In this guide
In missing DI, the table has blanks. Some can be filled from other cells in the same row, some only from a total or an average given below the table, and a few only from information added in a question. The work is front-loaded. Spend the first two minutes filling every blank you can, and the five questions that follow take less than a minute each.
This format has become a regular part of bank PO mains papers because it tests exactly what DI is meant to test: whether you understand how the numbers in a table relate to each other. This guide covers the relationships you need, the order to fill blanks in, a worked set and a practice set.
How to find a blank
| Given | Missing | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Old value and % change | New value | New = old × (1 + r/100) |
| New value and % change | Old value | Old = new ÷ (1 + r/100) |
| Old and new values | % change | (new − old) ÷ old × 100 |
| Part and its % of the whole | Whole | Whole = part ÷ (share/100) |
| Whole and a % | Part | Part = whole × share/100 |
| Total and the other parts | One part | Total − the other parts |
| Average of n values and n − 1 values | The last value | n × average − the sum of the others |
| One part and a ratio | The other part | Scale by the ratio |
Why "old = new ÷ (1 + r/100)" and not "new minus r%". If sales rose 25% to 250, the old value is 250 ÷ 1.25 = 200. Taking 25% off 250 gives 187.5, which is wrong, because the 25% was calculated on the old value, not the new one.
Why the complement matters. If 64% of production was sold, 36% was unsold. So an unsold figure of 324 means production was 324 ÷ 0.36 = 900. Many blanks are found by working with the part the table does not show.
The order to fill blanks
- First, rows where two of three linked cells are given. These fill directly.
- Then totals and averages, which need the other rows filled first.
- Last, anything the questions themselves supply. Use question-specific data only for that question unless the question says it applies to all.
The worked set
The table shows units produced and sold by five companies in a year. Some cells are missing. The average production of the five companies was 1,196 units. These are made-up figures for practice.
| Company | Produced | Sold | Sold (%) | Unsold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1,200 | ? | 75 | ? |
| B | ? | 918 | ? | 162 |
| C | ? | ? | ? | 420 |
| D | ? | ? | 64 | 324 |
| E | ? | 1,040 | 80 | ? |
Filling the blanks:
- A: sold = 75% of 1,200 = 900; unsold = 300.
- B: produced = 918 + 162 = 1,080; sold % = 918 ÷ 1,080 = 85%.
- D: unsold is 36%, so produced = 324 ÷ 0.36 = 900; sold = 576.
- E: produced = 1,040 ÷ 0.8 = 1,300; unsold = 260.
- C: total production = 5 × 1,196 = 5,980. C = 5,980 − (1,200 + 1,080 + 900 + 1,300) = 1,500. Sold = 1,500 − 420 = 1,080; sold % = 72%.
| Company | Produced | Sold | Sold (%) | Unsold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1,200 | 900 | 75 | 300 |
| B | 1,080 | 918 | 85 | 162 |
| C | 1,500 | 1,080 | 72 | 420 |
| D | 900 | 576 | 64 | 324 |
| E | 1,300 | 1,040 | 80 | 260 |
C had to wait until the others were filled. That is the usual design: one row depends on a total or an average.
Q1. How many units were left unsold across the five companies?
- 300 + 162 + 420 + 324 + 260 = 1,466.
Q2. Which company sold the smallest percentage of its production?
- D, at 64%.
Q3. What is the ratio of units sold by A to units sold by E?
- 900 : 1,040 = 45 : 52.
Q4. B sells at ₹250 a unit and D at ₹320 a unit. By how much does B's revenue exceed D's?
- B: 918 × 250 = ₹2,29,500. D: 576 × 320 = ₹1,84,320.
- Difference = ₹45,180.
- A quick check: 918 × 250 = 918 × 1,000 ÷ 4 = 2,29,500.
Q5. C's unsold units are what percentage of D's production, to two decimals?
- 420 ÷ 900 × 100 = 46.67%.
Common mistakes
- Reversing a percentage change the wrong way. Old = new ÷ (1 + r/100), never new × (1 − r/100).
- Forgetting the complement. If the table gives sold %, the unsold share is 100 minus that.
- Using question data everywhere. An "if" in question 3 does not change the table for question 4.
- Not checking the fill. Once the table is full, add one row or column and make sure it matches any total given. It takes ten seconds and catches most slips.
Practice set
A branch's deposits (₹ crore). Made-up figures.
| Year | Savings | Fixed | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 180 | ? | ? |
| 2024 | ? | ? | 360 |
| 2025 | ? | 198 | ? |
Extra information:
- In 2023, savings and fixed deposits were in the ratio 3 : 2.
- Savings deposits rose by 20% from 2023 to 2024.
- Total deposits rose by 15% from 2024 to 2025.
Questions:
- What were fixed deposits and total deposits in 2023?
- What were savings and fixed deposits in 2024?
- What were savings deposits in 2025, and how did they change from 2024?
- By what percentage did fixed deposits rise from 2024 to 2025?
- By what percentage did total deposits rise from 2023 to 2025?
Answers:
- Fixed ₹120 crore, total ₹300 crore. 180 is 3 parts, so 1 part is 60 and fixed is 2 parts.
- Savings ₹216 crore, fixed ₹144 crore. 180 × 1.2 = 216; 360 − 216 = 144.
- ₹216 crore, no change. Total 2025 = 360 × 1.15 = 414; 414 − 198 = 216.
- 37.5%. 198 − 144 = 54; 54 ÷ 144 × 100 = 37.5.
- 38%. 300 to 414 is a rise of 114 on 300.
What to do next
- Memorise the blank-filling table above, especially the reverse percentage.
- Do three missing-DI sets this week, timing the fill stage and the question stage separately.
- Revise table DI for fraction shortcuts and caselet DI, which uses the same fill-the-table habit.
A note on dates and numbers. Exam patterns, vacancies and schedules change from year to year. Always confirm the current details in the latest notification on the State Bank of India website .
Get the next SBI PO guide by email
New guides every week. No spam, unsubscribe any time.