Yes — for the math you have forgotten, which for most GRE test-takers is the whole problem. The Quantitative Reasoning measure tests arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis at a level you last studied in school, and Brilliant teaches nearly all of it by making you work problems rather than watch explanations. What Brilliant does not do is rehearse the exam: no quantitative comparison drills, no on-screen calculator, no timed sections. Use Brilliant to rebuild the math and ETS’s official materials for the exam itself.
What does GRE Quant actually test?
ETS splits the measure into four content areas: arithmetic (integers, fractions, exponents and roots, decimals, the number line and absolute value, ratios, percent), algebra (expressions, exponent rules, linear and quadratic equations, inequalities, functions, word problems, coordinate geometry, graphs), geometry (lines and angles, polygons, triangles, quadrilaterals, circles, solids), and data analysis (presenting data, descriptive statistics, counting, probability, distributions, data interpretation).
Just as useful is what is not on it. There is no trigonometry, no calculus, and no proof. If you found Brilliant through its Calculus course, that is a fine course and it is worth none of your GRE hours; the same goes for Trigonometric Functions. Nothing beyond high-school algebra and plane geometry is tested.
The topic-by-topic list of which Brilliant lessons teach each of the four areas is on the GRE Quant coverage page.
Start with the arithmetic, even if that feels like going backwards
Most people preparing for the GRE are adults on a graduate-school deadline who last did this math a decade ago, and the instinct is to skip to the hardest topic you can name. That is the wrong move here. The GRE genuinely tests arithmetic, and rust on fractions, percent, and exponents costs more points than anything advanced.
Brilliant’s course grade labels describe the age at which students usually first meet the material, not who the course is for. Fractions, Percentages, Proportional Reasoning, and Solving Equations are not remedial detours for a GRE reader — they cover named ETS topics directly, and they are the fastest hours on the list below. Work them at speed: you are refreshing, not learning from scratch.
Which Brilliant courses should you work through?
The table runs in the exam’s own order, arithmetic first. Skip any row you can already do quickly and without notes.
| Course | What it gets you on GRE Quant | Where to start |
|---|---|---|
| Fractions (27 lessons) | Equivalent fractions, common denominators, multiplying and comparing fractions | Adding Fractions |
| Percentages (21) | Percent of a number, percent increase and decrease, repeated and compound changes | Compound Changes |
| Proportional Reasoning (30) | Ratios in lowest terms, unit rates, scale factors, mixture ratios | Scaling Down to Scale Up |
| Negative Numbers (44) | Signed arithmetic, ordering, absolute value as distance on the number line | Ordering Integers |
| Exponents & Radicals (83) | Prime factorization, the exponent rules, negative and fractional exponents, radicals | The Product Rule for Exponents |
| Solving Equations (68) | Multi-step solving, distributing, inequalities, substitution and elimination | Combining Like Terms |
| Linear Expressions & Equations (59) | Fractional and negative coefficients, one solution against none or infinitely many | Combining Terms |
| Quadratics (69) | Expanding, factoring, completing the square, the quadratic formula, the discriminant | Undistributing |
| Linear Systems (24) | Substitution, elimination, and systems written from word constraints | Two Constraints |
| Linear Functions (45) | Slope from two points, intercepts, slope-intercept form, parallel and perpendicular | Change per One |
| Coordinate Geometry (44) | Distance between points, the Pythagorean theorem, area on a grid, circle equations | Pythagoras’ Theorem |
| Geometry and Measurement (25) | Angles made by lines, polygon angle sums, perimeter, similarity, surface area, volume | Angles Made by Lines |
| Everyday Statistics (36) | Mean, median, mode, quartiles, box plots, outliers, interquartile range | Quartiles |
| Exploring Data Visually (29) | Bar charts, histograms, pie charts, line graphs, scatter plots | Reading Bar Charts |
| Probability and Chance (31) | Counting outcomes, Venn diagrams, “and” and “or”, conditional probability | Venn Diagrams |
With three months, work down the whole table. With three weeks, do rows one through five and then stop — arithmetic and exponent rules are where the GRE puts the most questions per hour of your study time. Introduction to Functions is worth adding if function notation feels unfamiliar; start at Numeric Rules.
