Two more things I discovered: 1) one has to work quickly or the PVA glue
starts to set up and it becomes very difficult to adjust the fit, 2) one
has
to apply a liberal amount of glue or the joints are NOT strong.

That is not my experience.
1) I have done some pretty complicated assemblies without any problems.
Sometimes the biscuit swells a bit, but it is nothing the clamps can't
handle.
2) If you use a lot of glue it will just squeeze out and make a mess. If my
lightly glued joints are not strong, I have never noticed. (and that
probably means they are strong.)

I think you just need some practice.