Treat both responses as one linked decision
Read both prompts before calculating. A value selected in one column can constrain the other, so a pair is correct only when both answers satisfy the same scenario.
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DATA INSIGHTS · GMAT-DI-TPAT · DRAFT
Two-Part Analysis: Verbal and Quantitative Tables
Build the concept, interpret evidence, and apply it in a separate assessment pool.
Learn: Evidence and decisions
Translate table evidence into variables
Name each unknown with its unit. Read the relevant row, column, and total before writing an equation. If two categories exhaust a total, represent one count as the total minus the other.
Check the pair against the original data
Substitute both selected values into the totals, rates, or comparisons in the question. Confirm units and denominators; a percentage of one row is not a percentage of the whole table.
One table, two connected responses
The table supplies evidence for a linked decision. The choices in both columns must satisfy the same setup.
Keep units attached
A fixed fee, a per-unit charge, and a total are different quantities. Preserve the units through each calculation.
Check the pair
Substitute both selected responses into the shared relationship and confirm the table supports each value.
Learning Objectives
- Translate both requested outputs into a linked pair of unknowns.
- Use row and column labels, units, and totals to build the governing equations.
- Select and verify both answers together against every condition.
- Read a compact table as shared evidence for two linked selections.
- Calculate both responses with consistent units.
- Verify the pair against all table values and conditions.
Prerequisite Knowledge
- Read a two-way table and distinguish row totals from column totals.
- Solve a pair of linear relationships or use one total to substitute into another.
- Convert percentages and rates to counts when the denominator is known.
- Reading table headings and units.
- Solving linear equations and calculating rates.
Worked Examples
Break-even volume from a rate table
Provider A charges a $40 fee plus $3 per case. Provider B charges $20 plus $5 per case. Find the case volume and common total.
| A | 40 | 3 |
| B | 20 | 5 |
- Equate the total charges: 40 + 3n = 20 + 5n, so n = 10.
- At 10 cases, Provider A costs 40 + 30 = 70; Provider B costs 20 + 50 = 70.
Conclusion: The linked answers are 10 cases and $70.
Use segment data to find average speed
A 200-mile segment is driven at 50 mph and a 300-mile segment at 75 mph. Find the second-segment time and whole-route average speed.
| 1 | 200 | 50 |
| 2 | 300 | 75 |
- Segment 2 takes 300 / 75 = 4 hours. Segment 1 also takes 200 / 50 = 4 hours.
- Total distance is 500 miles and total time is 8 hours, so the average speed is 500 / 8 = 62.5 mph.
Conclusion: The pair is 4 hours and 62.5 mph. Do not average the two speeds without considering their travel times.
Find payroll and a weighted average
Team A has 12 employees averaging $20 per hour; Team B has 8 averaging $25. Find total hourly payroll and the average wage.
| A | 12 | 20 |
| B | 8 | 25 |
- Hourly payroll is 12 × 20 + 8 × 25 = $440.
- There are 20 employees, so the average is $440 / 20 = $22 per hour.
Conclusion: The total is $440 per hour and the weighted average is $22. Group sizes make a simple average of $20 and $25 incorrect.
Think Like a GMAT Test-Taker
Read both response prompts and identify shared totals before computing.
Write a compact variable key with units; translate table percentages using the row total they describe.
Use totals to eliminate one unknown, then verify both answers in the original table.
If the requested pair fails any condition, recheck whether the table uses counts, rates, or currency in different columns.
Common Traps
Using a column total as the denominator for a row-specific rate.
Solving each response independently and overlooking a shared constraint.
Mixing units, such as dollars with thousands of dollars.
Assuming a pair is valid because it matches one displayed total.