Graph Analysis Skills

Hi there,

I would recommend the following steps:

1. READ THE GRAPH

• Ask for 30 seconds to look at the graph
• Summarize the graph. Read in particular the graph title, the legend, and the footnote. Candidates quite often skip this part and then make mistakes

2. ANALYZE THE GRAPH AND FIND THE KEY INSIGHTS

• Repeat the question. Many candidates don’t spend time clarifying the question they have to answer; consequently, they answer the wrong one. Be sure to align with the interviewer on what you have to do
• Provide an analysis related to the question. Identify the key insights of the graph based on the question. This is the most difficult part of graph analysis to master, as it is different in every graph. You can improve with drills on your own or with coaching

3. PROPOSE THE NEXT STEPS

• State your hypothesis or suggestion on what to do next. Present what should be done next to help further the client to reach the goal
• Ask a question/propose an analysis related to what is needed to move forward. This will show you are able to drive the case forward

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You can find a few cases with Exhibits to practice below:

▶ Non-profit Case: Smart Education  

▶ Consumer Goods Case: BlissOttica  

Best,

Francesco

Hello A, thanks for your question! 

An absolute classic on this subject is Gene Zelazny's "Say it with charts". I still have a copy I received in my very first week at McKinsey :)

Hope this helps! 

Hello!

The way to get better is practicing as much as possible with similar exercises -those targeted at the same skillset-. Hence, I would strongly recommend you practice it with the Integrated Reasoning part of the GMAT exam.

There are free exams in the internet that you can use for practice (the one of LBS MBA page, VERITAS prep, as well as some free trials for courses such as the one of The Economist (gmat.economist)

Furthermore, you can leverage the MBB tests (in myconsultingoffer, psychometricinstitute, and many others)

Hope it helps!

Best,

Clara

Hey there,

In order to give a useful answer, we should really know what the problem is from your perspective. Could you elaborate?

Candidates struggle with charts in different ways. This could be with regards to, but not limited by, the following:

• Reading and understanding graphs/charts
• Extracting non-obvious information
• Knowing when to do some quick math and actually doing it
• Contextualizing the information within the case
• Recalling the objective and knowing what to actually look for
• Synthesizing key insights
• Proposing a course of action
• Communicating in a structured manner throughout all above steps

Generally, you need to be able to do all these things well. Just note that if you're going to practice yourself, working through complicated charts in isolation i.e. no context aren’t really good practice.

When presented with a chart in a case, the whole point is to synthesize key info on the basis of the case objectives/context. Depending on the latter, a “simple” chart in a case might present you with a real challenge (don’t let this simplicity deceive you) and vice versa.

Bottom line - practice full cases and ask your peers/coaches to pick those with plenty of charts.

Hope this helps to set you up for success!

Let us know!

Hi there,

This is all founded on good case leadership!

You need to develop your ability to drive the case forward.

To do so, you need to be extremely clear on the objective. Then, at every stage of the case you need to use frameworking to figure out the pathways of where you might go.

If you can determine what you need to calculate and why, then you can setup the general formula to get there and see what variables/data are missing!

This is extremely hard to learn on your own…if you're struggling, consider getting a coach to help you with the case (math) leadership!

Graph Interpretation Tips

1) Read the title - and understand it

2) Read the legends - and understand them

3) Remind yourself of the objective / hypothesis in the case, to see where this might fit

4) Find the differences - where does the line graph plummet or spike? Which column is a lot smaller or bigger than the others? Where does change occur? The differences are what matter

5) Talk outloud while interpreting - first, it helps you think and process your thoughts, second, it lets the interviewer provide guidance and course correct if needed.