What are a couple of things that would help my teen to be better prepared for a test?
This is a matter of quality over quantity! A lot of times, parents will say, you should have studied more! But, really they should have studied better!
This looks like a few things.
Listen in class. Write down what you hear. Not everything, just main points. Details can be looked up later or added onto. Star or circle anything that the teacher says will be on the test.
This will mean 2 things. Getting enough sleep and staying off of your phone. Ignore as many distractions as possible.
When you have time, sit down with the notes, and just read over them. This will remind you of the lecture, which helps it to sink in even more. Then maybe the next day, rewrite or highlight the notes, adding in definitions and examples to make sure that you are working with the material.
Do all homework, even if you don’t have time to do it all, do the odd problems or even or a couple of questions in each section.
Start all projects and papers right away. Look at any rubric or assignment sheet carefully. Aim for the highest point value given for each category. Start by making an outline or jot down notes with your ideas. Write the due date on a calendar and reverse engineer how much work is necessary. Make sure that you keep track of each step you accomplish -cross it off, or put a checkmark by it -this feels so good! Ask questions if you are stumped or confused
If there is a test coming up, do the same thing about reverse engineering. I have a worksheet that breaks all of this down, but make sure that you have all definitions, terms, dates, formulas on a study sheet that you create or that the teacher gives you. This is the KEY to the test! If you look at it a few minutes each night, and do a couple of practice problems (especially the ones that might be more difficult), you will succeed.
College is hard work, practice studying now. Trade school is hard work, practice working now. The military is hard work, practice now. Getting a job is hard work, practice now!