Data Sufficiency is Hard

December 14, 2009

If you polled 100 GMAT test-takers about the biggest obstacles standing in between them and their goal scores, I'll bet the leading answer would be Data Sufficiency.

Data Sufficiency is an unusual question format that appears only on the GMAT, so everyone is starting from scratch. Just because DS is hard for you doesn't mean that you have some sort of GMAT disability--this question type is hard for nearly everyone.

Remember, as you struggle with Data Sufficiency, that the GMAT is scored on a curve, and most everyone else is struggling as well. Just because you're having a hard time with this question type doesn't mean you won't get into the business school of your dreams.

There's plenty to learn about Data Sufficiency--you can start with the several articles on this website. While you do so, don't let yourself get frustrated. You're not alone in your struggle for mastery, and you can get a great GMAT score even without acing every DS question you see.

About the author: Jeff Sackmann is a GMAT tutor based in New York City. He has created many resources for GMAT preparation, including the popular Total GMAT Math and Total GMAT Verbal, as well as 1,800 practice GMAT math questions.

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