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Everyone struggles with homework sometimes, but if getting your homework done has become a chronic issue for you, then you may need a little extra help. That’s why we’ve written this article all about how to do homework. Once you’re finished reading it, you’ll know how to do homework (and have tons of new ways to motivate yourself to do homework)!

We’ve broken this article down into a few major sections. You’ll find:

• A diagnostic test to help you figure out why you’re struggling with homework
• A discussion of the four major homework problems students face, along with expert tips for addressing them
• A bonus section with tips for how to do homework fast

By the end of this article, you’ll be prepared to tackle whatever homework assignments your teachers throw at you .

So let’s get started!

How to Do Homework: Figure Out Your Struggles 

Sometimes it feels like everything is standing between you and getting your homework done. But the truth is, most people only have one or two major roadblocks that are keeping them from getting their homework done well and on time. 

The best way to figure out how to get motivated to do homework starts with pinpointing the issues that are affecting your ability to get your assignments done. That’s why we’ve developed a short quiz to help you identify the areas where you’re struggling. 

Take the quiz below and record your answers on your phone or on a scrap piece of paper. Keep in mind there are no wrong answers! 

1. You’ve just been assigned an essay in your English class that’s due at the end of the week. What’s the first thing you do?

A. Keep it in mind, even though you won’t start it until the day before it’s due  B. Open up your planner. You’ve got to figure out when you’ll write your paper since you have band practice, a speech tournament, and your little sister’s dance recital this week, too.  C. Groan out loud. Another essay? You could barely get yourself to write the last one!  D. Start thinking about your essay topic, which makes you think about your art project that’s due the same day, which reminds you that your favorite artist might have just posted to Instagram...so you better check your feed right now. 

2. Your mom asked you to pick up your room before she gets home from work. You’ve just gotten home from school. You decide you’ll tackle your chores: 

A. Five minutes before your mom walks through the front door. As long as it gets done, who cares when you start?  B. As soon as you get home from your shift at the local grocery store.  C. After you give yourself a 15-minute pep talk about how you need to get to work.  D. You won’t get it done. Between texts from your friends, trying to watch your favorite Netflix show, and playing with your dog, you just lost track of time! 

3. You’ve signed up to wash dogs at the Humane Society to help earn money for your senior class trip. You: 

A. Show up ten minutes late. You put off leaving your house until the last minute, then got stuck in unexpected traffic on the way to the shelter.  B. Have to call and cancel at the last minute. You forgot you’d already agreed to babysit your cousin and bake cupcakes for tomorrow’s bake sale.  C. Actually arrive fifteen minutes early with extra brushes and bandanas you picked up at the store. You’re passionate about animals, so you’re excited to help out! D. Show up on time, but only get three dogs washed. You couldn’t help it: you just kept getting distracted by how cute they were!

4. You have an hour of downtime, so you decide you’re going to watch an episode of The Great British Baking Show. You: 

A. Scroll through your social media feeds for twenty minutes before hitting play, which means you’re not able to finish the whole episode. Ugh! You really wanted to see who was sent home!  B. Watch fifteen minutes until you remember you’re supposed to pick up your sister from band practice before heading to your part-time job. No GBBO for you!  C. You finish one episode, then decide to watch another even though you’ve got SAT studying to do. It’s just more fun to watch people make scones.  D. Start the episode, but only catch bits and pieces of it because you’re reading Twitter, cleaning out your backpack, and eating a snack at the same time.

5. Your teacher asks you to stay after class because you’ve missed turning in two homework assignments in a row. When she asks you what’s wrong, you say: 

A. You planned to do your assignments during lunch, but you ran out of time. You decided it would be better to turn in nothing at all than submit unfinished work.  B. You really wanted to get the assignments done, but between your extracurriculars, family commitments, and your part-time job, your homework fell through the cracks.  C. You have a hard time psyching yourself to tackle the assignments. You just can’t seem to find the motivation to work on them once you get home.  D. You tried to do them, but you had a hard time focusing. By the time you realized you hadn’t gotten anything done, it was already time to turn them in. 

Like we said earlier, there are no right or wrong answers to this quiz (though your results will be better if you answered as honestly as possible). Here’s how your answers break down: 

• If your answers were mostly As, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is procrastination. 
• If your answers were mostly Bs, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is time management. 
• If your answers were mostly Cs, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is motivation. 
• If your answers were mostly Ds, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is getting distracted. 

Now that you’ve identified why you’re having a hard time getting your homework done, we can help you figure out how to fix it! Scroll down to find your core problem area to learn more about how you can start to address it. 

And one more thing: you’re really struggling with homework, it’s a good idea to read through every section below. You may find some additional tips that will help make homework less intimidating. 

How to Do Homework When You’re a Procrastinator  

Merriam Webster defines “procrastinate” as “to put off intentionally and habitually.” In other words, procrastination is when you choose to do something at the last minute on a regular basis. If you’ve ever found yourself pulling an all-nighter, trying to finish an assignment between periods, or sprinting to turn in a paper minutes before a deadline, you’ve experienced the effects of procrastination. 

If you’re a chronic procrastinator, you’re in good company. In fact, one study found that 70% to 95% of undergraduate students procrastinate when it comes to doing their homework. Unfortunately, procrastination can negatively impact your grades. Researchers have found that procrastination can lower your grade on an assignment by as much as five points ...which might not sound serious until you realize that can mean the difference between a B- and a C+. 

Procrastination can also negatively affect your health by increasing your stress levels , which can lead to other health conditions like insomnia, a weakened immune system, and even heart conditions. Getting a handle on procrastination can not only improve your grades, it can make you feel better, too! 

The big thing to understand about procrastination is that it’s not the result of laziness. Laziness is defined as being “disinclined to activity or exertion.” In other words, being lazy is all about doing nothing. But a s this Psychology Today article explains , procrastinators don’t put things off because they don’t want to work. Instead, procrastinators tend to postpone tasks they don’t want to do in favor of tasks that they perceive as either more important or more fun. Put another way, procrastinators want to do things...as long as it’s not their homework! 

3 Tips f or Conquering Procrastination 

Because putting off doing homework is a common problem, there are lots of good tactics for addressing procrastination. Keep reading for our three expert tips that will get your homework habits back on track in no time. 

#1: Create a Reward System

Like we mentioned earlier, procrastination happens when you prioritize other activities over getting your homework done. Many times, this happens because homework...well, just isn’t enjoyable. But you can add some fun back into the process by rewarding yourself for getting your work done. 

Here’s what we mean: let’s say you decide that every time you get your homework done before the day it’s due, you’ll give yourself a point. For every five points you earn, you’ll treat yourself to your favorite dessert: a chocolate cupcake! Now you have an extra (delicious!) incentive to motivate you to leave procrastination in the dust. 

If you’re not into cupcakes, don’t worry. Your reward can be anything that motivates you . Maybe it’s hanging out with your best friend or an extra ten minutes of video game time. As long as you’re choosing something that makes homework worth doing, you’ll be successful. 

#2: Have a Homework Accountability Partner 

If you’re having trouble getting yourself to start your homework ahead of time, it may be a good idea to call in reinforcements . Find a friend or classmate you can trust and explain to them that you’re trying to change your homework habits. Ask them if they’d be willing to text you to make sure you’re doing your homework and check in with you once a week to see if you’re meeting your anti-procrastination goals. 

Sharing your goals can make them feel more real, and an accountability partner can help hold you responsible for your decisions. For example, let’s say you’re tempted to put off your science lab write-up until the morning before it’s due. But you know that your accountability partner is going to text you about it tomorrow...and you don’t want to fess up that you haven’t started your assignment. A homework accountability partner can give you the extra support and incentive you need to keep your homework habits on track. 

#3: Create Your Own Due Dates 

If you’re a life-long procrastinator, you might find that changing the habit is harder than you expected. In that case, you might try using procrastination to your advantage! If you just can’t seem to stop doing your work at the last minute, try setting your own due dates for assignments that range from a day to a week before the assignment is actually due. 

Here’s what we mean. Let’s say you have a math worksheet that’s been assigned on Tuesday and is due on Friday. In your planner, you can write down the due date as Thursday instead. You may still put off your homework assignment until the last minute...but in this case, the “last minute” is a day before the assignment’s real due date . This little hack can trick your procrastination-addicted brain into planning ahead! 

If you feel like Kevin Hart in this meme, then our tips for doing homework when you're busy are for you. 

How to Do Homework When You’re too Busy

If you’re aiming to go to a top-tier college , you’re going to have a full plate. Because college admissions is getting more competitive, it’s important that you’re maintaining your grades , studying hard for your standardized tests , and participating in extracurriculars so your application stands out. A packed schedule can get even more hectic once you add family obligations or a part-time job to the mix. 

If you feel like you’re being pulled in a million directions at once, you’re not alone. Recent research has found that stress—and more severe stress-related conditions like anxiety and depression— are a major problem for high school students . In fact, one study from the American Psychological Association found that during the school year, students’ stress levels are higher than those of the adults around them. 

