In a 2009 survey published in the journal Memory, 84% of college students said they used repeated reading as a study strategy, and 55% preferred it over other strategies.
Our tutors notice the same habit among students, along with a reliance on worked examples and last-minute study sessions before a test.
These habits feel productive because familiar material seems easy to understand. Yet students may struggle to solve problems on their own, and cramming can lead to quick forgetting. Research points to more effective ways to study math.
Today, our education specialists share five study methods that help students practice math and remember more on test day. You and your child can try some of them tonight, starting with the next homework assignment.
Math mistakes are a bit like a loose button on a school uniform. You can sew it back on, but if the thread is still loose, it may fall off again.
Math is similar. Fixing a wrong answer is a good start, but when children understand why they made the mistake, they’re less likely to repeat it and better prepared to solve similar problems on their own.
In the Algebra by Example research, students examined correct and incorrect worked examples and explained what went wrong in the incorrect ones. Students who usually struggled most with algebra made the greatest gains in both understanding and skill.
Our tutors use a similar approach. When a student makes a mistake, the tutor first asks them to explain their thinking, and that explanation shows the tutor why the mistake happened. You can do the same at home.
Most mistakes fall into one of three types, and each type needs a different fix:
Careless slip: Your child knows the math but slips up, like writing −3 × 4 = 12. Help them build a habit of rereading each answer and checking the signs.
Procedure error: They know the steps but use one incorrectly, like rewriting 2(x + 5) as 2x + 5. Have them redo the problem slowly and explain each step out loud.
Concept gap: Those learners misunderstand the idea itself, like thinking 0.25 is larger than 0.3. Go back to the idea with something familiar, like money. Thirty cents is more than twenty-five cents.
So, the next time a test comes home, try starting with “Which kind of mistake was this?” instead of “What did you get?”
In that situation, you can sit down with your child and pick two or three wrong answers. For each one, ask which type of mistake it was and have your child write a one-line reason, such as “I compared 25 and 3 like whole numbers.”
Over a unit, these notes show patterns. Lots of careless slips mean your child needs a checking routine, but a concept gap that keeps showing up means it’s time to revisit the earlier skill.
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We’ve all heard the “I’ll study tomorrow” promise and maybe even made it ourselves back when we were students, only for tomorrow to turn into the night before a test. The problem is that trying to review everything at once leaves little time for the brain to revisit and reinforce what it has learned.
Shorter study sessions spread across several days give students more chances to recall math concepts and even remember them longer.
Researchers tested this with college students. Some solved 10 math problems in one session, while others split them across two sessions a week apart. Four weeks later, the second group scored much higher.
You can help your child use the same idea before a test. Say your child is working on a percent unit, with a test on Friday. Here are two ways to plan the week, and the same structure works for any math unit.
Plan A: One session the night before. Your child spends 60 minutes on Thursday night and works through every type of problem from the unit. That hour may get them through Friday’s test, but based on the study, much of it may be forgotten a few weeks later, when the next unit builds on percents.
Plan B: Three short sessions. Your child spends the same 60 minutes, split across the week. For a percent unit, those sessions could look like this.
Monday (20 minutes). Practice finding a percent of a number, like 20% of 50.
Wednesday (20 minutes). Start with two problems from Monday, then move on to percent discounts.
Thursday (20 minutes). Work a short set from the whole unit and mark any problem that still feels unclear.
For a different unit, your child can follow the same pattern with their own topics, starting each session with a quick review of the last one.
Even as adults, we sometimes look at a solved problem and think, “Oh, that makes sense!” Then we try a similar one on our own, and suddenly, it doesn’t seem so obvious. It’s a bit like watching someone cook a new dish. Every step looks easy until we’re in the kitchen without the recipe in front of us.
The same can happen to your learner. Even after a concept has been explained, they may struggle to solve a similar problem on their own. If they try before they look at the solution, they can see which steps they understand and where they need more help.
Researchers have tested this idea directly. In a 2009 study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, psychologists asked participants to answer questions about unfamiliar topics. One group had to guess the answers before seeing the correct ones. The other group simply read the correct answers without guessing first.
When the researchers tested both groups later, the people who guessed first remembered more of the correct answers, even though they had gotten every question wrong at first.
Our tutors put this into practice. They give students time to try a problem on their own first, then ask them to explain their thinking. You can do the same at home with a few simple questions:
“What have you tried so far?”
“What is the problem asking you to find?”
“Which step feels unclear?”
Even when you know wrong answers are part of learning, it can be hard to watch your child struggle. You may feel tempted to step in, especially when they seem just one step away from the answer. Still, a little patience can go a long way.
When you give your child time to think things through, you help them develop problem-solving skills they can use far beyond math.
