How to Help Your Child Study for a Test

When a test is coming up, most kids default to rereading their notes and highlighting their textbook, which feels productive but is one of the least effective ways to study. Decades of research point to a few specific strategies that dramatically improve how much students actually remember. The best part is that these methods often take less total time than cramming. This post explains what works, why it works, and how to put it into practice at home.

Why Rereading Feels Good but Fails

Rereading and highlighting create a sense of familiarity that students mistake for knowing the material. The problem is that recognizing information on a page is very different from being able to recall it on a blank test. Because rereading feels easy, kids often stop studying too soon, convinced they have it down when they do not.

Use Retrieval Practice

The single most powerful study strategy is retrieval practice, which means actively pulling information out of memory rather than putting it back in. Research shows that practicing recall, such as with flashcards or self-quizzing, leads to better long-term retention than simply restudying the same material (National Library of Medicine). Every time your child struggles to recall an answer and then gets it, the memory grows stronger and easier to access next time.

Spread Studying Out Over Time

Spaced practice means spreading study sessions across several days instead of packing them into one long session the night before. Studying for 30 minutes a day over five days produces far better retention than two and a half hours the night before, even though the total time is the same. The small forgetting that happens between sessions is actually what makes the next review so effective.

Turn Notes Into Questions

A practical way to combine these strategies is to help your child turn their notes into questions, then answer them from memory. Cover the answer, attempt it out loud or on paper, then check and correct. This converts passive notes into active practice and shows exactly which topics still need work.

Practice the Way the Test Works

If the test will ask kids to write out answers, then studying should involve writing out answers, not just reading. Matching the study format to the test format builds the specific skill that will be tested. For math, that means working full problems start to finish rather than just watching examples or reading solutions.

Mix Up the Topics

Rather than drilling one topic until it is mastered and then moving on, mix different problem types or subjects within a study session. This approach, sometimes called interleaving, feels harder but trains the brain to choose the right strategy, which is exactly what a real test demands. It is especially helpful for math, where kids need to recognize which method a problem calls for.

Sleep and Calm Beat Cramming

A rested, calm brain recalls information far better than an exhausted one, so a good night of sleep before a test is part of the study plan, not separate from it. Help your child finish reviewing early enough to wind down and rest. If you would like structured, research-backed test prep, SparkWise teachers build retrieval and spaced practice right into our live classes, and a free trial lesson is a simple way to experience it.