10 maths topics to master before the OMPT (2026): ranked by syllabus weight

The ten maths topics to master before the OMPT are, in order of syllabus weight: functions, differentiation, algebra, quadratic equations, linear formulas and equations, exponential functions and logarithms, numbers, systems of linear equations, trigonometry with integration, and probability and statistics. The first two alone hold 69 of the 176 OMPT-A topics. Which of the ten you need depends on your module; see the skip table near the end.

How the ranking was made

The ranking multiplies two numbers from the official syllabus pages on omptest.org: the chapter's topic count in OMPT-A (Functions 35, Differentiation 34, Algebra 26, Quadratic equations 21, Numbers 17, Linear formulas and equations 17, Exponential functions and logarithms 16, Systems of linear equations 10) and how many of the seven modules list the chapter. Linear formulas and equations appears in all seven; Differentiation in four (A, B, D, F); Integration in two (B, D); the statistics chapters only in OMPT-E.

Two topics on the list are not OMPT-A chapters: trigonometry with integration (OMPT-B, OMPT-D) and the OMPT-E statistics block. They rank low on breadth but high on cost, because most applicants have never studied them in a structured way. Examify is an independent preparation provider and is not affiliated with the OMPT, SOWISO or any university.

1. Functions

Tested in OMPT-A, B, D, E, F and G. With 35 topics it is the largest OMPT-A chapter, and every module except OMPT-C includes it. It covers domain and range, power functions, polynomials, root functions, fractional functions and asymptotes, inverses, and at the end of the chapter quotient functions and perforation.

The trap is the last third of the chapter, where the answer is a domain restriction or an asymptote rather than a number. The inverse example on the OMPT-F syllabus page ends with "for x ≠ 2", and that restriction is part of the answer.

2. Differentiation

Tested in OMPT-A, B, D and F. It has 34 OMPT-A topics: the basic rules, the chain rule, the product and quotient rule, tangent lines and extrema. In OMPT-D and OMPT-F the rules are combined in one question.

The trap is stopping at the derivative. When a question asks for a tangent line or a point with a horizontal tangent, a correct f′(x) with no final x-values earns nothing, because there is no partial credit. The OMPT-A example from Examify's syllabus page:

The graph of f(x) = x³ − 6x² + 9x has two points with a horizontal tangent. Find them.

1. A horizontal tangent means f′(x) = 0, so differentiate term by term: f′(x) = 3x² − 12x + 9.
2. Take out the factor 3: f′(x) = 3(x² − 4x + 3) = 3(x − 1)(x − 3).
3. Set each factor equal to zero: x − 1 = 0 or x − 3 = 0.

Answer: x = 1 and x = 3.

3. Algebra

Tested in OMPT-A, B, C, D, E and F. The 26 OMPT-A topics cover exponents, roots, factorisation and algebraic fractions, all without a calculator. Algebra is the step inside every other chapter where marks are lost.

The trap is the final form. The checker expects a simplified answer: 6/4 has to become 3/2, √8 has to become 2√2, and an answer written in x when the question was posed in t is a different answer.

4. Quadratic equations

Tested in OMPT-A, B, D, E, F and G. The 21 topics cover the quadratic formula, completing the square, the vertex, and quadratic inequalities. Functions and Differentiation both lean on it: finding extrema usually means solving a quadratic.

The trap is quadratic inequalities, where the answer is an interval and a sign slip flips it. The OMPT-A example:

Solve 2x² − 7x + 3 = 0.

1. Read off a = 2, b = −7, c = 3 and compute the discriminant: D = (−7)² − 4·2·3 = 49 − 24 = 25.
2. D is positive, so there are two solutions, and √25 = 5.
3. Apply the quadratic formula: x = (7 ± 5) / (2·2) = 12/4 or 2/4.

Answer: x = 3 or x = 1/2. Enter 1/2, not 2/4 and not 0,5 with a comma.

