• Organize your homework time. Set a beginning and ending time for each subject. Begin with your hardest subject. Study when you are most alert. It will help to keep a list of the things you need to do.
• Choose the best place for studying; some place that is comfortable and quiet, and has proper lighting and a good writing table.
• Work for a certain amount of time on each subject, no longer than 40 minutes per subject. Take a 10-minute break between study periods. Knowing that you have a time limit will improve your concentration.
• Do not permit interruptions of your study time. Call your friends before or after. Set a different time for your chores.
• Make certain that your place for study has all the materials you need: assignment, paper, textbook, pencil, hole-punch, stapler, calendar, ruler, scissors, dictionary, etc.
• Begin each homework session by reviewing the class notes from that day. Make certain they are readable and clear. Mark anything that you do not understand and see the teacher the next day for assistance.
• Read the questions at the end of the chapter first, so that you know what information from the text is considered important.
• Monitor your reading for meaning. When you don’t understand it, then reread it, use context clues, or ask someone for help.
• Interact with the material. You may wish to:
  • Write it
  • Underline key words
  • Circle main ideas
  • Make marks on your notes
  • Recite it aloud
• Check your understanding of each paragraph. Identify a main idea and at least two supporting details. You may do this orally or in writing. Decide what works best for you.
• Date the homework and put it into your notebook. Have it ready for the teacher to check at the beginning of class.
• At the end of your homework session, put all of your materials in one place so that nothing will be forgotten in the morning.

Studying for Tests

• Find out from the teacher what type of test will be given (e.g., essay, multiple choice, true/false, matching).
• Save all notes, note cards, handouts, and quizzes until you have taken the final exam. Review them before the tests.
• Go over the questions at the end of each chapter in the book.
• Decide on a strategy for memorizing important information. You must do more than just read the information. Test yourself:
  • Make study cards. Write a question on one side with the answer on the other side. 
  • Read the questions and answer them. Check your answers.
  • Do this until you can answer all of the questions without looking.
  • Ask someone else to quiz you.
  • Make two piles—the “I know” pile and the “I don’t know” pile.
  • Review until you master the information and reverse quizzing yourself with the answers and see if you can remember what the question may have been.
• Some students find it easier to remember information if they draw a silly picture of the information.
• Use mnemonics. When you have a list of things to remember, make up a word, phrase, or sentence using the first letter of the items to be remembered. An example is the word “HOMES” for the Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior.
• Do not wait until the night before the test to begin studying. Start your memory cards on the first day of class.  Review them frequently.
• If you are a good auditory learner, study in a group. Someone else may pick up something important that you missed.  Remember, 1-2-3 is a study group, but 4 is a party! Keep groups small.
• Use visual organizers such as graphs, webs, charts, and pictures to organize information and simplify for studying.