English & Reading Comprehension
Not publishedof exam
Mathematics
Not publishedof exam
Science
Not publishedof exam
Chemistry BasicsPhysics LawsBiology GeneticsEarth ScienceSI Units
Abstract & Logical Reasoning
Not publishedof exam
Number SequencesAnalogiesSyllogismsCoding-DecodingClock Puzzles
General Information & Situational
Not publishedof exam
PH HistoryPH GeographyPH GovernmentSituational JudgmentNational Symbols
Quick Facts
- Exam
- DCAT
- Owner
- De La Salle University Manila
- Format
- All multiple choice
- Sections
- Aptitude, Math, Science, English, Gen Info
- Items
- About 100 questions
- Time
- About 3 to 5 hours
- Passing score
- Not published
- Section weighting
- Not published by DLSU
- If not admitted
- Reapply next admission cycle
- Delivery
- On-campus or online testing
Grammar Check Order
Subject-verb, pronoun case, clause boundary, then modifier placement
Subject-verbPronounClauseModifier
Main Idea vs Inference
Main idea
- States the central point
- Covers the whole passage
Inference
- Draws an unstated conclusion
- Needs strong text support
Match scope to text
English Item Picker
- Unfamiliar word appears→Check root or context
- Blank needs a verb→Match subject number
- Two clauses are joined→Check comma or semicolon
- Passage main point asked→Find the central claim
- Detail question is asked→Locate the exact line
Grammar Rules
- Subject-verb agreement
- Singular subject needs singular verb
- Pronoun case
- Subjective versus objective pronouns
- Parallel structure
- Same grammatical form throughout
- Modifier placement
- Keep modifier near its noun
- Comma splice
- Comma alone joining clauses
- Semicolon use
- Joins two independent clauses
Affect vs Effect
Affect
- Usually a verb form
- Means to influence something
Effect
- Usually a noun form
- Means the resulting outcome
Verb affects, noun is effect
Commonly Confused Words
- Affect vs effect
- Verb influence, noun result
- Its vs it's
- Possessive versus contraction form
- Then vs than
- Sequence versus comparison word
- There, their, they're
- Place, possession, contraction form
- Accept vs except
- Receive versus excluding word
- Complement vs compliment
- Completes versus praises someone
Vocabulary Word Roots
- Bio-
- Life
- Geo-
- Earth
- -ology
- Study of a subject
- Chrono-
- Time
- Phon-
- Sound
- Micro-
- Small
Reading Comprehension Strategy
- Main idea
- Central point of passage
- Detail question
- Specific fact stated directly
- Inference
- Conclusion drawn from clues
- Author purpose
- Why the passage exists
- Tone
- Author's attitude or feeling
- Vocabulary in context
- Word meaning from sentence
Trig Ratio Mnemonic
Some Old Horses Canter Away Happily, Through Old Arizona
SOHCAHTOA
Mean vs Median
Mean
- Sum divided by count
- Skewed by outliers
Median
- Middle value when ordered
- Resists outlier skew
Outliers favor the median
Math Method Picker
- Right triangle sides→Pythagorean theorem
- Angle needed in triangle→SOH-CAH-TOA ratios
- Quadratic will not factor→Quadratic formula
- Two points are given→Slope formula
- Rate and time given→Distance equals rate time
- Two workers combine rates→Add reciprocal work rates
Algebra Formulas
- x=(-b±√(b²-4ac))/2a
- Quadratic formula
- a²-b²=(a+b)(a-b)
- Difference of squares
- y=mx+b
- Slope-intercept line form
- d=rt
- Distance rate time formula
- 1/a+1/b=1/t
- Combined work rate formula
- (New-Old)/Old×100
- Percent change formula
Order Of Operations
Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally
ParenthesesExponentsMultiply DivideAdd Subtract
Geometry Formulas
- a²+b²=c²
- Pythagorean theorem
- Area=πr²
- Circle area formula
- C=2πr
- Circle circumference formula
- SOH-CAH-TOA
- Right-triangle trig ratios
- Sum=180°
- Triangle interior angle sum
- V=l×w×h
- Rectangular prism volume
Word Problem Types
- Distance-rate-time problems
- Rate times time equals distance
- Work-rate problems
- Add reciprocal individual rates
- Mixture problems
- Weighted average of concentrations
- Age problems
- Set up age equations
- Percent-change word problems
- Find original base value
- Ratio-proportion problems
- Cross multiply to solve
Statistics And Probability
- Mean
- Sum divided by count
- Median
- Middle value when ordered
- Mode
- Most frequently occurring value
- Range
- Highest minus lowest value
- Probability
- Favorable outcomes over total
- Permutation vs combination
- Order matters vs doesn't
Newton Law Order
Inertia first, force equals mass times acceleration, action-reaction pairs last
InertiaF=maAction-reaction
Acid vs Base
Acid
- pH below seven
- Donates hydrogen ions
Base
- pH above seven
- Accepts hydrogen ions
Check pH above seven
Science Fact Picker
- pH reads below seven→Acidic solution
- Object stays at rest→Newton's first law
- Force times mass asked→Newton's second law
- Structure only in plants→Cell wall, chloroplasts
- Cross dominant recessive traits→Punnett square method
Chemistry Essentials
- Atomic number
- Number of protons only
- Mass number
- Protons plus neutrons together
- pH below 7
- Acidic solution
- pH above 7
- Basic or alkaline solution
- NaCl
- Sodium chloride, table salt
- CO2
- Carbon dioxide gas
Rock Cycle Types
Igneous cools, sedimentary compacts, metamorphic transforms under heat and pressure
