10 Study Tips That Actually Work for Ontario Students
September 22, 2026-
7 Min
What Teachers See Working, Year After Year
Exam season in Ontario — January and June for high school students, and year-end assessments for younger ones — brings the same question every year: how should my child actually study? Not all studying is equal. These ten strategies are the ones teachers see working, year after year, with real students.
1. Space it out
Studying a little over several days beats cramming the night before, every time. When your child first learns something in class, a short review that evening — then again two days later, then again next week — locks it into long-term memory. Even three twenty-minute sessions beat one exhausting hour.
2. Quiz yourself
Reading notes over and over feels productive but barely helps. Closing the book and trying to recall the material — with flashcards, practice questions, or just a blank page — is one of the most powerful study methods there is. It feels harder, and that effort is exactly why it works.
3. Teach it to someone else
If your child can explain a concept to you in simple words, they understand it. If they stumble, they have found the gap. Have them teach you the lesson at the dinner table — you will both quickly discover what needs more work.
4. Mix it up
Instead of doing thirty identical fraction questions in a row, mix fractions, decimals, and word problems together. Mixing forces the brain to decide which strategy to use, which is exactly what tests demand. It feels messier in the moment and pays off on test day.
5. Practise with past tests
The closest thing to the real test is a test that looks like it. Past quizzes, teacher review sheets, and sample questions show your child the format, the wording, and the time pressure — so nothing on the day feels unfamiliar.
6. Sleep on it
Memory consolidates during sleep, which makes an all-nighter one of the worst study strategies. A well-rested brain recalls more, thinks faster, and handles stress better. Protect sleep the night before a test like it is part of the study plan — because it is.
7. Put the phone away
Every glance at a phone breaks concentration, and rebuilding focus takes far longer than the glance itself. During study time, the phone goes in another room — not face-down on the desk. Twenty-five focused minutes beat an hour of distracted half-studying.
8. Take real breaks
The brain learns in sprints, not marathons. Study for about 25 to 30 minutes, then take a genuine five-minute break: stretch, get water, step outside. Then back at it. Four focused sprints will cover more ground than one bleary two-hour session.
9. Set up a study spot
A consistent, quiet, well-lit spot with everything needed — pencils, calculator, water — removes a dozen small excuses to get up. It also trains the brain: sitting down in the study spot becomes a cue that it is time to focus.
10. Ask for help early
The number one study tip is also the most ignored: do not wait until you are lost. One confusing lesson becomes three confusing lessons very quickly in math and science. Asking the teacher, a classmate, or a tutor for help the week you get stuck — not the week before exams — makes all the difference.
No student needs all ten at once. Pick two or three, try them for a couple of weeks, and watch what changes. And if your child is putting in the effort but the results are not following, that is usually a sign of gaps in understanding rather than gaps in effort — which is exactly what a good tutor is for.
Try a Free Session
The best way to see if tutoring is right for your child is to try it. Book a free trial session with one of our Ontario-certified teachers — online or in person in Brampton — and get an honest sense of where your child stands and what would help most.
Prefer to talk first? Call (647) 624-8393 or message us on WhatsApp.