Informational graphics like charts, graphs and tables appear on several sections of the redesigned SAT, such as the reading and writing portions. This can intimidate some students taking the college entrance exam, especially those who are not prepared to see anything but text in these sections.
However, these visuals will not require mathematical calculations. Instead, students will be asked to analyze and interpret data and combine that understanding with the information they glean from reading passages.
On the writing and language portion, students may be asked to use informational graphics to make decisions about revisions. Multiple informational graphics may be used on any one item in either section.
When approaching informational graphics, students should keep in mind some general rules.
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— Review units: These units may appear on an axis or they may be present at the top of the graphic.
— Note the scale: Do the units appear in increments of one, 10 or 100, for instance? Does the graphic begin at zero or another number?
— Look for asterisks, footnotes or keys: Graphics can sometimes hide essential pieces of information in unexpected places. Do not be fooled. When first reviewing a graphic, search for any additional context in asterisks, footnotes or keys.
— Analyze any trends: For example, as one value in the graphic increases, does the other value increase, decrease or draw from another relationship?
To avoid confusion when implementing these steps, consider two examples, one from the SAT’s reading section and another from the writing and language section.
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Reading
Review this practice problem on the reading portion about the cost of time. You may wish to read the full passage before inspecting the graphic, but for this specific question, textual evidence is not necessary to answer correctly.
When you look at the graphic, you’ll see the names of cities are listed on the x-axis, while the y-axis contains numbers in increments of 20, but no label. You must examine the title, “Yearly Hours of Delay per Automobile Commuter,” to discover what this graph measures.
There are no asterisks, footnotes or keys. The cities are displayed in descending order, from highest yearly hours of delay to lowest. If you wished to know which city had the most delays, you would look at the city to the far left.
Now examine the answer choices. Choice C is the only one that is supported by the graph. Washington, D.C., has a higher delay per commuter than any other city, including New York City.
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Writing and Language
Next, consider this writing and language item about transportation planners. In this instance, both the graphic and the passage are critical.
Once you read the passage, take a moment to examine the graphic. There are three occupations listed on the y-axis, along with percentage increases in employment, projected from 2010-2020, on the x-axis.
If you are not sure why “Total, All Occupations” is included on the y-axis, notice the small note below the graph that explains that this represents all occupations within the U.S. economy. This information defines the scope and may help you realize that this is included for scale, as it demonstrates that urban and regional planners are growing as a labor force faster than the average rate of growth across the U.S.
Remember that you never know if this kind of “hidden” information will affect the answer.
The question asks, “Which choice completes the sentence with accurate data based on the graph?” The sentence it’s referring to begins with, “The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts steady job growth in this field.”
Answer A, which says no change to the rest of the sentence is necessary, is a trap answer. While 16 percent does correspond to urban and regional planners, claiming that they represent 16 percent of the American labor force is a misunderstanding of the purpose of this graphic, which is to show percent change over time.
For B, there are two hints that this is the incorrect answer: The number cited, 14 percent, is wrong, and you also can see in the passage that this field is expected to grow. The correct answer is C because employment of urban and regional planners is expected to grow by 16 percent between 2010 and 2020.
Developing skill with informational graphics is necessary for SAT success, but they are less complicated than they may at first appear. Follow these tips and practice often, and you will be well on your way to an improved understanding.
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Learn How to Master SAT Reading, Writing Graphics originally appeared on usnews.com
