How to Help Your Child Study for Math Test Success

We've all been there.  Finally reaching that point at the end of the day where you are home from all of the running around, everyone is fed and settling in, and as a glimpse of taking a moment to exhale comes into view so does your child and they say the dreaded words, "I have a math test tomorrow."  As reality comes back into focus you ask, "On what?" to which I'm going to bet a large percentage of your children out there answer something like, "I don't know, it's stupid."  So how are you supposed to deal with that?  How can you help your child prepare and study for a math test?

"Studying for a math test should not consist of a student looking over math problems from the unit on a chapter review page that was completed earlier that day in class..."

In order to effectively help them, you have got to be on board and in the know of what your child has been learning in math.  How can you accomplish this and be a good study buddy when test day rolls around? 

Studying for a math test is different from studying for a social studies or science test because they are less about memorization and more about demonstrating knowledge through critical thinking.  Studying for a math test should not consist of a student looking over math problems from the unit on a chapter review page that was completed earlier that day in class, it should consist of the student actually working out those problems themselves to see if they can get the answer right on their own.

Here are some tips to help get you started:

1. Do not wait until the night before if possible.  I realize that this is sometimes unavoidable when your student springs it on you at the last minute, but, if at all possible, allow 2 evenings to prepare for a math test.
2. Hopefully they have a Review Test, or some kind of study guide, that you can have them complete to prepare for the test. Beware of them saying that they “did it together in class.”  It is common for teachers to lead the review test the day before as a way to reteach and help students prepare.  However, students should still come home and independently complete a BLANK review test.  Ask your teacher if they can send home a blank copy (if they do not already) so that your student can ensure that they are able to arrive at the correct answer on their own.
3. If they do not receive any test review materials, make your own! Crack open their math book and copy problems from each lesson onto notebook paper.  Be sure to include at least one computational problem and one word problem from each lesson.  Also check the end of the chapter where you will probably find a Review Test.  
4. If you are unsure of exactly how to help your student solve math problems they need help with, our Math Hero Membership for Parents is an AMAZING resource containing tutorial videos, guides with step-by-step instructions for solving math problems and worksheets that contain appropriate practice problems!

One last thing I want to leave you with is that many times students do not perform well on math tests because they struggle with word problems.  They spend the week successfully solving computational problems and feel confident about the upcoming test only to feel defeated and frustrated when the test is 80% word problems that confuse them.  If your child needs help mastering word problems, check out our FREE Guide to Math Word Problems, where we share research proven strategies to help guide your student step by step as they work through a word problem.

Teachers!  We want to help you help your students’ and their parents!  If you think that the information in this article is helpful, please print it off and share it with them before your next big math test :-)