dMAT Figure Sequences
Figure Sequences is the first subtest of the dMAT Core Module: 20 items in 25 minutes. Each item shows a short row of matrices in which a figure changes from one to the next by a single consistent rule — it moves position, rotates, changes colour, or some combination. Your job is to work out the rule and pick the matrix that continues it. Nothing here is knowledge-based: there is no syllabus to revise, and the only thing that improves is how quickly you recognise a rule type you have seen before.
- Items
- 20
- Time
- 25 min
- Per item
- 75 sec
Format last checked against g.a.s.t. on 15 September 2026
How to approach figure sequences
There is no syllabus to revise for this subtest, so preparation means having a routine you can run without thinking. This is the order that wastes the least time at 75 seconds an item.
- 1
Read the change, not the picture
Compare matrix 1 to matrix 2 and name the difference out loud in your head — "moved two cells right", "rotated 90° clockwise", "shading flipped". A named change is testable against the next pair; a vague impression is not.
- 2
Confirm the rule on a second pair
A rule that explains matrix 1 → 2 but not 2 → 3 is the wrong rule. This is where most marks are lost: the first plausible pattern is often a coincidence, and checking one more pair costs about five seconds.
- 3
Number the cells for movement rules
For a 3×3 matrix, number the cells 1–9 left to right, top to bottom. A figure at 1, then 3, then 5 is advancing two positions each step — much easier to extend as arithmetic than as a picture.
- 4
Watch for two rules at once
Harder items combine a movement rule with a second change — the figure moves and its shading alternates. Track them separately, then apply both to the final matrix.
- 5
Eliminate rather than construct
If you know one property of the answer with certainty, discard every option that lacks it before working out the rest. On a single-choice paper with no negative marking, three eliminated options plus a guess beats an unfinished item.
Figure Sequences practice questions
Worked examples in the documented dMAT format, with the full reasoning underneath each one. Time yourself: 75 seconds per item is the pace the real clock allows.
These are practice questions written by AdmitVerse to the format g.a.s.t. publishes. They are not official or past dMAT papers — no past papers exist for this exam, since the first sitting is on 26 September 2026.
- Q1 · Figure Sequences
In each matrix the shaded cell moves by the same rule. Which matrix comes next?
1 2 3 4 ? ■ · · · · ■ · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ■ · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ■ · · · · ·
A· · · · · · · · ■B■ · · · · · · · ·C· · · · ■ · · · ·D· · · · · · · ■ ·Solution: Number the cells 1–9, left to right and top to bottom. The shaded cell sits at 1, then 3, then 5, then 7 — it advances two positions each step. The next position is 9, the bottom-right cell. In the real exam the matrices are drawn graphically rather than as text. - Q2 · Figure Sequences
The shaded cell moves and the row of dots below it shifts too. Which matrix comes next?
1 2 3 ? ■ · · · ■ · · · ■ · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ○ · ○ · ○ · · · · ·
A■ · · · · · · · ○B· · · · · · · · ·C■ · · · · · · ○ ·D· · ■ · · · ○ · ·Solution: Two rules run at once. The shaded square moves one cell right along the top row; from the third position it wraps back to the left. The circle moves one cell left along the bottom row and wraps back to the right. Applying both: square returns to top-left, circle returns to bottom-right. Items that combine two independent rules are where the subtest gets its difficulty — neither rule alone is hard. - Q3 · Figure Sequences
A figure rotates by a fixed amount each step. After the fourth matrix, which way does the arrow point?
1 2 3 4 ? ↑ ↗ → ↘ ?
A↓B←C↑D↖Solution: Each step rotates the arrow 45° clockwise: up → up-right → right → down-right. The next is straight down. Rotation items are usually the fastest marks in the subtest — convert the rotation to degrees immediately rather than trying to picture the turn.
Free dMAT Figure Sequences practice test — 20 items, 25 minutes
20 Figure Sequences items on the g.a.s.t. format, timed to the 25 minutes the real subtest allows — 75 seconds an item. It runs here in your browser: no signup, no payment, no card. You get your score, your actual pace against that 75-second benchmark, and the reasoning for every item the moment you finish.
- Items
- 20
- Time
- 25 min
- Per item
- 75 sec
The clock starts when you press it. Nothing is saved unless you ask.
dMAT Figure Sequences practice questions with answers — free PDF
The Figure Sequences items above are part of a 30-question booklet covering all three Core subtests and the General Academic Module, each with a full worked solution. Questions first, answers at the back, so it works as a paper you can sit away from a screen.
No email, no signup — it is a direct download
What costs people marks here
- Settling on the first rule that fits one pair, without checking a second.
- Reading the sequence right-to-left because the answer looks neater that way.
- Missing a second simultaneous rule — usually shading or rotation riding along with movement.
- Spending three minutes on one stubborn item. At 75 seconds an item, that is two other questions you never reach.
- Trying to hold the grid in your head. You may not take notes in the exam, so build the habit of tracking positions as numbers rather than as a mental image.
Know your pace before 26 September.
One exam date, one attempt, and no past papers. A timed mock is the only way to find out whether you are inside 75 seconds an item.