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DAT General Chemistry Formula & Equation Sheet
A real DAT general chemistry formula sheet is short: about 25 to 30 equations across stoichiometry, gases, solutions, thermochemistry, equilibrium and acid-base chemistry, kinetics, and electrochemistry. General chemistry is only 30 of the 100 Survey of Natural Sciences questions, so the testable formula pool is a fraction of what's in a textbook appendix. Below is that full list, organized by topic, with a straight answer on which ones to memorize cold and which ones you just need to recognize.
Why Most "Formula Sheets" You'll Find Online Are Bloated
Search around and you'll find gen chem formula sheets with 80-plus entries, including the full Nernst equation with every constant, van der Waals correction terms, and multi-step derivations you'll never touch on test day. That's textbook thinking applied to a standardized exam, and it wastes hours you don't have.
The DAT tests a defined, repeatable set of question patterns. We know this because we lived it: between the two of us we scored in the 97th-plus percentile, and neither of us got there by memorizing more than the exam rewarded. We built DATPractice around exactly that idea — learn only to test-depth, and spend the hours you save drilling, not re-reading.
One more reason a tight sheet is non-negotiable: the DAT's on-screen calculator only works during Quantitative Reasoning. General chemistry, inside the Survey of Natural Sciences, gives you no calculator at all. See our guide to calculators on the DAT gen chem section for the full breakdown. Short version: everything below has to live in your head, because there won't be a reference sheet in the room.
The DAT General Chemistry Formula Sheet (Printable List)
This is the list. Copy it into a document, print it, or screenshot it — that's your DAT general chemistry formula sheet pdf, minus the fluff. It's organized by the same topic buckets the ADA's own outline uses, so nothing here is off the DAT's actual scope.
| Topic | Formula | What it's for |
|---|---|---|
| Stoichiometry | n = mass ÷ molar mass | Converting grams to moles and back |
| Stoichiometry | M = mol solute ÷ L solution | Molarity |
| Stoichiometry | m = mol solute ÷ kg solvent | Molality (colligative properties) |
| Stoichiometry | M₁V₁ = M₂V₂ | Dilution problems |
| Stoichiometry | d = mass ÷ volume | Density, often paired with empirical formula questions |
| Gases | PV = nRT | Ideal gas law (R = 0.0821 L·atm/mol·K) |
| Gases | P₁V₁/T₁ = P₂V₂/T₂ | Combined gas law |
| Gases | Pₜₜₜₜ = P₁ + P₂ + … | Dalton's law of partial pressures |
| Gases | rate₁/rate₂ = √(M₂/M₁) | Graham's law of effusion |
| Gases | d = PM ÷ RT | Finding molar mass from gas density |
| Thermochemistry | q = mcΔT | Heat transfer, no phase change |
| Thermochemistry | q = mΔHfus/vap | Heat during a phase change |
| Thermochemistry | ΔHrxn = ΣΔHproducts − ΣΔHreactants | Hess's law |
| Thermochemistry | ΔG = ΔH − TΔS | Predicting spontaneity |
| Equilibrium & Acid-Base | Kc = [products] ÷ [reactants] | Equilibrium constant expressions |
| Equilibrium & Acid-Base | Kp = Kc(RT)Δn | Converting between Kc and Kp |
| Equilibrium & Acid-Base | pH = −log[H⁺]; pOH = −log[OH⁻] | Acid/base strength; pH + pOH = 14 |
| Equilibrium & Acid-Base | Kw = [H⁺][OH⁻] = 1.0×10⁻ⁿ⁴ | Water's autoionization constant |
| Equilibrium & Acid-Base | pH = pKa + log([A⁻]/[HA]) | Henderson-Hasselbalch, buffers |
| Kinetics | rate = k[A]m[B]n | Rate law from reaction order |
| Kinetics | t½ = 0.693 ÷ k | First-order half-life |
| Electrochemistry | E°cell = E°cathode − E°anode | Cell potential from standard reduction potentials |
| Electrochemistry | ΔG° = −nFE° | Linking thermodynamics to cell potential |
| Atomic Structure | E = hν; c = λν | Photon energy and wavelength |
DAT General Chemistry Equations to Memorize (Cold), by Topic
Not everything on that list deserves equal effort. Some equations you need to be able to write from a blank page in your sleep; others you just need to recognize when a question sets them up for you. Here's the honest split, topic by topic.
- Stoichiometry: memorize moles, molarity, and dilution cold — these show up buried inside almost every other gen chem topic, not just as standalone questions. Our stoichiometry practice problems guide has the exact question patterns these feed into.
- Gases: PV = nRT and the combined gas law are the highest-yield lines on this entire sheet. Memorize R's value along with the equation, since there's no reference sheet in the room.
- Thermochemistry: q = mcΔT and Hess's law get tested directly and often. ΔG = ΔH − TΔS matters more for concept questions (is this spontaneous?) than for heavy calculation.
