A spreadsheet you can sort
Table Analysis (TA) shows a sortable data table and asks conditional questions: a stated condition, then three rows you each mark yes/no (or true/false). As with MSR, all three rows must be correct for credit.
The method
Sorting is your main tool. You can reorder the table by any column. Sort by the column the condition names, and a question that looked like a scan becomes a single glance — the rows that qualify cluster together.
- Read the table and its caption to learn what each column holds and in what units.
- Read the condition precisely — "is at least," "falls below the average of," "ranks in the top three by." The condition's exact wording sets the test for every row.
- For each row, sort or compute as needed, then judge strictly against the condition — mark only what the data supports.
Quantifiers are where TA is won or lost
One word flips the answer: every, any, at least, only, median, more than half. A single counter-example settles an "every/all" claim as false; a single example settles an "any/some" claim as true. Check exactly what the quantifier demands — no more, no less.
Median by sorting. Condition: More than half of the 15 listed funds returned above 6%. Sort by the return column; if the 8th value (the median position of 15) exceeds 6%, then at least 8 of 15 — more than half — do. One sort answers it without counting every row.
Each row is its own mini-question. Don't let a "yes" on row 1 bias row 2. Re-anchor on the condition for each row; the three rows are deliberately independent.
Compute only what the condition needs. TA tempts you to fully analyze the table. Resist — if the condition is about one column's ranking, you don't need the others. Targeted reading beats exhaustive reading on the clock.
Checklist
- Read column headers and units first
- Restate the condition exactly (mind the quantifier)
- Sort by the relevant column before judging rows
- Evaluate each of the three rows independently
- Mark only what the data supports; verify all three
Sample Questions
18 practice questions
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