Quantitative comparison, the calculator, and the clock
Quantitative comparison is a large share of the section and unlike anything in a math course. You are given Quantity A and Quantity B and asked which is greater, or whether that can be determined at all — often without computing either one. The skill is testing edge cases: zero, one, negatives, fractions between 0 and 1. No amount of Brilliant work teaches the question type, because no ordinary math curriculum contains it. Learn it from ETS’s explanations, then drill it on official questions.
The on-screen calculator and the timer change how you work. The GRE gives you a basic calculator, which rewards knowing when not to reach for it, and every section is timed. Brilliant’s problems are untimed by design — good for understanding, no preparation at all for pacing. That is the honest reason Brilliant is not enough on its own.
What will you have to get elsewhere?
Nothing large, but several specific things, and they are all cheap to pick up from a prep book:
- Decimals as their own topic — converting a fraction to a decimal by dividing, telling a terminating decimal from a repeating one, bar notation, and place value read as powers of ten. This is the one ETS topic Brilliant does not teach anywhere.
- Integer properties beyond prime factorization — the parity of sums and products, least common multiples, and division stated as a quotient with a remainder.
- Counting methods — the multiplication principle, permutations, combinations, and factorial notation. Brilliant teaches counting outcomes and Venn diagrams; it does not teach the formulas.
- Standard deviation, percentiles, and weighted averages — Brilliant covers center, quartiles, box plots, and spread by range, but not these three.
- Most circle geometry — Brilliant teaches circumference from a radius or diameter and the equation of a circle in the plane, but not the area formula, arcs, sectors, or chords. Circles are heavily tested.
- The rest of plane geometry — the triangle inequality, isosceles and equilateral side and angle relations, the 45-45-90 and 30-60-90 triangles and their side ratios, the parallelogram and trapezoid area formulas, and midpoints.
- The classic word-problem genres — work-rate problems, and average and mixture setups written the way ETS writes them. Compound interest is the exception: Exponential Functions teaches it, in Compound Growth, along with depreciation. Simple annual interest you will still want from a prep book.
Data Interpretation sets are a format rather than a gap: Brilliant teaches you to read every chart type the GRE uses, but not to answer four stacked questions off one table against a clock.
What should you use from ETS?
ETS publishes a free Math Review covering the four content areas, a Math Conventions document that spells out how the exam words things, and the POWERPREP practice tests, which run in the real test interface. Take one POWERPREP test early — before you study anything — and let it choose your rows in the table above. Use the rest for timing and question-type practice, the half Brilliant cannot supply.
Is Brilliant a complete GRE prep course?
No, and it is not affiliated with or endorsed by ETS. Brilliant is the understanding layer: the arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data work the questions are built from, taught until they stop being hard. Full-length timed tests, quantitative comparison strategy, and the calculator are the exam layer, and those come from official materials. Use both, in that order.
How this mapping was made
Brilliant’s curriculum team maps each math skill to the ETS topic it fits most closely, using the published content specification for the Quantitative Reasoning measure and the ETS Math Review as the authority on what each topic requires. The data behind this page was pulled on September 3, 2026 against the live course catalog.
Frequently asked questions
I have not done math since undergrad. Where do I actually start?
With Fractions and Percentages, and without embarrassment — those are tested topics, not a beginners’ track. Then take a POWERPREP test to find out what else is missing before spending time on algebra you may not need.
How long does this take?
It depends on how much came back quickly. A reasonable plan is four to six weeks on the first half of the table, then a POWERPREP test, then targeted lessons on whatever the score report exposes, with timed practice running alongside from that point on.
Does Brilliant help with the Verbal or Analytical Writing sections?
No. Brilliant’s catalog is math, science, computer science, and data analysis.
Should I finish a whole course before moving on?
No. Brilliant lessons are short and stand alone, which suits this kind of preparation: open the one matching the topic a practice question exposed rather than working a course front to back.
Related resources
- GRE Quant coverage: topic-by-topic Brilliant lesson mapping
- What math does Brilliant cover?
- Does Brilliant cover Algebra 1?
- Does Brilliant cover Geometry?
- Explore Brilliant’s courses
Sources
[1] ETS, GRE General Test content specification for the Quantitative Reasoning measure, the GRE Math Review, Math Conventions, and POWERPREP practice tests, accessed September 2026. [2] Brilliant, standards alignment database, skill hierarchy version 397, pulled September 3, 2026. [3] Brilliant, "GRE Quant coverage: topic-by-topic Brilliant lesson mapping", accessed September 2026. [4] Brilliant, "Courses", accessed September 2026.
