{"id":26375,"date":"2021-08-19T04:54:34","date_gmt":"2021-08-19T04:54:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/?p=26375"},"modified":"2026-08-05T15:49:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T15:49:15","slug":"selecting-data-visualizations-types","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/uncategorized\/selecting-data-visualizations-types\/","title":{"rendered":"Selecting Data Visualization Types"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@type\": \"QAPage\",\n  \"mainEntity\": {\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\n    \"name\": \"Which of the following graphs is the most appropriate to use for plotting stock price change over a five-year period?\",\n    \"text\": \"Options:\\nA. Line chart.\\nB. Bubble line chart.\\nC. Frequency polygon.\",\n    \"answerCount\": 1,\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n      \"text\": \"The correct answer is A. A line chart is the most appropriate graph for displaying changes in a data series over time, such as stock price movements over a five-year period. A bubble line chart is used when a third dimension of data needs to be represented through varying bubble sizes. A frequency polygon is used to display frequency distributions rather than changes over time.\"\n    }\n  }\n}\n<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XCKuqfoNqOo\" width=\"611\" height=\"343\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Guide to Selecting Visualization Types<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>For numerical data, use a histogram, frequency polygon, or cumulative distribution chart.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For category-based data, use a bar chart, tree-map, or heat map.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For unstructured data, use a word cloud.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For displaying relationships between two variables, use a scatter plot.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For displaying relationships among more than two variables, use a scatter plot matrix or heat map.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For displaying numerical data distributions, use a histogram, frequency polygon, or cumulative distribution chart.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For displaying categorical data, use a bar chart, tree-map, or heat map.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>To draw a comparison over time, use a line chart for two variables and a bubble line chart for three.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For drawing a comparison among categories, use a bar chart, tree-map, or heat map.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"margin: 18px 0;\"><a style=\"display: block; text-align: center; padding: 14px 18px; border: 2px solid #2F5BFF; border-radius: 18px; color: #ffffff; font-weight: 600; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; background-color: #1a73e8;\" href=\"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/free-trial\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Master data visualization concepts with AnalystPrep\u2019s Free Trial.<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Common Pitfalls<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The following are the four common pitfalls that we should avoid while using charts and graphs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Selecting the wrong chart type will occsion an inaccurate interpretation of data.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Selectively plotting data could prove an inaccurate relationship.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Data plotted in a truncated graph, e.g., having a y-axis that does not start at zero, could inaccurately show significant differences when there is really just a small difference.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Scaling the axes incorrectly, for instance, by setting a maximum that is higher than necessary on the y-axis, can result in a graph that appears less steep and less volatile.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Question<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Which of the following graphs is the <em>most appropriate<\/em> to use for plotting stock price change over a five-year period?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Line chart.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bubble line chart.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Frequency polygon.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Solution<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The correct answer is <strong>A<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A line chart is used to display the change of data series over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>B is incorrect<\/strong>. In a bubble line chart, data points are represented by bubbles of varying sizes. The bubbles represent a third dimension of the data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>C is incorrect<\/strong>. The frequency polygon and the cumulative frequency distribution chart are also line charts. However, they represent data frequency distributions.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"text-align: center; margin: 30px 0;\"><a style=\"display: inline-flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; padding: 12px 26px; border-radius: 9999px; background: #1e5bd8; color: #ffffff; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/free-trial\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Start Free Trial \u2192<\/a> <p style=\"margin-top: 12px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5;\">Strengthen your understanding of selecting appropriate data visualization types, charts, graphs, and quantitative analysis techniques with CFA Level I study notes, practice questions, and mock exams.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Guide to Selecting Visualization Types Master data visualization concepts with AnalystPrep\u2019s Free Trial. Common Pitfalls The following are the four common pitfalls that we should avoid while using charts and graphs: Start Free Trial \u2192 Strengthen your understanding of selecting&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","blog-post","no-post-thumbnail","animate"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Selecting Data Visualizations | CFA Level 1<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how to choose the right data visualization type\u2014bar charts, treemaps, heat maps, and more\u2014based on data type and analysis needs.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/uncategorized\/selecting-data-visualizations-types\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Selecting Data Visualizations | CFA Level 1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn how to choose the right data visualization type\u2014bar charts, treemaps, heat maps, and more\u2014based on data type and analysis needs.