Category: GMAT Data Insights

The GMAT Data Insights section excels at creating problems that frustrate folks who try to get through math by memorizing formulas.   It excels at creating out-of-the-box problems that really demand folks use logic and number sense to dissect the problem.   Here are four out-of-the-box Data Sufficiency problems to consider. 1) Peter went to the store…

Among other things, this post is a case study of an OG DS question: OG 12th Edition, Data Sufficiency Practice Problem #23 Here is the problem that appears in the OG: 23) If p1 and p2 are the populations and r1 and r2 the number of representatives of District 1 and District 2 respectively, the…

How do we know what the possible values for a variable on the GMAT are?  First of all, consider this DS problem 1) Is P > Q? Statement #1: P = 5*Q Statement #2: P = Q + R For folks who are not as comfortable with math, or are a bit rusty with math,…

One of the most common types of graphs is statistics and in the quantitative sciences is a scatterplot.  A scatterplot is a way of displaying bivariate data: that is, data in which we measure two different variables for each participant.  For example, suppose we ask several people both their age & their weight, or both…

Fact: One type of chart about which the GMAT DI can ask is a bubble chart. What in Sam Hill is a bubble chart?   Scatterplots A bubble chart is a close cousin to a scatterplot.  In a scatterplot, each data point has values in two different variables, and for each data point, its vertical…

One reason we graph data in a scatterplot is because we are looking for patterns.  The simplest of all possible patterns to find on a scatterplot is a straight line pattern. Correlation When the points on a scatterplot lie more or less in a straight-ish line, that is called correlation.  When it’s a straight line…

Fact: One common way data will displayed on GMAT Data Insights questions is in bar charts. This post is a whirlwind overview of what you need to know about the varieties of bar charts in order to be successful with them on the new DI section.   Bars & Columns Some sources call a graph…

On the GMAT Quantitative section, there is no calculator.  On the Data Insights section, there is a built-in calculator.  The calculator that comes with GMAT’s official DI practice questions is quite similar, almost identical, to what you will see in the test.  Here is a brief tour of that calculator. The Calculator First of all,…

The following is a set of four GMAT Data Insights MSR questions. There are two information cards in this question. You are allowed to use a calculator. For the set of four, give yourself 10 minutes.   The cards The questions 1. Player A initially draws three-of-a-kind and chooses not to discard at all on…