dMAT Sample Questions with Solutions

Five real dMAT-style questions — Figure Sequences, Mathematical Equations, Latin Squares and the General Academic Module — each with a worked solution. Built on the official g.a.s.t. format so you know exactly what the question types feel like.

1. Q1 · Core · 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.
2. Q2 · Core · Mathematical Equations

   Each letter stands for a whole number. What is the value of C?

   A + B  =  9
   B + C  = 11
   A + C  = 10

   A4

   B5

   C6

   D7
   Solution: Add all three equations: 2(A + B + C) = 30, so A + B + C = 15. Subtract the first equation (A + B = 9) to get C = 6. Checking: B = 11 − 6 = 5, A = 9 − 5 = 4, and A + C = 10. ✓ No calculator is allowed, so the trick is spotting the "add everything" shortcut rather than solving step by step.
3. Q3 · Core · Latin Squares

   Each letter A–E appears exactly once in every row and every column. Which letter belongs in the cell marked ×?

   A  B  C  D  E
   B  C  D  E  A
   C  ×  E  A  B
   D  E  A  B  C
   E  A  B  C  D

   AA

   BB

   CD

   DE
   Solution: Read the row: C, ×, E, A, B — it is missing D. Confirm with the column: B, C, ×, E, A — also missing D. Both agree, so × is D. Checking one line is usually enough; checking the second is the cheap way to catch a slip.
4. Q4 · Subject · General Academic Module

   A laboratory records the yield of a reaction at four temperatures. Which statement does the data best support?

   Temperature    Yield
      30 °C        41 %
      40 °C        58 %
      50 °C        66 %
      60 °C        64 %

   AYield rises without limit as temperature increases

   BYield peaks somewhere between 50 °C and 60 °C

   CYield is directly proportional to temperature

   DYield is unaffected by temperature
   Solution: Yield climbs from 30 °C to 50 °C but falls again by 60 °C, so it must turn over between those last two readings. It cannot rise without limit, and the steps (41 → 58 → 66) are uneven, so it is not proportional either. The module rewards reading exactly what the data shows and no more.
5. Q5 · Subject · General Academic Module

   A department finds that students who attended an optional weekly tutorial scored on average 12 marks higher in the final exam, and concludes the tutorial raises marks. Which finding would most weaken that conclusion?

   AStudents who chose to attend already had higher marks in the previous year

   BThe tutorial was taught by the same lecturer as the course

   CBoth groups sat the identical final exam

   DAttendance was recorded electronically
   Solution: If the attendees were already stronger, the 12-mark gap may reflect who chose to attend rather than any effect of the tutorial — the groups were not comparable to begin with. The other options describe the study's setup without challenging the causal claim.