The four that cost most
| Mistake | Costs | Instead |
|---|---|---|
| Starting at the top-left | Minutes, on an unconstrained cell | Start at the fullest row or column |
| Holding eliminations mentally | Accuracy, as the grid grows | Mark them |
| Not re-scanning after a placement | The cascade | Re-scan every time |
| Backtracking through guesses | The rest of the subtest | Answer and move on |
Knowing when to leave one
Items get harder as the subtest goes on and all score the same. A grid that needs systematic guessing is a grid that costs more than it pays — mark an answer, move on, and return only if time allows.
- Set a limit per grid and keep to it.
- Answer every item; there is no penalty for a wrong single choice.
- Return only to grids where you had placements written down.
- Bank the ones that fall out quickly — that is where the score is.
The dMAT runs three and a half hours. Discipline about leaving an item is not about this item; it is about having attention left for the General Academic Module afterwards.
Common mistakes — FAQs
2 questions
Use whatever the interface and permitted materials allow. Holding them mentally is where accuracy fails as the grid fills.
Set a limit and respect it. A grid needing systematic guessing is one to leave.
More latin squares question types
Sources
Written from the test board's own published material and checked on 1 October 2026.