What is a data sufficiency question

Last updated: 13 Oct 2008

Each data sufficiency question consists of 3 parts

  • The question
  • Statement (1)
  • Statement (2)

You are asked to determine which combination of the two statements is necessary and sufficient to answer the question.

Answers A-E answers for data sufficiency problems are always the same.

  1. Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) alone is not sufficient
  2. Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) alone is not sufficient
  3. BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient
  4. EACH statement ALONE is sufficient
  5. Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOT sufficient

Data sufficiency questions are unlike most of the math questions in that you don't have to answer the question in the first part of the problem, rather you have to work out what information is sufficient to solve the question.

This is probably easiest to see if we look at an example.

Next page: Example data sufficiency problem

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