A method for constructing a simplified trellis diagram for BCH-encoded information is disclosed. BCH-encoded information is received, having a corresponding parity check matrix H. The parity check matrix H is expressed as an ordered sequence of columns of matrices. A sequence of sub-code words is provided, corresponding to one or more code words, each satisfying a given condition. A matrix Hcp, having columns that are generated as a selected permutation of the columns of the matrix H through a column-permutation-for-binary-matching process, is provided, and a sequence of sub-matrices and a corresponding sequence of permuted sub-code words is provided. A trellis diagram, representing an ordered sequence of code word transitions in the received information and symmetric about a central location, is provided for each code word c, connecting n+1 stages, numbered i=0, 1, . . . , n, in an ordered sequence.