SHSAT Data and Infographic Questions: How to Read Charts, Tables, and Graphs
The SHSAT includes questions based on data displays - tables, bar charts, line graphs, pie charts, scatter plots, and occasionally less common formats like box-and-whisker plots or pictographs. These questions appear in the Reading Comprehension section, paired with informational passages that include visual data.
In 2025, students reported being blindsided by box-and-whisker plots they'd never encountered in school. This is exactly the kind of "material not taught in your regular class" problem that separates prepared students from unprepared ones. If you've only practiced reading bar charts, you're leaving points on the table.
Our question bank includes 60 data and infographic questions covering every chart type you might see. Here's how to approach each one.
Why Data Questions Matter
Data interpretation questions test a skill that overlaps ELA and math: reading visual information accurately and drawing conclusions from it. They appear in the ELA section as part of informational passages, but the skills required - percentages, comparisons, trends - are mathematical.
Students who practice data questions specifically tend to find them among the more straightforward reading comprehension questions, because the answers are rooted in concrete numbers rather than subjective interpretation. The trap isn't misunderstanding the concept. It's misreading the visual.
Chart-by-Chart Breakdown
1. Tables: Watch the Headers
Tables present data in rows and columns. They're the most common data display and seem simple, but the most frequent mistake is reading the wrong row or column.
What questions typically ask: "According to the table, which category had the highest/lowest value?" or "What was the difference between X and Y?"
The common trap: Tables with similar-looking row labels. A table about school enrollment might have rows for "enrolled," "applied," and "admitted." Students grab the number from the wrong row because they're reading fast.
How to approach it: Put your finger (or use the line reader tool on the digital test) on the exact row and column the question asks about. Read the header of your selected cell to confirm you're in the right place before answering.
2. Bar Charts: Check the Y-Axis
Bar charts compare quantities across categories. The height of each bar represents a value.
What questions typically ask: "Which category had the greatest increase?" or "Approximately how much more did X produce than Y?"
The common trap: Broken y-axes. Some bar charts don't start at zero - they start at, say, 50. This makes small differences look enormous. A bar that appears twice as tall as another might represent only a 10% difference if the axis starts at 90.
How to approach it: Always check where the y-axis starts. Read the actual numbers on the axis rather than estimating from bar heights. If the question asks you to compare, calculate the actual difference using the numbers, not the visual.
3. Line Graphs: Focus on Trends
Line graphs show change over time. They're great for identifying trends - increasing, decreasing, stable, or fluctuating patterns.
What questions typically ask: "During which period did the greatest change occur?" or "What trend does the graph show between years X and Y?"
The common trap: Confusing steepness with value. The steepest segment of a line graph shows the greatest rate of change, not necessarily the highest value. A line that goes from 10 to 50 (steep) shows more change than one going from 80 to 95 (gradual), even though 95 is a higher number.
How to approach it: For trend questions, look at the direction and steepness. For specific value questions, trace from the x-axis up to the line, then over to the y-axis. Use scratch paper to note exact values when comparing.
4. Pie Charts: Everything Adds to 100%
Pie charts show parts of a whole. Each slice is a percentage, and all slices must add up to 100%.
What questions typically ask: "What percentage of the total does category X represent?" or "If the total was 500, how many items were in category Y?"
The common trap: Converting between percentages and actual numbers. If a pie chart shows 30% and the total is 250, students sometimes answer 30 instead of 75. The question may give you the percentage and ask for the number, or give you a number and ask for the percentage.
How to approach it: Identify whether the question asks for a percentage or an actual number. If it asks for a number, multiply: total times percentage (as a decimal). If it asks for a percentage, divide: part divided by whole, then multiply by 100.
5. Scatter Plots: Correlation, Not Causation
Scatter plots show the relationship between two variables using dots on a grid. Each dot represents one data point.
What questions typically ask: "What type of relationship do the variables show?" or "Which statement is best supported by the scatter plot?"
The common trap: Assuming causation. A scatter plot might show that as study hours increase, test scores increase (positive correlation). But the chart doesn't prove that studying caused the higher scores - correlation is not causation. Wrong answers often use causal language.
How to approach it: Look at the overall direction of the dots. Dots trending upward from left to right = positive correlation. Downward = negative. Randomly scattered = no correlation. Avoid answer choices that say one variable "causes" or "determines" the other unless the passage explicitly supports that claim.
6. Pictographs: Read the Key
Pictographs use symbols to represent quantities. Each symbol equals a specific number of units, shown in a key at the bottom.
What questions typically ask: "How many units does category X represent?" or "Which category has the most/fewest?"
The common trap: Half-symbols. If the key says each apple icon equals 10 units, a half apple equals 5. Students who don't read the key carefully might count symbols without applying the multiplier, or misinterpret partial symbols.
How to approach it: Read the key first. Count symbols carefully. Multiply the count by the key value. Watch for half and quarter symbols.
7. Box-and-Whisker Plots: The 2025 Surprise
Box-and-whisker plots (box plots) display the distribution of data using five key values: minimum, first quartile (Q1), median, third quartile (Q3), and maximum. Students in 2025 reported these appearing on the SHSAT despite never studying them in class.
What questions typically ask: "What is the median of the data?" "What is the interquartile range?" "Which data set has greater variability?"
The key terms to know:
- Minimum: The leftmost point (end of the left whisker)
- Q1 (first quartile): The left edge of the box. 25% of data falls below this value.
- Median: The line inside the box. Half the data is above, half below.
- Q3 (third quartile): The right edge of the box. 75% of data falls below this value.
- Maximum: The rightmost point (end of the right whisker)
- Interquartile range (IQR): Q3 minus Q1. This measures the spread of the middle 50% of data.
The common trap: Confusing the median with the mean (average). The median is the middle value when data is ordered, not the sum divided by count. Box plots show the median, not the mean.
How to approach it: Label each part of the box plot on your scratch paper: min, Q1, median, Q3, max. Calculate IQR if asked (Q3 - Q1). Compare box plots by looking at the position and width of the boxes, not just the whiskers.
General Strategies for All Data Questions
Read the Title and Labels First
Before looking at the data itself, read the chart title, axis labels, column headers, and any keys or legends. These tell you what the data represents. Skipping this step is the most common source of errors.
Answer From the Data, Not Your Knowledge
Data questions test whether you can read the visual correctly, not whether you know facts about the topic. If a graph about plant growth shows that Plant A grew taller, the answer is Plant A - even if you happen to know that Plant B is typically the taller species. Stick to what the chart shows.
Use the Elimination Tool
The digital SHSAT interface includes an answer eliminator (red X). Use it on data questions to cross out choices that clearly contradict the visual. This narrows your options and reduces the chance of misreading.
The 2026 Adaptive Factor
With the upcoming Fall 2026 adaptive format, students who answer data questions correctly may receive harder ones. This could mean more complex charts (multi-variable scatter plots, stacked bar charts) or questions that require multi-step calculations from visual data.
The best preparation: practice every chart type until none of them surprise you. Read our 2026 adaptive test guide for a full breakdown of what the adaptive format changes.
Practice Data Interpretation Questions
Our question bank includes 60 data and infographic questions across all the chart types covered here. Practice them in our targeted questions section under the data/infographic subtopic. If you can interpret a box-and-whisker plot as easily as a bar chart, you're ahead of most test-takers.
For a broader look at all ELA question types, see our reading comprehension guide and our digital question types breakdown.