For students, homework is a major contributor to their overall stress levels . Many high schoolers have multiple hours of homework every night , and figuring out how to fit it into an already-packed schedule can seem impossible. 

3 Tips for Fitting Homework Into Your Busy Schedule

While it might feel like you have literally no time left in your schedule, there are still ways to make sure you’re able to get your homework done and meet your other commitments. Here are our expert homework tips for even the busiest of students. 

#1: Make a Prioritized To-Do List 

You probably already have a to-do list to keep yourself on track. The next step is to prioritize the items on your to-do list so you can see what items need your attention right away. 

Here’s how it works: at the beginning of each day, sit down and make a list of all the items you need to get done before you go to bed. This includes your homework, but it should also take into account any practices, chores, events, or job shifts you may have. Once you get everything listed out, it’s time to prioritize them using the labels A, B, and C. Here’s what those labels mean:

• A Tasks : tasks that have to get done—like showing up at work or turning in an assignment—get an A. 
• B Tasks : these are tasks that you would like to get done by the end of the day but aren’t as time sensitive. For example, studying for a test you have next week could be a B-level task. It’s still important, but it doesn’t have to be done right away.
• C Tasks: these are tasks that aren’t very important and/or have no real consequences if you don’t get them done immediately. For instance, if you’re hoping to clean out your closet but it’s not an assigned chore from your parents, you could label that to-do item with a C.

Prioritizing your to-do list helps you visualize which items need your immediate attention, and which items you can leave for later. A prioritized to-do list ensures that you’re spending your time efficiently and effectively, which helps you make room in your schedule for homework. So even though you might really want to start making decorations for Homecoming (a B task), you’ll know that finishing your reading log (an A task) is more important. 

#2: Use a Planner With Time Labels

Your planner is probably packed with notes, events, and assignments already. (And if you’re not using a planner, it’s time to start!) But planners can do more for you than just remind you when an assignment is due. If you’re using a planner with time labels, it can help you visualize how you need to spend your day.

A planner with time labels breaks your day down into chunks, and you assign tasks to each chunk of time. For example, you can make a note of your class schedule with assignments, block out time to study, and make sure you know when you need to be at practice. Once you know which tasks take priority, you can add them to any empty spaces in your day. 

Planning out how you spend your time not only helps you use it wisely, it can help you feel less overwhelmed, too . We’re big fans of planners that include a task list ( like this one ) or have room for notes ( like this one ). 

#3: Set Reminders on Your Phone 

If you need a little extra nudge to make sure you’re getting your homework done on time, it’s a good idea to set some reminders on your phone. You don’t need a fancy app, either. You can use your alarm app to have it go off at specific times throughout the day to remind you to do your homework. This works especially well if you have a set homework time scheduled. So if you’ve decided you’re doing homework at 6:00 pm, you can set an alarm to remind you to bust out your books and get to work. 

If you use your phone as your planner, you may have the option to add alerts, emails, or notifications to scheduled events . Many calendar apps, including the one that comes with your phone, have built-in reminders that you can customize to meet your needs. So if you block off time to do your homework from 4:30 to 6:00 pm, you can set a reminder that will pop up on your phone when it’s time to get started. 

This dog isn't judging your lack of motivation...but your teacher might. Keep reading for tips to help you motivate yourself to do your homework.

How to Do Homework When You’re Unmotivated 

At first glance, it may seem like procrastination and being unmotivated are the same thing. After all, both of these issues usually result in you putting off your homework until the very last minute. 

But there’s one key difference: many procrastinators are working, they’re just prioritizing work differently. They know they’re going to start their homework...they’re just going to do it later. 

Conversely, people who are unmotivated to do homework just can’t find the willpower to tackle their assignments. Procrastinators know they’ll at least attempt the homework at the last minute, whereas people who are unmotivated struggle with convincing themselves to do it at a ll. For procrastinators, the stress comes from the inevitable time crunch. For unmotivated people, the stress comes from trying to convince themselves to do something they don’t want to do in the first place. 

Here are some common reasons students are unmotivated in doing homework : 

• Assignments are too easy, too hard, or seemingly pointless 
• Students aren’t interested in (or passionate about) the subject matter
• Students are intimidated by the work and/or feels like they don’t understand the assignment 
• Homework isn’t fun, and students would rather spend their time on things that they enjoy 

To sum it up: people who lack motivation to do their homework are more likely to not do it at all, or to spend more time worrying about doing their homework than...well, actually doing it.

3 Tips for How to Get Motivated to Do Homework

The key to getting homework done when you’re unmotivated is to figure out what does motivate you, then apply those things to homework. It sounds tricky...but it’s pretty simple once you get the hang of it! Here are our three expert tips for motivating yourself to do your homework. 

#1: Use Incremental Incentives

When you’re not motivated, it’s important to give yourself small rewards to stay focused on finishing the task at hand. The trick is to keep the incentives small and to reward yourself often. For example, maybe you’re reading a good book in your free time. For every ten minutes you spend on your homework, you get to read five pages of your book. Like we mentioned earlier, make sure you’re choosing a reward that works for you! 

So why does this technique work? Using small rewards more often allows you to experience small wins for getting your work done. Every time you make it to one of your tiny reward points, you get to celebrate your success, which gives your brain a boost of dopamine . Dopamine helps you stay motivated and also creates a feeling of satisfaction when you complete your homework !  

#2: Form a Homework Group 

If you’re having trouble motivating yourself, it’s okay to turn to others for support. Creating a homework group can help with this. Bring together a group of your friends or classmates, and pick one time a week where you meet and work on homework together. You don’t have to be in the same class, or even taking the same subjects— the goal is to encourage one another to start (and finish!) your assignments. 

Another added benefit of a homework group is that you can help one another if you’re struggling to understand the material covered in your classes. This is especially helpful if your lack of motivation comes from being intimidated by your assignments. Asking your friends for help may feel less scary than talking to your teacher...and once you get a handle on the material, your homework may become less frightening, too. 

#3: Change Up Your Environment 

If you find that you’re totally unmotivated, it may help if you find a new place to do your homework. For example, if you’ve been struggling to get your homework done at home, try spending an extra hour in the library after school instead. The change of scenery can limit your distractions and give you the energy you need to get your work done. 

If you’re stuck doing homework at home, you can still use this tip. For instance, maybe you’ve always done your homework sitting on your bed. Try relocating somewhere else, like your kitchen table, for a few weeks. You may find that setting up a new “homework spot” in your house gives you a motivational lift and helps you get your work done. 

Social media can be a huge problem when it comes to doing homework. We have advice for helping you unplug and regain focus.

How to Do Homework When You’re Easily Distracted

We live in an always-on world, and there are tons of things clamoring for our attention. From friends and family to pop culture and social media, it seems like there’s always something (or someone!) distracting us from the things we need to do.

The 24/7 world we live in has affected our ability to focus on tasks for prolonged periods of time. Research has shown that over the past decade, an average person’s attention span has gone from 12 seconds to eight seconds . And when we do lose focus, i t takes people a long time to get back on task . One study found that it can take as long as 23 minutes to get back to work once we’ve been distracte d. No wonder it can take hours to get your homework done! 

3 Tips to Improve Your Focus

If you have a hard time focusing when you’re doing your homework, it’s a good idea to try and eliminate as many distractions as possible. Here are three expert tips for blocking out the noise so you can focus on getting your homework done. 

#1: Create a Distraction-Free Environment

Pick a place where you’ll do your homework every day, and make it as distraction-free as possible. Try to find a location where there won’t be tons of noise, and limit your access to screens while you’re doing your homework. Put together a focus-oriented playlist (or choose one on your favorite streaming service), and put your headphones on while you work. 

You may find that other people, like your friends and family, are your biggest distraction. If that’s the case, try setting up some homework boundaries. Let them know when you’ll be working on homework every day, and ask them if they’ll help you keep a quiet environment. They’ll be happy to lend a hand! 

#2: Limit Your Access to Technology 

We know, we know...this tip isn’t fun, but it does work. For homework that doesn’t require a computer, like handouts or worksheets, it’s best to put all your technology away . Turn off your television, put your phone and laptop in your backpack, and silence notifications on any wearable tech you may be sporting. If you listen to music while you work, that’s fine...but make sure you have a playlist set up so you’re not shuffling through songs once you get started on your homework. 

If your homework requires your laptop or tablet, it can be harder to limit your access to distractions. But it’s not impossible! T here are apps you can download that will block certain websites while you’re working so that you’re not tempted to scroll through Twitter or check your Facebook feed. Silence notifications and text messages on your computer, and don’t open your email account unless you absolutely have to. And if you don’t need access to the internet to complete your assignments, turn off your WiFi. Cutting out the online chatter is a great way to make sure you’re getting your homework done. 

#3: Set a Timer (the Pomodoro Technique)

Have you ever heard of the Pomodoro technique ? It’s a productivity hack that uses a timer to help you focus!

