Data Interpretation and Analysis Flashcards

An analyst is comparing two programs using a ratio. Program A served 340 clients with a $170,000 budget; Program B served 280 clients with a $126,000 budget. Which has a lower cost per client?

Answer: Program B at $450

Program A costs $500 per client ($170,000÷340) while Program B costs $450 per client ($126,000÷280), so Program B is more cost-efficient.

A data table shows overtime hours by department. Finance logged 120 hours, HR logged 45 hours, IT logged 95 hours, and Legal logged 60 hours. What fraction of total overtime did IT log?

Answer: 19/64

Total overtime is 320 hours; IT's 95 hours represents 95/320 = 19/64 of the total.

A government dashboard shows that 72 of 288 applications were incomplete. What is the ratio of complete to incomplete applications?

Answer: 3:1

Complete applications number 216 (288−72); the ratio 216:72 simplifies to 3:1.

A trend report shows annual service requests: 2021=4,200, 2022=4,620, 2023=5,082, 2024=5,590. What is the approximate consistent annual growth rate?

Answer: 10%

Each year's value is approximately 110% of the prior year's, indicating a consistent ~10% annual growth rate.

A histogram shows most data clustered near the right side with a long tail extending left. This distribution is best described as:

Answer: Negatively skewed

When the tail extends to the left (lower values), the distribution is negatively (left) skewed.

A report shows that a city processed 1,200 permits in Q1 and aims to process 20% more in Q2. How many permits must be processed in Q2 to meet this goal?

Answer: 1,440

20% of 1,200 is 240; adding that to 1,200 gives a Q2 target of 1,440 permits.

A spreadsheet shows budget variances: Dept A is -$4,200 (under), Dept B is +$3,100 (over), Dept C is -$900 (under), Dept D is +$1,500 (over). What is the net overall budget variance?

Answer: -$500

Net variance = (−4,200 + 3,100 − 900 + 1,500) = −500, meaning the overall budget is $500 under.