graph and bar diagram etc. Practice DI to the fullest as this is the only way to crack this section. Different forms in which data can be presented to solve Data Interpretation Questions

Tables

Tables are the most convenient and versatile method to present data. Analyzing and drawing conclusions from tables is much easier than any other method. Tables are the fundamental method to represent data. In tables, the data is arranged in rows and columns which help us to scrutinize data efficiently

Pie Charts

A Pie chart is a pictorial representation of data as part of a circle. The circle presents the total value and the different parts of the circle present certain portions of the data. There are two types of pie chart: Normal and Exploded

Bar Graphs

A bar graph is a way of representing data on the graph using X-axis and Y-axis. It is the most convenient way to present data. It is proven that using lengths in case of bar chart is a better indicator than pie charts where the data is categorized in terms of areas.

Line Graphs

Line graph is the simplified version of the normal bar graph. It is simple to draw conclusions from Line Graph.

Caselets

A Caselet is a set of information that is given in paragraph form. In a Caselet, no tables or graphs are given. You have to read the information and draw a table or organize the given data to solve the questions

Tips to solve Data Interpretation problems

Read the question carefully

Before rushing over the Data Interpretation Question, stay calm and read the question carefully. In data interpretation, it is important to understand the question in order to solve the question. Read all the data that comes with graphs, the scale value etc to quickly solve the questions

Analyse the Data Carefully

Just wait and have a thorough look at the data given. Analyse the data. You will waste a lot of time if you jump on the questions to find answers directly. Look carefully at the labels, understand the graph, scrutinize the data very carefully and then solve the question

Don’t worry about too much data

At times Data Interpretation Question contains lot of unnecessary data which is not required. When you look at the question you might probably get scared due to too much information present in front of you. It is advisable to read Data Interpretation Question and not skip it before giving it a close glance

Skip Questions if they are time-consuming

Some questions ask for too much. They require lots of calculation to find answers. These questions are known as speed-breakers. If you try to solve these kinds of questions, they make you lose your speed and precious time. The better decision is to leave the question alone and instead solve a much simpler question. Attempt these categories of questions at the end when the time is left

Avoid Unnecessary Calculations

We are taught to solve questions step by step. But exams such as SBI PO, IBPS and SSC exams where time plays an important role, it is better to avoid unnecessary steps and directly jump to the important ones to solve Data Interpretation Question

Pay close attention to the units used

In Data Interpretation Question at times the different unit is used for the question and another unit in the data. For example, a question may talk about two roads. The time of the first road is in hours and the second road is in minutes. Always convert the units into the ones which is required. So, if the question asks how many minutes it will take, convert the data from hours to minutes

Learn to Approximate the values

You need not find the exact answer always. Many times, the options that are given are far enough from each other which gives you enough room for approximation. So, for example, if you are asked to divide 542678/181234, you can easily approximate that the answer will be somewhere around 3 by looking at the first 2 numbers only. 54/18 is 3. So, instead of dividing it and finding the accurate answer, try to find an approximate answer. This will give you the correct answer. However, if the options are close, you will still be able to eliminate 1 or 2 options easily

Don’t assume anything

There are few questions which ask to find out some data which is not available. Always be alert enough to see whether the data given is enough to answer the question or not and do not answer the question based on assumptions.

Develop sound fundamentals of Percentage and Ratio

Addition is most important. After that, Percentage and Ratio are the two chapters that will have a lion’s share in the calculations while solving any DI set