A candidate appearing for any
MBA entrance examination must make his/her foundations in different sections of the test very strong. The popular entrance tests like
CAT,
MAT, and
XAT etc gauge the standard of the candidates with regard to their ability in various topics/sections viz. English Proficiency, Quantitative and Numerical Ability, Reasoning, General Intelligence and Data Interpretation etc. However, among all these sections Data Interpretation is widely perceived as one of the toughest hurdles to cross.
The concept of DI can be best understood from our daily life experiences. We usually come across figures, statistics and statement of all sorts used to prepare expenditure details of company/industry/organization etc. These Figures, Statistics involved in the process are known as Data and finding meaningful information from the data is called Data Interpretation.
Data Interpretation involves scientific methods for organizing, summarizing and analyzing data as well as drawing valid conclusion and making reasonable decisions on the basis of such analysis. It is thus necessary to understand the characteristics of data interpretation so as to be able to deduce accurately from the given data.
Data Interpretation is based on some information (data) from which new information can be deduced. Questions under this section test the ability of students to read quickly and correctly the data represented by various kinds of Graphs, charts, Tables etc. The data is usually presented first and then some questions are given which are to be answered by drawing inference from the given data. Usually the data pertaining to any situation can be presented in one or more of the following ways.
1. Numerical Data Tables
2. Bar Diagrams
3. Pie-Charts
4. Cartesian graphs
Normally, DI accounts for 15-20 questions in
CAT and 20-25 questions in
MAT.
CAT 2007 had 21 questions on Data Interpretation which tested students’ ability for speedy analysis and calculation.
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