IgneousSedimentaryMetamorphic
Physics Essentials
- Newton's first law
- Object resists change, inertia
- Newton's second law
- Force equals mass times acceleration
- SI length unit
- Meter (m)
- SI mass unit
- Kilogram (kg)
- SI time unit
- Second (s)
- Speed formula
- Distance divided by time
Biology Essentials
- Plant cell only
- Cell wall and chloroplasts
- Animal cell only
- No wall, has centrioles
- Dominant allele
- Masks the recessive trait
- Recessive allele
- Hidden unless homozygous pair
- Cellular respiration
- Glucose plus oxygen makes ATP
- Photosynthesis
- Plants convert light to energy
Earth Science Basics
- Igneous rock
- Formed from cooled magma
- Sedimentary rock
- Formed from compacted sediment
- Metamorphic rock
- Formed by heat, pressure
- Water cycle
- Evaporation, condensation, precipitation stages
- Plate tectonics
- Earth's crust moves slowly
- Solar system order
- Mercury nearest, Neptune farthest
Sequence Check Order
Check for addition, multiplication, or a growing gap pattern
AddMultiplyGrowing gap
Arithmetic vs Geometric Sequence
Arithmetic
- Constant difference added each time
- Subtract terms to find it
Geometric
- Constant ratio multiplied each time
- Divide terms to find it
Check add or multiply
Reasoning Pattern Picker
- Numbers increase steadily→Arithmetic sequence rule
- Gaps grow evenly→Quadratic sequence rule
- Ratio between terms→Geometric sequence rule
- Word measures a quantity→Function analogy type
- Word names part of whole→Part-whole analogy type
- Premise uses word all→Chain to valid conclusion
Number Sequence Patterns
- Arithmetic sequence
- Constant difference between terms
- Geometric sequence
- Constant ratio between terms
- Quadratic sequence
- Gaps increase by constant
- Fibonacci-style sequence
- Add two previous terms
- Alternating sequence
- Two interleaved patterns combined
- Squared sequence
- Terms follow n² pattern
All vs Some Premises
All premises
- Applies to the entire group
- Allows valid conclusion chaining
Some premises
- Applies to partial overlap only
- Only tentative conclusions follow
All is the stronger claim
Analogies And Syllogisms
- Function analogy
- Tool linked to measurement
- Part-whole analogy
- Part belongs to whole
- Cause-effect analogy
- One event causes another
- All-premise syllogism
- All A chains to C
- Some-premise syllogism
- Only tentative overlap possible
- No-premise syllogism
- Excludes the entire category
Coding And Clock Puzzles
- Letter-shift cipher
- Fixed alphabet position shift
- Clock angle formula
- |30H-5.5M| degrees between hands
- Blood relation puzzle
- Map the family tree
- Mirror image rule
- Left-right reversed reflection image
- Odd-one-out puzzle
- Find the non-matching item
- Coding shift key
- Derive shift from example
Key Philippine Dates
June 12 independence, February 1986 EDSA, December 30 Rizal execution
June 12 1898Feb 1986Dec 30 1896
On-Campus vs Online Testing
On-campus
- Testing happens in Manila
- No mock test required
Online
- Open to international examinees
- Requires a Mock Online Test
Online needs a mock test
Situational Judgment Picker
- Unsure about exam rule→Ask the proctor
- Team conflict arises→Choose cooperative response
- Safety concern appears→Prioritize safety first
- Convenience versus honesty choice→Choose the honest option
Philippine History And Government
- Independence Day
- June 12, 1898
- EDSA revolution
- February 1986 peaceful uprising
- Jose Rizal execution
- December 30, 1896
- Three government branches
- Executive, legislative, judicial branches
- Katipunan founder
- Andres Bonifacio led revolt
- First Philippine president
- Emilio Aguinaldo, 1899 term
Philippine Geography And Culture
- Largest island
- Luzon, most populous island
- Three island groups
- Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao regions
- National language
- Filipino, based on Tagalog
- National hero
- Jose Rizal, writer reformist
- National flower
- Sampaguita, a jasmine species
- Archipelago size
- Roughly 7,600+ islands total
Common Traps
Sequence Pattern Trap
Assumed arithmetic when quadratic ≠ Gaps actually increase steadily
Syllogism Overreach Trap
Some misread as meaning all ≠ Overclaims certainty from partial data
Percent Base Trap
Wrong base value used ≠ Original amount gets confused
Circle Formula Mixup
Area formula uses radius ≠ Circumference formula uses diameter too
Compound Naming Trap
Formula does not match name ≠ Similar-looking compounds get confused
Reading Scope Trap
Detail mistaken for main idea ≠ Main idea stated too narrowly
No Fixed Passing Score
DLSU sets no numeric cutoff ≠ Admission is holistic and competitive
Last Minute
- 1.Memorize SOH-CAH-TOA for right triangles
- 2.Know the quadratic formula cold
- 3.Review the full pH scale
- 4.Recall Newton's three laws of motion
- 5.Practice number sequence patterns daily
- 6.Learn common chemical compound formulas
- 7.Distinguish some premises from all
- 8.Watch for comma splice errors
- 9.DCAT has no fixed passing score
- 10.Bring a valid school ID
- 11.Online examinees must attend Mock Test
- 12.Answer easier sections first strategically
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