Table data interpretation for IBPS PO

Table DI gives you numbers in rows and columns and asks four to six questions on them. Nothing in the table is hidden, so every mark you lose here is lost to a misread row, a wrong base or a slow calculation. That makes it the most trainable topic in the whole quant section.

In the prelims, expect a set of about five questions on a small table, often alongside a chart set. In the mains, Data Analysis & Interpretation is built mostly on DI, and the tables get wider: percentages inside percentages, two or three linked columns, and questions that need two steps. The method below works for both.

A reading method that prevents silly errors

1. Read the title and the units first. ₹ crore, thousands, percentages or "per cent of the previous column" change every answer.
2. Note what each column is measured against. A column labelled "% passed" may be a percentage of candidates who appeared, not of those who applied.
3. Read the question, then go to the table. Circle only the cells the question needs.
4. Look at the options before calculating. If they are far apart, estimate. If they are close, calculate exactly.
5. Write intermediate values beside the table. Mains sets reuse the same derived numbers across three or four questions.

The five calculations you will use

Comparing growth without calculating it. To find which branch grew fastest, compare new ÷ old for each. A branch going from 80 to 128 has a ratio of 1.6; one going from 120 to 180 has 1.5. The larger ratio is the larger percentage growth. Why it works: percentage growth = (new ÷ old − 1) × 100, so ranking the ratios ranks the growth rates.

Multiplying percentages. If 90% of applicants appeared and 50% of those passed, then 0.9 × 0.5 = 0.45, so 45% of applicants passed. You do not need the actual numbers for that question.

Worked set 1 (prelims level)

The figures below are made up for practice.

New savings accounts opened by five branches (in hundreds)

Q1. What is the percentage increase in R's accounts from 2024 to 2025?

• (128 − 96) ÷ 96 × 100 = 32 ÷ 96 × 100 = 33⅓%.
• Shortcut: 32 is one-third of 96.

Q2. Which branch had the highest percentage growth from 2023 to 2025?

• Ratios new ÷ old: P 1.5, Q 1.125, R 1.6, S 1.1875, T 1.4.
• The largest is R, a growth of 60%.

Q3. What was the average number of accounts per branch in 2023?

• 120 + 200 + 80 + 160 + 90 = 650. 650 ÷ 5 = 130 hundred, that is 13,000 accounts.

Q4. What is the ratio of P's total over the three years to T's total over the three years?

• P = 120 + 150 + 180 = 450. T = 90 + 108 + 126 = 324.
• 450 : 324. Divide by 18: 25 : 18.

Q5. In how many branches did the number of accounts rise in both years?

• P rises, rises. Q falls in 2024. R rises, rises. S falls in 2025. T rises, rises.
• Three branches (P, R and T).

Q6. If P's accounts grow in 2026 by the same percentage as from 2024 to 2025, how many will it open in 2026?

• 2024 to 2025: 150 to 180 is a 20% rise.
• 180 × 1.2 = 216 hundred.

Worked set 2 (mains level)

The figures below are made up for practice. The two percentage columns are linked, which is what makes this a mains-style table.

Candidates at five exam centres

Before answering, build the derived row once. It pays for every question that follows.

Q1. How many candidates passed across all five centres?

• 720 + 840 + 810 + 525 + 900 = 3,795.

Q2. At which centre did the pass count, as a percentage of applicants, peak?

• Multiply the two percentages: A 0.75 × 0.4 = 30%, B 28%, C 0.9 × 0.5 = 45%, D 21%, E 28.125%.
• C, at 45%. Note that E has the most passes (900) but not the highest rate.

Q3. What is the ratio of candidates who appeared but failed at B to those at D?

• 1,560 : 1,575. Divide by 15: 104 : 105.
• Options this close are why you calculate exactly here.

Q4. Candidates absent at E are what percentage of those absent at A?

• 1,200 ÷ 600 × 100 = 200%.

Q5. If A's absent candidates had appeared and passed at A's existing rate, how many more would have passed?

• 600 × 40% = 240.

Traps that cost marks

• The wrong base. "By what percentage is 2024 less than 2025?" uses 2025 as the base.
• Percentage of the wrong column. In set 2, "passed" is a percentage of those who appeared, not of applicants.
• Units. Set 1 is in hundreds. An option of 13,000 and an option of 130 can both be correct in different units, so read what the question asks for.
• Largest number versus largest rate. Centre E had the most passes but not the best pass rate.
• Over-calculating. If the options are 18%, 25%, 33% and 40%, you only need to know that 32 is about a third of 96.

Practice set

Use set 1 for questions 1 to 4 and set 2 for questions 5 to 8.

1. What is the percentage fall in Q's accounts from 2023 to 2024?
2. What were the total accounts opened by all five branches in 2025?
3. S's accounts in 2025 are what percentage of Q's accounts in 2025 (to one decimal place)?
4. What is the average number of accounts opened by R over the three years (to one decimal place)?
5. How many candidates appeared across all five centres?
6. What percentage of all applicants were absent?
7. What is the ratio of passes at A to passes at D?
8. If D's pass rate among those who appeared had been 30% instead of 25%, how many more would have passed?

Answers:

1. 10%. (200 − 180) ÷ 200 × 100.
2. 849 hundred. 180 + 225 + 128 + 190 + 126.
3. 84.4%. 190 ÷ 225 × 100 = 84.44.
4. 101.3 hundred. (80 + 96 + 128) ÷ 3 = 304 ÷ 3 = 101.33.
5. 9,920. 1,800 + 2,400 + 1,620 + 2,100 + 2,000.
6. About 23.1%. Applicants = 12,900; absent = 12,900 − 9,920 = 2,980; 2,980 ÷ 12,900 × 100 = 23.1.
7. 48 : 35. 720 : 525, divided by 15.
8. 105. 2,100 × 5% = 105.

What to do next

• Solve one table set a day for two weeks, timing each at under six minutes.
• For every set, write the derived values once before touching the questions.
• Move on to chart DI, which uses the same calculations on bars, lines and pies.
• Then practise caselet and missing DI for the mains.
• Keep your percentage base rules sharp with the percentage guide.