How to Manage Difficult Homework Assignments: Practical Strategies That Actually Help

Do Not Confuse Rereading With Learning

One of the easiest traps in difficult homework is passive studying.

You read the same paragraph three times. It looks familiar, so you assume you understand it. Then the textbook closes and you cannot explain the concept.

That is why retrieval practice is useful. Instead of repeatedly looking at information, try recalling it without looking at your notes.

After reading a section, close the book and ask:

What are the three most important things I just learned?

Write the answers from memory.

Then check your notes.

Anything you missed becomes your next study target.

The What Works Clearinghouse specifically recommends quizzing and active retrieval as a way to strengthen learning, while the Learning Scientists identify retrieval practice as one of several evidence-informed study strategies.

This works particularly well when homework is also preparation for an exam.

Use Worked Examples—But Do Not Just Copy Them

A worked example can be extremely helpful when you are learning mathematics, chemistry, physics, accounting, or another problem-solving subject.

But there is an important difference between studying an example and copying its method without understanding it.

Try this instead:

1. Read the worked example.
2. Cover the solution.
3. Identify why each step was necessary.
4. Attempt a similar problem yourself.
5. Compare your approach with the example.
6. Find the exact step where your reasoning differed.

The U.S. Department of Education's learning guidance recommends combining worked examples with opportunities for students to solve problems themselves.

If you can solve only the exact question you just saw, you may have memorized the procedure rather than learned the concept.

Turn Abstract Ideas Into Concrete Examples

Some subjects become much easier once you stop dealing with definitions alone.

Imagine you are struggling with genetics. You might memorize terms such as genotype, phenotype, allele, and inheritance without understanding how they connect.

Create a simple example instead.

Suppose a homework question asks you to predict possible offspring from two parents with particular alleles. Draw the genetic cross, identify what each parent can contribute, and then explain the result in plain language.

Change one part of the example and see what happens.