GMAT Focus 2026

GMAT Table Analysis: how to solve it

31 August 2026 · 11 minute read · by Jaclyn Caruana, MBA

Table Analysis is the Data Insights question type built around a sortable table. You are given data and several true-or-false statements, and the fastest solvers sort the table before they read the statements, not after. This guide covers how the sortable table works, the sort-first method, how to score each statement independently, the traps that cost points, and interactive practice with full solutions, including tables you can actually sort.

🎯 The short version

Table Analysis gives you a sortable table and a set of statements you mark true or false. The single most useful habit: sort by the column each statement is about, then read the answer off the top or bottom row instead of scanning by eye. Evaluate each statement on its own, compute derived values such as ratios or per-unit figures with the on-screen calculator, and remember that every statement must be correct to earn the point. There is no partial credit.

What Table Analysis asks

A Table Analysis question shows a spreadsheet-style table and a short set of statements, usually two or three. For each statement you choose one of two options, most often True or False, or Yes or No. The defining feature is that the table is sortable: a drop-down lets you reorder the rows by any column, ascending or descending, just like clicking a column header in a spreadsheet.

That sortability is not decoration. Most statements are about extremes or order, the highest value, the lowest, the median, or whether two columns rise together. Sorting the relevant column answers those questions in a single glance. The whole question is one scored item, so you must mark every statement correctly to earn credit.

The on-screen calculator is available throughout Data Insights. Use it for derived figures such as a revenue-to-rent ratio or a completion rate, and use sorting for anything about rank or order.

The method: sort first, then score each statement

Table Analysis rewards a deliberate order of operations. Do not start by reading the table top to bottom. Start with the statement, decide what the table would need to show, sort to make that visible, and only then judge true or false.

Interactive Table Analysis practice

Use the Sort by menu to reorder each table, then mark every statement Yes or No and check your answers against the full solution. These behave like the real thing: sort first, and the answers become quick reads.

Interactive practice 1 of 2

The table shows six coffee shops with their monthly revenue and monthly rent, both in thousands of dollars. Use Sort by to reorder the table, then mark each statement Yes or No.

ShopRevenue ($000)Rent ($000)
Aurora8412
Bloom606
Cedar12020
Dune9622
Ember729
Frost5010
YesNoStatement
The shop with the highest revenue also pays the highest rent.
Bloom has the highest revenue-to-rent ratio of the six shops.

Statement 1: No. Statement 2: Yes. Sort by revenue and Cedar is highest at 120. Sort by rent and Dune is highest at 22. The highest-revenue shop is not the one paying the highest rent, so statement 1 is No. For statement 2, compute revenue divided by rent: Aurora \(=7\), Bloom \(=10\), Cedar \(=6\), Dune \(\approx 4.4\), Ember \(=8\), Frost \(=5\). Bloom's ratio of 10 is the highest, so statement 2 is Yes. Sorting settles the first claim instantly, and the calculator handles the ratios in the second.

Interactive practice 2 of 2

The table shows five online courses with the number of students enrolled and the number who completed. Use Sort by to reorder the table, then mark each statement Yes or No.

CourseEnrolledCompleted
Algebra400300
Biology250200
Chemistry600360
Design150135
Economics500250
YesNoStatement
The course with the most enrollments has the highest completion rate.
More than half of the five courses have a completion rate above 70 percent.

Statement 1: No. Statement 2: Yes. Completion rate is completions divided by enrollments: Algebra \(=75\%\), Biology \(=80\%\), Chemistry \(=60\%\), Design \(=90\%\), Economics \(=50\%\). Chemistry has the most enrollments at 600 but only a 60 percent completion rate, while Design is highest at 90 percent, so statement 1 is No. Three courses (Algebra, Biology, Design) clear 70 percent, and three of five is more than half, so statement 2 is Yes. The rates are not in the table, so this question is about computing the derived column, not sorting.

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The traps that cost the most points

TrapWhat happensThe fix
Scanning instead of sortingYou hunt for the highest value by eye and miss it, or waste time.Sort by the relevant column and read the top or bottom row.
Assuming columns move togetherYou assume the highest in one column is highest in another.Check each column separately. Correlation is not guaranteed.
Forgetting the derived valueYou compare raw numbers when the statement is about a rate or ratio.Compute the per-unit figure the statement actually names.
Letting one statement infect anotherA true first statement nudges you toward true on the second.Judge each statement on its own evidence.
Rushing the last statementYou lose the whole question on the one you skimmed.Give every statement equal care. It is all or nothing.

How to get faster at Table Analysis

Table Analysis is one of five Data Insights types, and the same disciplined data reading pays off across all of them. Pair it with Data Sufficiency, Two-Part Analysis, Graphics Interpretation, and Multi-Source Reasoning, see how the section fits together in the Data Insights guide, and model your total with the GMAT Focus score calculator.

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Frequently asked questions about GMAT Table Analysis

What is GMAT Table Analysis?

Table Analysis is a GMAT Data Insights question type that gives you a sortable table of data and a set of statements. You mark each statement as true or false, or yes or no. You can reorder the table by any column, and sorting first is usually the fastest way to answer.

How do you answer a Table Analysis question?

Read what each statement claims, sort the table by the column that makes that claim easy to check, then evaluate each statement independently. Every statement must be marked correctly to earn the point, and there is no partial credit.

Can you use a calculator on Table Analysis?

Yes, the on-screen calculator is available in the Data Insights section. Use it for derived values such as ratios or per-unit figures, but most sorting and comparison questions are faster to answer by reading the sorted table than by heavy calculation.

Why does sorting the table matter?

Many statements ask about the highest, lowest, or median value, or whether two columns move together. Sorting by the relevant column turns those questions into a quick read of the top or bottom row, which is far faster and less error-prone than scanning an unsorted table by eye.

Is Table Analysis scored as all-or-nothing?

Yes. A Table Analysis question is one scored item made of several statements, and you must answer every statement correctly to earn credit. Getting most of them right but missing one still scores the question as wrong.

Where does Table Analysis appear on the GMAT?

Table Analysis is one of the five question types in the Data Insights section of the GMAT Focus Edition, alongside Data Sufficiency, Two-Part Analysis, Graphics Interpretation, and Multi-Source Reasoning. Data Insights is one of the three scored sections.

JC

Jaclyn Caruana, MBA

Co-Founder of Epic Exam Prep, a premium international test preparation company founded in 2010, and one of Europe's leading experts in international exam preparation. Author of SAT Desmos Hacks: The EPIC Method and among the first published guides to Digital SAT preparation. SAT, GMAT, GRE, and admissions specialist with 40,000+ YouTube subscribers.

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