A data question gives a table or graph, and the condition in the question decides which numbers to use. Your child is tested at their current year level, and each school selects its own test date.
It's a word problem whose numbers sit in a table, a bar graph or a price list. Edutest describes Numerical Reasoning as series, matrices, arithmetical reasoning and deduction, and a data question is arithmetical reasoning with the facts laid out for your child to find.
The reading is the hard part. Our questions rarely want a plain total: they ask for the total on some days, the cost under one rule, or one group's share. So the first job is to work out which numbers count.
The separate Mathematics test has data questions too, and it covers year-level maths: numbers, measurement, algebra, space and data. There, data is a topic in its own right; here, the table is where a problem starts.
Headings first, then the question's condition, then the numbers. Working in that order means your child only ever handles the values that matter, so there's less to add up and less to get wrong.
Read the title and the headings first
Know what each row, column and bar stands for before reading any number.
Find the condition in the question
Words such as more than, at least, every, least or doubled decide which numbers count.
Pick out the values that meet it
List them before adding or multiplying, so none is missed or counted twice.
Work it out
Our data questions need nothing harder than adding, multiplying and comparing, done carefully.
Answer what was asked
If the question asks which team, the answer is a name, not the score.
Which words change the answer?
A single word read loosely can turn a right method into a wrong answer. When your child meets one of these, it's worth underlining it and saying what it means before going on.
Condition words in data questions
Word or phrase
What it means
The slip to check for
More than 10
11 and above; 10 itself is left out
Counting the day that is exactly 10
At least
That amount or more
Treating it like more than
Every day
Count the days across the whole period
Counting the days of a single week
In weeks 1 and 3
Those two, nothing in between
Counting week 2 as well
Doubled
Add that score once more
Adding the scores without doubling
Of all
Find the grand total first
Comparing with one group instead of the total
Least or cheapest
Try mixed choices, not just whole options
Comparing whole options alone
Four worked examples
We wrote these four in the style of the Edutest test: a bar graph, a pay table, a share of a total and a choice of tickets. Each one shows the answer and the working. Read them with your child and talk through why the right option is right.
In each one, ask your child to point to the condition word and the numbers it allows. That is where the answer is decided.
Worked explanation 1
The graph shows how many toys a toy library lent each day for one week. Monday 14, Tuesday 9, Wednesday 17, Thursday 12, Friday 8. How many toys were lent altogether on the days when more than 10 toys were lent?
Toys lent each day
Mon
14
Tue
9
Wed
17
Thu
12
Fri
8
·
AA.
60
BB.
31
CC.
43
DD.
52
Answer: C
Answer: C (43)
Pick out the days above 10: Monday (14), Wednesday (17) and Thursday (12). Tuesday (9) and Friday (8) are left out. 14 + 17 + 12 = 43.
The trap: 60 tempts children who add every day and forget the 'more than 10' condition.
Why the other options are wrong
A (60): Adds all five days.
B (31): Adds only the two biggest days.
D (52): Includes Tuesday's 9 by mistake.
Worked explanation 2
Tama does jobs at home for the pay shown. Over 4 weeks, Tama fed the pets every day, washed the car twice each week, and mowed the lawn in weeks 1 and 3 only. How much did Tama earn altogether?
Job
Pay
Feeding the pets
$2 a day
Washing the car
$5 a wash
Mowing the lawn
$8 a mow
AA.
$120
BB.
$112
CC.
$96
DD.
$92
Answer: B
Answer: B ($112)
Feeding: 4 weeks is 28 days, and 28 × $2 = $56. Washing: 2 × 4 = 8 washes, and 8 × $5 = $40. Mowing: 2 mows, and 2 × $8 = $16. Total $56 + $40 + $16 = $112.
The trap: $120 tempts children who count three mows (weeks 1, 2 and 3, or every week but one) instead of two.
Why the other options are wrong
A ($120): Counts three mows instead of two.
C ($96): Counts feeding on weekdays only (20 days).
