Tables
Table-based Data Interpretation for CGPSC CSAT: totals, shares, growth, ratios and averages from a table, with approximation shortcuts and practice sets.
Prerequisites
- Percentages — percentage change and the fraction–percentage table are used in almost every table question.
- Ratio and Proportion — simplifying a ratio such as 360 : 480 to 3 : 4 in one step.
- Averages — sum = average \( \times \) count, and why percentages of unequal groups cannot be averaged directly.
The Hook: Reading the Mandi Board
Every paddy procurement season, the cooperative society notice boards and the state’s daily bulletins show the same thing: a table of districts against dates and quantities. A farmer glances at it and asks one question — “Did our district do better than last year?” An officer asks another — “Which district grew the fastest?” A journalist asks a third — “What share of the state’s total came from the plains districts?”
Same table, three different calculations. CSAT does exactly this: one table, five questions, each needing a different operation on the same numbers.
The question this page answers: how do you read a table quickly, pick the right operation for each question, and calculate the answer without long division?
Why it matters for CGPSC: a table (सारणी) is the most common DI format in Prelims Paper II and the easiest to score on — no reading of scales, no estimating bar heights. The same skill helps you read the tables in the Economic Survey and Census for Economy and Population of Chhattisgarh.
Anatomy of a DI Table
Before touching a question, spend 30–60 seconds on the table itself:
| Check | What to look for | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Title | What is being measured, and for whom | Tells you the context of every question |
| Units | Thousand tonnes? ₹ crore? Per cent? | A wrong unit makes every option look wrong |
| Rows and columns | Which is the category, which is time | Decides whether “growth” means across a row or down a column |
| Totals given? | A total row/column may or may not be supplied | If not, you may need to add it yourself once and reuse it |
| Footnotes | “Figures in percentage of …” | The base of a percentage table is often only in the footnote |
Our working dataset
All the questions on this page use the table below.
Table 1: Paddy procured in five hypothetical districts (thousand tonnes) — practice figures, not official data
| District | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 420 | 462 | 504 |
| B | 360 | 342 | 396 |
| C | 250 | 300 | 330 |
| D | 480 | 456 | 528 |
| E | 290 | 340 | 342 |
| Total | 1,800 | 1,900 | 2,100 |
The Six Standard Question Types
Almost every table question is one of these six. Recognise the type, and the formula follows.
1. Direct total or difference
Read and add. Total procurement over three years = 1,800 + 1,900 + 2,100 = 5,800 thousand tonnes.
2. Percentage change (growth)
$$\boxed{\text{Growth} = \frac{\text{Later} - \text{Earlier}}{\text{Earlier}}\times 100}$$| District | Change 2022-23 → 2024-25 | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| A | +84 | \( \frac{84}{420} = 20\% \) |
| B | +36 | \( \frac{36}{360} = 10\% \) |
| C | +80 | \( \frac{80}{250} = 32\% \) |
| D | +48 | \( \frac{48}{480} = 10\% \) |
| E | +52 | \( \frac{52}{290} \approx 17.9\% \) |
| Total | +300 | \( \frac{300}{1800} \approx 16.7\% \) |
3. Share (percentage of total)
$$\boxed{\text{Share} = \frac{\text{Item}}{\text{Total}}\times 100}$$D’s share in 2024-25 = \( \frac{528}{2100}\times 100 \approx 25.1\% \).
4. Ratio
Divide both values by their HCF. B : D in 2022-23 = 360 : 480 = 3 : 4.
5. Average
Average procurement per district in 2024-25 = \( \frac{2100}{5} = 420 \). Districts above this average: A (504) and D (528) — only two.
6. Counting / “in how many” questions
In how many districts did procurement fall in 2023-24? Scan the row pairs: B (360 → 342) and D (480 → 456). Answer: two. These are free marks if you scan carefully.
Approximation: the 1% Block Method
Long division is the biggest time-waster in DI. Use these instead.
1% block. To find what percent \( x \) is of \( N \), first find 1% of \( N \), then count how many such blocks fit into \( x \).
E’s share of the total in 2023-24?
1% of 1,900 = 19. Now \( 342 \div 19 = 18 \). So E’s share is exactly 18%.
