What Table Analysis tests
Table Analysis shows a table of data that you can sort by any column, followed by several statements about it. For each statement you pick one of two options, such as yes or no, or true or false. The statements ask you to rank rows, find a median, compute a percent change, compare ratios, or count the rows that meet a condition. The format tests whether you read each column header and its units, and whether you sort before you compute.
How the GMAT Focus scores it
You earn credit only when every statement is right; one wrong statement costs the whole question. Each question counts once in the 20-question Data Insights section, which reports a score from 60 to 90 that GMAC weights equally with Quant and Verbal.
Timing rule of thumb
Allow 2.5 to 3 minutes. For each statement, name the column and the operation it needs, sort by that column, then compute. The on-screen calculator handles division and percent change; the sort handles ranks and medians.
The two most common traps
1.Median versus mean, ratio versus difference
A median needs a sort and a count, not an average. The greatest percent increase needs a ratio, not the greatest raw gain.
2.Dropping the filter
Statements often limit the rows: companies in one region, or every row except the total. If you count the whole table, you give a confident wrong answer.