Graphics Interpretation questions in the GMAT Focus Data Insights section show a graph or a chart, such as a bar chart, a line graph, a scatter plot or a table, and two statements with drop-down blanks. You complete each statement by picking the option that makes it accurate. As in the other multi-part Data Insights questions, both blanks must be right.
Start with the frame, not the data. Read the title, the axes, the units and the scale: whether values are in thousands, whether the axis starts at zero, and what each series represents. Many wrong answers come from reading the right point on the wrong scale.
Then read the statement around each blank and decide what it needs: a single value, a comparison, a trend or a percent change. Percent change uses the starting value as its base; “approximately” means you may round, but the answer choices are often spaced to punish rough reading. The calculator is available, so use it for the final step once your setup is right.
On scatter plots, questions about trends and correlation ask about the overall pattern, not about any one point. Look at the whole cloud before you commit.
2 practice questions
Graphics Interpretation (GI)Percents and Interest ProblemsEasy
Question 1
The bar graph shows a company's quarterly revenue, in millions of dollars, from its three product lines last year.
Use the drop-down menus to complete each statement so that it is accurate based on the information in the graph.
Services revenue made up the greatest share of the company's total quarterly revenue in [Blank 1].
From the first quarter to the fourth quarter, software revenue increased by approximately [Blank 2] percent.
Quarterly revenue by product line
HardwareSoftwareServices
Data shown in the graph (Revenue ($ millions))
Quarter
Hardware
Software
Services
Q1
42
27
18
Q2
38
33
21
Q3
45
36
19
Q4
51
40
24
Blank 1 options: Q1 / Q2 / Q3 / Q4
Blank 2 options: 13 / 33 / 48 / 52 / 148
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: Blank 1: Q2; Blank 2: 48
Key Concept or Approach
A share is a part divided by the total for that quarter, so the largest services bar is not necessarily the largest share. Percent change = (new − old) ÷ old × 100.
Step-by-Step Solution
Blank 1: Quarterly totals: 87, 92, 100, 115. Services share: Q1 18/87 ≈ 20.7%, Q2 21/92 ≈ 22.8%, Q3 19/100 ≈ 19.0%, Q4 24/115 ≈ 20.9%. The greatest share is in Q2, even though the services bar is tallest in Q4.
Blank 2: Software went from 27 to 40. (40 − 27)/27 = 13/27 ≈ 48.1 percent. 48.
Final Answer
Q2; 48 percent.
Common trap: Blank 1: picking Q4 because the services bar is tallest there; blank 2: choosing 13 (the change in millions) or 33 (dividing by 40).
Graphics Interpretation (GI)Percents and Interest ProblemsEasy
Question 2
The graph shows the number of visitors, in thousands, to two museums in each of the first six months of a year.
Use the drop-down menus to complete each statement so that it is accurate based on the information in the graph.
The first month shown in which Museum A had more visitors than Museum B was [Blank 1].
From January to June, the number of visitors to Museum A increased by approximately [Blank 2] percent.
Monthly visitors, January to June
Museum AMuseum B
Data shown in the graph (Visitors (thousands))
Month
Museum A
Museum B
Jan
42
55
Feb
38
49
Mar
51
50
Apr
57
53
May
64
58
Jun
70
61
Blank 1 options: February / March / April / May
Blank 2 options: 28 / 40 / 50 / 67 / 150
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: Blank 1: March; Blank 2: 67
Key Concept or Approach
Compare the two lines month by month, then use percent change = (new − old) ÷ old × 100.
Step-by-Step Solution
Blank 1: January 42 vs 55 and February 38 vs 49: Museum B is higher. In March, A has 51 and B has 50, so A is higher for the first time. March.
Blank 2: Museum A went from 42 to 70 thousand. (70 − 42) ÷ 42 = 28/42 = 2/3 ≈ 67 percent. 67.
Final Answer
March; 67 percent.
Common trap: Blank 2: choosing 28 (the increase in thousands, not in percent) or 40 (dividing by the June value instead of the January value).