D ($92): Counts the car wash once a week instead of twice.
Worked explanation 3
The graph shows the tickets sold for a school disco. Year 3 bought 30, Year 4 bought 36, Year 5 bought 45 and Year 6 bought 39. What percentage of all the tickets did Year 4 buy?
Disco tickets sold
Year 3
30
Year 4
36
Year 5
45
Year 6
39
·
AA.
24%
BB.
36%
CC.
25%
DD.
30%
Answer: A
Answer: A (24%)
First find the total: 30 + 36 + 45 + 39 = 150 tickets. Year 4 bought 36 of the 150. 36/150 = 12/50 = 24/100, which is 24%.
The trap: 25% tempts children who guess that each year bought about a quarter of the tickets; 36 is a little less than a quarter of 150 (37.5).
Why the other options are wrong
B (36%): Uses Year 4's 36 tickets as the percentage without dividing by the total.
C (25%): Assumes the four years shared the tickets equally.
D (30%): Leaves Year 3 out of the total (36 ÷ 120).
Worked explanation 4
Iris will swim 3 times a week for 12 weeks at the local pool. The table shows the ticket prices. Any swims left on a 10-swim pass at the end are wasted. What is the least Iris can pay for all her swims?
Ticket
Price
Single swim
$6
10-swim pass
$50
12-week season pass (unlimited swims)
$190
AA.
$190
BB.
$200
CC.
$216
DD.
$186
Answer: D
Answer: D ($186)
Iris needs 3 × 12 = 36 swims. Singles only cost 36 × $6 = $216, four passes cost $200 and the season pass costs $190. Three passes cover 30 swims for $150, and the last 6 swims as singles cost $36, so $150 + $36 = $186, the cheapest.
The trap: $190 tempts children who compare only whole-ticket choices and never try mixing passes with single swims.
Why the other options are wrong
A ($190): The season pass, which is $4 dearer than the mix.
B ($200): Four passes, which wastes 4 swims.
C ($216): Paying for every swim singly.
How are share-of-total questions done without a calculator?
Calculators are not allowed at the test. So a share becomes a fraction to simplify: add every group for the total, put the group over it, then simplify until the bottom is 100 or an easy number.
In the disco example, 36 out of 150 halves to 18 out of 75. Multiply both by 4 and divide by 3, and it's 24 out of 100.
A size check catches slips. A quarter of 150 is 37.5, and 36 is a little less, so the answer must be just under a quarter.
They're a search, and the cheapest answer can be a mix: a pass for most of the swims and single tickets for the rest. Your child should cost the whole-ticket choices first, then try the mixes that waste nothing.
Writing each choice on its own line, with its cost, stops the search going round in circles. The answer is the smallest line. Be wary of an option that matches a whole-ticket choice: it's there for the child who stopped early.
What traps should your child watch for?
Each of the examples above has a wrong option built from one of these slips. Find it together and name the slip, then use its check on the next few questions.
Adding everything. In the toy library graph, adding every day ignores the condition. Check: which days does the question allow?
Counting a week too many. "Weeks 1 and 3" means those two and nothing in between.
Guessing a share by eye. Bars that look equal may not be; work out the total first.
Stopping at the whole-ticket choices. The cheapest way to buy can be a mix.
Answering with the wrong thing. A question about which team or which day wants the name.
How can your child practise data questions?
Everyday tables make good practice. Sports ladders, bus timetables and menus all hold questions: which teams have won more than half their games, or which mix of meals costs least.
Ask your child to read each question aloud and name the condition word before starting. In the app, the data lesson has an Interactive version and Notes. There are also drills by section and topic; a free account drills the free test's questions, and a paid plan opens the rest.
Four questions show the method; the Numerical Reasoning section of Practice test 1 shows whether your child can use it against the clock. Afterwards, results by skill show whether data questions are costing marks. This kind sits with the others on the Numerical Reasoning sample questions page, and graphs in the other test are under Edutest Mathematics data questions.
