Struggling a lot with Data Insights - Please help!

Question

Hi all,

I have my GMAT exam in 3 weeks, and I feel underconfident in the Data Insights section.

Primary issues:
1. Two way analysis/MSR questions
2. Time crunch in questions
3. Not able to assimilate so much information

Would anyone please have any resources to improve my accuracy and efficiency (decrease the time I take per question)?

I have watched the GMAT Ninja series on Youtube, and read the official notes preceding the questions. 
I am using the OG 2024 and both the OG reviews for practise.

Thanks a lot in advance.

bb · Answer

Hi. Sorry about the DI issues. I do not have any other formal resources than what you have done already. 
My suggestion would be to write explanations to questions and try to explain them to others. This will help you find gaps in your own understanding. 
Your focus should be on speed (finding ways to solve questions faster - turn it into a game and try to find a fast way of solving complex questions - they often exist but it takes time to find them)

mbalcaen · Answer

hi,

I am struggling with the same problem and was wondering how you managed it?

manasigupta · Answer

Hey! 1. I bridged my gaps (gathered from an error log/sectional reviews) and improved my quants and verbal skills, and then tried to use those techniques in DI. 2. I had previously watched the GMAT Club x GMAT Ninja DI series, but I also watched the playlist by GMAT Ninja and made notes from the videos (techniques for each question type). It has been helpful so far! 3. I am focusing on improving my process i.e. structuring the data present, and on other skills such as which information to focus on, when to estimate/when to calculate etc. 4. Also trying more practised sets to improve time efficiency and to get used to the time pressure..let's see how things go

(have postponed my GMAT to a later date) All the best!

mbalcaen · Answer

hey! 
thank you for your answer!

do you by any chance have the link to the videos you watched? and have any other advise?
thanks mate!

Armaan209 · Answer

Hi Manasi,

I took DI lightly because no one seemed to be worried about this section and paid a heavy price for the same in the official test.Did you practice it as often as other sections? How are you going about the timing in MSR and TPA?

Thank you for your detailed reply

SanuBest · Answer

I have my test scheduled for the 2nd and Im struggling to finish DI sections in the last few days. Any suggestions?

Edskore · Answer

I was in the exact same boat with DI about three weeks before my exam (scored 725, so this approach worked). Here's what turned it around for me:

For Two-Way Analysis and MSR specifically, the issue isn't usually comprehension—it's organization. Start using a simple annotation system: I'd write "S1: X>Y" or "Tab2: 40%" in the margins of my scratch paper before even looking at questions. Externalizing the info reduced the cognitive load massively.

For time management, I stopped trying to read everything perfectly. DI rewards strategic skimming. Read the question first, then find only the relevant data. Most MSR questions only use 2 of the 3 tabs—don't waste 45 seconds reading the third one.

One tactical thing that helped: I practiced 10 DI questions in a row with a 22-minute timer (not per-question timing). This forced me to triage and move on when stuck, which is the actual exam skill.

The OG 2024 is solid for practice. Keep grinding those, but focus on post-question review: "Which tab did I not need? What could I have skipped?" That pattern recognition matters more than doing 100 questions.

You've got this—three weeks is plenty of time to turn DI into a strength.

Struggling a lot with Data Insights - Please help!

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