Choose a version first, then talk about what to study each day
Even if you put in three or four hours a day in all three cases, what you should study is completely different depending on whether the exam is 8 weeks, 4 weeks or 2 weeks away. With 8 weeks you can still work through the whole syllabus systematically; with 4 weeks you have to cut things out; and by 2 weeks the point is no longer "learning something new" but "keeping the questions you can already do steady".
So the question "what do I study each day" has to be answered first with "which version are you following". This article does not give specific exam dates; every schedule counts backwards from "how many weeks until the exam". csca.cn states that exams are usually held in January, March, April, June, November and December; the specific sessions and registration arrangements are subject to the official notice for that period.
Get the facts straight first
- The official 2025 version of the exam syllabus: 60 minutes, 48 single-choice questions, full marks 100; the four modules are sets and inequalities, functions, geometry and algebra, and probability and statistics
- Our count of 7 past papers, 333 questions in total:
- 16 knowledge points appeared in all 7 papers, 223 questions in total, 67% - 26 knowledge points appeared in at least 5 papers, 290 questions in total, 87% - The functions module had 198 questions, 59%; probability and statistics had only 6 questions
There are three ways to read these figures. First, the less time you have, the more you need to secure these 16 must-test points — they appeared in every one of the 7 papers we counted. Second, functions runs through all three versions; it is not a task for one particular week but something to touch a little every day. Third, probability and statistics has few questions, so there is no need to put much time into it early on, but the basics, such as classical probability, must not be left empty.
It should be said that the above is only a count of 7 past papers, not an official promise about what will be set: it tells you the order of priority, it does not guarantee that a question will or will not appear; nor does the official syllabus publish how many marks each of the four modules carries.
Day one: diagnose first, then choose a version
Start with a 15-minute diagnostic on CSCA.PRO to see which of the four modules is your weakest. Afterwards, note three things: which module you got wrong most often, which questions went over time, and which questions you had no idea how to start. These three things call for three different responses — many mistakes means going back to the knowledge points, going over time means practising your pacing, and having no idea means first checking whether it is a must-test point.
Choosing a version: enough time and a foundation that needs systematic repair → the 8-week version; some foundation and only 4 weeks left → the 4-week version; very little time, or you simply want to keep the questions you can do steady → the 2-week version.
Principles shared by all three versions
- Fixed order: must-test points first, then high-frequency points, then fill in the rest
- Three things every day: learn new content (or review knowledge points), practise questions, review mistakes
- Measure progress by "how many questions can I get right", not by "how many pages I read"
- The error notebook records only three things: the cause of the error, the knowledge point it corresponds to, and whether you went over time at the time
- Every full paper is timed at 60 minutes and reviewed the same day — never left to the next day
The 8-week version: cover the 26 high-frequency points, and practise full papers in the last two weeks
Weekly priorities
- Week 1: diagnostic review; sets and inequalities — quadratic inequalities in one variable, fractional inequalities, properties of inequalities and set operations — and start keeping an error notebook at the same time.
- Weeks 2–3: functions — the concept of a function, monotonicity, odd and even functions, inverse functions, logarithmic functions, the definition of trigonometric functions and the relations between them, sine and cosine graphs, reduction formulas, double angle.
- Week 4: sequences — arithmetic and geometric sequences and the concept of a sequence, plus one review of functions.
- Week 5: geometry and algebra — the rectangular coordinate system, lines, circles, ellipses, parabolas, hyperbolas, complex numbers.
- Week 6: fill in the 26 high-frequency points you have not yet covered, then look at low-frequency points and the basics of probability (classical probability).
- Weeks 7–8: 2–3 timed full papers each week; after each paper, go back to the knowledge points behind your mistakes; in the last few days, do not learn new difficult points.
A sample day
On a non-paper day: 90 minutes learning new content, 120 minutes practising questions, 60 minutes on mistakes. On a paper day: 60 minutes for the paper, 60 minutes for review, 60 minutes of extra practice on similar questions. During the review, attribute each error to one of three types — "don't know the knowledge", "not familiar with the method", "not enough time" — and go back to the knowledge points only for the first two.
The 4-week version: focus on the 16 must-test points, one full paper a week
Weekly priorities
- Week 1: sets and inequalities, plus the must-test points in functions.
- Week 2: the must-test points in trigonometric functions and sequences.
- Week 3: the must-test points in analytic geometry, then pick a few high-frequency points that appeared in 5–6 papers, such as parabolas, reduction formulas and double angle.
- Week 4: a full review of the 16 must-test points plus redoing mistakes; no new points.
Do one timed full paper at the end of each week; afterwards, fill in only the first 3 items on your weakness list — do not open a pile of new tasks at once.
A sample day
60 minutes reviewing knowledge points, 120 minutes on targeted question practice, 60 minutes on mistakes. On a paper day, 60 minutes for the paper and 60 minutes for review, with the remaining time spent on your one or two weakest topics.
The 2-week version: review only the 16 must-test points and your mistakes, a full paper every other day
Weekly priorities
- Week 1: go through the 16 must-test points module by module.
- Week 2: redo mistakes and check for gaps in the must-test points; in the last two or three days, look only at mistakes and formulas.
A sample day
On a paper day: 60 minutes for the paper, 90 minutes for review, 30 minutes reviewing must-test points. On a non-paper day: 90 minutes reviewing must-test points, 90 minutes of targeted practice, 60 minutes on mistakes.
Stop-loss rule: if you get two questions of the same type wrong in a row, go back and reread the corresponding knowledge point instead of continuing to grind through that type; if you cannot finish a full paper, first practise the pace of "48 questions in 60 minutes" — it is better to give up one stuck question than to let it eat the time for the questions after it.
Next step
Start today by taking the 15-minute diagnostic to decide which plan to follow; then go to the learning centre to study and practise knowledge point by knowledge point. Once you have chosen a version, don't change it: with the time allocation for 8 weeks, 4 weeks or 2 weeks fixed, all that remains is to follow the schedule each day.