dMAT Exam Syllabus & Pattern 2026: Core Module, General Academic Module & Timing

There's no fixed subject-by-subject syllabus to memorise for the dMAT — what's often searched for as the "dMAT syllabus" is really the exam's fixed pattern of subtests, covered below. The dMAT runs for roughly three and a half hours in total, split into two modules with a break in between. Every question across both modules is single-choice — you're shown a set of options and select the one correct answer. Across every subtest, note-taking is explicitly not allowed during the exam, so all reasoning has to happen on-screen, in your head.

Core Module (~90 minutes)

The Core Module is made up of three subtests, each running 25 minutes and containing 20 items, for about 90 minutes total once instructions are included. It's the same core-module design g.a.s.t. uses in its established TestAS Core Test, and it's meant to measure general cognitive skills rather than anything from your specific degree syllabus:

• Figure Sequences — a series of 4×4 matrices where a figure shifts position, rotates, or changes colour from one matrix to the next according to a fixed rule; you work out the rule and pick the two matrices that continue the series. Movement can be vertical, horizontal or diagonal (a figure can't switch from a diagonal move to another movement type), a figure's step count, rotation or colour change can itself increase by one each time (1 step, then 2, then 3, and so on), and at a boundary a figure either bounces back or continues along the edge — but figures never overlap or disappear. This measures abstract pattern recognition and spatial reasoning. Practice Figure Sequences.
• Mathematical Equations — small systems of equations using letter variables (A, B, C, D, E) rather than numbers, solved with basic arithmetic; every letter is a unique whole number between 1 and 20, with exactly one solution. This measures working memory and numeric/logical deduction rather than advanced math. Practice Mathematical Equations.
• Latin Squares — a 5×5 grid where each of five letters must appear exactly once in every row and column; you fill in missing cells. This measures deductive, constraint-based reasoning. Practice Latin Squares.

All answers are entered digitally — by clicking the correct option, or via an on-screen number keypad for Mathematical Equations.

A 30-minute break

Between the two modules there's a 30-minute break outside the exam room.

General Academic Module (~90 minutes)

For APS purposes in India, every affected applicant sits the General Academic Module, regardless of their undergraduate field — this is different from the full dMAT/TestAS ecosystem, where some universities instead offer subject-specific modules (for example, in Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science or Data Science, for specific programmes). Each task presents a short academic passage — drawn from a topic in mathematics, computational sciences, natural sciences, engineering, business administration, economics, social sciences or humanities, and sometimes including figures, tables or formulas — followed by a set of four-option single-choice questions on that passage. You have 90 minutes for the entire Subject Module, so pacing across the full set of passages matters as much as any individual question. Practice General Academic questions.

Once you know the structure, how scoring works explains what your results actually mean, and preparation covers the official resources available before test day. Want to see what each subtest actually feels like? Try free practice questions for every question type, with instant explanations.