Finding your gaps: where to start

"I have gaps everywhere" is the sentence exam students say most often, and the one that discourages them most. Yet once the gaps are mapped, the picture is almost always more manageable than it felt: gaps are not infinite, they can be ordered, and they can be closed in order.

Map prerequisite chains

In maths and geometry especially, topics form chains: word problems don't work without equations, polygons don't make sense before triangles. For any difficult topic, the first question should be: "What is this topic's prerequisite, and is that prerequisite solid for me?"

When you list your gaps, write each topic's prerequisite next to it. Very often five or six "missing topics" trace back to the weakness of two or three foundations. Repair the first link in the chain and the later topics recover faster than expected.

Frequency × weakness

Not all gaps are equal. Prioritise with two questions: How often does this topic appear in the exam? and How much do I struggle with it?

Topics that are both frequent and difficult go to the top of the list; rarely tested, mildly difficult ones go to the bottom. This simple matrix also breaks the habit of studying the comfortable topic "because it feels good": the goal is study that earns points, not study that feels pleasant.

For frequency, past papers and the topic distribution of the mock exams you've taken are enough, no guessing needed.

Two-week sprints

A long gap list left as one long promise is demoralising. Split it into two-week sprints: at most two or three topics per sprint, and three steps per topic, study it, solve worked examples, measure with a mini test at the end of the sprint.

At the end of each sprint, answer two questions: Can I now call this topic closed? If not, which part is still missing? A closed topic gets crossed off the list, and that crossing-off is the most visible, most motivating proof of progress there is.