When estimating total study time for an upcoming exam, which factor should influence time per topic?

• A. Alphabetical order.
• B. Difficulty and prior mastery.
• C. Topic popularity.
• D. Instructor's preference.

Answer: (B)

Time for each topic should be guided by how hard it is and how well you already understand it. The amount of study needed naturally grows with topics that are conceptually tougher or where your prior mastery is weak, and it can be reduced for topics you’ve already solidly mastered. This approach matches the actual learning effort you must invest to reach the goal, making your plan realistic and efficient.

Other factors like the order you study topics, how popular a topic is, or what the instructor prefers don’t reflect your workload or learning needs, so they shouldn’t drive how you allocate study time. Instead, assess your current understanding, estimate effort based on difficulty, and adjust with a bit of buffer as you go.