Falling behind in school is one of the worst fears of the average high schooler. Here is how to not fall behind the 8 ball.

A big part of becoming a better student is trying to find your learning style. There are multiple ways and multiple styles. The four core learning styles include visual, auditory, reading and writing, and kinesthetic.

Visual learners are better able to retain information when it’s presented to them in a graphic depiction, such as arrows, charts, diagrams, and symbols. Auditory learners prefer listening to information that is presented to them vocally. These learners work well in group settings where vocal collaboration is present and may enjoy reading aloud to themselves, too. Reading and Writing learners succeed with written information on worksheets, presentations, and other text-heavy resources. These learners are note-takers and perform strongly when they can reference written text. Kinesthetic learners are hands-on and thrive when engaging all of their senses during coursework. These learners tend to work well in scientific studies due to the hands-on lab component of the course.

Organization is a huge way to be successful in high school but also in life. Just a few ways to stay and get organized are writing things down, making schedules and deadlines, not procrastinating, decluttering regularly, and knowing where to discard items. Most of the things can be done with a mobile device or having a composition notebook with you at all times. If you need help with any of these feel free to use any of these resources – Solving Procrastination, Google Calendar, and Evernote.

Distraction-free zones, another big part of being successful inside and outside of the classroom. Making or finding a distraction-free zone can be challenging, but having a distraction-free zone and organization plays a part in time management.

Time management is the most essential part. Some tips to better manage your time are creating a daily schedule (and sticking with it), prioritizing time wisely, avoiding multitasking, and eliminating distractions.

Setting goals and test preparation are also important. An easy way to set goals is using S.M.A.R.T (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, timely).

Jeremy S. Hyman and Lynn F. Jacobs for US News give tips on preparing for tests. They include making sure you divide your studying time over a number of days, rather than leaving it all for the night before, as well as studying for a

test, not for the course, meaning not to attempt to learn weeks’ worth of lectures’ in a week and, instead, focusing on those points you think will be on the test. Hyman and Jacobs also note the importance of knowing exactly what to study and which aspects of a test are worth more, such as essays over multiple-choice. Sleep is also necessary to be able to do well on any test.

Students need to stay in front of the 8 ball. Getting in the habit of proper preparation and responsibility for their classes is crucial to academic success.