Table Analysis - Sorting and Identifying

Along with the table, you will be given three statements and usually asked to determine whether they are true based on the information in the table. Occasionally, the statements will be inferences or strategies that you must evaluate based on the data table. There will be two options for each statement, and in order to get credit, you must get all three statements correct.

You have two and a half minutes per question, which means less than one minute per statement. With that in mind, what do you think you should do first when you see a Table Analysis question?

That's not a good idea.

Glancing through the table will not help you much because, unless you look at the statements, you do not know which information is important.

That's not a good idea.

You will end up wasting precious time studying the table and assimilating pieces of information that may not help you with assessing the statements.

Good call!

Try that strategy out by considering the following statement:

In each year for which there is data, there were at least six states with per-capita incomes within a $1,000 range.

If you are asked whether the statement can be shown to be true based on the information in the table, what information from the table will you need to answer this question?

No. This question is not about ranks, so they won't help you.

Fortunately no, since that information can't found using the table.

So, can the statement "In each year for which there is data, there were at least six states with per-capita incomes within a $1,000 range" be shown to be true using the data in the table?

Correct.

Incorrect.

To sum up:

[[summary]]

Like this one, many of the tables on the Data Insights section are gigantic, but fear not: You will not need to use all the information in the table.

Don't look at the table until after reading at least the first statement. That way you will know what you are looking for and will not waste time trying to absorb data that is not relevant. Then read the explanation and columns of the table so you know how to interpret the table's contents.

That's right!

You'd need to know the state per-capita income in numerical order for all three years. Notice that you can sort the table using the drop down at the top. This is useful when you are asked about ranks or values in a specific range. For assessing the statement, you should order the table by each year's per-capita income and look for six consecutive states with incomes in a $1,000 range.

In each year, the six states ranked 11 through 16 in that year had per-capita incomes that were within a $1,000 range.

2009: Colorado was ranked 11th with a per-capita income of $41,388, and Hawaii was ranked 16th with a per-capita income of $40,572.
2010: Minnesota was ranked 11th with a per-capita income of $42,798, and Rhode Island was ranked 16th with a per-capita income of $41,995.
2011: Minnesota was ranked 11th with a per-capita income of $44,672, and Rhode Island was ranked 16th with a per-capita income of $43,992.

The sample statement you've been working with is typical of one type of statement where you need to identify, and sometimes count, information in the data table. There was a minimal amount of calculation or math knowledge needed to determine the correct answer. Remember, you won't need to utilize the onscreen calculator for most of the questions on the Data Insights section. Also, you may see other statements whose veracity can't be determined based on the information in the table. For example, if a statement based on the table above involved comparing a state's per-capita income to the national per-capita income of the United States, you should answer "No" to indicate that the statement cannot be shown to be true. You should only answer "Yes" if the statement can definitively be shown to be true.

Glance through the table to get an idea of what it is about

Study the table in detail to understand the information it holds

Read the statements first so I know what to look for

State per-capita income in numerical order for all three years

National per-capita income for all three years

The rank of each state in numerical order for all three years

Yes

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Table Analysis - Sorting and Identifying

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