Here’s how it works: first, set a timer for 25 minutes. This is going to be your work time. During this 25 minutes, all you can do is work on whatever homework assignment you have in front of you. No email, no text messaging, no phone calls—just homework. When that timer goes off, you get to take a 5 minute break. Every time you go through one of these cycles, it’s called a “pomodoro.” For every four pomodoros you complete, you can take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes.

The pomodoro technique works through a combination of boundary setting and rewards. First, it gives you a finite amount of time to focus, so you know that you only have to work really hard for 25 minutes. Once you’ve done that, you’re rewarded with a short break where you can do whatever you want. Additionally, tracking how many pomodoros you complete can help you see how long you’re really working on your homework. (Once you start using our focus tips, you may find it doesn’t take as long as you thought!)

Two Bonus Tips for How to Do Homework Fast

Even if you’re doing everything right, there will be times when you just need to get your homework done as fast as possible. (Why do teachers always have projects due in the same week? The world may never know.)

The problem with speeding through homework is that it’s easy to make mistakes. While turning in an assignment is always better than not submitting anything at all, you want to make sure that you’re not compromising quality for speed. Simply put, the goal is to get your homework done quickly and still make a good grade on the assignment! 

Here are our two bonus tips for getting a decent grade on your homework assignments , even when you’re in a time crunch. 

#1: Do the Easy Parts First 

This is especially true if you’re working on a handout with multiple questions. Before you start working on the assignment, read through all the questions and problems. As you do, make a mark beside the questions you think are “easy” to answer . 

Once you’ve finished going through the whole assignment, you can answer these questions first. Getting the easy questions out of the way as quickly as possible lets you spend more time on the trickier portions of your homework, which will maximize your assignment grade. 

(Quick note: this is also a good strategy to use on timed assignments and tests, like the SAT and the ACT !) 

#2: Pay Attention in Class 

Homework gets a lot easier when you’re actively learning the material. Teachers aren’t giving you homework because they’re mean or trying to ruin your weekend... it’s because they want you to really understand the course material. Homework is designed to reinforce what you’re already learning in class so you’ll be ready to tackle harder concepts later.

When you pay attention in class, ask questions, and take good notes, you’re absorbing the information you’ll need to succeed on your homework assignments. (You’re stuck in class anyway, so you might as well make the most of it!) Not only will paying attention in class make your homework less confusing, it will also help it go much faster, too.

What’s Next?

If you’re looking to improve your productivity beyond homework, a good place to begin is with time management. After all, we only have so much time in a day...so it’s important to get the most out of it! To get you started, check out this list of the 12 best time management techniques that you can start using today.

You may have read this article because homework struggles have been affecting your GPA. Now that you’re on the path to homework success, it’s time to start being proactive about raising your grades. This article teaches you everything you need to know about raising your GPA so you can

Now you know how to get motivated to do homework...but what about your study habits? Studying is just as critical to getting good grades, and ultimately getting into a good college . We can teach you how to study bette r in high school. (We’ve also got tons of resources to help you study for your ACT and SAT exams , too!)

These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

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25 websites to get help with your homework.

Homework is stressful. Students often have difficulty understanding the material and are not able to complete assignments on time. Modern technology can help. Many different websites offer online homework and study aids to ensure students gain the confidence they need to learn and succeed. Most websites have professional online tutors to help students in a variety of subjects.

Some university rules consider using online homework help as plagiarism and cheating. However, websites can be beneficial. The way you use a site determines the legality of a website. Remember that paying someone to help you with homework is not illegal since the service is an academic help and provided in good faith. Most sites are conscientious about ensuring the work is your own.

1. 24 Hour Answers

You only pay for what you need and not for an entire system . There are no hidden fees, and the price of this service is unique for every work order submitted. The price depends on the length of the session, level of work difficulty, and the tutor’s expertise. 24 Hour Answers offers help in anthropology, astronomy, biology, business, chemistry, computer science, earth science, education, and many more. Also provided is exam prep class plus study sessions. To submit your homework, click on the form, type your homework questions, attach files, and wait for an answer—schedule online tutoring for the best help with your homework.

2. Academicadvantage.com

Highly educated tutors focus on students in grades K-12 . The study emphasizes academic improvement and building confidence, developing minds through one-on-one and group tutoring . Academic Advantage is a respected and successful online tutoring program providing quality education to tens of thousands of students presented in a professional, flexible, and result-oriented environment.

3. Chelsea International Education

Use this premium in-person and online tutoring service to boost your grades in different subjects, English tutoring, learning study skills, and working for college prep classes. SAT Test Prep online costs $150; English Language online starts from $75, and private tutoring in Math (in-person) begins at $100.00.

Average tutoring sessions are an hour, but language classes can last 30 minutes. SAT and ACT prep classes usually last about 2 hours. How much time you spend on your tutoring depends on the homework assignment and the student’s needs.

Chegg allows you to take a photo of your homework question, and you will receive an answer in 30 minutes or less. The website provides study tools 24/7 at the cost of $14.95 per month (you can cancel at any time). Homework helps include test prep, professional proofreading, and course help with biology, business, engineering, math, and science. You have expert questions and answers and experts to help you understand your assignments.

5. Creative Live

For less than $13 per month , you can get 24/7 access through your desktop, mobile, or TV to new classes and tutoring. We provide exclusive content for subscribers and allow you to download lessons for offline viewing. The right tools to change your career, do better in school, and learn from the world’s top creators. Iconic entrepreneurs and the best-in-class do-ers teach what they know . Tutors are photographers, artists, designers, entrepreneurs, writers, and professionals of all types.

6. Eduboard

Students who are stuck with homework and need answers to problems can contact Eduboard. The site will connect you to a professional tutor online who will provide the most enhanced solution quickly. The tutors are very qualified professionals and teachers who want to share their knowledge and help with homework. You can study under the guidance of expert tutors and learn from well-planned test preparation methods. Upload your assignment, list your problem in your Eduboard account or use the interactive whiteboard to get online tutoring sessions.

7. GeeklyHub

College students spend at least 17 hours a week working on homework tasks. At the same time, students work part-time while studying, and they also have social lives. GeeklyHub has an answer. All you do is explain your problem to a Geek , get matched or choose the Geek that sounds best for you, work with your Geek, and your problems are solved. Payment is sent to a Geek only after the request, and you are satisfied with the outcome.

Payment starts at $22 an hour (a bargain), and you only pay 30% at the time of your order. The rest of the fee is requested after you finish working with your Geek. GeeklyHub, just last week, had over 800 students sign up for homework help. Time is money, and paying a tutor is well worth it.

8. Growingstars.com

Growing Stars is an affordable online homework help and tutoring platform that designs its program to be convenient and accessible wherever you are. One-on-one tutoring sessions and curriculum tailored to the student: what better study group do you need? Students work with an assigned tutor, and these tutors teach from the same textbook the student uses in their schoolwork.

Students access homework, instructional materials, and tests at the student portal. Additional homework help for Math is available for free to those Math students enrolled in the 8/hour month programs.

9. HashLearn

You can have an expert tutor help you with physics, chemistry, mathematics, and biology through award-winning doubt clearing methods included in your Passport (hashlearn) subscription. Students have unlimited access to recorded classes by expert teachers. These teachers promise they know the most challenging concepts and can solve the most complex problems. HashLearn offers a free trial .

10. HelpStudy

HelpStudy connects students with writers from all fields of study. Every writer on the team undergoes vetting before they join the group. Candidates are tested on style, punctuation, grammar, and communication skills. Only the top performers work on your papers.

HelpStudy asks that you don’t pay until you are satisfied. Your deposit stays in a holding account while the writer compiles and perfects your order. There are unlimited edits and revisions offered. In addition to student-friendly essays , HelpStudy presents editing and proofreading services to evaluate your draft and make it submission-ready. Your confidentiality is the top priority. You can stay anonymous throughout your experience without putting your reputation and academic integrity at risk.

11. Juni Learning

Juni strives to empower students to discover what they do best by giving them expert mentorship , strong community support, and a fun learning experience. Juni provides courses and helps in computer science like scratch, python, java, and many more. They also teach students to think like an entrepreneur, offer tutors in mathematics, and offer English tutoring to harness the power of the word.

Juni offers two weeks of instruction for free , and then sessions range from $140/month for one subject to $450 a month for 400+ minutes of learning. Start by choosing a membership plan and class frequency, choose your schedule, instructor, and courses, and start free 2-week trial.

12. Kahoot!

Kahoot is the ideal homework help for students who like online games. There are 100 million ready-to-play lessons that engage students with games that support learning. Kahoot! Standard engages audiences and tests knowledge retention. There can be up to 20 participants in each gaming session, and quiz questions are available. You can try the system for free for seven days or buy it for $19 per month . Homework help includes self-paced challenges, Zoom integration, and playing with teams to get answers to questions.

