Why You Should Set Up Your GMAT Study Schedule to Master One Topic at a Time

Consider the huge amount of material you need to learn for the GMAT. First, you have to face the monumental task of mastering 19 major math topics. Even if you are talented at math, you know that keeping on top of all this material is a feat in itself. Next, add to this the intricacies of Reading Comprehension and Critical Reasoning. Even if you consider yourself experienced at answering RC questions, you probably have not learned the ins and outs of the logic of CR questions. Finally, it is quite likely that you have never encountered the types of questions contained in the Data Insights section, most notably the Data Sufficiency question type, which is unique to the GMAT.

Keep in mind that having only a passing acquaintance with the material tested on the GMAT is not sufficient. You must master each topic. Thus, you need to use a learning technique that allows for gaining mastery of a large number of topics: topical learning.

Topical learning is one of the most effective techniques for learning the huge amount of material tested on the GMAT. Namely, you’ll focus on just one topic at a time, learning all aspects of the topic and answering practice questions, until you have attained mastery.

For example, when you study problems involving probability, you will study only probability: the addition rule, the multiplication rule, conditional probability, mutually exclusive events, and independent events. You should learn every aspect of probability. Before moving on to the next topic in your study schedule, you will make sure that you have a solid understanding of probability.

Warmest regards,

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder & CEO, Target Test Prep