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Why I Love Teaching GMAT Verbal – and Why You Shouldn’t Underestimate the Data Insights Section.

As someone who has spent countless hours teaching the GMAT, I have to admit: the Verbal section has always been my favourite. There’s something deeply satisfying about helping students sharpen their critical reasoning skills and decode complex reading comprehension passages. I love seeing the “aha” moment when a student realizes that every word in a GMAT question is there for a reason. That logic and precision can turn what first seems daunting into a satisfying intellectual puzzle. 

THE DATA INSIGHTS SECTION

That being said, I’ve noticed a trend. Many students prepare diligently for the Quantitative and Verbal sections of the GMAT, but when it comes to Data Insights, they either treat it as an afterthought or assume it’s “just numbers.” That’s a mistake. 

The Data Insights section is a relatively new addition to the GMAT, replacing the Integrated Reasoning component and expanding its scope. It’s designed to test how well you can interpret, evaluate, and synthesise information from multiple sources – skills that are essential in business school and beyond. It covers question types such as: 

• Data Sufficiency: Determining whether the information provided is enough to answer a question. 

• Multi-Source Reasoning: Evaluating data from multiple tabs, emails, charts, and text. 

• Table Analysis: Sorting, filtering, and interpreting spreadsheet-style data. 

• Graphics Interpretation: Extracting insights from charts, graphs, and other visual displays. 

• Two-Part Analysis: Solving paired problems that may involve quantitative, verbal, or a mix of both reasoning types. 

IT HAS A VERBAL COMPONENT TO IT

What makes Data Insights unique is that it blends quantitative analysis with verbal reasoning. You might be interpreting the slope of a graph in one question and then, in the next, critically reading a short passage to identify an assumption or evaluate the strength of an argument. 

This is why I emphasise to my students that Data Insights is not just a “math” section. The verbal reasoning components—particularly in Multi-Source Reasoning and Two-Part Analysis—require the same careful reading, logical structuring, and critical thinking that we hone in the Verbal section. In fact, many of the traps in Data Insights come from misreading a statement, overlooking a subtle qualifier, or failing to link two pieces of information logically — classic verbal skills. 

DATA INSIGHTS BRINGS BOTH QUANT AND VERBAL TO THE REAL WORLD

So, while I’ll always have a soft spot for teaching Verbal, I’ve come to appreciate how Data Insights challenges students to think across boundaries. It’s a reminder that business school isn’t about excelling in isolated skill sets; it’s about integrating them. The best GMAT performers are those who recognise this and approach the Data Insights section with the same respect and preparation they give to Quant and Verbal. 

If you can master the cross-over thinking required in Data Insights—seeing both the story in the numbers and the logic in the words—you’ll not only boost your GMAT score but also build skills that will serve you well in the boardroom, the classroom, and beyond.