13. Khan Academy

Khan Academy gives practice exercises, instructional videos, and personalized learning to students. It empowers students to study at their own pace and outside of the classroom. Tutors help with math, science, computing, history, art, economics, and many more. They also do K-14 classes and test preparation for SA, LSAT, and Praxis. Khan Academy focuses on skill mastery to build strong foundations. Teacher dashboards provide summaries of class performance and help determine where a student needs more coaching.

Khan Academy believes education is a human right. As a nonprofit , it offers free , world-class education for anyone who lives anywhere.

14. LessonFace

LessonFace is an online marketplace connecting students with music, language, and acting teachers to help them learn online or in person. Teachers set their rates with the student. If you want to start with Lessonface tutors, select the lesson category on the drop-down menu on the booking page, choose the length of the lesson, select your skill level, and click schedule lesson. If you want recurring lessons, indicate the total number of lessons you want to take.

You can schedule a lesson for just about any type of music, from jazz piano, trumpet to guitar.

15. OneClass

OneClass vows to fill in the gaps in your college education. Homework help is right on the website. You ask a question and receive answers from tutors, classmates, and experts who work with OneClass. Questions are answered in accounting, algebra, anthropology, astronomy, biology, chemistry, calculus, and many more. For unlimited access to Homework Help with OneClass, you need a subscription. Subscriptions start at $9 per month or $24 yearly .

16. PaperCoach

The site offers suggestions on great writing essays , research papers , term papers , and articles . PaperCoach also provides plagiarism detection and Grammarly for perfect docs. Site uses writers who are well-owned and who have published works. Prices range from $10 per paper for a one-page 275-word essay. Check out the website for other pricing. It provides a 3-hour deadline for your work and are 100% safe.

17. School Solver

All subjects are covered. You type in the title of your question to start, and expert tutors will answer your question. You pay what you can afford, and it offer complete privacy options. There is a money-back guarantee if the answer is not correct.

When you ask a question, determine how much you are willing to pay for the answer. If you are not receiving help, renegotiate the price. Remember, getting tutoring support is not cheating. School Solver gives step-by-step explanations to help students find the correct answers.

18. SweetStudy

Get help from top tutors in any subject like applied science, biology, math, business, chemistry, computer science, geology, education, law, and many more. Tutors are there when you need them, and tutors have a track record of success. SweetStudy is affordable with negotiable rates . You only pay for a service when you accept an offer. Prices start at approximately $9.00 .

Post your questions, and a teacher will be there to help you. You can review offers, including pricing, accept the request, and get on with your homework help.

There is an online tutor for you on Skooli. Connect with the best-licensed teachers from across the world. Learn from a one-on-one tutor who is certified in specific subject. Review profiles and read reviews to choose the tutor that is best for you. You can also learn in a digital classroom . Chat, write, draw, and speak, send files, and do research online. Rewatch your tutoring session any time you need a review.

Starter plans begin at $0.82 per minute , and you pay as you go. You can try out the Genius plan for $0.73 a minute for 8 hours or $352.

20. Studypool

Sign up and post your questions. Set a time limit and a price range and choose to make your post anonymous. Suppose you are in a time crunch, select study emergency . You will receive bids from verified tutors who will help you. You can select a tutor by comparing reviews and profiles or have Studypool match you with a tutor based on your profile.

Sit back and wait for your tutor to provide you with a thorough answer. You can also use the messenger feature to collaborate, or you need further explanations for a problem. You only need to pay if you are satisfied with your tutor.

Studypool is 100% private and gives you complete control over how you learn. You can ask questions, get answers, and raise your grades in complete confidence in your tutor and the service.

21. Tutor.com

More than 200 subjects are available, and Tutor.com employs 3,000+ subject matter experts . Students have access to tutors online 24/7, and self-help quizzes are included. There is bilingual tutoring in Spanish and English available for math, science, and social studies. Tutor.com helps students understand core concepts and helps students if they are stuck on a subject. Tutor.com will help you get better grades, and 96% of students would recommend Tutor.com. One hour a month of tutoring includes on-demand sessions plus access on a tablet, desktop, or mobile at $39.99 per month .

22. TutorMe

TutorMe features on-demand tutoring 24/7 and in 30 seconds . You can get help even if you have only one small problem, or book a three-hour learning session. Tutors are thoroughly screened. Lesson spaces feature virtual whiteboards, text editions, audio/video chat, screen sharing. Site covers over 300 subjects across all grade levels.

You can gain excellent grades and learn a lot by subscribing to a monthly term. Two hours of tutoring is $69 per month, 4 hours is $119 per month, and 9 hours of tutoring is $209 per month. It also has a pay-as-you-go plan that is $1 per minute of tutoring.

23. Varsity Tutors

Varsity Tutors works with children who have dyslexia , ADD , or any other learning difference . In other words, students learn in unique ways and have challenging needs. A mentor who knows how to focus and work with EIPs and 504 plans offers personalized approaches. Every educator/tutor goes through a vetting process that includes in-depth interviews, subject knowledge, educating virtually, and passing all personal background checks. Classes include art, English, enrichments, languages, math, science, and test prep.

24. Wize/Wizedemy

Wize offers high-quality content given from expert-led videos, guided practice, prep booklets, and class notes. You learn at your own pace. If you need long-term learning support to help prep for a one-time exam, service will help you. There are over 100,000 students who are studying with Wize in accounting, biology, chemistry, economics, English, finance, math, physics, and more.

Students say that Wize explains concepts concisely and is easy to understand. They like working through the simplified course and having practice questions . 91% of all students would recommend Wize to a friend.

Wyzant believes that one-to-one learning works, and it works better if tutors are accessible, affordable, and convenient. That is the premise of the website to develop an easier way to connect students with experts. Wyzant teaches 300+ subjects and employs 65,000+ instructors . There are no subscriptions or upfront payments – you pay for results only.

Your journey starts by finding a tutor and working through online sessions that take place one-on-one with your tutor in a digital classroom. There is a real-time video chat for direct communication, an interactive whiteboard, and a real-time text editing option.

These websites help students with homework. Homework help is essential to help students manage their stress levels, control the amount of work, and get better grades  in college as well. It has been studied and proven that homework help is essential to improve your memory and thinking skills. It also helps students develop positive study and learning habits . Homework encourages learners to use time wisely, learn independently, and take responsibility. Help with homework platforms reinforce those skills.

Olivia Smith

Olivia Smith is a seasoned content writer and BookScouter website advocate. She believes that high quality well-researched content is the key to success for any business. Having been involved in content marketing for 6+ years, she's proud to help BookScouter users to complement their education and pursue personal development delivering great stories and pieces of advice.

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9 Best Homework Help Websites

July 22, 2023

When I was in high school, resources for extra homework help weren’t exactly abundant. If you were struggling with a Shakespeare sonnet, you could always run to the bookstore and pick up a CliffNotes guide. SparkNotes was also gaining in popularity. But these early homework help resources had limited catalogs and were focused primarily on literature. Today, I imagine students suffer from the opposite problem—having too many choices when it comes to homework help websites. When the options are seemingly endless, knowing what to look out for takes on an added importance. Below, I’ll go through a list of 9 stand-out homework help websites and briefly discuss what makes them worth a visit.

Homework Help Websites – The Basics

The best homework help websites do more than just spit out an answer to that tricky math problem. They actually help students learn the material. Common features of homework help websites are educational videos and lectures, practice tests and quizzes, study tools like flashcards, and Q&As with experts. Many sites offer features that allow students to ask specific questions and get real-time feedback. There are also a number of services that offer one-on-one tutoring. Some homework help sites are free, while others require a paid subscription.

1) Khan Academy

Khan Academy is an amazing resource for students of all ages. It’s free, and it really is an academy—it offers full courses in a wide array of subjects, from pre-K math to high school physics. The courses consist of readings, video lectures, practice exercises, and quizzes. The breadth of material is impressive. In math alone, I see course listings for Algebra 1 and 2, Geometry, Trigonometry, Precalculus, Statistics, Multivariable calculus—you get the idea. Khan Academy also offers a wide variety of AP courses, state-specific curricula, test-prep programs, and life skill courses, like personal finance.

It’s important to note that Khan Academy isn’t a one-on-one tutoring platform. But because of their extensive library of material, the search function is especially powerful. Try it out. I did a search for argumentative essay help, and found a comprehensive guide to writing argumentative essays that was a part of a larger writing course.

Chegg is a paid homework help service. Unlike Khan Academy, Chegg isn’t built around specific courses. Rather, it offers a variety of homework-support resources. Among those resources are plagiarism and grammar checkers, a proofreading service, and a “math solver”, which allows students to enter a problem and get back both a solution and a detailed step-by-step explanation of how the problem was solved. Perhaps the most powerful tool Chegg offers is its “Expert Q&A” feature. This service allows students to take a picture of their homework problem, upload it to the site, and get a detailed response in return. Chegg’s emphasis on process and explanation make it a valuable educational resource for students—not just a way to get a quick answer.

