SSC Data Interpretation Questions with Solutions

Data Interpretation (DI) tests how fast and accurately you can read tables, bar graphs, line graphs and pie charts and answer questions on them. It usually brings three to five questions in SSC CGL Tier 1 and is also asked in CHSL and Tier 2. DI does not need new formulas: it uses percentage, ratio and average. This practice paper gives you 30 DI questions in three data sets with answers and short solutions.

Practice Paper at a Glance

What Is Data Interpretation? Basic Concept in Simple Words

Data Interpretation means reading the given data, understanding what it says and doing simple calculations to answer questions. The data can be given as:

• Table: rows and columns with numbers.
• Bar graph: heights of bars show values.
• Line graph: points joined by lines to show change over time.
• Pie chart: a circle divided into sectors where each sector shows a percentage of the total (the whole circle is 360 degrees).

Formulas and Shortcut Tricks for SSC Data Interpretation

• Percentage = (Part / Whole) x 100.
• Percentage change = (New - Old) / Old x 100. The base is always the old value.
• Average = Sum of values / Number of values.
• Ratio: write both quantities from the data and simplify before comparing.
• Pie chart angle: central angle of a sector = (value / total) x 360 degrees. 1 percent = 3.6 degrees.
• Do not calculate everything: read the question first, then pick only the numbers you need.
• Approximation: for comparison questions, round the numbers and compare instead of calculating exactly.
• Units: check whether the data is in lakh, thousand or crore before writing the answer.

Set 1: Table Data (Sales in Rs lakh) (Q1–Q10)

Data for Set 1: Sales of three products of a company (in Rs lakh) from 2019 to 2023.

Q1. What are the total sales of Product A over the five years (in Rs lakh)?
Answer: 275
Solution: 40 + 50 + 60 + 55 + 70 = 275.

Q2. In which year were the total sales of all three products the highest?
Answer: 2023
Solution: Totals: 2019 = 90, 2020 = 120, 2021 = 145, 2022 = 160 and 2023 = 180. The highest is 2023.

Q3. What is the average yearly sale of Product B (in Rs lakh)?
Answer: 50
Solution: Total = 30 + 45 + 50 + 65 + 60 = 250. Average = 250 / 5 = 50.

Q4. By what percent did the total sales increase from 2019 to 2023?
Answer: 100%
Trick: Increase = (180 - 90) / 90 x 100 = 100%.

Q5. What is the ratio of the sales of Product A to Product C in 2021?
Answer: 12 : 7
Solution: 60 : 35 = 12 : 7.

Q6. In which year were the sales of Product B the lowest?
Answer: 2019
Solution: B's sales are 30, 45, 50, 65 and 60. The lowest value is 30 in 2019.

Q7. Sales of Product C in 2023 are what percent of the total sales in 2023 (approximately)?
Answer: 27.8%
Solution: 50 / 180 x 100 = 27.78%, which is about 27.8%.

Q8. In 2022, how much more were the sales of Product B than Product A (in Rs lakh)?
Answer: 10
Solution: 65 - 55 = 10.

Q9. What is the average of the total yearly sales of the company over the five years (in Rs lakh)?
Answer: 139
Solution: Total of all years = 90 + 120 + 145 + 160 + 180 = 695. Average = 695 / 5 = 139.

Q10. By what percent did the sales of Product A fall from 2021 to 2022 (approximately)?
Answer: 8.33%
Solution: (60 - 55) / 60 x 100 = 8.33%.

Set 2: Table Data (Students Appeared and Passed) (Q11–Q20)

Data for Set 2: Number of students who appeared and passed an examination in five schools.

Q11. What is the total number of students who appeared in all five schools?
Answer: 2,000
Solution: 400 + 500 + 300 + 600 + 200 = 2,000.

Q12. What is the total number of students who passed in all five schools?
Answer: 1,510
Solution: 320 + 350 + 240 + 420 + 180 = 1,510.

Q13. What is the overall pass percentage?
Answer: 75.5%
Solution: 1,510 / 2,000 x 100 = 75.5%.

Q14. Which school has the highest pass percentage?
Answer: School T (90%)
Trick: Pass percentages: P = 80, Q = 70, R = 80, S = 70 and T = 90. The highest is T.

Q15. How many students failed in school S?
Answer: 180
Solution: 600 - 420 = 180.

Q16. What is the ratio of students appeared in school P to those in school R?
Answer: 4 : 3
Solution: 400 : 300 = 4 : 3.

Q17. What is the average number of students passed per school?
Answer: 302
Solution: 1,510 / 5 = 302.

