Caselet and Mixed DI

Caselet DI hides the data inside a PARAGRAPH (no chart), and mixed DI combines a table with a chart. Both test whether you can extract and organise data before computing — the trickiest placement DI type.

Method

• Read the caselet and build your OWN small table or Venn/grid from the text.
• Note every relationship (ratios, totals, "20% more than…") as an equation.
• For mixed DI, cross-reference the table and chart; a question may need both.
• Then apply standard DI tools: totals, percentages, ratios, averages.

DI type	Approach
Caselet	convert prose into a table/grid
Mixed (table + chart)	cross-reference both sources
Venn caselet	draw the overlap regions
Multi-step	write intermediate values down

Example: "Of 500 people, 60% like tea and 30% like both tea and coffee" ⇒ tea = 300, both = 150; tea-only = 150. ✓

Exam Tricks & Tips

• 🎯 Turn the caselet's prose into a table or diagram before calculating.
• 🎯 Write each relationship as an equation ("A is 20% more than B" → A = 1.2B).
• 🎯 For set-based caselets, draw a Venn diagram to place overlaps.
• 🎯 In mixed DI, check whether a question needs the table, the chart, or both.
• 🎯 Record intermediate results — multi-step questions reuse them.
• ❌ Don't attempt caselet arithmetic in your head — always jot the structured data.

Expected exam pattern: paragraph-based data, set/Venn caselets, and table-plus-chart combinations. 3 to 5 questions, ~1 minute each.

Quick recap: structure the prose into a table or diagram, write relationships as equations, cross-reference sources in mixed DI, then apply standard DI tools.

Q1. What is a caselet DI?
A1. DI where the data is given in a paragraph, not a chart.

Q2. First step for a caselet?
A2. Convert the prose into your own table or diagram.

Q3. "A is 20% more than B" as an equation?
A3. A = 1.2B.

Q4. Tool for set-based caselets?
A4. A Venn diagram.

Q5. 500 people, 60% like tea — how many?
A5. 300.

Q6. If 30% like both tea and coffee, both = ?
A6. 150.

Q7. Tea-only from tea 300 and both 150?
A7. 150.

Q8. In mixed DI, what must you check?
A8. Whether the question needs the table, the chart, or both.

Q9. Why record intermediate values?
A9. Multi-step questions reuse them.

Q10. Should caselet math be done mentally?
A10. No — jot the structured data first.

Q11. Mixed DI usually combines?
A11. A table with a chart.

Q12. How to handle each stated relationship?
A12. Write it as an equation.

Caselet DI hides the data inside a paragraph instead of a chart, and mixed DI combines a table with a graph. Both test whether you can organise scattered information into your own table before solving.

What this topic tests: extracting data from prose or multiple sources, structuring it, and answering multi-step questions.

The method

Beginner — build your own table

For a caselet, read the paragraph and write the numbers into a table as you go (rows = entities, columns = attributes). The paragraph gives values indirectly ("B is 20% more than A"); translate each statement into a number or relation immediately.

Intermediate — solve the relations

Caselets often give relationships, not direct values: "Total sales were 1,000; the ratio of A to B to C was 2:3:5." Convert ratios to actual values (A = 200, B = 300, C = 500) before answering. Set up simple equations when totals and parts are mixed.

Advanced — mixed sources and multi-step chains

• Mixed DI (table + bar/pie): a question may need one value from the table and one from the chart — track which source gives what.
• Multi-step questions chain operations (find a total, then a percentage of it, then a difference). Do them in order, carrying rounded intermediate values.
• Watch for units differing between the two sources.

Worked example

Caselet: A shop sold 600 items on Monday. Tuesday's sales were 25% higher than Monday's, and Wednesday's were 40 fewer than Tuesday's. Find Wednesday's sales.
Monday = 600. Tuesday = 600 × 1.25 = 750. Wednesday = 750 − 40 = 710. Building the table (Mon 600, Tue 750, Wed 710) as you read prevents mixing the relationships up.

Where it appears

TCS NQT, Infosys, Cognizant, Amazon DI; caselet and mixed DI are the harder, higher-scoring DI sets.

Speed tricks and shortcuts

• Turn the paragraph into your own table before answering.
• Convert ratios and "% more/less" into actual values first.
• In mixed DI, label which source each value comes from.
• Mnemonic: "Read prose, write a table, then it's ordinary DI."

Key formulas

• Translate the paragraph into a table of values first.
• Percentage = part/whole ×100; ratio and average as usual.
• Set up equations for unknowns implied by the text.
• Track totals and sub-totals carefully.
• Cross-check derived values against stated totals.

Usage: tabulate the caselet before attempting any question.

Worked Example

Problem: In a college of 800 students, 60% are boys and the rest are girls. Among the boys, 25% play football; among the girls, 40% play football. How many students in total play football?

Solution: A caselet gives data in prose — extract the numbers step by step.

Split the students:

• Boys = 60% of 800 = 480
• Girls = 800 − 480 = 320

Football players in each group:

• Boys who play = 25% of 480 = 120
• Girls who play = 40% of 320 = 128

Total football players = 120 + 128 = 248.

Answer: 248 students play football.