Best Homework Help Websites (Continued)

Quizlet is a well-known and worthwhile study resource. It offers a variety of courses, and it also has an expert-response feature. But Quizlet’s best feature, in my option, is the flashcards tool. Students can create their own digital decks of cards and practice them on Quizlet—just like an old fashion set of index cards. I had a ton of success using Quizlet’s flash card feature to help me memorize words for my foreign language requirement in college. It’s a simple but powerful tool. Although often maligned as a learning method, rote rehearsal and spaced repetition are effective ways to encode information . Quizlet’s flashcard feature is a great way to put those techniques into practice.

4) Socratic

is an AI-powered homework support app that allows students to type or take pictures of questions and receive solutions right away. Since it works with AI, it relies on the web’s vast stores of accumulated knowledge—you’re not interacting with a human tutor. Nonetheless, I found it to be an extremely helpful tool. I tried it out first using a specific math problem. In just a few seconds I was provided with the solution and an explainer with relevant formulas, plus a graphic to help visualize the underlying logic. There were also suggested links to additional resources. For example, when I asked Socratic to explain how the German genitive case works, it suggested a YouTube video and a number of articles from blogs and other language-learning sites.

Since Socratic doesn’t feature courses or one-on-one tutoring support, I wouldn’t lean on it if I were really struggling in a particular class. But as a tool to check your work, make sure you’re on the right track, and become aware of additional resources, it’s worth a download.

5) Photomath

Photomath is, as you might have guessed, a site for math homework help. Like other homework help websites, Photomath allows students to take a picture of a problem and receive an instant, step-by-step solution. Included along with the solution is an explanation of relevant concepts and formulas, plus videos covering mathematical concepts. Photomath does offer a few basic courses, too. So if in addition to homework-specific help you want to brush up on the basics, they’ve got you covered in arithmetic, algebra, and calculus crash courses.

6) Studypool

Studypool is a paid homework support service that provides solutions to specific questions. Studypool offers support in all the major subjects, with a particular emphasis on science. Students can ask questions on everything from anatomy to physics. Like other services, students upload their exact questions or problems directly to the site. But Studypool’s payment model is a bit different: instead of paying for tutoring time or a monthly subscription, students pay for solutions to each question they submit. When a student submits a question, tutors submit bids to answer them. The student then can select which tutor/price option works best. After students select the price and tutor they want, they’re connected with the tutor and given the solution and explanation via messenger.

The draw of Studypool is that it gives students access to real (i.e., human) tutors who are experts in their field. The downside is that pricing isn’t transparent, and students pay per question.

7) College Info Geek

College Info Geek is the study-support website that I wish I knew about when I was in high school and college (they didn’t pay me to write that, I swear). The site focuses not on specific courses or questions, but on how to become a more effective learner. Here it’s all about “learning how to learn”—study tips, memorization and note-taking techniques, and much more. The articles are well-researched, clearly-communicated, practical, and comprehensive. For example, the article on how to improve your memory includes a breakdown of the different types of memory processes, memorization techniques, and even a discussion of how nutrition affects memory. College Info Geek is a great resource for everyone, not just high school and college students.

8) SparkNotes

Yes, Sparknotes made the list! The site offers lessons in a whole bunch of subjects—biology, chemistry, computer science, history, philosophy, math—but its specialty is literature. SparkNotes provides summaries and analyses of novels, short stories, poetry, and non-fiction, from The Canterbury Tales to Toni Morrison, Saul Bellow, and Junot Diaz. SparkNotes breaks down books into sub-sections and provides synopses and analyses for each section. There are also separate pages for character breakdowns, discussions of themes and motifs, and explanations of important quotes. I’d caution against using SparkNotes if you’re trying to “hack” a novel or poem and get simple answers about what it “means.” But as a way to supplement your own understanding and interpretation, it’s a great resource. Shmoop is also worth checking out for extra support in literature, poetry, mythology, and the history of literary movements.

9) Grammarly

I’m not sure if Grammarly is an obvious or unexpected choice to round out the list. Either way, it deserves a mention here. Grammarly is a writing tool. It checks and suggests corrections for incorrectly spelled words and misused punctuation. But Grammarly also scans and corrects for things like clarity and vocab usage. It flags sentences that are vague, or overly wordy, and alerts you if you’re using that flashy vocab word incorrectly. It even gives suggestions if it thinks your writing is a bit bland. I don’t see Grammarly as a crutch, but rather as a tool. It can help you master those pesky recurring grammar and usage issues. Always mix up effect and affect? Grammarly will continue to course correct until you’ve got it down yourself.

Homework Help Websites – Final Thoughts

None of the above homework help websites should be seen as a panacea. Each has benefits and drawbacks, strengths and weak points. The list is far from exhaustive. And the sites don’t have to be used in isolation. Try a few out, mix and match. College Info Geek is an excellent supplement to any study regimen. Socratic can be used as a tool to check answers for math homework, and at the same time you can use Grammarly to describe your problem to a tutor on Chegg. At their best, these sites are more than quick fixes to stubborn homework problems—they’re aids to genuine learning.

Additional Resources

You should also check out College Transitions’ “ High School Success ” blogs for help with a number of common high school assignments, including:

• Lord of the Flies Summary & Analysis 
• The Great Gatsby and The American Dream
• Analysis of Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” Speech
• Robert Frost’s Road Not Taken Analysis 
• High School Success

Dane Gebauer

Dane Gebauer is a writer and teacher living in Miami, FL. He received his MFA in fiction from Columbia University, and his writing has appeared in Complex Magazine and Sinking City Review .

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10 Resources to Help You Study and Work from Home

As school systems temporarily close their doors to stop the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), an increasing number of students may find themselves hitting the books from their homes. Along with providing students with a way to stay busy during the quarantine, online education prevents them from falling behind in class while enabling them to prep for college and beyond. 

Studying and working from home come with numerous challenges, especially when it comes to staying focused. Luckily, modern technology provides plenty of resources to help students achieve their goals. If it’s been difficult for you to be productive at home, the odds are there’s a website or app to meet your needs. Keep reading for 10 free resources to help you study or work from home.

10 Resources for Studying and Working from Home

Want to ensure your work-from-home efforts are a success? From combatting productivity problems to sticking to a schedule, the following resources will help you stay organized in these uncertain times:

1. If you’re having trouble following a schedule…

Adhering to a study schedule can be challenging if you only have yourself to answer to. If you’re used to scheduled classes and strict deadlines, think about downloading the free Marinara Timer app as a way of staying on track. A takeoff on the well-known Pomodoro timer, which suggests 25 minutes of work followed by 5 minutes of relaxation, the Marinara Timer lets you customize time segments in advance based on your specific workload and needs. 

2. If you need to block out distractions…

Between cell phones and TV, the average home is packed with distractions that can impede your ability to work or study. Fortunately, a number of blocking apps exist to stop you from watching YouTube videos or shopping ModCloth when you have work to do. An all-in-one distraction blocking app that’s free, Freedom stops users from opening websites or apps while they’re supposed to be studying. 

3. If you struggle to stay organized…

If you’re studying from home for the first time, you might have trouble keeping your notes organized for multiple classes. That’s where Evernote comes in. Designed to store and organize multiple sets of notes in one location, this app allows you to create study guides and share information with friends and classmates in different locations. As a bonus, students can currently get a year of Evernote Premium at 50% off, but there’s also a free Basic version.

4. If proofreading is your weak point…

Even the most insightful, thought-provoking papers and essays can be destroyed by sloppy writing. If spelling and grammar are your weak spots, think about downloading Grammarly to ensure the work you complete at home is as strong as possible. A free browser add-on, Grammarly helps you correct your mistakes while identifying areas where your skills need improvement. 

5. If you need a better to-do list…

Between classwork, standardized testing, and college application work, prioritizing tasks can be a challenge when you’re working from home. Designed to free up valuable mental real estate, the Todoist app allows you to arrange tasks in order of importance. Once you know nothing can slip through the cracks, you can focus on completing each task one at a time. Todoist offers both a free Basic version and paid Premium version.

You can also try Trello , a free website and app that allows you to build lists. The main page is called a board, which is the space for your lists. Under each list, you can write “cards,” which have space for a title, deadline, label, attachments, notes, and comments. Trello is especially useful if the things on your to-do list involve multiple steps or different categories, as you can make separate lists for those. It’s also helpful for collaborating with others on projects, as you can claim cards and invite multiple people to your Trello board.

6. If your worst subject is math…

If you struggle in your math classes, you might find studying this subject at home to be especially challenging. It can be even harder if you don’t have a scientific calculator to help you with your homework. Fortunately, MyScript Calculator allows you to handwrite calculations on a phone or tablet, which it will then solve automatically.

7. If you need to scan documents or images…

Not all tasks and assignments can be submitted via email. If you need to scan documents for work or school, think about downloading Scanner Pro 7 . An app that turns your phone or tablet into a scanner, this $3.99 purchase allows you to scan book pages, photos, and more. As a bonus, the app automatically removes shadows and other defects from your images.