D’s share in 2024-25? 1% of 2,100 = 21. \( 21 \times 25 = 525 \), and 528 is just 3 more, so the share is a little above 25%.
Cross-multiplication to compare two fractions. To decide whether \( \frac{a}{b} > \frac{c}{d} \), compare \( a \times d \) with \( b \times c \).
Which grew faster from 2022-23 to 2024-25: E (\( \frac{52}{290} \)) or A (\( \frac{84}{420} \))?
\( 52 \times 420 = 21{,}840 \) and \( 84 \times 290 = 24{,}360 \). The second is larger, so A’s fraction is larger: A grew faster (20% vs about 17.9%).
Faster still: \( \frac{84}{420} = \frac{1}{5} = 20\% \) exactly, while 20% of 290 is 58 > 52, so E is below 20%.
Benchmark fractions. Compare every awkward fraction with a known one: \( \frac{1}{4} = 25\% \), \( \frac{1}{5} = 20\% \), \( \frac{1}{6} \approx 16.7\% \), \( \frac{1}{8} = 12.5\% \). If the options are far apart, a benchmark answers the question.
Percentage Tables: Do Not Average the Percentages
Some tables give percentages, not counts. Then the base matters.
Table 2: Board results of three hypothetical schools (practice figures)
| School | Students appeared | Pass percentage | Passed (calculated) |
|---|---|---|---|
| X | 400 | 75% | 300 |
| Y | 250 | 84% | 210 |
| Z | 350 | 60% | 210 |
| All | 1,000 | ? | 720 |
Overall pass percentage = \( \frac{720}{1000} = 72\% \), not the simple average \( \frac{75 + 84 + 60}{3} = 73\% \). Schools with more students carry more weight. (Note also: Y and Z have the same number of passes, 210, despite very different pass percentages.)
Memory Tricks
- “TURF” before you calculate: Title, Units, Rows/columns, Footnotes. Thirty seconds here saves a wrong answer later.
- “Increase” is a subtraction, “percentage increase” is a division. If the word percentage (or rate, or growth rate) is missing, do not divide.
- 1% block: “find 1%, then count blocks.”
- Small base, big growth. The smallest starting value often gives the highest percentage growth — check it first.
Don’t Confuse
| This | vs | That |
|---|---|---|
| Largest absolute increase (A: +84) | Largest percentage increase (C: 32%) | |
| Same percentage change (B and D: both 10% over two years) | Same absolute change (B +36, D +48 — different) | |
| Overall pass % = total passed ÷ total appeared (72%) | Simple average of pass percentages (73% — wrong) | |
| Share of total (item ÷ column total) | Growth (later ÷ earlier, minus 1) |
Common Mistakes
Practice
All figures below refer to Table 1 (and Table 2 where stated) and are hypothetical practice values.
Level 1: Foundation
- What was the total procurement of the five districts in 2023-24?
- What was the average procurement per district in 2024-25?
- In which districts did procurement fall from 2022-23 to 2023-24?
- Find the ratio of B to D in 2022-23.
Answers
- 1,900 thousand tonnes.
- \( \frac{2100}{5} = 420 \) thousand tonnes.
- B (360 → 342) and D (480 → 456).
- 360 : 480 = 3 : 4.
Level 2: Prelims MCQs
Q1. Which district recorded the highest percentage increase in procurement from 2022-23 to 2024-25?
(a) A (b) C (c) D (d) E
Answer: (b) C
Growth: A \( \frac{84}{420} = 20\% \), C \( \frac{80}{250} = 32\% \), D \( \frac{48}{480} = 10\% \), E \( \frac{52}{290} \approx 17.9\% \).
C wins because of its small base. Option (a) is the trap: A has the largest absolute increase (84), not the largest percentage increase.
Q2. District D’s share in the total procurement of 2024-25 is approximately:
(a) 22% (b) 25% (c) 27% (d) 30%
Answer: (b) 25%
Q3. Consider the following statements about Table 1:
- Total procurement increased by more than 15% from 2022-23 to 2024-25.
- Districts B and D recorded the same percentage change in each of the two years.
- District E’s share in the total procurement increased every year.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only (b) 1 and 2 only (c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (b) 1 and 2 only
Statement 1: \( \frac{300}{1800}\times 100 \approx 16.7\% \) — more than 15%. Correct.
