What are the three Core Module subtests in the dMAT exam, and what does each one actually ask you to do?

The Core Module is identical for every applicant regardless of undergraduate field, and works out to roughly 75 seconds per item across all three subtests. Each subtest tests a different kind of reasoning under time pressure.

Figure Sequences and Mathematical Equations

Figure Sequences (20 items, 25 minutes) shows a series of matrices where a shape changes position, colour, or orientation by a hidden rule. You identify the rule from the first two or three frames and predict the next matrix; rules can rotate, shift, resize, recolour, or even accelerate (a shape moving one step between frames 1 and 2 might move two steps between frames 2 and 3). Mathematical Equations (20 items, 25 minutes) gives you a small system of equations where letters stand for integers between 1 and 20, with exactly one valid solution; the skill tested is fast mental substitution, not advanced algebra or calculus.

Latin Squares

Latin Squares (16 items, 20 minutes) presents a 5x5 grid partly filled with letters A to E, where each letter must appear exactly once per row and column, much like a simplified Sudoku. Most items are solved through elimination by working backward from cells with the most information first.

My Advice

Do not try to track every possible rule (position, colour, rotation) at once on your first pass through a Figure Sequences item. Identify one rule, verify it against two frames, then apply it; trying to solve for everything simultaneously is what causes most students to run out of time on this subtest specifically.