Data Interpretation is a section that deals with numbers, graphs, information and calculations. It is a section that requires the candidates to interpret the data given accurately so that arriving at the right answer is easy. Knowingly or unknowingly, the candidates end up applying the process of analytics in some way or the other while solving questions of Data Interpretation. It won’t be wrong to say that the section itself is analytics based.
What is Analytics?
Simply put, analytics is the entire process that goes into interpreting a set of data accurately and using that data to arrive at meaningful conclusions. When one is interpreting a set of given data, one generally goes about it in the following manner:
i. Read the data closely- This is the first step towards decoding the information. The candidates have to read the given data closely and look at the questions being asked based on that data. They should be able to know the answers to questions such as, What is the data about? What are the various components in the data? What terms does the data use? What is being asked in the questions? and so on.
ii. Finding a pattern- The candidates should then move on to observe the data and try to identify any possible pattern in the way the data has been projected. Most of the times, the questions in Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning will carry an inherent pattern, which acts like a key to unlock the solution. The candidates need to develop an eye for these patterns, as doing so, can help them save time too.
iii. Accurate calculations- Once the candidates have identified the pattern in the question, which will help them derive meaningful conclusions and make decisions about the data and filter out the unnecessary bits in the data, the next step is to make the required calculations as quickly as possible. As the data is complex, the calculations, too, require special attention of the candidates, for one mistake can waste their entire effort.
All these steps are integral to the process of analytics. These steps help in decoding the data and deriving the information one requires. As analytics is widely used and accepted by the industry for dealing with complex numbers, the MBA entrance examination, through Data Interpretation, tries to ascertain if the candidates have this skill set or not.
Data Interpretation is Analytics based, since it involves raw data in the form of bar graphs, line graphs, pie charts and other such tools. The fact that Analytics turns raw data into meaningful information for making better decisions, makes it an essential process to master for the candidates.
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