ASBOG FG PG study plan
ASBOG FG PG · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
General Geology and Earth Materials & Mineralogy, Petrology, and Geochemistry
Classify 40 common rock-forming minerals using hand-sample diagnostic properties (cleavage, hardness, luster, streak, crystal form)
Apply Bowen's reaction series to predict mineral assemblages and crystallization order across felsic-to-mafic compositions
Distinguish igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rock types from texture-and-composition descriptions and assign each to a plausible tectonic setting
Use metamorphic facies and index-mineral assemblages to estimate pressure-temperature conditions of formation
Your checkpoint
A one-page condensed reference sheet covering 40 minerals and 15 rock types, plus a 20-question self-quiz scored at 80% or higher with every miss written into an error log
Mineralogy, Petrology, and Geochemistry & Sedimentology, Stratigraphy, and Paleontology
Interpret grain size, sorting, and rounding to infer sediment transport distance and depositional energy
Apply Walther's Law and standard facies models to reconstruct vertical successions from written bed-by-bed descriptions
Identify common index fossils and biozones and use them to assign relative ages
Correlate two stratigraphic sections using lithostratigraphic markers, key beds, and sequence-stratigraphic surfaces
Your checkpoint
Two hand-drawn stratigraphic columns built from written descriptions and correctly correlated, accompanied by a written justification and a 25-question timed quiz scored at 88% or higher
Sedimentology, Stratigraphy, and Paleontology & Structural Geology and Tectonics
Determine strike and dip from map data by solving three-point problems
Classify folds and faults from map patterns and cross-section geometry, and infer the causative stress regime
Apply superposition, cross-cutting relations, and inclusion principles to order deformation and depositional events
Distinguish unconformity types and explain what each implies about the missing record
Your checkpoint
Three completed cross-sections through folded and faulted terranes constructed from written attitude data, each with a labeled, ordered geological history
Structural Geology and Tectonics & General Geology and Earth Materials
Plot planes and lineations on a stereonet and interpret fold axes and fault-plane solutions
Relate divergent, convergent, and transform boundaries to characteristic structural styles and seismicity patterns
Synthesize Domains 1-4 by mapping each question missed on practice sets back to its underlying concept
Diagnose personal weak sub-topics and rank them by expected score impact
Your checkpoint
A timed 60-question mixed mock covering Domains 1-4, scored and fully reviewed, with a ranked weak-topic list driving Weeks 5-8
Geomorphology and Surficial Processes & Hydrogeology
Interpret drainage patterns and stream longitudinal profiles to infer lithologic and tectonic controls
Classify mass-wasting types and rank the factors that control slope stability in a given scenario
Apply Darcy's Law to compute flow rate, specific discharge, and travel time in confined and unconfined aquifers
Read a potentiometric surface map to determine flow direction, gradient, and discharge and recharge areas
Your checkpoint
A worked problem set of 10 quantitative geomorphology and hydrogeology problems, all correct after a single revision pass, with formulas and unit conversions shown
Hydrogeology & General Geology and Earth Materials
Estimate transmissivity and storativity from drawdown-versus-time pumping-test data
Evaluate well design, well interference, capture zones, and saltwater-intrusion risk for a coastal setting
Apply retardation, dispersion, and sorption concepts to predict contaminant migration from a release point
Distinguish aquifer types, perched and vadose-zone water, and the meaning of specific yield versus specific retention
Your checkpoint
A one-page aquifer-test interpretation for a synthetic site reporting T, S, and hydraulic conductivity, ending in a defensible pumping-rate recommendation
Engineering Geology and Geohazards & Geomorphology and Surficial Processes
Quantify landslide, seismic, and karst hazards using standard indices and site parameters
Compute RQD and apply rock-mass classification to judge excavation and slope stability
Distinguish earthquake magnitude from intensity and assess liquefaction susceptibility from grain size and water-table depth
Evaluate ore-deposit types against their tectonic settings, and separate conventional from unconventional hydrocarbon systems and reserve terminology
Your checkpoint
Two 300-word site-assessment write-ups, one geohazard and one resource-focused, each with correct calculations and an explicit recommendation
General Geology and Earth Materials & Mineralogy, Petrology, and Geochemistry
Re-drill the three lowest-scoring domains from the Week 4 error log
Complete a full-length timed practice exam under test-day conditions
Reconcile every remaining error to a specific concept or formula and re-solve it unaided
Consolidate formulas and definitions into a single final review sheet
Your checkpoint
A full-length timed practice exam scored at 75% or higher overall with no domain below 60%, plus a one-page final review sheet
Milestones
Week 2: Foundations baseline: score 80%+ on the mineral/rock reference quiz and 88%+ on the stratigraphy quiz, confirming Domains 1-3 fundamentals are solid before structural work begins
Week 4: Midpoint checkpoint: 60-question mock over Domains 1-4 completed under time pressure, with a written ranked list of weak sub-topics and a revised plan for Weeks 5-8
Week 6: Quantitative checkpoint: all 10 Week 5 problems and the aquifer-test interpretation solved with correct units; any formula still unreliable is flagged for Week 8 re-drill
Week 8: Readiness checkpoint: full-length timed exam at 75%+ overall, no single domain below 60%, and every error-log item closed out