4 Tips for Data Interpretation on the GRE

4 Tips for Data Interpretation on the GRE

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Interpreting data on the GRE math section may come in many forms: charts, graphs, tables, or extrapolating information from a reading passage. Mastering all the different ways to interpret data will be an important part of scoring well on the GRE.  Make sure to remember the following tips and strategies when faced with a data interpretation question. Then, use them to solve the sample problem below.

GRE Data Interpretation: Tips and Strategies


  • Understand the display before starting calculations.

    Before answering a GRE Data Interpretation question, test takers should briefly identify what the graph, chart, or table shows and how its information is organized. The goal is to understand the overall display, not memorize every value or perform calculations in advance.

    This approach is similar to reading a passage for its main idea and structure before returning to specific details. Once the display is clear, test takers can use each question to identify the values needed for the calculation.

  • Check the graph type, title, labels, and units.

    A brief, consistent review can make an unfamiliar graph easier to understand:

    1. Identify the graph type. Bar graphs compare categories, pie charts show how a whole is divided into parts, line graphs often show changes over time, and scatterplots show paired values for two variables. Stacked bar graphs show both categories and their component parts.
    2. Read the title. Identify the subject, population, and time period, if provided.
    3. Check the axes, labels, and legend. Determine which categories or variables are shown, what the units represent, and how the scale is marked. Check whether the values are counts, percentages, or another measurement.
    4. Explain one data point in plain language. Translating a single bar, slice, point, or table entry into a sentence helps confirm that the display has been interpreted correctly.

    For example, a pie chart showing that pugs account for 15% of the dogs in a park gives a proportion, not a count. Without the total number of dogs, the number of pugs cannot be calculated. If the total is 80 dogs, then the number of pugs is 0.15 × 80 = 12.

    When a question uses more than one display, test takers should check whether the graphs refer to the same population, time period, and units before combining their information.

  • Don’t be afraid to take notes and/or write out the math.

    You should never try to compute a data interpretation question without writing down the figures. Although it may take a few seconds longer, the chances you’ll correctly answer the question are much greater if you write out the math.

  • Look for patterns.

    If numbers and figures come easily to you, look to see if you can see a pattern in the data. But even if you think you know the answer because there’s a pattern, do the math just to be sure.



GRE Data Interpretation: Practice Question



What is the average (arithmetic mean) height, in inches, of the 5 students’ mothers?
A. 60
B. 62.5
C. 65
D. 70
E. 72

Each point on this graph pairs one student’s father’s height on the horizontal axis with that student’s mother’s height on the vertical axis. Before calculating, test takers can select one point and describe what its two coordinates represent. This confirms how the graph works; the question then determines which coordinate is needed.
After you examine the graph carefully, you should notice that the y-axis has the height of each student’s mother in inches. That means you will only refer to the information on the y-axis, as the x-axis (height of father) is not relevant to this question. With this in mind, we see that two mothers are 60 inches tall, one is 65 inches tall, and the other two are 70 inches tall. To find the average, we need to add all their heights together and then divide by 5, the total number of mothers. Let’s do the math:
60 + 60 + 65 + 70 + 70 = 325 (all heights together)
325 ÷ 5 = 65 (average height—or arithmetic mean—of the mothers)
Now that we’ve done the math, we can see that C is the right answer!
(There’s another, faster way to solve this problem. If you’re good at noticing patterns, you would’ve seen that the average of the two mothers at 60 inches tall and the other two mothers at 70 inches tall would’ve been 65 inches. This is the same height as the other remaining mother, meaning the average height for all the mothers would be 65. Looking for patterns like this can save you time when completing data interpretation questions, but if you’re stuck, just do the math to get the correct answer.)



Data interpretation questions on the GRE require you to read and examine any charts, graphs or tables closely. Getting enough test prep will ensure you’re ready for any data interpretation questions that come your way on test day.

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