If Hao Ren did not experience it for himself, he would have never imagined that all those glorious starship captains, who travelled the stars started by reading from scratch. Most novels or movies never even touch this!
However, the MDT was right on one point. The study materials were really customized to suit his learning capabilities and understanding. Having his body strengthened also gave his mental abilities a boost. While the materials were still a bunch of mumbo-jumbo to him, after getting the basics down, he could begin to grasp the more technical stuff.