GMAT Table Analysis strategies
Table Analysis gives you a sortable table and asks you to evaluate statements about its rows. These strategies cover the core principle of sorting and filtering, the trap of answering from the wrong sort order, and a step-by-step walkthrough you can run on every sortable table the GMAT presents.
The core principle
Sort before you scan. Table Analysis questions come with a sortable table and a set of yes/no statements about its data. The table is too large to read cell by cell, so the efficient path is to sort by the column the statement references, then scan the ordered rows. A statement that asks whether every value in a column exceeds a threshold is a one-pass check once the column is sorted ascending.
The most common trap
Answering from the wrong sort order
Statements about the largest, smallest, median, or ranked values depend on the sort order. If the table is sorted by the wrong column when you read it, the first row is not the maximum of the column you care about. Test writers include the value from the default sort order as a trap answer. Sort by the relevant column before you read any row the statement references, and re-sort for each statement that names a different column.
Step-by-step strategy
When to use: any question that presents a sortable table and asks you to evaluate yes/no statements about its data.
- 1Read the statement and identify which column it references.
- 2Sort the table by that column, ascending or descending as the statement needs.
- 3Scan the ordered rows for the value, threshold, or rank the statement claims.
- 4Mark yes or no based on what the sorted column shows.
When not to use: when the table cannot be sorted by the column you need, fall back to reading the rows in order and tracking the value manually.
Related pages
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