Statement 2: B: \( 360 \to 342 \) is −5%, \( 342 \to 396 \) is about +15.8%. D: \( 480 \to 456 \) is −5%, \( 456 \to 528 \) is about +15.8%. (D’s figures are exactly \( \frac{4}{3} \) of B’s every year.) Correct.
Statement 3: E’s share was about 16.1% (290/1,800), then exactly 18% (342/1,900), then about 16.3% (342/2,100). It fell in 2024-25 — E’s procurement barely moved while the total rose. Incorrect.
Q4. Match the district (List I) with its percentage change in procurement from 2022-23 to 2024-25 (List II):
| List I (District) | List II (Change) |
|---|---|
| A. District A | 1. About 18% |
| B. District B | 2. 32% |
| C. District C | 3. 20% |
| D. District E | 4. 10% |
(a) A-3, B-4, C-2, D-1 (b) A-3, B-2, C-4, D-1 (c) A-1, B-4, C-2, D-3 (d) A-4, B-3, C-1, D-2
Answer: (a) A-3, B-4, C-2, D-1
Q5. Using Table 2, the overall pass percentage of the three schools taken together is:
(a) 72% (b) 73% (c) 74% (d) 75%
Answer: (a) 72%
Passed: X \( 0.75 \times 400 = 300 \), Y \( 0.84 \times 250 = 210 \), Z \( 0.60 \times 350 = 210 \). Total 720 out of 1,000 = 72%.
Option (b), 73%, is the simple average of 75, 84 and 60 — wrong because the schools have different numbers of students.
Level 3: Speed Drill — Solve in 60 Seconds
Prelims Paper II rewards speed. Each item below uses Table 1 and should take under 60 seconds with the shortcuts on this page.
- Average procurement of District C over the three years.
- Percentage growth of total procurement from 2023-24 to 2024-25 (to one decimal place).
- By what percent was A’s procurement more than C’s in 2024-25 (nearest whole number)?
- A’s share of the total in 2023-24 (to one decimal place).
- In 2024-25, how many districts procured more than the district average?
- Ratio of A’s three-year total to C’s three-year total.
Answers with the shortcut used
- About 293.3 — \( \frac{250 + 300 + 330}{3} = \frac{880}{3} \).
- About 10.5% — \( \frac{200}{1900} \); 1% of 1,900 = 19, and \( 200 \div 19 \approx 10.5 \).
- About 53% — \( \frac{504 - 330}{330} = \frac{174}{330} \approx 0.527 \). The base is C (the word after “than”).
- About 24.3% — 1% of 1,900 = 19; \( 19 \times 24 = 456 \), and 462 is 6 more, about a third of a block.
- Two (A and D) — the average is \( \frac{2100}{5} = 420 \).
- 63 : 40 — \( 1386 : 880 \); divide both by 22.
Quick Revision Table
| Idea | Formula / Fact |
|---|---|
| Read first | Title, Units, Rows/columns, Footnotes (TURF) |
| Growth | \( \frac{\text{Later} - \text{Earlier}}{\text{Earlier}}\times 100 \) |
| Share | \( \frac{\text{Item}}{\text{Total}}\times 100 \) |
| 1% block | Find 1% of the base, count how many fit |
| Compare fractions | \( \frac{a}{b} \) vs \( \frac{c}{d} \): compare \( ad \) with \( bc \) |
| Percentage table | Convert to counts before combining |
| Small base | Often gives the highest percentage growth |
Key Takeaways
- Spend the first minute on the table, not the questions: title, units, rows, columns, footnotes.
- Most table questions are one of six types — total, growth, share, ratio, average, counting.
- Absolute change and percentage change answer different questions; CSAT options exploit the difference.
- Use the 1% block, benchmark fractions and cross-multiplication instead of long division.
- Never average percentages of unequal groups — convert to counts first.
What’s Next
- Bar and Line Graphs — the same six question types, now read off a chart.
- Pie Charts — shares of a whole, in degrees.
- Data Sufficiency — deciding whether you have enough data at all.
- Basic Numeracy — revisit percentages and averages if any step above felt slow.
- Data Interpretation — Quick Revision — the whole chapter on one page.