Q18. What is the combined pass percentage of schools Q and S?
Answer: 70%
Solution: (350 + 420) / (500 + 600) x 100 = 770 / 1,100 x 100 = 70%.

Q19. By how many students does the number appeared in school S exceed that in school T?
Answer: 400
Solution: 600 - 200 = 400.

Q20. If the number of passed students in school R increases by 20%, how many students will have passed?
Answer: 288
Solution: 240 x 1.2 = 288.

Set 3: Pie Chart Data (Family Expenditure) (Q21–Q30)

Data for Set 3: The monthly expenditure of a family with a monthly income of Rs 40,000 is shown below as percentages (as in a pie chart).

Q21. How much money does the family spend on food every month?
Answer: Rs 12,000
Solution: 30% of 40,000 = Rs 12,000.

Q22. How much does the family spend on rent every month?
Answer: Rs 10,000
Solution: 25% of 40,000 = Rs 10,000.

Q23. What is the combined monthly expenditure on education and transport?
Answer: Rs 10,000
Solution: Education + Transport = 15% + 10% = 25% of 40,000 = Rs 10,000.

Q24. How much does the family save every month?
Answer: Rs 4,800
Solution: 12% of 40,000 = Rs 4,800.

Q25. What is the ratio of the expenditure on food to the savings?
Answer: 5 : 2
Solution: 30 : 12 = 5 : 2.

Q26. What is the central angle of the sector for rent in the pie chart?
Answer: 90 degrees
Trick: 25% of 360 = 90 degrees.

Q27. What is the central angle of the sector for education?
Answer: 54 degrees
Trick: 15% of 360 = 54 degrees (15 x 3.6).

Q28. By what percent is the expenditure on food more than the expenditure on transport?
Answer: 200%
Solution: (30 - 10) / 10 x 100 = 200%.

Q29. If the monthly income rises to Rs 44,000 and the rent remains Rs 10,000, what percent of the new income is the rent (approximately)?
Answer: 22.7%
Solution: 10,000 / 44,000 x 100 = 22.73%.

Q30. What is the family's yearly expenditure on "Others" (in Rs)?
Answer: Rs 38,400
Solution: Monthly = 8% of 40,000 = 3,200. Yearly = 3,200 x 12 = Rs 38,400.

Common Mistakes in Data Interpretation

• Taking the wrong base when calculating percentage change (it is always the old value).
• Reading the wrong row or column from the table.
• Forgetting the unit (lakh, thousand, crore) in the answer.
• Adding percentages of different totals directly.
• Calculating all values when only one or two are needed.
• Not simplifying a ratio before choosing the answer.

How to Practice These 30 Questions

1. Read the question first, then look at the data.
2. Underline the numbers you need and ignore the rest.
3. Use approximation to eliminate options when the answer choices are far apart.
4. Practise one DI set daily for 10 minutes with a timer.
5. Revise percentage, ratio and average before you start DI practice.

Related Topics to Study Next

• Percentage Questions
• Average Questions
• Ratio and Proportion Questions
• SSC Previous Year Papers

Frequently Asked Questions

What is data interpretation in SSC exams?

Data interpretation means reading tables, bar graphs, line graphs and pie charts and answering questions based on them using percentage, ratio, average and simple calculation.

How many DI questions come in SSC CGL?

Usually three to five data interpretation questions are asked in Tier 1, and they are generally easy to moderate in difficulty.

How do you calculate the central angle of a pie chart?

Central angle = (value / total) x 360 degrees. Alternatively, multiply the percentage by 3.6.

How do you calculate percentage change in DI?

Percentage change = (new value - old value) / old value x 100. The old value is the base in every case.

What is the best way to solve DI questions quickly?

Read the question before looking at the data, use approximation when the options are far apart, avoid unnecessary calculations and practise percentage and ratio tables regularly.

What type of DI is asked in SSC exams?

Table DI, bar graph, line graph and pie chart are all asked, and sometimes mixed DI where two types of data are given together.

How do I improve my DI speed?

Practise daily with a timer, learn fraction-percentage equivalents (1/8 = 12.5%, 1/6 = 16.67% and so on) and memorise squares and multiples to calculate faster.

Which topics should I revise before DI?

Revise percentage, ratio, average and simple calculation tricks (multiplication by 5, 25 and 125) because DI questions are built on them.

What is the difference between percentage and percentage point?

Percentage point is the simple difference between two percentages (30% to 40% is 10 percentage points), whereas percentage change compares the change with the old value (a 33.3% increase).

How should I prepare data interpretation for SSC exams?

Solve one set daily, vary the type of data, check your answers, review your approach on wrong questions and then take previous year papers and mock tests.