about Data Interpretation ........in short..........

Data Interpretation is a skill to make sense of the information / data usually provided in a graphical form. These problems have become a necessary component of all competitive exams. All that is required is the aptitude to locate the figures from the graphs and do some plain calculations to get the answer.

Few ‘myths’............

# A high level of quantitative skills or calculations are required - NO 

* You just concentrate on the questions rather than on tricks and things like ‘Vedic Maths’.

# A knowledge of statistical techniques is necessary – again NO

* If you are not familiar with mean, mode, standard deviation and time series analysis, it is not a cause to worry about.

* Instead of concentrating on quick calculations, look towards mental alertness – the ability to spot data is required rather than long calculations.It is a work of patience rather than calculation. The questions are very clear and all it requires is the ability to understand them. Sometimes questions can be answered by using a quick approximation.

How to solve DI Questions: A Sure Short Approach..............

i) Spend thirty seconds to look at the table or graph and the directions. Note the years to which the data refers to and the units. Sometimes the figures may be given in millions while the answers may be asked to give in ‘lakhs’, resulting in mistakes.

ii) Make sure you understand what the table says and what it does not. 

For instance, if it says there are 30,000 people in the age group of 21-30 years, it does not give information about the exact number of people at particular age. It simply says that there are so many people in the age group of 10 years, both 21 and 30 being included.

iii) The level of approximation that can be done is assessed from the choices. If the answers are wide, time should not be wasted in working out exact figures. If there is a choice ‘none of these’ exists, then a close approximation is needed.

iv) Read the question carefully. It will give an indication as to which row and column should be considered. A careful reading of the question will reveal exactly what is to be done, and the units in which the answer is required.

v) There may be one or two questions requiring large calculations. (Should you not leave it like a hot-brick?).

Remember: DI section is a scoring one and also time saving.

What to Keep in Mind..........

Title : It describes what the data is about.

Units : Take full care whether it is Rs.245 lakh or Rs.245 crore! (both choices are likely to be given) 

Body : Pay special attention to years, growth rates and averages. The skill of the students is to spot (locate) the cell in which the question is referring to. 

Footnotes : Look at footnotes, if there is any; to avoid any mistake.