There are also free versions in the app store, such as Simple Scan . Just keep in mind that the functionality of free apps is likely more limited.

8. If you need to do some reading…

Just because you can’t hit the library doesn’t mean you have to spend a fortune ordering your books from Amazon or Barnes and Noble. A free resource for students of all ages, Project Gutenberg is an online library of 60,000 e-books including many of the classics that feature prominently on school reading lists. Browse by author, title, subject, language, and categories.

You can also use Overdrive to borrow ebooks for free, if your local library participates (many do!).

9. If you need a soundtrack for studying…

While many students prefer to work with a little background noise, Brain.fm takes study music a step further. In fact, the app uses patented processes to create music proven to help people learn. The website claims to remove distractions from sound to help you focus on the task at hand. You can try 5 sessions for free and see if it works for you.

10. If you need help with your college essays (or regular school essays)…

Just because you’re embarking on the admissions process from home doesn’t mean you’re on your own when writing college essays. To that end, CollegeVine offers a peer essay review service that students can use for free. All you have to do is submit a copy of your essay online and wait for the comments to roll in. Additionally, you can review other students’ essays to learn more about the writing process and garner insight to improve your own writing.

If you or a loved one is embarking on the college admissions journey, then you probably know that the COVID-19 outbreak is impacting the application process for students nationwide. At CollegeVine, we’re passionate about keeping families informed throughout the pandemic. With that in mind, we created our Coronavirus Information Center to provide you with the latest news and developments. Check back regularly for test dates, application tips, and blogs regarding the epidemic and its effect on education.

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

How can I stay motivated to complete homework?

Break down your study goals into smaller, more attainable chunks. Instead of panicking over the final page count for a long essay, take on each subtopic in the essay individually, and overcome them one by one.

Another way to stay motivated to complete your homework is to tie a carrot to the end of the stick, so to speak. For example, you can tell yourself, “Once I finish this assignment, and only when I’ve finished this assignment, I can hang out with my friends or play video games.”

Of course, you can also motivate yourself to complete your homework by thinking about how your accomplishment will positively benefit your future. You can think along the lines of, “If I stop procrastinating on this homework assignment and finish it now, I’ll get a better grade in class. If I get a better grade in class, my overall GPA will be higher, and I will look better on my college applications!”

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Home › Study Tips › How To Deal With A Lot Of Homework? 8 Tips

How To Deal With A Lot Of Homework? 8 Tips

• Published January 22, 2023

Deadlines can be an incredibly stress-inducing thing. With each passing day, the homework deadlines grow ever closer.

But your work output doesn’t seem to keep pace until finally, in a fit of frantic desperation, you complete the majority of the task in the last 3 hours before it’s due. You’re not alone.

We have no firm figures but based upon our own rather hasty research directly before writing this piece. The percentage of people in the world who habitually procrastinate to some degree equals approximately 99.9999999%.

We don’t know who that .0000001 is, but we’re reasonably sure we wouldn’t enjoy their company.

1. Examples Of Procrastinators

Some famous habitual procrastinators include the likes of French poet and novelist Victor Hugo. Or, American author Herman Melville, and British author Douglas Adams.

Of course, based on their creative output, one would assume that each of these people found ways of meeting their deadlines, and you’d be right.

Victor Hugo used the popular focusing technique of being stripped naked in his study by a servant, who was given strict orders not to return with the clothing until a pre-arranged hour. Melville had his wife chain him to his desk in order to finish Moby Dick.

Douglas Adams regularly required publishers to lock him in rooms and stand guard, glowering menacingly until he produced a manuscript. Alright, then.

Let’s explore a few less extreme ways to cope with an impending deadline.

2. Take Smaller Bites If You Have Too Much Homework

Anyone who’s ever attempted to shed a few unwanted pounds has probably heard or read the advice to take smaller bites, chew your food thoroughly, etc., etc.… This is excellent advice in both weight loss and in the avoidance of procrastination (albeit for very different reasons).

One of the biggest triggers of procrastination is making the crippling mistake of thinking of whatever project you’re working on as one gigantic, hulking menace glaring at you from a distance. He’s probably also holding a large club with spikes coming out of it (although that may just be us).

Divide the overall workload into smaller, more manageable bites. Say, for example, that you’re writing an article listing and detailing the top 20 universities in the UK.

The assignment is to write a total of 10,000 words. Returning briefly to our diet analogy, that initially seems roughly equivalent to being asked to consume an entire roasted goose in one sitting (but without the irresistible allure of the roasted goose).

Following the principle of the smaller bite, however, you’re able to say to yourself, “I don’t have to spill out 10,000 brilliant words onto the page all at once. I’ve got 20 universities to write about. That’s 500 words apiece. Let’s tackle that first one and then worry about the next.”

Taken even further, you realise that each university will have sub-sections of approximately 100 words each. “100 words is nothing!” you exclaim.

And so, you’re able to jump into your project with much less trepidation and despair.

3. Break The Task Up

Of course, breaking the task into smaller pieces is fine for getting you past that stumbling block of the blank page. But you should be aware of one possible pitfall: If you break things down too far, you might decide the project is so easy that you can wait a week or two to get started.

This is bad. A necessary addendum to the “Take Smaller Bites” technique is the “Make Smaller Deadlines” technique. With each sub-step you identify, you should also set a sub-deadline to keep you on track toward completing the entire project.

This is especially important when the overall deadline is further off into the hazy future. The farther out the deadline is, the easier it is to convince yourself to wait another day. Or two. Or twelve.

Smaller bites work well, but if you don’t pair them with smaller deadlines, you’ll likely end up facing the entire project in one go just as you feared you would from the beginning.

4. Give Yourself Permission to Fail

One of the biggest reasons for procrastination is not laziness  but perfectionism . Thomas Edison is a famous American inventor and originator of the electric light bulb and other modern conveniences. He famously refused to accept that he had  failed 10,000 times , opting instead to assert that he’d  found 10,000 ways that didn’t work.

It’s a valid point. From inventors to scientists to actors in rehearsals, brilliant discoveries and stunning performances can’t just spring fully-formed out of nothingness. They’re invariably the result of working through countless failures on the way toward eventual success.

Suppose you’re putting off starting a project because it’s just not the perfect time or because it might not be good enough. Well, you’re right. There is no ideal time, and your first (and second, and third…) try probably won’t be good enough. But you have to allow yourself the freedom to make those initial failures if you ever aspire to succeed truly.

If you’re writing an essay , a poem, or a novel, get something on the page. Sit down now and scribble down an initial list of required tasks if you’re planning an event. That first page may well end up in the trash, and that initial list will no doubt be incomplete.

But that “failure” will lead you to the next try and the next until perched upon a tower of failures, you finally grasp the elusive fruit of success. It’s in the doing that you’ll find success, not in waiting for the perfect time to begin.

5. Eliminate Distractions

Easier said than done these days is the task of eliminating distractions during the time you’ve committed to working. From phone calls to emails to texts to Facebook to Twitter to Snapchat and on and on and on, it seems the world today is nothing but distractions (or that work is just a distraction from the far more interesting buzzing phone in our pocket).

When it comes to time management, procrastination can be the anti-hero that you really don’t want in a time like this. The trick is to find a way to remove yourself from those things.

The first step is to identify the worst offenders. Is it the TikTok notifications popping up simultaneously on your phone and computer screen? The email or texts making your phone chime every 30 seconds? Or, simply the outside world as viewed through the window in front of your desk? Most likely, it’s a combination of some of these and a few other things we haven’t mentioned.

Once you’ve identified the problem, the actions you take are entirely up to you. Is signing out of TikTok enough, or do you need the nuclear option of deactivating the account? Will turning off the phone suffice, or will you need to have a friend or family member keep it for you? Can you close the blind or move your desk? Or must you board up the window? Be honest with yourself. Only you know the extents to which you need to resort to finish your homework.

…To yourself. Only to yourself.

When dealing with a deadline of any sort, it’s usually an excellent idea to set a personal deadline in advance of the actual due date. In other words, lie to yourself about when it’s due. The benefits of this approach are apparent. If your project is due in 3 weeks, and you give yourself 2 weeks, that gives you an entire week to address any unexpected issues that may arise. For example, a part of the homework assignment might be more complex than you initially anticipated.

Of course, this only works if you’re particularly good at lying to yourself. Some can’t ignore the actual due date, so they end up skipping a day of work here and there because they know they’ve got an extra week to get it done. If you’re not gullible enough to believe your own lies, the only option is to add some urgency to your earlier deadline. Have a trusted friend or family member change your social media passwords and only reveal them once you’ve met the deadline.

Give your debit card to your mom and live off only a small daily allowance until the deadline is met. Be creative, but make it something that will motivate you. You’ll thank yourself when you’ve finished your project a week early, and you can relax while everyone else is still sweating it out.

7. Prioritise the most important or difficult tasks first

You may be asking yourself how you can do this – and the simple answer to that is to create an Eisenhower Matrix. It’s a time management skills tool that can help students prioritise difficult assignments by tackling them first.

