What Are Some Examples of Analytical Skills?
Some examples of analytical skills include the ability to break arguments or theories into small parts, conceptualize ideas and devise conclusions with supporting arguments. Additional examples include detecting patterns, brainstorming, being observant, interpreting data and integrating information into a theory.
To analyze is to break larger concepts into smaller parts. Primary analytical skills, therefore, are those that demonstrate the ability to develop a clear line of thinking based on logic and to reach a sound conclusion based on that logic. When describing analytical skills, it is helpful to use terms that apply appropriately to qualitative and quantitative analysis. Qualitative analytical skills are those that deal more with abstract concepts.
An example of qualitative analysis is crime solving. In order to solve a crime, detectives must analyze many different types of evidence. Some of it may be directly related to the crime, while some may be less obvious. Tying the less obvious facts to the obvious requires refined analytical skills. Quantitative analytical skills are those that pertain to specific numbers and data. These types of skills tend to be more numbers oriented. Detecting patterns in numbers is a key quantitative analytical skill. An example of quantitative analysis is reviewing company profit margins to see in which areas the company is most profitable and which may be draining company funds.
