I know I have a harsh start to this article. But, honestly I did want to be harsh. Once you see it, I think you’ll agree – it is indeed nonsense. 

I’ll explain.

In school, when you reached Class 9 from Class 8, was everyone at the same level? No, right? 

Everyone doesn’t score the same marks in every subject by the end of Class 8. Yet Class 9 begins as though everyone is at the same level. Teachers teach as if everything covered till Class 8 is done and dusted – and now we’re moving on. The textbooks are that way. So much so, the students also start studying that way. I never looked back at books from a previous grade once I moved to the next one – even if something from a previous year was still not clear. 

But not all students understood those things equally well in Class 8. So the whole system has an issue. 

The books and teachers assume that everything till Class 8 is covered. Students also start assuming that if something is unclear now, the only way to fix it is by focusing harder on Class 9 content. They don’t even think about revisiting earlier classes. The whole education system is built on the assumption that once you have entered a new grade, everyone’s baseline is the same. 

I hope you can see how flawed this approach is.

If everyone is not at the same level at the end of a class, assuming that they are at the start of the next class leads to huge problems. That’s why I think – in Classes 3, 4, 5, maybe even 6, 7, and 8 – the difference in marks across students isn’t that significant. But as students progress to Class 9, 10, 11, and 12, the differences start getting magnified.

Why? Because the gaps have been compounding.

A student who wasn’t clear about some topics in Class 8 will end up unclear about even more things in Class 9 – because many things would build on top of what we had studied before. The cracks widen.

I don’t have a direct solution to fix the education system. But, let us at least not make this mistake when things are in our control.

Don’t make the same mistake when preparing for the GMAT.

One of the most common GMAT related questions I see all over the internet is:
How long does it take a beginner to clear the GMAT?

The question if flawed.

All beginners are not the same.

• All beginners do not have the same starting point.
• All beginners do not require the same effort.
• All beginners should not be studying the same content.
• All beginners CANNOT take the same amount of time.

So, what to do then?

Start from where you are.

Take a practice test. If your score is 655, your next steps will be very different from someone whose score is 355.

If you’ve always been weak at math, don’t ignore that. Don’t just jump into GMAT content. A great (and free) online resource is khanacademy.org – one I’ve recommended to many students. And I’ve seen students significantly improve their math fundamentals through it. It takes time. The journey is not something they cruise by within 3 minutes. But, you could look at GMAT as an opportunity to fix some of your weaknesses once and for all.

If your reading skills are weak, work on your reading skills. Don’t jump into practising Critical Reasoning or Reading Comprehension questions right away. First, focus on how you read – how you follow ideas, how you break down arguments.

And I’m not even suggesting that you start reading novels and books if you don’t do that yet. My suggestion is: whatever you anyway read regularly – newspaper, office emails, online blogs, these articles :), etc – just focus a bit more on understanding the text and a bit less on skimming through.

Basically, if you struggle with certain basics of GMAT content, work on that first. Build those skills first.

Don’t just dive straight into GMAT content.

And even when you are doing GMAT content, remember: the pace at which you comprehend things might be very different from someone else’s.

So creating a rigid timeline can become a massive hindrance.

Don’t focus on “I have to wrap everything up in 3 months.”

Focus on: “I have to learn this as well as I can – today.”

If you’re able to do that, great! Move to the next topic.
If not, continue with the same topic tomorrow.

That’s the better way forward.

Similarly, do not dive into hard questions straight away.

Start from where you are.

If medium-level questions feel shaky, don’t jump to hard ones.

Start with easy questions from the same topic.

Use these benchmarks (untimed):

• Easy questions: ~90% accuracy
• Medium questions: ~80%+
• Hard questions: 60–70%+

And it’s not just about getting questions right.

Ask yourself:

• Was I confident in my answer before checking it?
• Was there any part of the question that wasn’t fully clear – even if I got it right?

That’s your clarity check.

Accuracy + confidence + clarity = a solid base.

I elaborate on the whole idea about why all beginners are not the same in my article here: GMAT and the headstand. I believe it will further help you understand the issues with notions like “GMAT takes X months to ace”, and a more positive mindset going forward. I recommend you go through that article now if you haven’t read it before.