dMAT Computer Science Section: Syllabus, Format, Practice Questions

dMAT Computer Science is one of the five Subject Modules designed for the MSc Battery Science and Technology in Engineering at RWTH Aachen University. It tests your understanding of core Computer Science concepts through a Basic Task and discipline-specific Advanced Tasks.

This guide covers everything about the Computer Science Module in the dMAT exam, including syllabus, exam pattern, preparation tips, and a study plan.

dMAT Computer Science Module: Overview

Computer Science is one of the 7 Subject Modules for the dMAT exam. It assesses how well you can apply core concepts from your undergraduate Computer Science studies to structured problem-solving tasks. It has a technical reading passage followed by four-option, single-choice questions, with figures, tables, and formulas appearing in the text, questions, or answer options.

The table below provides an overview of the topics and task types you can expect in the dMAT Computer Science Module.

Who Must Take the dMAT Computer Science Section?

Anyone applying to the MSc Battery Science and Technology in Engineering at RWTH Aachen University who is assigned the Computer Science Subject Module must take the dMAT Computer Science test.

If you are assigned this dMAT Subject Module, you first answer Basic Tasks covering foundational Computer Science alongside the other four engineering fields (Physics, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering). You then complete Advanced Tasks focused on your chosen discipline, with Computer Science questions covering applied fundamentals from your undergraduate studies.

Expert Insight: Confirm your exact module and discipline assignment through the g.a.s.t. registration portal before you build a Computer Science-specific study plan, since your assignment depends on the Master's programme you are applying to rather than your undergraduate degree title alone.

dMAT Computer Science Syllabus: Basic and Advanced Tasks

The dMAT Computer Science syllabus covers foundational concepts in the Basic Task and more specialised applications in the Advanced Tasks. You need to prepare for data types and memory, combinational logic, and linear transformations of high-dimensional data. 

Basic Task: Data Types and Memory 

Work through a passage covering typed variables, common data types such as boolean, short, int, float, double, and string, their memory requirements, and how implicit type conversion behaves during calculations and assignments. Questions test whether you can trace what a short program does to a specific variable, not whether you have memorised a language specification.

Advanced Task 1: Combinational Logic 

Work through Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT), their circuit representations as logic gates, truth tables, and the canonical disjunctive normal form used to derive a Boolean function from a truth table. Questions ask you to read a circuit diagram, complete a truth table, or translate a real-world scenario such as an alarm system into the correct Boolean operation.

Advanced Task 2: Linear Transformations of High-Dimensional Data: 

You work through matrix rank, eigenvalues and eigenvectors, determinants, and dimensionality-reduction methods such as Principal Component Analysis and Linear Discriminant Analysis. Questions ask you to calculate a rank or eigenvalue from a small matrix, or to reason about what a transformation does to the dimensionality of a dataset.

dMAT Computer Science Practice Questions

These dMAT Computer Science practice questions follow the same format as the real dMAT Computer Science tasks. Attempt each one without a calculator or notes before you check the answer, since that is exactly how you will face them on test day.

Sample Question 1 (Basic Task)

In programming, you use variables to store different types of values. Each variable has a data type that determines what kind of value it can hold. Common Java data types include:

• boolean: Stores only true or false.
• short: Stores whole numbers from −32,768 to 32,767.
• int: Stores whole numbers from −2³¹ to 2³¹ − 1.
• float: Stores decimal or floating-point numbers.
• double: Stores decimal or floating-point numbers with greater precision than float.
• string: Stores a sequence of characters.

You choose a data type based on the kind of value you need to store and the range of possible values.

A programme needs a variable to store the number of students in a class, always a whole number between 0 and 500, and a separate variable to store their average test score, a decimal value. Which pair of data types fits best?

1. a) int classSize; boolean avgScore
2. b) short classSize; float avgScore 
3. c) string classSize; double avgScore
4. d) boolean classSize; short avgScore

Answer: b. A whole number under a few thousand fits comfortably in a short, and a decimal average needs a floating-point type such as float. Reaching for int or double here wastes memory without adding any benefit.

Sample Question 2 (Advanced Task 1)

Remember the Boolean operations AND, OR, and NOT. Their representation as logical gates in circuits is shown in the figure below. 

