1. Pay Attention in Class. Do you have trouble paying attention in class? Are you distracted in class by a loud person? Can you see the board properly? If not ask your teacher or parents to help you move to a good seat that lets you pay attention and take good notes. When you pay attention in class and take good notes, you are starting the process of learning and studying.

2. Take Notes. It helps to keep your mind on the subject and helps to retain the information. Write down the facts that your teachers discuss or write on the board during class. Date your notes so if you miss a class you know what date to ask a friend for a copy of their notes. A lot of test and quiz questions can come from your teachers class lectures so keeping good notes is very important.

3. Plan Ahead. Do not wait until the last minute to complete your project or study for that Math quiz. Keep a calendar handy and put completion dates in for tests and assignments then schedule time to complete things each day. You can then plan how much to do after school each day, and how much time to spend on each topic. We are all guilty of putting things off sometimes but the best way to make sure that doesn’t happen is to plan ahead.

4. Break It Up. When you have a lot to study, it can help to break things into smaller pieces. If you have 20 spelling words to learn in a week break them up to 3 words a day for 7 days and it will seem much easier. If you have a list if things to learn such as the planets in the Solar System and their order from the Sun, make up a phrase that uses the first letter of each word; “My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nachos to remember Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.” How much studying should you do each night? Most people can only pay attention for about 45 minutes. So if you have been working for a while and find it hard to pay attention, try taking a break for some water or a walk. Just fight the temptation to stop working altogether.

5. Ask For Help. If you don’t understand the material you can’t study effectively. Make sure you ask your parents or teacher for help. If you read through your notes and try some practice problems and you’re still confused ask someone to help.

6. Sleep Tight! If you have been studying for a long time and suddenly can’t remember anything don’t panic. Your brain needs time to digest all the information you’ve given it. Try to get a good night’s sleep and you’ll be surprised by what comes back in the morning.