In a company's recent employee satisfaction survey, each employee was asked to rate his or her satisfaction in each of...
GMAT Graphics Interpretation : (GI) Questions
In a company's recent employee satisfaction survey, each employee was asked to rate his or her satisfaction in each of 6 categories on a scale from 1 (lowest) to 6 (highest) and was asked to indicate whether he or she had plans to leave the company within the next 2 years. For each category, the graph shows the average (arithmetic mean) rating given by employees planning to leave within 2 years and the average rating given by employees planning to stay for more than 2 years.
Select from each drop-down menu the option that creates the most accurate statement based on the information provided.
Owning the Dataset
Table 1: Text Analysis
| Text Component | Literal Content | Simple Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Survey Context | "company's recent employee satisfaction survey" | The company conducted a survey to measure employee satisfaction |
| Rating Scale | "rate his or her satisfaction in each of 6 categories on a scale from 1 (lowest) to 6 (highest)" | Employees rated six satisfaction factors using a 1-6 scale (1 = lowest, 6 = highest) |
| Employee Grouping | "indicate whether he or she had plans to leave the company within the next 2 years" | Employees were asked if they planned to leave in the next 2 years or stay longer |
| Data Representation | "the graph shows the average (arithmetic mean) rating given by employees planning to leave within 2 years and the average rating given by employees planning to stay for more than 2 years" | The chart compares average scores for the two groups (leaving vs staying) across each category |
Table 2: Chart Analysis
| Chart Component | What's Shown | What This Tells Us |
|---|---|---|
| Chart Type | Grouped vertical bar chart (two bars per category) | Visual comparison of satisfaction by category between two employee groups |
| Categories | advancement opportunities, clear corporate direction, learning opportunities, pay and benefits, recognition merit, use of available talent | The six categories being measured for satisfaction |
| Groups | Bar for 'leaving within 2 years', bar for 'staying for more than 2 years' | Each factor has two bars side by side for easy comparison |
| Data Values | E.g. advancement: \(\mathrm{2.20}\) (leaving) vs \(\mathrm{4.20}\) (staying); clear direction: \(\mathrm{2.00}\) vs \(\mathrm{3.65}\); learning: \(\mathrm{2.40}\) vs \(\mathrm{3.60}\); pay: \(\mathrm{1.90}\) vs \(\mathrm{2.90}\); recognition: \(\mathrm{2.00}\) vs \(\mathrm{2.45}\); talent use: \(\mathrm{1.95}\) vs \(\mathrm{3.45}\) | Employees planning to stay rate all factors higher; greatest difference in advancement opportunities (\(\mathrm{2.00}\) difference) |
Key Insights
Employees planning to stay rate every satisfaction factor higher than those planning to leave, indicating a clear correlation between satisfaction and retention. Advancement opportunities show the largest difference (\(\mathrm{2.00}\) points). The typical (median) satisfaction gap between groups across categories is about \(\mathrm{1.50}\) points, suggesting broad dissatisfaction among those planning to leave.
Step-by-Step Solution
Question 1: Median Difference Between Groups
Complete Statement:
For the 6 categories, the median of the average ratings given by employees planning to stay for more than 2 years was greater than that for employees planning to leave within 2 years by approximately ______.
Breaking Down the Statement
- Statement Breakdown 1:
- Key Phrase: the median of the average ratings
- Meaning: Find the middle value when all 6 average ratings for a group are arranged from least to greatest.
- Relation to Chart: Both groups (staying and leaving) have 6 average ratings—one per satisfaction category.
- Important Implications: With 6 numbers, the median is the average of the 3rd and 4th smallest values.
- Statement Breakdown 2:
- Key Phrase: employees planning to stay for more than 2 years
- Meaning: The group represented by the gray bars in the chart.
- Relation to Chart: Focus on gray bars' 6 data points to find their median.
- Important Implications: Calculate and record the median for this group.
What is needed: The difference between the median satisfaction rating for employees staying more than 2 years and those leaving within 2 years, rounded to the nearest half point.
Solution:
- Condensed Solution Implementation:
1. List and order the 6 average ratings for each group. 2) Find the median of each group. 3) Subtract the 'leaving' median from the 'staying' median. 4) Round the answer to the nearest value given. - Necessary Data points:
Leavers (blue): \(\mathrm{1.90, 1.95, 2.00, 2.00, 2.20, 2.40}\). Stayers (gray): \(\mathrm{2.45, 2.90, 3.45, 3.60, 3.65, 4.20}\). - Calculations Estimations:
Leavers median: \(\mathrm{(2.00 + 2.00)/2 = 2.00}\). Stayers median: \(\mathrm{(3.45 + 3.60)/2 = 3.525}\). Difference: \(\mathrm{3.525 - 2.00 = 1.525}\). - Comparison to Answer Choices:
\(\mathrm{1.525}\) rounds to \(\mathrm{1.5}\). \(\mathrm{1.5}\) matches one of the options.
FINAL ANSWER Blank 1: 1.5
Question 2: Category with Greatest Difference
Complete Statement:
Among the 6 categories, the absolute value of the difference between the average rating given by employees planning to stay for more than 2 years and the average rating given by employees planning to leave within 2 years was greatest for ______.
Breaking Down the Statement
- Statement Breakdown 1:
- Key Phrase: the absolute value of the difference
- Meaning: The size of the gap between the two groups' ratings for each category, ignoring direction.
- Relation to Chart: Look at the difference between gray and blue bars for each satisfaction category.
- Statement Breakdown 2:
- Key Phrase: was greatest for
- Meaning: We want the category with the single largest difference between groups.
- Relation to Chart: Scan all six categories and note which has the largest gap.
What is needed: The satisfaction category with the widest gap (highest absolute difference) between the two groups' average ratings.
Solution:
- Condensed Solution Implementation:
For each category: subtract the 'leaving' group rating from the 'staying' group rating and find the largest result. - Necessary Data points:
Advancement opportunities: \(\mathrm{4.20 - 2.20 = 2.00}\); Clear corporate direction: \(\mathrm{3.65 - 2.00 = 1.65}\); Learning opportunities: \(\mathrm{3.60 - 2.40 = 1.20}\); Pay and benefits: \(\mathrm{2.90 - 1.90 = 1.00}\); Recognition merit: \(\mathrm{2.45 - 2.00 = 0.45}\); Use of available talent: \(\mathrm{3.45 - 1.95 = 1.50}\). - Calculations Estimations:
The differences are \(\mathrm{2.00, 1.65, 1.20, 1.00, 0.45, 1.50}\). The greatest is \(\mathrm{2.00}\). - Comparison to Answer Choices:
\(\mathrm{2.00}\) corresponds to the 'advancement opportunities' category.
FINAL ANSWER Blank 2: advancement opportunities
Summary
Question 1 required calculating the median rating for each group and finding their difference, which is \(\mathrm{1.5}\). Question 2 involved measuring the difference between groups across all categories, which is greatest (\(\mathrm{2.00}\) points) for advancement opportunities.
Question Independence Analysis
The two blanks are independent: one is about the overall median difference, the other about the maximum difference for a specific category. They require separate calculations and do not depend on each other.