The Eisenhower Matrix, or the Urgent-Important Matrix, can help prioritise tasks based on their urgency and importance. It may feel like a chore, but use these steps to give you a head start before you complete all your work:

• Write a list of your homework tasks.
• Divide a sheet of paper into four quadrants, labelling each one as “Urgent and Important,” “Important but Not Urgent,” “Urgent but Not Important,” and “Not Urgent or Important.”
• Place each homework task into the appropriate quadrant based on its level of urgency and importance.
• Start with the “Urgent and Important” tasks and work on them first. These are the homework projects that are due soon and are critical to your grades.
• Next, move on to the “Important but Not Urgent” tasks. These are assignments that are important to your long-term success but do not have a pressing deadline.
• Next, the “Urgent but Not Important” assignments. These are tasks that may be due soon but are not critical to your success.
• Finally, the bottom of the pile is “Not Urgent or Important” tasks. These tasks are neither critical nor time-sensitive.

Using this matrix will help you to prioritise your homework and ensure that you are focusing on the most important tasks first.

8. Manage Your Time To Avoid Burnout

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method that involves breaking work into 25-minute intervals called “Pomodoros” followed by short breaks. During each interval, focus solely on completing a specific task , and then take a short break before starting another Pomodoro.

Repeat this cycle until you have completed all of your homework tasks. Ultimately, this technique helps to increase productivity and prevent burnout by giving your brain regular breaks even though you’re getting too much homework.

9. Seek help when needed, such as from a teacher or tutor.

Feeling overwhelmed by the amount of homework you have as a secondary school student? Fear not, my friend. One strategy to conquer this mountain of assignments is to seek help when needed. But how do you do that?

• Identify the problem: what specifically is causing you to have too much homework? Is it a lack of understanding of the material, difficulty with time management, or something else? Knowing the problem will help you to better communicate it to your teacher or tutor.
• Ask the teacher: your first point of contact should be your teacher. Explain your situation and ask for help. Your teacher may be able to provide you with additional resources or offer to provide extra help during class or after the school day.
• Seek a tutor: If you are still struggling after talking to your teacher, consider seeking help from a tutor. Tutors can provide one-on-one help, can work with you at your own pace and help you with exam preparation .
• Utilise school resources: Many schools have resources such as a homework club or study groups that can help you to manage your workload. Take advantage of these resources if they are available to you.

10. Run Away (haha!)

Sometimes all that’s needed to jumpstart your initiative and get you headed in the right direction is a simple change of venue. There are many resources on the internet to help you choose or arrange your workspace so as to maximise productivity.

One thing to keep in mind is that many productivity experts frown on combining your workspace with your sleeping space. The theory is that combining the two harms both your work and your sleep by confusing your brain as to exactly what the room is meant to be for.

Of course, as a student, your sleeping space may be the only workspace you’ve got. But if you do find your work or rest to be suffering, it might be worth it to move your work sessions to a friend’s room, the library, or another suitable space and save your room for relaxation.

It’s also good to remember that, just because your workspace of choice has been the most inspiring and focused place to get things done in the past, things can change. If your workspace no longer does the job, don’t waste too much time figuring out why. It may just be time for you to find someplace new.

What to do instead of homework?

Whether your homework is complete, or if you’re just managing your time and taking a break, then these 10 activities can keep you active without sitting in front of the TV:

• Exercise or go for a walk: it actually helps to boost your energy levels and improve your focus on your homework.
• Read a book: a great way to relax and unwind while also improving your vocabulary and concentration for future essay writing.
• Meditate or practice yoga: Mindfulness practices can help to reduce stress, and improve focus and other health benefits.
• Organise your space: Organising your workspace space can help to reduce stress and increase productivity.
• Take a nap: A short nap can help to refresh your mind and improve your focus, and who doesn’t love a quick nap?
• Use a study app for students to increase their productivity while keeping you on your phone
• Spend time with friends or family
• Learn a new skill or hobby
• Listen to music or an audiobook
• Write in a journal or diary about how your day is going
• Volunteer in your community

Can Too Much Homework Be Negative To A Student?

Yes, too much homework can be negative for students as it can lead to anxiety and stress due to them feeling overwhelmed. But it depends on the student, their level of understanding, and their individual needs. However, let’s say you’re spending more than 2 hours on homework every night, then that may be ‘too much’.

This can also contribute to sleep deprivation, problems with friends and family and a lack of motivation to learn more.

What is Homework Anxiety?

Homework anxiety is a type of anxiety that can occur in students when they are assigned homework. It is characterised by feelings of stress, worry, and pressure in relation to completing homework assignments. Symptoms of homework anxiety can include procrastination, difficulty concentrating, and physical symptoms such as headaches or stomachaches.

What Causes Homework Anxiety?

For some students, it may be due to a lack of understanding of the material or difficulty with time management. For others, it may be related to perfectionism or fear of failure. Additionally, students who experience homework anxiety may also have underlying anxiety disorders, such as generalised anxiety disorder or OCD.

Do You Feel More Confident To Do Your Homework?

Procrastination is a very common ailment. One that has afflicted most of us at one time or another, but there are ways to keep yourself on track. These six tips are just a few things to consider if you find yourself consistently clamouring to finish your work at the last minute. There are many other resources on the web if you find that these don’t work out for you.

Now, get to work (and good luck).

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7 Apps That Can Do Your Homework Much Faster Than You

In the field of educational technology, some apps might be getting too smart.

More and more apps are delivering on-demand homework help to students, who can easily re-purpose the learning tools to obtain not just assistance, but also answers. Whether or not that’s cheating—and how to stop it—is one of the concerns surrounding a new app that can solve math equations with the snap of a camera . While the software has inspired teachers to create real-world homework problems that can’t be automatically solved , that strategy doesn’t hold up to other apps that tap into real-life brains for solutions.

Here’s a look at 7 apps that can do your homework for you, and what they have to say about cheating:

Price : Free Availability : iOS, Android app coming in early 2015

The new, seemingly magic app allows users to take pictures of typed equations, and then outputs a step-by-step solution. As of Wednesday, the app is the number one free app on the App Store. But the biggest issue, one teacher argues , isn’t if students will use the app to cheat, because many will. Rather, it’s about how teachers will adapt. A PhotoMath spokeswoman said educators have welcomed the app with positive reviews, but the software remains “quite controversial.”

“We didn’t develop PhotoMath as a cheating tool. We really wanted kids to learn,” said Tijana Zganec, a sales and marketing associate at tech company MicroBlink, which created PhotoMath. “If you want to cheat, you will find a way to cheat. But if you want to learn, you can use PhotoMath for that.”

Whether you’re a high schooler with eight periods of classes or a college student tackling dozens of credits, there’s one thing you’ve got for sure: a mess of assignments. iHomework can help you keep track of all your work, slicing and dicing it in a variety of ways. Sorting it by due date, week, month, or by course, the app is more organized than a Trapper Keeper. And in integrating data from Questia, you can link your reading material to your assignments so you don’t have to dig through a pile of papers to find the right information.

A scheduling feature can help you keep track of those random bi-weekly Thursday labs, and you can even mark the location of your courses on a map so you don’t end up on the wrong side of campus. And finally, with iCloud syncing, you can access all this information on whatever Apple-compatible device you’re using at the moment — no need to dig for your iPad.

Google Apps for Education

Taking the search giant’s suite of free browser-based apps and sandboxing them so they are safe for school use, Google Apps for Education is an excellent alternative to the mainstream installable productivity software, but this one has a perk that almost school board will love—it’s free. Packaging together favorites like Gmail, Hangouts, Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Drive with Classroom, a digital hub for organizing assignments and sending feedback, the goal of this collection is to make learning a more collaborative process.

Though Google Apps for Education is cloud-hosted, the programs can be used offline, ideal for when your student needs to escape the internet and work distraction-free. And since it works on any device, it also helps students avoid buying overly expensive hardware. That means more money for extracurricular activities.

Price: Free, but some homework services require payment Availability: iOS and Android

HwPic is a tutoring service that allows students to take send pictures of their homework to tutors, who will then respond within minutes to your questions with a step-by-step solution. There’s even an option to expedite the answers if a student is in a hurry. HwPic Co-Founder Tiklat Issa said that the app was initially rejected by Apple’s App Store, which believed it would promote cheating, but he successfully argued that just because someone uses the app in a way that it’s not meant to be used doesn’t mean the app should be punished.

Issa added that HwPic prohibits cheating in its terms and conditions. Tutors don’t solve homework that has words like “Quiz” or “Exam,” and they often know if a student is sending a photo during a test if they’ve paid for expedited answers, and if the photo is dim, blurry and taken under a desk. “We’ve minimized cheating,” said Issa. “We haven’t eliminated it. That’s kind of unrealistic.”

