Weak in maths? Start competitive exam preparation from the basics

Try these three examples on paper before reading the answers:

1. What is three quarters of 80?
2. A price rises from 200 to 250. What is the percentage increase?
3. Two workers finish a job individually in 12 and 18 days. How long do they take together?

Answers: 60; 25%; 7.2 days.

For the first, divide 80 into four equal parts and take three: $80 ÷ 4 × 3 = 60$. For the second, divide the increase by the original price: $50 ÷ 200 × 100 = 25$.

For the third, assume 36 units of work. The workers complete 3 and 2 units daily. Together they finish 5 units daily, so the time is $36 ÷ 5 = 7.2$ days.

If the first example is unclear, repair fractions before percentages. If only the third is difficult, start with rates and Time & Work. This short check locates a gap; it does not measure your exam readiness.

Stage	Learn	Why it comes here
1	Number system, simplification, HCF and LCM	Division, factors and fractions appear in later topics.
2	Ratio, percentage, average	Learn how quantities relate and change.
3	Profit and loss, interest, mixtures	Apply percentages and ratios to stories.
4	Time and work, speed and distance	Build and compare rates.
5	Algebra, geometry, mensuration	Follow your target exam's syllabus.

This is a learning order, not a claim about marks or topic weightage. Check your exam page before including advanced topics. CAT, Banking and SSC need different levels of depth.

Spend 10 minutes on one lesson and its worked example. Close the example and rebuild its steps yourself.

Spend 20 minutes solving 8 to 12 questions from that subtopic. Begin without a timer if the idea is new. Use the topic notes to find the matching practice set.

Spend 10 minutes reviewing every wrong answer and every guess. Write the first step that failed, rather than copying the whole solution.

Spend the final 5 minutes retrying yesterday's mistakes. If you still cannot choose the first step, return to the lesson. If the method is clear but calculation is slow, practise that calculation separately.

Use days 1–3 for fractions, factors and simplification. Use days 4–6 for ratio and percentages. On day 7, retry the questions you got wrong without seeing their solutions.

Use days 8–10 for average and profit/loss. Use days 11–13 for rates, starting with time and work. On day 14, mix questions from the topics you studied and explain the first step for each.

Move slower when needed. Two weeks is a starter routine, not a promise to finish maths. Keep English and your other exam subjects in small daily slots while rebuilding maths.

Add each completed topic to the revision planner so you return to it after a gap.

A shortcut is useful when you know why it works and when it applies. For example, 25% means one quarter, so 25% of 360 is $360 ÷ 4 = 90$. This saves work because the fraction is exact.

Avoid memorising a trick whose conditions you cannot explain. First solve a small example by the standard method. Then use the shortcut on the same example and compare the answers.

Use the formula sheet for recall after learning the topic. Reading a formula repeatedly is not the same as recognising when to use it.