Site icon Strive Academics

What’s in a Chart?: How Students Can More Effectively Approach Data Analysis Problems

Do you ever look at a chart and feel like the numbers jumble together? Have you ever taken a glance at a graph and had no idea what’s going on? Even if you’re confident in your ability to read the data, there might be a few things you’re missing, especially when it comes to comparing data from multiple sources. Here are a few tips you can use to approach reading data from charts and graphs more effectively.

Understand the use of each type of graph

The way you are presented data matters. Each kind of chart serves a different purpose, telling you to focus on a different part of the data. Just by looking at the type of chart or graph, you should have a clue to what material is being presented and what comparisons you are being asked to make. There is a wide variety of ways to show data – too many to count – so we’ll only focus on the most common ways you should see the data presented in classes and tests.

Chart/Table

What they’re best for:

Pay attention to:

Watch out for:

Frequency Table

What they’re best for:

Pay attention to:

Watch out for:

Bar Graphs

What they’re best for:

Pay attention to:

Watch out for:

Line Graph

What they’re best for:

Pay attention to:

Watch out for:

Circle Graph/Pie Chart

What they’re best for:

Pay attention to:

Watch out for:

Scatter Plot

What they’re best for:

Pay attention to:

Watch out for:

Histogram

What they’re best for:

Pay attention to:

Watch out for:

Read the title and the margins

A lot of people forget to do this and focus too much on the lines, bars, and sections of different charts. This might be the most important part of reading the data properly. After all, without looking at the title of the chart, how would you know what information is being compared? Without reading the margins, how can you accurately tell how each category is being measured? Read the titles and margins carefully.

Always look at units of measurement

Pay attention to units of measurement. Many tests like to bait and switch you whenever possible. If a unit of measurement is mentioned, make sure what the question asks you for is the same data/unit that is shown on the graph. If not, you may need to convert to some other unit.

Compare similar categories

If multiple graphs are given, it’s common that all the information requested may not be on one graph or chart. You may need to compare and contrast the data across different charts. Sometimes it may not even be the same kind of chart or graph. In this case, pay special attention to the labels on the data. You will often find this information in the margins/legends for the graph. If the same label isn’t used across the different graphs, the next step is to look for additional information that tells you more about the similarities between categories or how they’re measured.

Look at trends and patterns

Look for trends and patterns. Is the data increasing? Decreasing? Maybe there’s some other pattern. Common questions you might come across include “Which category is biggest/smallest,” “Which category had the largest/smallest increase or decrease,” “Which event happened the most,” “Which category is largest/smallest,” and so on. All of these questions ask you to look at how the data changes across one or more categories.

What is the question actually asking?

You’ve probably heard this bit of information a lot. Read the question carefully. Like, really carefully. There are many ways you may be asked to mix and match the data on charts and graphs, so it’s really important that you understand what the question actually asks you to find.

Charts and graphs are a very useful way to show a lot of data at once. Because so much information is represented in these graphics, it can sometimes be easy to miss a few pieces. This skill can be picked up easily; however, you just need to get more practice and familiarize yourself with the most common places to look for each type of graphic. If you need more help making sense of the data, consider working with a tutor and give us a call!

Looking for extra practice? Try our resources:

Related: ACT and SAT practice worksheets

View our resources

Strive Resources | TpT | Made By Teachers | Classful | Etsy

Exit mobile version