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Imagine your child gets 12 slope problems for homework. By the time they reach the third one, they know exactly which formula to use.
Now imagine a test with questions about slope, percentages, equations, and ratios all mixed together. Before your child can solve each problem, they have to figure out which skill it calls for.
Although this may seem harder, research suggests that mixing problem types can help students remember what they learn and apply it later.
In a three-month study involving 126 seventh graders, students who practiced problems in mixed sets scored 74% on those problems a month after the final review. Students who practiced one type of problem at a time scored just 42%.
You can turn mixed practice into a quick card game before the next math test:
Pick two problems from each of the last four topics your child covered in class.
Write each problem on the front of an index card and the skill it uses on the back.
Shuffle the cards and place them face down.
Your child flips a card and names the skill. Then they check the back and solve the problem.
If they aren’t sure where to start, ask, “What are you trying to find?” or “Have you solved a problem like this before?” Give them a chance to think before you offer a hint.
Mixed practice works best after your child has learned the basics of each topic. When a concept is new, start with a few similar problems so they can learn the steps. Once those steps make sense, mix in other problem types to help your child decide when and how to use them.
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When your learner rereads their math notes, it can feel productive because the formulas look familiar and the examples make sense. Then comes the test, and suddenly, that formula won’t come to mind. Why and how does this happen?
In 2013, a research team of psychologists reviewed 10 common study techniques. Practice testing earned one of the two highest ratings. The researchers rated rereading and highlighting poorly because the evidence showed that these techniques were less effective at improving learning and test performance.
In practice, that means your child will probably learn and remember more by quizzing themselves than by rereading their notes. Every time they pull an idea from memory, it gets easier to remember the next time.
Even with no test on the calendar, you and your child can practice this skill with a blank sheet of paper.
Pick two or three problems your child solved a few days ago and cover their old answers.
Have them solve it again on a blank sheet without looking at their notes.
Compare the new answers with the old ones, and check the notes for any step your child forgot.
For example, last week’s homework might include 3 + 4 × 2. If your child remembers that multiplication comes before addition, they’ll get 11. If they work left to right and get 14, their notes will show the step they forgot, and that’s the rule to review.
Your child has to work harder to remember last week’s lesson than this morning’s, and that extra effort helps the lesson stay with them.
If a learner forgets steps from more lessons than you can review at home, they may have knowledge gaps from earlier topics. Structured support can help them fill those gaps before the next unit builds on them.
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At Mathnasium, we build each student’s personalized learning plan around how they learn best, and our tutors bring these study habits into every session.
Mathnasium is a math-only learning center dedicated to helping K–12 students of all skill levels excel in math.
These five techniques can make practice time at home more effective, but sometimes a disappointing test score points to gaps that independent practice alone can’t address. In those cases, a closer look at your child’s understanding can help identify what’s missing and what kind of support would help.
We provide that personalized approach through the Mathnasium Method™, our proprietary teaching approach that closes exactly the gap a student has, built around their needs and learning style to help them learn and master math.
Our approach includes the following:
Assessment and Personalized Learning Plans: Each student begins their Mathnasium journey with a diagnostic assessment that identifies their current skill level, specific knowledge gaps, and learning goals. From those findings, we build a personalized learning plan tailored to their needs.
Teaching for Understanding: Our specially trained tutors use natural language and a mix of verbal, visual, mental, tactile, and written techniques so each concept lands before we move forward.
Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking: We give students time to work through problems independently. That productive struggle helps them learn to trust their own reasoning. When we do step in, we explain both the how and the why behind each answer, so students build problem-solving and critical thinking skills they can use in math and beyond.
An Engaging and Fun Learning Environment: Sessions include games, earned rewards, and consistent celebration of progress. Students build confidence alongside fluency, and many gradually develop a more positive relationship with math.
We hear from parents every semester that the progress shows up exactly where it matters most:
94% of parents report improvement in their child's math skills and understanding
93% of parents report an improved attitude toward math after attending Mathnasium
90% of students saw improvement in their school grades
With over 1,200 learning centers across North America, we likely have a location near you.
Families across Del Amo and nearby communities, including Torrance, Redondo Beach, and Manhattan Beach, trust Mathnasium of Del Amo to help their children build lasting math skills.
If your child needs help turning these techniques into better results on test day, our team is ready to help.
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Mathnasium of Del Amo is a math-only learning center for K-12 students in 90503, CA. Trusted by over a million parents, Mathnasium uses personalized learning plans and the proprietary Mathnasium Method™ to help students catch up, keep up, and get ahead on their math journey.
Our specially trained tutors deliver face-to-face instruction in a supportive and fun small-group environment, working with students both in center and online to develop a deep understanding of math, build confidence, and improve academic performance.
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