In general, if you are talking about a large, general group, you should use most.
Most people know how to ride a bike.
Most doctors earn a lot of money.
If you are talking about a smaller, more specific group, you should use most of.
Most of the people in this neighborhood are married.
Most of the doctors at this hospital earn a lot of money.
Grammatically, most is not followed by a determiner (a, the, this, etc.); you should use most of. If no determiner is used, just use most.
Most
ofpeople like chocolate. (no determiner, so don’t use of)I like most
offruits. (no determiner, so don’t use of)Most of my friends like movies. (my is a determiner, so you should use of)
I want to see most of the movies playing at the theater right now. (the is a determiner, so you should use of)
Of course, there are always exceptions:
If you are talking about a specific country or region , use most of.
Most of Africa is very hot.
Most of Europe uses the euro.
Note: for more detail, refer to Practical English Usage by Michael Swan