GMAT DI – Table Analysis: Advanced Practice Questions
Understanding Table Analysis
Table Analysis questions in the GMAT Data Insights (DI) section require analyzing **multiple data tables**, extracting trends, and performing calculations. These questions test:
- Comparative analysis across multiple datasets
- Percent changes, ratios, and weighted averages
- Sorting and filtering to answer logically complex questions
- Inference-based reasoning
Each question presents one or more tables followed by multiple-choice or **True/False** statements.
Question #01: Revenue and Cost Analysis
The following tables show the revenue and cost structure of five companies over the past three years.
Table 1: Annual Revenue (in $ million)
| Company | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha | 100 | 120 | 140 |
| Beta | 80 | 95 | 110 |
| Gamma | 150 | 170 | 160 |
| Delta | 130 | 125 | 140 |
| Epsilon | 90 | 105 | 120 |
Table 2: Operating Costs (in $ million)
| Company | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha | 60 | 70 | 75 |
| Beta | 50 | 55 | 60 |
| Gamma | 90 | 100 | 110 |
| Delta | 85 | 80 | 90 |
| Epsilon | 55 | 60 | 65 |
Questions:
| Statement | True / False |
|---|---|
| The company with the highest revenue growth rate from 2021 to 2023 is Beta. | A. True B. False |
| Delta had the lowest operating cost in any of the three years. | A. True B. False |
| The net profit margin (Revenue – Cost) was highest for Alpha in 2023. | A. True B. False |
| Across all companies, the largest cost increase from 2021 to 2023 was observed in Gamma. | A. True B. False |
Solution:
– **Revenue growth rate for Beta**:
\( \frac{110 – 80}{80} \times 100 = 37.5\% \)This is the highest growth rate.
Correct answer: A (True)
– **Lowest operating cost in any year**: The lowest recorded cost was **$50 million for Beta in 2021**, not Delta.
Correct answer: B (False)
– **Net profit margin for Alpha in 2023**: Revenue – Cost = \( 140 – 75 = 65 \) million Compared to other companies, this is the highest.
Correct answer: A (True)
– **Largest cost increase (Gamma)**: Cost increased by \( 110 – 90 = 20 \) million, which is the highest among all companies.
Correct answer: A (True)
Question #02: Employment and Salary Data
The following tables show employment statistics and salary distributions for five industries over three years.
Table 1: Number of Employees by Industry (in thousands)
| Industry | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technology | 800 | 850 | 900 |
| Healthcare | 750 | 780 | 820 |
| Finance | 600 | 620 | 650 |
| Retail | 950 | 900 | 850 |
| Manufacturing | 700 | 680 | 660 |
Table 2: Average Salaries by Industry (in $)
| Industry | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technology | 90,000 | 95,000 | 100,000 |
| Healthcare | 70,000 | 72,000 | 75,000 |
| Finance | 85,000 | 88,000 | 92,000 |
| Retail | 45,000 | 46,500 | 48,000 |
| Manufacturing | 55,000 | 56,000 | 57,500 |
Questions:
| Statement | True / False |
|---|---|
| The industry with the highest employee growth rate from 2019 to 2021 was Technology. | A. True B. False |
| The Healthcare industry saw a greater increase in average salary than the Finance industry from 2019 to 2021. | A. True B. False |
| Retail had the most significant drop in employee count from 2019 to 2021. | A. True B. False |
| The Manufacturing industry had the lowest percentage salary growth from 2019 to 2021. | A. True B. False |
Solution:
– **Employee Growth Rate for Technology**:
\( \frac{900 – 800}{800} \times 100 = 12.5\% \)– **Comparison with Other Industries**:
- Healthcare: \( \frac{820 – 750}{750} \times 100 = 9.33\% \)
- Finance: \( \frac{650 – 600}{600} \times 100 = 8.33\% \)
- Retail: \( \frac{850 – 950}{950} \times 100 = -10.5\% \) (decline)
- Manufacturing: \( \frac{660 – 700}{700} \times 100 = -5.71\% \) (decline)
Since Technology had the **highest growth rate**, the statement is **True**.
Correct answer: A (True)
– **Salary Increase (Healthcare vs. Finance)**:
Healthcare: \( 75,000 – 70,000 = 5,000 \)
Finance: \( 92,000 – 85,000 = 7,000 \)
Since Finance had a **greater increase**, the statement is **False**.
Correct answer: B (False)
– **Most Significant Employee Decline**:
Retail: **-100,000 employees**
Manufacturing: **-40,000 employees**
Since Retail had the **largest drop**, the statement is **True**.
Correct answer: A (True)
– **Lowest Percentage Salary Growth**:
- Technology: \( \frac{100,000 – 90,000}{90,000} \times 100 = 11.1\% \)
- Healthcare: \( \frac{75,000 – 70,000}{70,000} \times 100 = 7.14\% \)
- Finance: \( \frac{92,000 – 85,000}{85,000} \times 100 = 8.24\% \)
- Retail: \( \frac{48,000 – 45,000}{45,000} \times 100 = 6.67\% \)
- Manufacturing: \( \frac{57,500 – 55,000}{55,000} \times 100 = 4.55\% \)
Since Manufacturing had the **lowest percentage increase**, the statement is **True**.
Correct answer: A (True)