GMAT Focus Data Insights: scoring, percentiles & practice

What Data Insights is (and what changed from Integrated Reasoning)

When GMAC moved from the classic GMAT to the GMAT Focus Edition, it consolidated the test into three sections: Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, and Data Insights. Data Insights is the section most applicants underestimate, because it did not exist in its current form on the old test.

Two things merged to create it. First, the old Integrated Reasoning section, which on the classic GMAT was scored separately on a 1 to 8 scale and did not count toward your headline score. Second, the Data Sufficiency questions that used to live inside the Quantitative section. GMAC combined them into a single section that measures how well you read, combine, and reason from data presented in tables, graphs, and multiple sources.

The critical change is what this did to the stakes. On the old GMAT, Integrated Reasoning was easy to ignore because it sat outside the 200 to 1100 total. On the GMAT Focus, Data Insights is one of three equally weighted sections that combine into your 205 to 805 total. You cannot treat it as an afterthought anymore, and top business schools have started citing it as a signal of readiness for data-heavy, case-method coursework.

Data Insights format at a glance

That "no partial credit" rule matters more than it looks. Several Data Insights question types ask you to answer two or three parts within a single item, and you earn the point only if every part is right. This is why accuracy on multi-part questions, not raw speed, is usually what separates a DI score in the 70s from one in the 80s.

The five Data Insights question types (with worked examples)

Every Data Insights question is one of five types. Below is what each one tests, how to approach it, and an interactive example you can actually try - select your answer, then check it and read the full explanation. Data Sufficiency and Graphics Interpretation usually make up the largest share of the 20 questions; the other three types round out the section.

1. Data Sufficiency

Data Sufficiency does not ask you to solve the problem. It asks whether the information given is enough to solve it. You are shown a question and two statements, and you must decide which statement or statements are sufficient. The answer choices are always the same five, so memorize them: (A) statement 1 alone is sufficient, (B) statement 2 alone, (C) both together but neither alone, (D) each alone, (E) neither, even together. For the full method, the AD/BCE grid, and interactive practice, see our GMAT Data Sufficiency guide.

2. Two-Part Analysis

Two-Part Analysis presents a scenario and asks you to choose one answer for each of two related parts, usually from the same list of options laid out in a table. Because both parts must be correct for the point, the discipline is to translate the scenario into two equations or conditions before you touch the options. For the full method and interactive practice, see our GMAT Two-Part Analysis guide.

3. Table Analysis

Table Analysis gives you a sortable table of data and a set of statements, each of which you mark as true or false (or "yes / no"). The on-screen table can be sorted by any column, which is the whole point: the fastest solvers sort first, then read the answer, instead of scanning an unsorted table by eye. For the full method and interactive practice, see our GMAT Table Analysis guide.

4. Graphics Interpretation

Graphics Interpretation shows a chart - a scatter plot, bar chart, line graph, or similar - and asks you to complete one or two statements by choosing from drop-down menus. The skill is reading trend, scale, and relationship accurately, not calculation. For the full method and interactive practice, see our GMAT Graphics Interpretation guide.

5. Multi-Source Reasoning

Multi-Source Reasoning presents information across two or three tabbed sources - an email, a table, a short report - and asks questions that require you to combine them. Only one question shows at a time, but the tabs stay available. The trap is answering from a single tab when the answer depends on two. For a full three-question set and the EPIC method for reading the tabs, see our GMAT Multi-Source Reasoning guide.

Data Insights scoring and the full percentile table

Data Insights is scored from 60 to 90 in 1-point increments, and it is computer-adaptive: the test adjusts question difficulty based on your answers, and correctly answering harder questions raises your score more than easy ones. Your DI score then combines with Quant and Verbal, each an equal third, to produce your total score on the 205 to 805 scale.

The table below maps each Data Insights scaled score to its approximate percentile. These figures reflect GMAC percentile data based on test takers from the 2020 to 2025 testing years. Percentiles are refreshed periodically, so treat them as accurate to within a point or two.

Source: GMAC percentile data, 2020-2025 testing years. Refer to mba.com for the most current official percentile tables.

Notice how steep the middle of the scale is. Moving from a 77 to an 80 - just three points - jumps you from about the 62nd percentile to the 83rd. Because Data Insights tends to be one of the higher-scoring sections for most test takers, a below-average DI score stands out to admissions readers, and a small number of extra correct answers moves your percentile a lot.

What counts as a good Data Insights score?

A good Data Insights score depends on your target programs, but the benchmarks are clearer than most applicants realize:

• 80 or above (83rd percentile+): a strong, competitive DI score for top-tier MBA programs. This is the target to aim for if you are applying to M7 or leading European schools.
• 76-79 (53rd-76th percentile): respectable but improvable. Fine for many programs, but likely below the profile of the most selective ones.
• 75 or below (under the 47th percentile): a clear weakness. Because DI is a high-scoring section, landing below the median here is a red flag worth a retake plan.

One practical point: because all three sections are weighted equally, a strong Data Insights score is one of the most efficient ways to lift your total. Many applicants pour their prep into Quant and neglect DI, which means a focused push on Data Insights often yields the fastest total-score gains. For the full picture of how section scores roll up into your total, see our GMAT Focus scoring deep dive, and to model different section combinations, use the free GMAT Focus score calculator.

How to prepare for Data Insights

Data Insights rewards a specific kind of preparation. A few principles that separate high scorers:

• Master Data Sufficiency logic first. DS is the largest question type and the most learnable, because the five answer choices never change. Drilling the decision process - "is one statement enough, are both needed, is neither?" - pays off across the whole section.
• Practice reading graphs and tables under time. Graphics Interpretation and Table Analysis are fast points if you can extract the trend or sort the data quickly. Untrained, they eat your clock.
• Respect the no-partial-credit rule. On Two-Part Analysis and Multi-Source Reasoning, slow down enough to get every part right. A rushed multi-part answer scores the same as a blank one.
• Use the calculator sparingly. It is there, but reaching for it on every question costs time. Estimate first; calculate only when the numbers demand it.
• Watch your pacing. At about 2 minutes 15 seconds per question, Multi-Source Reasoning sets can run long. If you tend to run out of time on the GMAT, DI is often where it happens - practice triaging the longest items.

Frequently asked questions about GMAT Data Insights