GRE - Data Interpretation

There will be at least one graph, and possibly two – take a moment to study them.

• Name

• Units  (be careful – one graph may be in hundreds, the other in thousands)

• Key / Legend

• If two graphs, what is the relationship?

 Don’t worry about calculating exact numbers – you may have to approximate

If you've perused this website, you know that I target 100 books a year.  The numbers below aren't my actual results, but you get the idea. 

The first graph spans five years, and tracks the number of books completed.  It also breaks down the type of book between fiction (red checks) and non-fiction (blue diagonals). 

The second graph applies only to fiction books read in 2005, so you'll have to calculate the number of fiction books.  In 2005, it looks like 76 total books were read (you might have also estimated 75 or 77).  But wait - how many fiction books?  There were 12 non-fiction (you might have guessed 11).  So, there were 64 fiction books, so the second graph applies to the count of 64.

That was all the setup for the questions to follow.  An easier question might ask how many non-fiction books were read in a particular year.  A harder question might force you to work between the graphs - e.g., how many horror books were read in 2005.

Keep in mind that you'll have answer choices, and that you have estimated along the way.  If you can't match an answer, you may need to revisit your estimates.