Table DI for SBI PO

In table DI the numbers are printed exactly. You never have to guess a bar height, so there is nothing to misread except your own arithmetic. That is why table sets decide ranks: almost everyone can do them, and the difference between candidates is how fast and how cleanly they get through five questions.

In the SBI PO mains, the quant section is Data Analysis & Interpretation, with about 90 seconds a question. A five-question table set therefore gets roughly seven to eight minutes. In the prelims, a DI set, when it appears, has to be done at 40 seconds a question. This guide shows how to read a table, the methods that cut the arithmetic, a worked set at mains level and a practice set.

The first 30 seconds

Before you touch question 1, spend half a minute on the table itself.

1. Title and units. Is it ₹ crore, thousands of units, or percentages? A column in % is not a quantity.
2. Row and column headings. Note which columns are raw values and which are rates.
3. Derived values. If the table gives a total and a percentage, the actual number is something you must calculate. Mark it mentally.
4. Friendly numbers. Spot percentages that are easy fractions (62.5% = 5/8, 75% = 3/4, 64% = 16/25).

Methods, and why they work

Percentage of a number through fractions. 62.5% of 560 is 5/8 of 560 = 350. Division by 8 then multiplication by 5 is faster than multiplying by 0.625, and it is exact.

Growth comparison by ratios. To find which of several values grew fastest, compare new ÷ old. The branch with the largest ratio has the largest percentage growth, because percentage growth = (new ÷ old − 1) × 100, and subtracting 1 does not change the order.

Weighted, not simple, averages. When branches have different sizes, the overall rate is total approved ÷ total applications. The simple average of the rates gives each branch equal weight, which is wrong unless the branches are the same size.

Build one helper column. If two or more questions need the same derived figure, write that column next to the table once. Recalculating it for every question is where time goes.

The worked set

The table shows loan applications received by five branches of a bank and the percentage of applications approved. These are made-up figures for practice.

Most questions need the number approved, so build that helper table first. Rejected = applications − approved.

Quick checks on the harder cells: 62.5% of 560 = 560 ÷ 8 × 5 = 350. 64% of 450 = 450 × 16/25 = 18 × 16 = 288. 55% of 720 = 360 + 36 = 396.

Q1. How many applications were approved by all five branches together in 2025?

• 420 + 480 + 288 + 450 + 210 = 1,848.

Q2. Branch R's rejected applications in 2025 are what percentage more than its rejected applications in 2024?

• 2024: 400 − 320 = 80. 2025: 450 − 288 = 162.
• (162 − 80) ÷ 80 × 100 = 82 ÷ 80 × 100 = 102.5%.

Q3. What is the ratio of approved applications of P in 2024 to rejected applications of S in 2025?

• 360 : 300 = 6 : 5.

Q4. Which branch had the highest percentage increase in approved applications from 2024 to 2025?

• Compare new ÷ old: P 420/360 ≈ 1.17, Q 480/350 ≈ 1.37, R 288/320 = 0.9, S 450/396 ≈ 1.14, T 210/210 = 1.
• Q, with (480 − 350) ÷ 350 × 100 ≈ 37.1%.

Notice that Q had only the third-highest growth in applications (about 14%). Its approval rate jumped from 62.5% to 75%, and that drove the result. Questions like this test whether you use the right column.

Q5. What was the overall approval rate across the five branches in 2025, to one decimal?

• Total applications in 2025 = 600 + 640 + 450 + 750 + 420 = 2,860.
• 1,848 ÷ 2,860 × 100 ≈ 64.6%.
• The simple average of the five rates is (70 + 75 + 64 + 60 + 50) ÷ 5 = 63.8%. That will often be one of the options, and it is wrong.

Reading the options before calculating

Options tell you how precise you need to be. In Q4, the ratios 1.37 and 1.17 are far apart, so a rough estimate is enough. In Q5, if the options were 64.2%, 64.6%, 65.0% and 65.4%, you would need the exact division. If they were 58%, 62%, 64.6% and 70%, "a little under 2/3" would do.

A good habit is to glance at the options, decide on a precision, and then calculate only to that level.

Speed habits

• Write totals once. Q1 and Q5 both needed the 2025 totals.
• Simplify ratios early. 360 : 300 is 6 : 5 before you do anything else.
• Use units from the table. If the table is in thousands, an answer of 1,848 means 18,48,000 in real terms. Options sometimes use the other form.
• Skip long sets in the prelims. If a table needs a helper column for every question, it may be better to do it last.

Practice set

Use the same table.

1. What was the average number of applications per branch in 2024?
2. How many applications were rejected in total in 2024?
3. In how many branches did the number of approved applications fall or stay the same from 2024 to 2025?
4. Branch S's applications in 2025 are what percentage of the total applications in 2025, to one decimal?
5. By what percentage did P's rejected applications rise from 2024 to 2025?
6. What was the overall approval rate in 2024, to one decimal?

Answers:

1. 502. Total 2024 applications = 480 + 560 + 400 + 720 + 350 = 2,510; 2,510 ÷ 5 = 502.
2. 874. 120 + 210 + 80 + 324 + 140.
3. Two. R fell (320 to 288) and T stayed at 210.
4. 26.2%. 750 ÷ 2,860 × 100 ≈ 26.2.
5. 50%. 120 to 180 is a rise of 60 on 120.
6. 65.2%. 1,636 ÷ 2,510 × 100 ≈ 65.2. (The simple average of the 2024 rates is 66.5%, the trap option.)

What to do next

• Do two table sets a day for two weeks, timing each set. Aim for under eight minutes per five questions.
• After each set, note which helper column you needed. The same patterns repeat.
• Move on to bar and line graph DI, which adds the step of reading values from a chart.
• Revise the quant and DI plan to see where table DI sits in your week.