5. Linear formulas and equations

Tested in all seven modules, the only chapter on this list that is. In OMPT-A it has 17 topics: slope, intercept, linear equations and linear inequalities.

The trap is speed rather than method. OMPT-A gives 120 minutes for 52 questions, about 2.3 minutes each, and a linear equation should take well under that.

6. Exponential functions and logarithms

Tested in OMPT-A, B, D, E, F and G. Only 16 OMPT-A topics, but together with Differentiation this is the chapter that most often separates a 60% from a 70% result. It covers the log rules and exponential equations.

The trap is an exact answer that looks unfinished. A solution written as a logarithm is what the computer-algebra checker expects; a rounded decimal is not the same number and is marked wrong unless the question asks for a decimal.

7. Numbers

Tested in OMPT-A, B, C, D and E. The 17 topics cover fractions, exponents and roots without a calculator. Most candidates already half know this chapter.

The trap is over-studying it. Every syllabus opens with Numbers, and starting there spends your best hours on a chapter that was never the problem. At 80% or better on the diagnostic, compress it into two days.

8. Systems of linear equations

Tested in OMPT-A, B, D, E and G. The smallest OMPT-A chapter, 10 topics, covering substitution and elimination.

The trap is not checking. Substituting both values back takes thirty seconds and catches the dropped minus sign that otherwise costs the whole question.

9. Trigonometry and integration (OMPT-B, OMPT-D and OMPT-G)

Trigonometry is tested in OMPT-B, OMPT-D and OMPT-G; integration in OMPT-B and OMPT-D. Together they are the roughly 50 topics that OMPT-B adds on top of OMPT-A, and the reason OMPT-B needs about 100 hours against 80. Worked examples are on the OMPT-B and OMPT-D syllabus pages.

The trap is the interval. A trigonometric equation has infinitely many solutions and the question fixes which ones count. For 2·sin(x) = √3 on 0 ≤ x ≤ 2π, the answer is x = π/3 or x = 2π/3; π/3 alone is marked wrong.

10. Probability and statistics (OMPT-E only)

Tested only in OMPT-E, where chapters 8 to 12 (descriptive statistics, probability, combinatorics, random variables, common probability distributions) hold 41 of the 161 topics, about a quarter of the module.

The trap is preparing from OMPT-A material, which covers chapters 1 to 7 and leaves a quarter of the exam unseen. The example from the OMPT-E syllabus page:

A bag holds 5 red and 3 blue marbles. You draw two without replacement. What is the probability that both are red?

1. On the first draw 5 of the 8 marbles are red, so P = 5/8.
2. After one red is removed, 4 of the remaining 7 are red, so P = 4/7.
3. Multiply the two: (5/8)·(4/7) = 20/56.

Answer: 5/14 ≈ 0.357. Enter the fraction 5/14; the decimal is only a check.

Which topics to skip for your module

The table marks which of the ten topics each module lists in its official syllabus. A blank cell means the chapter is not in that module, and studying it is time you will not get back. Not on this list: Geometry (OMPT-C, D and G) and the OMPT-G chapters Sequences and series, physics and chemistry.

How to turn the list into a study plan

Start with a full-length timed mock for your module, not with topic 1. Your per-chapter mock ranking, not this one, decides where the hours go. The test provider reports that students who prepared scored 76% on average on their first attempt against 40% for those who did not.

1. Learn the answer format with Examify's free OMPT practice test: two of the harder questions per module in the real answer box, with the solution after each.
2. Take a full mock, then sort the chapters on the syllabus pages by mock score and give the two weakest the most hours.
3. Give Functions and Differentiation more than their proportional share; on OMPT-A they are about 40% of the syllabus.
4. Time every practice set from the second week.
5. Take a second mock in the last week and stop at your programme's minimum plus a margin of about 10 points.

A day-by-day OMPT-A version is in improve your OMPT score in 30 days; the hours-per-week arithmetic is in how long OMPT preparation takes.