They are represented formally as functions 𝑋 = (𝐴 ∧ 𝐵) for AND, 𝑋 = (𝐴 ∧ 𝐵) for OR and 𝑋 = 𝐴 for NOT. The output X can be given by the combinations of the possible inputs. For Boolean operations, the input can only be 0 or 1 (sometimes also referred to as false and true). For completeness, the output of all three operations is presented using truth tables: 

From a truth table, we can immediately derive a Boolean function or the combinatorial circuit by using what is called the canonical disjunctive normal form (CDNF). For each 1 that results from a function, a minterm is created. A minterm is an AND operation over all inputs, where 0-inputs are negated while 1-inputs are not. 

All minterms are finally combined with an OR operation. As an example, the CDNF of AND derived from its truth table has only one minterm 𝑋 = (𝐴 ∧ 𝐵). It thus does not need to be used in an OR. However, the OR operation as CDNF has three minterms that need to be combined with OR: 𝑋 = (𝐴 ∧ 𝐵) ∨ (𝐴 ∧ 𝐵) ∨ (𝐴 ∧ 𝐵). 

A warehouse alarm has a fire sensor and two motion sensors. The alarm must sound if the fire sensor triggers, or if both motion sensors detect movement at the same time. Using F for the fire sensor and M1, M2 for the motion sensors, which Boolean expression describes the alarm correctly?

1. a) F ∧ M1 ∧ M2 
2. b) F ∨ (M1 ∧ M2) 
3. c) F ∨ M1 ∨ M2 
4. d) (F ∨ M1) ∧ M2

Answer: b. The fire sensor alone should trigger the alarm, which rules out any option built entirely on AND. The two motion sensors only trigger the alarm together, which needs an AND between them, combined with an OR against the fire sensor.

Sample Question 3 (Advanced Task 2) 

An eigenvalue is a scalar value that represents how the linear transformation stretches or shrinks a vector in a given direction. To calculate the eigenvalues of a matrix, solve the equation: det(A − λI) = 0, where A is the matrix, λ is the eigenvalue, and I is the identity matrix of the same size as A. The determinant det of a matrix is a scalar value that indicates whether the matrix is invertible and describes the scaling factor of the linear transformation represented by the matrix. For a 2x2 matrix, 𝐴 = ( 𝑎 𝑏 𝑐 𝑑 ), the determinant is calculated as: det(A) = ad – bc. 

Consider the matrix below.

| 4 0 |

| 0 4 |

What are its eigenvalues?

1. a) 0 and 4 
2. b) 4 and 4 
3. c) 2 and 4 
4. d) 8 and 0

Answer: b. For a diagonal matrix, each eigenvalue equals the corresponding entry on the diagonal. Solving det(A - λI) = 0 confirms this directly, since the off-diagonal zeros leave (4 - λ)² = 0, giving λ = 4 as a repeated root.

How to Solve dMAT Computer Science Questions?

To solve dMAT Computer Science Questions, treat the passage at the start of each task as your only reference material, since you cannot bring notes or a calculator into the exam. Read it once for structure before you look at the questions, so you already know where a specific formula or rule lives when a question asks you to apply it.

• Data Type Questions: Track each variable through the code line by line instead of guessing from the answer options. For example, in short s = 4; float x = 3 + s/3;, s/3 uses integer division and gives 1 before the result is added to 3, so x = 4. Check the default type used in each calculation before choosing your answer.
• Combinational Logic Questions: Evaluate the circuit gate by gate rather than calculating the entire circuit at once. Identify each AND, OR, or NOT operation, write its output as a partial formula, and combine the formulas in the order the gates connect.
• Linear Transformation Questions: Write the complete matrix operation before substituting values. For rank or eigenvalue questions involving a small matrix, calculate the determinant first to check whether the matrix has full rank and narrow down the possible answers before solving the characteristic equation.

4-Week Study Plan for dMAT Computer Science Module 

You can divide your dMAT Computer Science preparation into four weeks, moving from core concepts to timed application. Start with data types and memory, then cover combinational logic and linear transformations before using the final week for mixed practice and revision.

From the Desk of Yocket

The dMAT Computer Science Module tests your ability to apply core concepts rather than simply recall syllabus content. If you already understand data types, digital logic, and linear algebra from your Bachelor's coursework, you have a strong foundation for the module. You still need to practise applying these concepts to unfamiliar passages and solving questions within the fixed time limit.

With Yocket Prep, you can practise dMAT-style questions, identify the concepts that need more work, and build the speed you need to handle unfamiliar problems under exam conditions.