1. K-Method for DI Tables
Best for percentage change, ratio, or weighted average problems that involve large totals. Instead of working with actual totals, pick one column or value as a “K” (reference value) and express all other values proportionally. This cuts down the need for heavy arithmetic.
 

Example: If a sales table has 5 regions with different revenues, you can treat the East region’s revenue as 100K, convert others in proportion, and solve percentage change in seconds instead of doing full additions.

2. Conditional Elimination in Logic Puzzles
When faced with a complex arrangement puzzle with many rules, identify the “bottleneck condition” — the rule that drastically limits possible setups. Place or test that element first, and eliminate wrong arrangements immediately.
 

Example: In a seating puzzle, if one rule says “A can’t sit next to B” and another says “A is opposite C,” testing A’s possible seats first can wipe out 70% of the possibilities before you even start filling the rest.

3. Symmetry Exploitation in Arrangements
Some linear or circular arrangements have patterns that repeat or mirror. Solve only one segment and then mirror it to complete the rest. This can cut possibilities by half.
 

Example: In a circular seating puzzle with 8 seats where seat 1 and seat 5 have identical conditions, solve seats 1–4 and then replicate them for seats 5–8.

4. Ratio Lock in DI
For problems with fixed ratios across multiple categories, lock the ratio early and only change the scaling factor when the total changes. This prevents repetitive calculations for each category.
 

Example: If a school has a fixed 3:2 boys-to-girls ratio, you can assign base values (e.g., 3x and 2x) and simply multiply by the scaling factor when total numbers shift, instead of recalculating every time.

5. Visual Grouping for Venn Diagrams
For 3-set Venn diagram problems, shade and label all “only” and “exactly” regions before inserting numbers. This ensures you never double-count and makes it easier to see what’s missing.
 

Example: In a 3-sport problem with overlaps given, fill “only cricket,” “only football,” etc., before placing intersection values. This prevents misplacement and speeds up filling the rest.