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DAT Quantitative Reasoning study materials
DAT Quantitative Reasoning study resources

DAT Quantitative Reasoning: Reading Comprehension: DAT Study Guide

DAT Quantitative Reasoning · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

All guide sections

Reading Comprehension: DAT Study Guide

What the DAT Reading Comprehension section covers

Reading Comprehension (RC) is 50 questions in 60 minutes, usually built from three passages with about 15–17 questions each. Passages come from natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. The section tests literal comprehension, inference, tone, and the function of evidence-not outside knowledge. Stems often ask for the author's primary purpose or the function of a paragraph.

Core rules and question types

  • Map each paragraph: its topic, the author's claim, and its role (example, counterargument, qualification).
  • Main-idea questions require the scope of the whole passage; details support but do not replace it.
  • Detail questions are answered by locating keywords and reading the surrounding sentence, not by memory.
  • Inference answers must be forced by the text; if a choice needs an extra assumption, it is wrong.
  • Tone/purpose questions hinge on evaluative words ('suggest,' 'unfortunately,' 'notably') and on hedging.
  • Eliminate choices that are too broad, too narrow, extreme, or true-in-the-world but absent from the passage.
  • Before answering, paraphrase the passage's thesis in one sentence.

Worked example

Passage sentence: 'The survey data suggest that reef recovery may depend on herbivore diversity, though the authors caution that two seasons of observation cannot establish causation.' A question asks what can be inferred about the authors' attitude. The verbs 'suggest' and 'may' plus 'caution' signal tentative support. An answer claiming the authors 'prove' or 'dismiss' the hypothesis is too strong; the correct inference is that they see the pattern as plausible but not conclusive.

Traps that cost marks

  • Selecting a true statement that the passage never asserts.
  • Confusing the main idea with an interesting supporting detail.
  • Missing 'EXCEPT' or 'NOT' in the stem.
  • Choosing an extreme tone when the passage is measured.
  • Defining a vocabulary word by its common meaning instead of its context.
  • Reading every sentence at equal speed and running out of time; adjust pace after mapping.