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Bar graph data interpretation practice for bank exams
A bar graph shows a quantity for each category or year as the height of a bar. A double bar graph shows two quantities side by side. Bank-exam questions ask you to read the bar heights and then calculate totals, percentage changes, ratios and averages. The practice set below is hypothetical, and its bar values are listed in a table so that you can see exactly what each bar shows.
The data set
A graph shows the deposits mobilised by a bank over five years, with two bars per year: savings deposits and current deposits, in ₹ crore.
| Year | Savings deposits (₹ crore) | Current deposits (₹ crore) |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 240 | 160 |
| 2022 | 280 | 180 |
| 2023 | 330 | 220 |
| 2024 | 360 | 240 |
| 2025 | 420 | 260 |
Five practice questions
Question 1
What were the total deposits (savings plus current) in 2023?
- A. ₹500 crore
- B. ₹520 crore
- C. ₹550 crore
- D. ₹560 crore
Question 2
By what percentage did savings deposits increase from 2021 to 2025?
- A. 65%
- B. 75%
- C. 80%
- D. 85%
Question 3
In which year was the ratio of savings deposits to current deposits the highest?
- A. 2021
- B. 2022
- C. 2024
- D. 2025
Question 4
What was the average annual current deposit over the five years?
- A. ₹212 crore
- B. ₹216 crore
- C. ₹220 crore
- D. ₹224 crore
Question 5
In which year was the rise in total deposits over the previous year the smallest?
- A. 2022
- B. 2023
- C. 2024
- D. 2025
Answers and explanations
- C. In 2023, savings were 330 and current deposits were 220. The total is 330 + 220 = ₹550 crore.
- B. The increase is 420 − 240 = 180, and the base is the 2021 value of 240. So 180 ÷ 240 × 100 = 75%.
- D. The ratios are 240 ÷ 160 = 1.5 (2021), 280 ÷ 180 ≈ 1.56 (2022), 360 ÷ 240 = 1.5 (2024), and 420 ÷ 260 ≈ 1.62 (2025). The 2025 ratio is the highest. Compare with cross-multiplication if the values are close.
- A. The current deposits sum to 160 + 180 + 220 + 240 + 260 = 1,060. The average is 1,060 ÷ 5 = ₹212 crore.
- C. The yearly totals are 400, 460, 550, 600 and 680. The rises are 60 (2022), 90 (2023), 50 (2024) and 80 (2025). The smallest rise is 50, in 2024.
How to prepare bar graph DI
- Read the axes and the legend first. Note the units on the vertical axis, the scale (does it start at zero?) and which colour or shade is which series.
- Write the bar values down. Jot the values for every bar in a small grid on your rough sheet. It takes 20 seconds and replaces repeated glances at the graph.
- Distinguish "rise" from "percentage rise". A bigger rise in rupees is not always a bigger percentage rise. Question 5 asks for the rise, and a percentage version would need a different calculation.
- Compare ratios without dividing. Cross-multiply, or compare against a benchmark such as 1.5 as in Question 3.
- Use totals as a check. Add the series for each year once and re-use that total in later questions.
- Practise stacked and line variations. Bars may be stacked, in which case the second segment's height is the difference between the stacked top and the first segment.
A five-question bar-graph set should take 6 to 7 minutes. After this, try a pie chart DI set, where the data is in shares rather than heights.
The full bar graph DI topic test is on PrepMatic (about 15 questions, 30 minutes). The data interpretation guide covers all set types, and the bank exam hub links each exam's pattern.
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