← HCS syllabus
HCS (Haryana)Stage 1: Preliminary Examination
Data Interpretation and Data Sufficiency (Class X Level)
What the official syllabus says
CSAT (Preliminary Examination, Paper II):
- Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. - Class X-level).
Topics in detail
Forms of data
- Tables: single and multiple tables, with totals and sub-totals
- Bar graphs: simple, multiple (grouped) and stacked bars
- Line graphs: one or more lines, trends over time
- Pie charts: shares in percentage or in degrees
- Mixed graphs: a table with a chart, or two related charts
- Caselets: data given in a paragraph to be organised first
Calculations on data
- Percentages and percentage change from one year to the next
- Ratios and proportions between items
- Averages and totals
- Growth: highest and lowest growth, increase and decrease
- Converting pie-chart degrees into percentages and values
- Approximation to pick the nearest option quickly
Reading data correctly
- Units and scale of an axis; data in thousands, lakhs or percentages
- Checking whether a question asks for absolute values or relative values
- Recognising when a conclusion cannot be drawn from the data given
Data sufficiency
- The standard format: whether statement I alone, statement II alone, both together, either, or neither is sufficient
- Data sufficiency in arithmetic (ages, speed, interest, percentages)
- Data sufficiency in reasoning (ranking, directions, blood relations)
- Deciding sufficiency without completing the calculation
Charts at a glance
| Form | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Table | Exact values across many items | Units, and totals that include sub-totals |
| Bar graph | Comparing items or years | An axis that does not start at zero |
| Line graph | Trends over time | Rate of change as against absolute change |
| Pie chart | Shares of a whole | Degrees (360) as against percentages (100) |
Data sufficiency: the usual answer choices
- Statement I alone is sufficient, but statement II alone is not.
- Statement II alone is sufficient, but statement I alone is not.
- Each statement alone is sufficient.
- Both statements together are sufficient, but neither alone is.
- Both statements together are not sufficient.
The wording of the choices varies from paper to paper, so read them each time. The task is only to decide whether an answer can be found, not to find it.
Overlaps
These questions use the arithmetic of Basic Numeracy. Reading tables and charts of economic data is also useful for the economy topics of General Studies III.