GMAT Data Insights: Table Analysis Practice Questions
Test yourself on Table Analysis with 13 original GMAT practice questions. Pick an answer to see instant feedback and a full explanation.
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Answer the questions below — you get instant feedback and a full explanation for each.
1. A sortable table lists 6 employees with columns Name, Department, Salary, and Years of Service. When sorted by Salary in ascending order, the third entry shows $58,000. When sorted by Years of Service in descending order, the top entry shows 12 years. A statement claims: 'The employee with the highest salary also has the most years of service.' Based on the information given, can this statement be evaluated?
Explanation. To verify the claim you need to identify the single employee with the highest salary and check whether that same employee has the most years of service. Two separate sorts on different columns do not let you match individual rows unless you can see which name occupies each position. With only the two summary facts given (third-lowest salary and top tenure value), you cannot determine whether the same person holds both extremes. The data is insufficient.
2. A table shows quarterly revenue (in $millions) for a company: Q1=40, Q2=46, Q3=46, Q4=52. A statement reads: 'Revenue increased in every quarter compared to the previous quarter.' Is this statement consistent with the data?
Explanation. Revenue went from Q2=46 to Q3=46, which is no change, not an increase. Since the claim requires an increase in EVERY quarter, the unchanged Q2-to-Q3 transition makes the statement false. A common error is reading 'increased or stayed the same' — but 'increased' means a strict rise.
3. A table of 5 products lists Units Sold and Price per Unit. Product A: 200 units at $15; Product B: 150 units at $25; Product C: 300 units at $8; Product D: 120 units at $40; Product E: 250 units at $12. Which product generated the highest total revenue?
Explanation. Compute revenue = units × price. A: 200×15=$3,000; B: 150×25=$3,750; C: 300×8=$2,400; D: 120×40=$4,800; E: 250×12=$3,000. Product D has the highest at $4,800. The key step is multiplying each pair rather than judging by units or price alone — Product C has the most units but low revenue.
4. A table shows test scores for 8 students. The median is 75 and the mean is 78. A statement claims: 'More than half the students scored above the mean.' Based solely on the relationship between mean and median, is this necessarily true?
Explanation. Mean (78) being greater than median (75) suggests right-skew, meaning a few high scores pull the mean up. This tends to imply MORE than half scored below the mean, not above. However, the precise count of students above the mean cannot be determined without the actual data — the mean-median gap only indicates skew direction, not exact counts. So it cannot be determined.
5. A table lists countries with columns: GDP (billions), Population (millions), and Area (thousand km²). To compute GDP per capita for any country, which two columns must you use?
Explanation. GDP per capita = total GDP ÷ population. It measures economic output per person, so it requires only the GDP and Population columns. Area is irrelevant to a per-capita figure (that would relate to GDP density per area, a different measure).
6. A sortable table contains 10 cities with Average Temperature and Annual Rainfall. When sorted by Temperature descending, you observe rainfall values: 5, 8, 12, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 (top to bottom). What relationship does this reveal between temperature and rainfall?
Explanation. After sorting by temperature in descending order (highest first), rainfall steadily increases from 5 down to 45. This means the HIGHEST-temperature cities have the LOWEST rainfall, and the lowest-temperature cities have the highest rainfall — an inverse (negative) association. Reading the sort direction carefully is essential.
7. A table shows monthly expenses across categories. Rent is $1,200 and represents 40% of total monthly expenses. A statement claims: 'Total monthly expenses exceed $3,500.' Evaluate.
Explanation. If rent ($1,200) is 40% of total, then total = 1,200 ÷ 0.40 = $3,000. Since $3,000 is not greater than $3,500, the statement is false. The key step is dividing the part by its percentage to recover the whole.
8. A table of employees has columns Name, Salary, and Bonus. You sort by Salary ascending and notice Bonus increases monotonically alongside it. A claim states: 'Every employee earning a higher salary earns a higher bonus.' Given the observed monotonic pattern, is this claim supported?
Explanation. If sorting by salary ascending shows bonuses strictly increasing with no ties, then higher salary does correspond to higher bonus — the claim holds. But if two employees share the same salary with different bonuses, the strict 'higher salary → higher bonus' relationship could still hold trivially among distinct salaries, yet equal salaries with different bonuses don't violate it. The cleanest answer: the claim is supported only if there are no salary ties that would create ambiguity in the ordering. Hence option D.
9. A table lists 4 investment funds with their 1-year return (%): Fund W=8%, Fund X=−2%, Fund Y=12%, Fund Z=5%. An investor put $10,000 in each fund. Which statement is true about total portfolio value after one year (ignoring fees)?
Explanation. Each $10,000 investment changes by: W: +$800; X: −$200; Y: +$1,200; Z: +$500. Sum of gains = 800 − 200 + 1,200 + 500 = $2,300 net gain. The portfolio gained $2,300, so option A is correct.
10. A table shows the number of defective units found in 5 factory batches: 12, 8, 15, 8, 17 out of 200 units each. A claim states: 'The mode of the defect counts is 8.' Is this correct?
Explanation. The mode is the value that occurs most often. The count 8 appears twice (in two batches), while every other value appears once. Therefore the mode is 8, and the claim is correct.
11. A sortable table of 50 transactions includes columns Amount and Region. After sorting by Amount descending, the top 5 amounts are all from the 'East' region. A statement claims: 'The East region accounts for the majority of total transaction value.' Is this supported?
Explanation. Knowing the 5 largest individual transactions come from East does not tell you the SUM of all East transactions versus all other regions across the remaining 45 transactions. Other regions might have many moderate transactions that collectively exceed East's total. The top 5 amounts are insufficient to conclude about majority of total value.
12. A table reports a store's daily sales for one week: Mon=$400, Tue=$350, Wed=$500, Thu=$450, Fri=$700, Sat=$900, Sun=$600. What is the difference between the highest and lowest daily sales (the range)?
Explanation. Range = maximum − minimum. The highest is Saturday's $900 and the lowest is Tuesday's $350. Range = 900 − 350 = $550. A common error is using Monday's $400 as the minimum without scanning all values.
13. A table shows product ratings (1–5) and number of reviews. Product P: rating 4.5, 200 reviews. Product Q: rating 4.8, 10 reviews. A claim states: 'Product Q is more reliably rated than Product P because it has a higher average.' Which is the best critique of this reasoning?
Explanation. Reliability of an average improves with sample size. Product Q's 4.8 is based on only 10 reviews, so it is more susceptible to chance variation, whereas Product P's 4.5 rests on 200 reviews and is statistically more stable. A higher mean alone does not imply greater reliability — sample size matters. Price (option D) is irrelevant.
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FAQ
What skills does Table Analysis test on the GMAT Data Insights section?
It tests your ability to read a sortable table, sort by relevant columns to find patterns, compute simple statistics (mean, median, mode, range, percentages, totals), and judge whether each given statement is True/False (or Yes/No) based strictly on the data. You must distinguish what the data supports from what it merely suggests.
How should I approach the True/False statements quickly?
Read each statement first, then decide which column to sort by or which calculation is needed. Sort to surface extremes, trends, or matches. Verify whether the data PROVES the statement — beware of claims requiring information the table doesn't supply (those are 'cannot be determined' traps). Treat each statement independently.
What are the most common traps in Table Analysis?
Common traps include: confusing 'increased' with 'increased or stayed the same'; assuming two separate column sorts let you match the same row; concluding totals from a few extreme individual values; and equating a higher average with greater reliability without considering sample size. Always confirm the data is sufficient before judging a claim true or false.