DSST Business Mathematics study plan
DSST Business Mathematics · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Integers, fractions, decimals, round numbers, ratios, averages, business graphs
Convert fluently among fractions, decimals, and percents by hand, writing each conversion step so errors are traceable
Solve ratio and proportion problems (part-to-part and part-to-whole) using both cross-multiplication and unit-rate methods
Compute weighted and simple averages, including missing-value problems where the mean is given
Round to a specified place or significant figure and state the rounding convention used
Read and interpret line, bar, and pie graphs by extracting the underlying values rather than eyeballing proportions
Your checkpoint
A 30-item self-made problem set on conversions, ratios, averages, and graph reading, scored, with every missed item rewritten and re-solved correctly
Integers, fractions, decimals, round numbers, ratios, averages, business graphs
Solve multi-step business word problems by translating each sentence into an equation before calculating
Apply order of operations to expressions mixing exponents, parentheses, and signed numbers
Estimate answers first, then verify exact results to catch calculator-entry and decimal-placement errors
Interpret percentage-increase and percentage-decrease statements, distinguishing 'percent of' from 'percent more than'
Build a one-page formula sheet in your own words for Domain 1
Your checkpoint
A timed 25-question Domain 1 practice test completed in 40 minutes with at least 80% accuracy, plus a list of the three error patterns that cost you the most points
Simple interest, compound interest, annuities
Compute simple interest, principal, rate, and time by rearranging I = Prt for each variable
Calculate exact vs. ordinary interest and explain the difference in day-count conventions
Find maturity value and discount a note at a bank discount rate
Set up and solve for unknown time in months and days, converting between the two
Your checkpoint
A solved set of 20 simple-interest problems covering all four rearrangements plus bank discount, with work shown for each
Simple interest, compound interest, annuities
Compute compound interest and compound amount for different compounding frequencies using tables or a calculator
Derive effective annual rate from a nominal rate and compare two competing compounding schedules
Calculate the future value and present value of an ordinary annuity
Distinguish annuity due from ordinary annuity and adjust the computation accordingly
Identify which formula applies to a given word problem before computing
Your checkpoint
A comparison worksheet pricing the same $10,000 over 5 years under simple interest, annual compounding, quarterly compounding, and monthly compounding, with a written conclusion on which costs the borrower most
Net pay & deductions
Compute gross pay under hourly, overtime, salary, commission, and piece-rate arrangements
Apply FICA, federal withholding, and state withholding to derive net pay from gross pay
Distinguish voluntary from involuntary deductions and identify which reduce taxable wages
Reconstruct a missing figure on a payroll register given the other entries
Verify a paycheck by working backward from net pay to gross pay
Your checkpoint
A completed mock payroll register for five employees with differing pay structures, showing gross pay, each deduction, and net pay, cross-checked by working backward from at least two net figures
Discounts and markups
Compute trade discounts using both the discount series method and the net-price-equivalent method, and confirm the two agree
Calculate single and chain discounts and explain why 20/10 is not the same as 30
Compute markup on cost and markup on selling price, and convert between the two bases
Solve for cost, selling price, or percent markup when the other two are known
Handle markdown, spoilage/shrinkage, and maintained markup in a retail pricing problem
Your checkpoint
A pricing case study for one product taken through cost, initial markup, a 15/10 chain discount from a supplier, a seasonal markdown, and final gross margin, presented as a single clean table
Depreciation & net worth & Corporate securities, distribution of ownership, stock and asset turnover
Compute depreciation under straight-line, declining-balance, and sum-of-the-years'-digits methods for the same asset and compare the schedules
Calculate book value at any point in an asset's life under each method
Prepare a personal or business net-worth statement from a list of assets and liabilities
Distinguish common from preferred stock and identify which carries voting rights and which carries a fixed dividend claim
Compute earnings per share, dividend per share, and stock turnover from given figures
Your checkpoint
A depreciation comparison table for a single asset under all three methods across its full life, plus a one-page net-worth statement with total assets, total liabilities, and net worth computed and labeled
Corporate securities, distribution of ownership, stock and asset turnover & Integers, fractions, decimals, round numbers, ratios, averages, business graphs
Compute stock turnover and asset turnover and interpret what a rising or falling ratio signals about the business
Calculate distribution-of-ownership percentages from shares outstanding and holdings
Re-solve one representative problem from each of the six domains under exam time pressure
Review your error log and re-work every problem missed in weeks 1 through 7
Take a full-length timed practice test and analyze results by domain
Your checkpoint
A full-length timed practice test scored by domain, with a written remediation list naming the two weakest domains and the specific problem types to drill in any remaining study time
Milestones
Week 2: Score at least 80% on a timed 25-question Domain 1 test and be able to state your three most frequent error types
Week 4: Correctly compute compound amount, effective rate, and annuity future value on 10 mixed problems without consulting the formula sheet more than twice
Week 6: Complete the pricing case study end to end with no arithmetic errors on re-check, and correctly convert markup on cost to markup on selling price three times in a row
Week 8: Score at least 75% overall on the full-length timed practice test with no single domain below 60%