- Equilibrium and acid-base: pH/pOH/Kw and Henderson-Hasselbalch are must-memorize. Ka/Kb/Ksp expressions you mostly need to know how to build from a given reaction, not recall as a fixed number.
- Kinetics: the rate law format and first-order half-life show up more than students expect. Zero- and second-order integrated forms are lower yield — know they exist, don't obsess over them.
- Electrochemistry: know the direction of electron flow and how to combine standard potentials. The DAT tests this conceptually far more than it tests plugging numbers into a full Nernst equation.
If you want the deeper mechanics behind two of the highest-traffic topics on this list, we've written dedicated breakdowns on titration and equilibrium on the DAT and on the tricky gas law question patterns the DAT likes to reuse.
Stop memorizing formulas you'll never use on test day
This sheet is exactly the kind of thing our AI tutor builds automatically from your actual miss history — it re-teaches the concept behind every wrong answer, but only to the depth the DAT rewards, never more. Pair that with 40 full-length practice tests and an 11,000+ question bank, and you stop guessing which formulas matter.
Start the Formula →Score higher, guaranteed — see site for terms.
What You Don't Need on Your Formula Sheet (Formula Hoarding Backfires)
A longer formula sheet feels safer. It isn't. Every extra formula competes for the same limited memory bandwidth you need for the equations that actually get tested 10, 15, 20 times across a practice bank.
Skip full Nernst calculations with exact constants, van der Waals corrections, multi-step thermodynamic derivations, and anything requiring calculus (there is none on the DAT — Quantitative Reasoning tops out at algebra, basic trig, and data analysis). If a formula only shows up in upper-division physical chemistry and not in DAT-style question patterns, it doesn't belong on this sheet.
This is the same philosophy behind DATPractice: learn a concept exactly to the depth the exam rewards, then move on. Cramming extra depth "just in case" is how students burn their last two weeks re-deriving things Prometric will never ask about.
How to Turn This List Into a Formula Sheet You'll Actually Use
- Keep it to one page. If it doesn't fit, cut content — don't shrink the font.
- Write it by hand once. Writing each equation yourself beats copy-pasting a pdf.
- Tag each formula "cold" or "recognize." Spend your last week drilling the "cold" list until it's automatic.
- Test it against real questions, not itself. A sheet you can recite but can't apply under a 90-minute clock isn't done. Run it against full-length practice sections and see where you hesitate.
- Retire it once it's memorized. It's a scaffold, not a crutch. By your last two weeks, you shouldn't need it at all.
That's the exact workflow behind DATPractice: identify the smallest set of formulas the DAT rewards, drill them against real question patterns, and stop the moment they're solid.
FAQ: DAT General Chemistry Formula Sheet
What is on the DAT general chemistry formula sheet?
A real DAT general chemistry formula sheet covers roughly 25 to 30 equations across stoichiometry, gases, solutions, thermochemistry, equilibrium and acid-base chemistry, kinetics, and electrochemistry. It should not include every formula from a general chemistry textbook, since only a narrow slice of that content is actually testable in 30 questions. The list in this article is that narrow slice, organized by topic.
Is there a DAT general chemistry formula sheet pdf?
Yes, you can turn the table in this article into a one-page pdf by copying it into a document or printing the page directly, and DATPractice students get a version of this exact list built into their study plan. The key is keeping it to one page. If your formula sheet needs multiple pages, it has stopped being a formula sheet and become a second textbook.
What DAT general chemistry equations do I need to memorize?
You need to memorize cold: moles and molarity relationships, the combined and ideal gas laws, Dalton's and Graham's laws, q = mcΔT and Hess's law, the pH/pOH/Kw relationships, the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation, and basic rate law and half-life expressions. Everything else on a typical formula sheet you only need to recognize and apply when the question hands you the setup, not recall from a blank page.
Do I need to memorize the ideal gas constant R for the DAT?
Yes. The DAT does not give you a reference sheet during the Survey of Natural Sciences section, so R (0.0821 L·atm/mol·K is the version you'll use most) needs to be memorized along with the equation itself. This is one of the highest-yield single facts on the whole general chemistry section because gas law questions show up repeatedly.
Can I use a calculator for general chemistry formulas on the DAT?
No. The on-screen calculator on the DAT is only available during the Quantitative Reasoning section, not during the Survey of Natural Sciences where general chemistry lives. Every gen chem calculation has to be set up and solved by hand, which is exactly why memorizing formulas cold (not just recognizing them) matters so much for this section.
How many formulas are actually tested in DAT general chemistry?
In our experience and in the pattern you'll see across practice material, general chemistry's 30 questions draw from about 25 to 30 core equations, not the 150-plus formulas in a full textbook. A handful of those, like the gas laws and pH relationships, get reused across many different question types, so a small, well-drilled list covers most of the section.