Solving Command of Evidence (Quantitative) Questions on the SAT

The method: Claim first, then the table

Don’t browse the figure hoping something jumps out. The question tells you what matter — group, years, direction, comparison. Find only that.

Use Claim → Locate → Compare. Underline the subject, the measure, and the comparison (higher than, declined, largest share). Then find the matching row/column or graph series. Do the arithmetic or visual comparison last. If a choice cites a true number from the wrong row, it’s still wrong.

Read the right cell

Labels lie in wait: “women 18–24” vs. “all women,” “median” vs. “mean,” “percent of trips” vs. “percent of people.” Match units and categories exactly before you celebrate a number that “looks close.”

Spot the traps in the choices

Classic traps: correct trend for the wrong group; mixing up absolute counts with percentages; saying “most” when the table shows “more than one other category” but not the maximum; and reversing the inequality.

Trends vs. single values

“Increased” needs at least two points. “Highest in 2020” needs a comparison across categories or years. Don’t upgrade a single cell into a trend story the figure doesn’t tell.

Practice until it’s automatic

Practice questions

Here are five practice problems that help you hone your skills. Use the same method we learned earlier above to solve these problems. Remember, practice makes perfect.