Step 1: In the C3 pathway, RuBisCO fixes CO2 onto the 5 carbon acceptor RuBP.
Step 2: This unstable 6 carbon intermediate splits immediately into two molecules of a 3 carbon compound.
Step 3: That 3 carbon compound is 3-phosphoglyceric acid (3-PGA), which is the first stable product formed right after CO2 fixation. DHAP and 3-PGAl (glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate) appear only later in the reduction phase of the cycle.