Translate exhibit into insights

Hi Anonymous,

I would recommend the following three-step approach to properly read graphs:

1. Read the graph

• Ask for one minute of time to understand the graph.
• Summarize what the graph is about. Read in particular the graph title (often forgotten), the axes and the legend.

2. Analyze the graph

• Repeat the main question you have to answer. Many people don’t spend time to clarify the specific question they have to answer; consequently, they answer the wrong question. Don’t be one of them and be sure to restate what is the main insight you have to derive
• Provide an analysis related to the question. Once you have a clear understanding of the graph and repeated the objective, then, and only then, you can move to an analysis of how the graph can answer the question you have repeated.

3. Provide a conclusion for the graph.

• Answer to the question asked. Again, very often people simply state what the graph is about, without providing any conclusion. A great candidate will provide a connection between the analysis done and the previous question formulated, with a clear summary of the whole analysis
• Present the next steps to follow based on such conclusion. As a last step, a great candidate will present what can be done next to help further the client on the particular question raised.

Hope this helps,

Francesco

Hi,

Here is my approach:

1. Ask the interviewer for a minute to analyze the chart / table

2.  In your mind formulate the question you have to answer

3. Look at the chart and define the type (pie chart, line chart, etc). Read the chart title. Read the legend 

4. Analyze the chart / table. Look for: Trends, comparisons, % shares, etc. Look for unusual things (consultants love to integrate these traps in charts) - correlations, outliers, etc

5. Ask clarifying questions if required

6. Provide your conclusion. You should not just describe the chart but also derive the conclusions. There should be at least one major conclusion plus any additional conclusions you can make. You can also provide your hypothesis on what can be the root causes / consequences

7. Based on the interviewer's feedback, prioritize the most important information and define the next steps.

Here are some tips on how you can master that skill:

1. Read "Say it with Charts" book by Gene Zelazny

2. Check the chapters on cases with charts in the following case books "Consulting Bible" and "Vault guide for consulting"

3. Refresh the basic statistics (Most of GMAT prep handbooks have a good summary)

4. Practice GMAT Integrated Reasoning part (GMAT Official guide or Manhattan prep)

5. Practice on real MBB presentations. Look at the chart, derive the conclusions, and compare it to the ones on the slide. Best sources to find presentations - various reports and articles on MBB websites, Slideshare

Best

Hello!

I also particularly struggled with this back in the day.  

The best way to get better at it is getting familiar with it. Hence: practice, practice, practice!

I found particularly useful the "Integrated Reasoning" part of the GMAT exam. It is full of graphs, exhibits... quite tricky and very complete. 

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

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Hi, 
In addition to the brilliant answer of Francesco, I strongly recommend starting by reading the title of the slide. Some of my candidates usually miss it, by suddenly focusing on the content.

Best,
Antonello

If you want to practice on these skills, refer to SHL or GMAT tests.
Text me if you want some useful links for those.

Best,
Luca