Data Insights is the section most GMAT test-takers know least about, and it counts just as much as Quant and Verbal.

It tests whether you can read data in tables, charts and short texts, decide what information actually matters, and reason your way to an answer. The math’s is rarely hard. What trips people up is the unfamiliar question formats and the time pressure.

This guide walks through how the section works, the five question types with a short example of each, and how to start practicing.

Data Insights at a glance

Feature	Details
Questions	20
Time	45 minutes (about 2 minutes 15 seconds per question)
Calculator	On-screen calculator allowed, the only section where it is
Score	60–90, weighted equally with Quant and Verbal in your 205–805 total
Question types	Data Sufficiency, Multi-Source Reasoning, Table Analysis, Graphics Interpretation, Two-Part Analysis

Many Data Insights questions have more than one part, and you need every part right to earn credit for the question. One careless slip on a three-part question costs you the whole question.

The five question types, with examples

1. Data Sufficiency

You get a question and two statements. You don’t solve the problem. You decide whether the information is enough to answer it. The five answer choices are always the same:

• A: Statement 1 alone is sufficient, but statement 2 alone is not.
• B: Statement 2 alone is sufficient, but statement 1 alone is not.
• C: Both statements together are sufficient, but neither alone is.
• D: Each statement alone is sufficient.
• E: The statements together are still not sufficient.

Example. What is the value of x? (1) 2x + 3 = 11 (2) x² = 16

Statement 1 gives x = 4, so it’s sufficient. Statement 2 gives x = 4 or x = −4, so it isn’t. Answer: A.

Data Sufficiency used to be part of Quant. It now lives here, and it often includes word problems as well as pure algebra.

2. Multi-Source Reasoning

You get two or three tabs of information, such as an email, a table and a memo. The questions require you to combine facts from more than one tab.

Example. Tab 1 is an email: employees earn a ₹5,000 bonus for each certification they complete, up to three certifications a year. Tab 2 is a table: this year Priya completed 2 certifications, Arjun 4, and Meera 1. What is the total bonus paid to these three employees?

Priya earns ₹10,000. Arjun is capped at three, so he earns ₹15,000. Meera earns ₹5,000. Answer: ₹30,000. The trap is missing the cap in Tab 1 and paying Arjun for four.

3. Table Analysis

You get a sortable table and several statements. For each statement, you choose true or false (or a similar pair, such as yes or no).

Example.

Store	Sales (₹ lakh)	Customers
A	120	4,000
B	90	3,600
C	150	5,000
D	60	1,500

• Store C had the highest sales per customer. False. Store D’s ₹4,000 per customer is the highest.
• Total sales across all four stores exceeded ₹400 lakh. True. The total is ₹420 lakh.
• Store B served fewer customers than Store A. True.

Sorting the table by the column a statement asks about saves a lot of time.

4. Graphics Interpretation

You get a chart or diagram and complete sentences by choosing from drop-down menus.

Example. A line chart shows monthly sign-ups for an app: January 200, February 250, March 300, April 450.

• From March to April, sign-ups grew by [25% / 33% / 50% / 150%]. Answer: 50%. The increase of 150 is half of March’s 300.
• The month with the largest increase over the previous month was [February / March / April]. Answer: April, up 150.

5. Two-Part Analysis

You choose two answers that work together, from one shared list of options. The two answers can be the same option.

Example. A tutor charges a fixed fee plus an hourly rate. Four hours cost ₹2,600 and seven hours cost ₹3,800. Select the fixed fee and the hourly rate from: ₹400, ₹600, ₹800, ₹1,000, ₹1,200.

The three extra hours cost ₹1,200, so the hourly rate is ₹400. Four hours then cost ₹1,600, leaving a fixed fee of ₹1,000. Answer: fixed fee ₹1,000, hourly rate ₹400.

Timing and strategy tips

• Read the question before the data. In Multi-Source Reasoning and Table Analysis, knowing what you’re looking for stops you from reading every number.
• Use the calculator only when it saves time. Typing simple sums is slower than doing them in your head, and typos cost points.
• For Data Sufficiency, stop once you know. You only need to decide whether an answer can be found, not find it.
• Budget by question, not by section. Multi-Source Reasoning sets take longer. Balance them with quicker Data Sufficiency questions.
• Make a smart guess and move on. Spending five minutes on one question can cost you two or three easier ones at the end of the section.

How to start practicing

Start with one question type at a time until the format feels familiar, then mix all five under timed conditions. Track which types you get wrong most often. For most students it’s Multi-Source Reasoning or Two-Part Analysis, and that’s where your next points will come from.

Want to see where you stand right now? Try a free Data Insights quiz on GMATPrep, or take a full-length GMAT Focus mock to see your Data Insights score alongside Quant and Verbal.