Survey Table Practice
Survey table questions ask you to find missing numbers from a two-way table. The key is to decide whether the question is giving a row total, a column total, or the total number of pupils in the survey.
The Rules Every Survey Table Question Uses
The papers use school survey tables with boys and girls as rows and subjects as columns. Every missing value comes from adding or subtracting the right row, column, or whole-table total.
➕ Rule 1: Add a known row
If a whole row is shown, add the numbers across that row.
Example: Boys choosing Geography, Art and Computing are 2, 7 and 3, so the boys total is 12.
➖ Rule 2: Subtract from the total
If the survey total is given, subtract the known row or column total to find the missing part.
Example: 34 pupils in total and 12 boys means 34 - 12 = 22 girls.
↕ Rule 3: Use column totals carefully
When a question names one subject, use only that column.
Example: 24 pupils chose Computing and 15 were boys, so 9 girls chose Computing.
🔎 Rule 4: Read the target first
Underline whether the answer should be boys, girls, a subject total, or one single cell.
Example: "girls chose Science" means one cell, not the whole girls row.
How to Solve Survey Table Questions
One row-total question, one column-total question, and one common trap where the missing value is a single cell.
1. Find a Missing Row Total
Question: In total 34 pupils took the survey. How many girls took part?
| Geography | Art | Computing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boys | 2 | 7 | 3 |
| Girls | ? | ||
Worked Method
Step 1: Add the boys row: 2 + 7 + 3 = 12.
Step 2: Subtract the boys from the survey total: 34 - 12 = 22.
Tip: A row with one wide question-mark cell means the whole row is missing.
2. Work Down One Column
Question: There are 24 pupils taking Computing. If 15 of them were boys, how many girls took Computing?
| Geography | Computing | Music | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boys | 15 | 15 | 8 |
| Girls | 6 | ? | 4 |
Worked Method
Step 1: The question is only about Computing, so use the Computing column.
Step 2: Computing total = 24. Boys choosing Computing = 15.
Step 3: 24 - 15 = 9 girls.
Tip: Do not add the whole boys row when the question names one subject.
3. Find One Missing Cell
Question: In total 34 pupils took the survey. How many girls chose Science as their favourite subject?
| English | Science | Art | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boys | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| Girls | 6 | ? | 6 |
Worked Method
Step 1: Add every known value: 3 + 3 + 10 + 6 + 6 = 28.
Step 2: The survey total is 34, so the missing Science value is 34 - 28 = 6.
Tip: The answer is one cell, not the total number of girls.
Before You Buy
Want to check the level and layout first? Download the free 3-question sample. It uses the same question style, printable format, and answer-key approach as the full pack.
Download Free Sample PDFGet the Full Practice Pack
The full Table Logic pack contains 75 survey table questions across 3 printable test sets. Students practise row totals, column totals, whole-table totals and missing values.
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