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/uncategorized\/selecting-data-visualizations-types\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"AnalystPrep | CFA\u00ae Exam Study Notes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-08-19T04:54:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-05T15:49:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"AnalystPrep Team\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"AnalystPrep Team\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/analystprep.com\\\/cfa-level-1-exam\\\/uncategorized\\\/selecting-data-visualizations-types\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/analystprep.com\\\/cfa-level-1-exam\\\/uncategorized\\\/selecting-data-visualizations-types\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"AnalystPrep Team\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/analystprep.com\\\/cfa-level-1-exam\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/abf579052a9beb34ebf7d292e3967ce8\"},\"headline\":\"Selecting Data Visualization Types\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-08-19T04:54:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-05T15:49:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/analystprep.com\\\/cfa-level-1-exam\\\/uncategorized\\\/selecting-data-visualizations-types\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":357,\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/analystprep.com\\\/cfa-level-1-exam\\\/uncategorized\\\/selecting-data-visualizations-types\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/analystprep.com\\\/cfa-level-1-exam\\\/uncategorized\\\/selecting-data-visualizations-types\\\/\",\"name\":\"Selecting Data Visualizations | CFA Level 1\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/analystprep.com\\\/cfa-level-1-exam\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2021-08-19T04:54:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-05T15:49:15+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/analystprep.com\\\/cfa-level-1-exam\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/abf579052a9beb34ebf7d292e3967ce8\"},\"description\":\"Learn how to choose the right data visualization type\u2014bar charts, treemaps, heat maps, and more\u2014based on data type and analysis needs.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/analystprep.com\\\/cfa-level-1-exam\\\/uncategorized\\\/selecting-data-visualizations-types\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/analystprep.com\\\/cfa-level-1-exam\\\/uncategorized\\\/selecting-data-visualizations-types\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/analystprep.com\\\/cfa-level-1-exam\\\/uncategorized\\\/selecting-data-visualizations-types\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/analystprep.com\\\/cfa-level-1-exam\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Selecting Data Visualization Types\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/analystprep.com\\\/cfa-level-1-exam\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/analystprep.com\\\/cfa-level-1-exam\\\/\",\"name\":\"AnalystPrep | CFA\u00ae Exam Study Notes\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/analystprep.com\\\/cfa-level-1-exam\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/analystprep.com\\\/cfa-level-1-exam\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/abf579052a9beb34ebf7d292e3967ce8\",\"name\":\"AnalystPrep Team\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/analystprep.com\\\/cfa-level-1-exam\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/11\\\/myAvatar-5-150x150.png\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/analystprep.com\\\/cfa-level-1-exam\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/11\\\/myAvatar-5-150x150.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/analystprep.com\\\/cfa-level-1-exam\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/11\\\/myAvatar-5-150x150.png\",\"caption\":\"AnalystPrep Team\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/analystprep.com\\\/cfa-level-1-exam\\\/author\\\/analystprep-team\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<meta property=\"og:video\" content=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XCKuqfoNqOo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:video:type\" content=\"text\/html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:video:duration\" content=\"1964\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:video:width\" content=\"480\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:video:height\" content=\"270\" \/>\n<meta property=\"ya:ovs:adult\" content=\"false\" \/>\n<meta property=\"ya:ovs:upload_date\" content=\"2021-08-19T04:54:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"ya:ovs:allow_embed\" content=\"true\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Selecting Data Visualizations | CFA Level 1","description":"Learn how to choose the right data visualization type\u2014bar charts, treemaps, heat maps, and more\u2014based on data type and analysis needs.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/uncategorized\/selecting-data-visualizations-types\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Selecting Data Visualizations | CFA Level 1","og_description":"Learn how to choose the right data visualization type\u2014bar charts, treemaps, heat maps, and more\u2014based on data type and analysis needs.","og_url":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/uncategorized\/selecting-data-visualizations-types\/","og_site_name":"AnalystPrep | CFA\u00ae Exam Study Notes","article_published_time":"2021-08-19T04:54:34+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-05T15:49:15+00:00","author":"AnalystPrep Team","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"AnalystPrep Team","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/uncategorized\/selecting-data-visualizations-types\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/uncategorized\/selecting-data-visualizations-types\/"},"author":{"name":"AnalystPrep Team","@id":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/#\/schema\/person\/abf579052a9beb34ebf7d292e3967ce8"},"headline":"Selecting Data Visualization Types","datePublished":"2021-08-19T04:54:34+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-05T15:49:15+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/uncategorized\/selecting-data-visualizations-types\/"},"wordCount":357,"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/uncategorized\/selecting-data-visualizations-types\/","url":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/uncategorized\/selecting-data-visualizations-types\/","name":"Selecting Data Visualizations | CFA Level 1","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/#website"},"datePublished":"2021-08-19T04:54:34+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-05T15:49:15+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/#\/schema\/person\/abf579052a9beb34ebf7d292e3967ce8"},"description":"Learn how to choose the right data visualization type\u2014bar charts, treemaps, heat maps, and more\u2014based on data type and analysis needs.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/uncategorized\/selecting-data-visualizations-types\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/uncategorized\/selecting-data-visualizations-types\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/uncategorized\/selecting-data-visualizations-types\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Selecting Data Visualization Types"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/#website","url":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/","name":"AnalystPrep | CFA\u00ae Exam Study Notes","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/#\/schema\/person\/abf579052a9beb34ebf7d292e3967ce8","name":"AnalystPrep Team","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/myAvatar-5-150x150.png","url":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/myAvatar-5-150x150.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/myAvatar-5-150x150.png","caption":"AnalystPrep Team"},"url":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/author\/analystprep-team\/"}]},"og_video":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XCKuqfoNqOo","og_video_type":"text\/html","og_video_duration":"1964","og_video_width":"480","og_video_height":"270","ya_ovs_adult":"false","ya_ovs_upload_date":"2021-08-19T04:54:34+00:00","ya_ovs_allow_embed":"true"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26375"}],"version-history":[{"count":51,"href":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26375\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62916,"href":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26375\/revisions\/62916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}