DLSU DCAT Mental Ability and Abstract Reasoning Review

DLSU DCAT Mental Ability and Abstract Reasoning Review

DLSU doesn't publish an official breakdown of the DCAT, but past takers consistently mention a mental ability section alongside English, math and science. It's the area most senior high students have practised least, which makes it worth focused time.

This is the plan that the DLSU DCAT pillar guide hands off to. Item counts and "share per type" figures you see online aren't official — the list below covers the common pattern types.

Figure analogies

Work out the change from figure A to B, then apply it to C. Common changes: rotation, reflection, adding or removing an element, shading changes.

Number series

Look at the differences between terms. Common patterns: arithmetic, geometric, differences of differences, alternating sequences, squares and cubes.

Letter series

Convert letters to their positions in the alphabet (A=1 … Z=26) and look for the pattern in the numbers.

Figure series

Track one element at a time through the sequence — its position, rotation, count or shading.

Classification (odd one out)

Find the most specific category that all but one share.

Spatial reasoning

• 2D rotation
• Paper folding and cutting
• Mirror images
• Cube nets

Practise paper folding with actual paper until you can picture it.

Syllogisms and logic

• "All A are B", "Some A are B", "No A are B" — Venn diagrams solve most of these quickly.
• Conditionals: the contrapositive is valid; the converse and inverse are not.

A 4-week drilling plan

Where Super Tutor fits

Super Tutor's DLSU DCAT reviewer includes an abstract reasoning subject — five chapters, each in 11 study formats — with practice quizzes at three difficulty levels. The AI tutor can explain the pattern behind a question you missed. Start free — 5-day trial, no card needed.

What to read next

The DLSU DCAT pillar guide covers the full review.