Wolfram Alpha

Price : $2.99 Availability : iOS and Android

Wolfram Alpha is similar to PhotoMath, only that it targets older students studying high levels of math and doesn’t support photos. The service also outputs step-by-step solutions to topics as advanced as vector calculus and differential equations, making it a popular tool for college students.

“It’s cheating not doing computer-based math, because we’re cheating students out of real conceptual understanding and an ability to drive much further forward in the math they can do, to cover much more conceptual ground. And in turn, that’s cheating our economies,” said Conrad Wolfram, Wolfram Research’s Director of Strategic Development, in a TEDx Talk . “People talk about the knowledge economy. I think we’re moving forward to what we’re calling the computational knowledge economy.”

Homework Helper

Price: Free Availability: iOS and Android

Chinese Internet search company Baidu launched an app called Homework Helper this year with which students can crowdsource help or answers to homework. Users post a picture or type their homework questions onto online forums, and those who answer the questions can win e-coins that can be used to buy electronics like iPhones and laptops.

The app has logged 5 million downloads, much to the dismay of many some parents who argue that the students spend less time thinking about challenging problems. A Homework Helper staffer admitted to Quartz , “I think this is a kind of cheating.”

Price: Free, but some homework services require payment Availability: iOS

Slader is a crowdsourcing app for high school and college students to post and answer questions in math and science. While students can post original homework for help, many questions in popular textbooks have already been answered on the app, according to Fast Company . An Illinois high school said earlier this year that it suspected students were using the service to cheat on their math homework.

Slader argues that it’s “challenging traditional ideas about math and education,” and said that the ideas behind its app “aren’t a write-off to teachers,” according to its blog . Slader told San Francisco media outlet KQED that it shouldn’t be dismissed as a cheating tool, but rather considered a way for students to access real-time help.

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How To Keep Track of College Homework (10 Methods)

Talk to several students about college, and one issue will always rise to the top, which is that keeping up with the assignments is a pain. Unfortunately, assignments make up most of your grades, so you have no choice but to do them if you want to pass. But how do you manage all that college homework and still have time to study and have a life?

Read on as I will explain how these tips will help you in keeping track of your college homework.

1. Write Everything Down

In the words of David Allen, “Your brain is for having ideas, not storing them” ( source ). 

So, what should you write down? Every little thing, including time and dates, and the following:

The only efficient way to do this is to write down everything immediately when it’s assigned or when it comes to mind. Don’t tell yourself that you will write later, because you may not. 

2. Have a Calendar

The next step to tracking your homework is to have a working calendar system, which can be paper, digital, or a combination of both. I recommend using both but go with what works better for you.

The sole purpose is to give you structure so you know what time to do what, instead of guessing. It also frees up space in your head so you can think about other things. Instead of having to remember classes, due dates, and assignments, you have a visual cue of what to do next so you can stay organized and on track.

If you have a digital calendar such as Google Calendar , you can get automatic reminders of important events and things you need to do before time. The type of calendar you use doesn’t matter as long as you can easily dump all the important events and tasks there. 

Some of the things to include in your calendar are:

You will also be able to slot in long-term homework on days when you are not so busy.

3. Use a Planner

The difference between a planner and an organization calendar is that you can have daily to-do lists with a planner, not monthly or weekly. This will help you stay organized, prioritize what is most important and stay away from distractions. To make a planner work for you, look at your list of things to do as well as your calendar, then plan your day accordingly.

Do you have an assignment due on Thursday? Schedule it on Monday and Tuesday so you can edit and hand it in before the due date. Schedule daily homework in the morning to be done before attending that class. 

You will also include your classes, study time, cleaning, extracurricular activities, and any appointments you have that day. You should do this daily and tick off an activity once you are done with it. 

Again, you can use a digital or paper planner or both as long as you do it daily and follow it.

Schedule your assignments during slots where you don’t have a class, the 2 hour period before classes start, and the evening if you don’t have other mandatory activities. You can also utilize your lunch break for eating and finishing one homework.

Some of the best digital planners for college students include:

4. Prioritize, Prioritize, Prioritize

You have your calendar and your planner on hand. How do you ensure they work for you? It’s all about knowing how to prioritize. If you count classes, games, time with friends, and study time, you have very limited time to do your homework during the day.

Look at your calendar and your to-do list and see what is more urgent. Do you have homework that is due today or tomorrow? That should be number one on your list. Number two should be the next most urgent thing.

That said, it’s important to avoid holding off things until the last minute unless the time frame to do your homework is only one day. This is why making time for homework every day is crucial.

5. Set Reminders

Even with a planner, it’s possible to have things fall off the cracks with all you have to do in college. 

You can ensure you don’t miss homework deadlines by setting a reminder on your phone, which should ring during a period when you are usually free and not when you are busy in class or a club.

In addition to using a digital reminder, be sure to include several reminders on your physical planner. The simple act of seeing something you need to do that day when you look at your planner in the morning will keep you on your toes all day.

6. Digitize Your Notes

Have you ever started to do your assignment and realized you left the notes you need for it in school? Or perhaps you have the books with you, but it’s taking forever to find exactly where those specific notes are. 

Alternatively, use an app to photograph your hand-written notes and transcribe them into digital copies.

When you have all your notes with you all the time, it’s easy to do your homework wherever you are. It will also take less time to find the resources you need to do your assignments.

7. Divide Complex Assignments Into Small Tasks

Some college assignments are long, hard, and complicated. You have to do research, write the projects and add other stuff to make your homework the best. Doing this every day can be overwhelming, especially since you have other things to attend to.

The best way to handle such complex work is to divide it into small manageable tasks you can do every day. For example, if you have a writing project, take 1-3 days just for research and jotting down what stands out from your research. 

The important thing is to dig into this homework every day and give yourself a deadline for completing it. In the end, it won’t feel so overwhelming anymore, and you will not struggle to finish in time ( source ).

8. Eliminate Distractions

A big reason college students fail to complete assignments on time is distractions. Social media, television, hanging out with friends and spending too much time on extracurricular activities. 

Slot these activities for evenings when you are free and after you have completed your daily to-do list. Alternatively, you can set a timer for things like social media and stop immediately the timer goes off. If your distraction is notifications on your phone, switch off the phone or put it on airplane mode while doing your homework or studying.

Another great tip is to wake up earlier than everyone else and take an hour to do some homework before the day starts.

9. Stick to the Schedule

A planner and a calendar will not help you if you can’t stick to a schedule. 

For example, if you’ve scheduled homework time from 5 am to 6 am, but you are not a morning person, that will likely not work. The same applies if you are too tired in the evening and can’t focus on homework.

The best way to stick to a homework schedule is to slot it when you are most productive. If that is before the first class starts, go ahead and put it there. The second period is also a great slot because you are not tired yet, and the first class of the day has already stimulated your brain.

All said and done, though, sticking to a schedule is all about discipline. Train yourself to do things when you say you will do them, even if you don’t feel like it. 

The planner will only work if you follow it.

10. Have a Homework Accountability Team

If your accountability partners couldn’t be bothered to finish their homework on time, they will only pull you behind. Find people who are accountable, responsible, and who can help you with homework as much as you can help them.

The top students in the class are a good place to find these people because they don’t become top by luck. Once you have that, pull your weight and try to teach as much as you learn from them.

Final Thoughts

If you completed the homework, make sure you put it in your bag or set a reminder to send the digital format first thing in the morning. If there is homework you didn’t manage to do, slot it as number one on your next day list. This will ensure everything is done and on time.

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Is it cheating to get help with graded homework?

Suppose a person X asks person Y to explain some material from a course. Person X shows Y some homework that counts for a third of the grade and asks for help. They go through the homework, with Y first showing X how to solve each type of exercise, then they solve it together with X taking the lead (doing the calculations, with an occasional nudge or a piece of advice) and with Y checking that no mistakes are made.

Is this cheating? If so, is it a clear case of cheating, or would you say it is more of a gray area? On one hand, X did not do the homework on their own, but at the same time, X would not be able to do it on their own, and this way X learns how to do it (and homework is for learning, after all). The same material will appear on the final exam, counting for the rest of the grade so getting help with the homework will not make X pass the course on its own.

Is what Y is doing wrong?

• 22 This is not an issue of absolute ethics; rather, it is a question of what is permitted by a particular instructor of a particular course. Personally, as an instructor I not only accept but encourage exactly this kind of learning process from students. (Cue the shout-storm, if the current answers are any indication, but please shout about the specific process described by the OP and not about some variant of it.) –  Greg Martin Commented Jan 26, 2022 at 17:00
• 2 This is still an unclear question. Is Y currently taking the class that X is taking? Some of the answers seem to assume that. In any case, why not ask the instructor? –  Terry Loring Commented Jan 26, 2022 at 18:09
• 1 School is basically indentured labor. Unless you extort someone for their answers, you are ethically in the clear. If you somehow did something wrong, it would be a lapse by the school. –  Stian Commented Jan 27, 2022 at 7:44
• 1 If we assume you have no guidance from the instructor, and assume Y is not in your class (these are important!), I think the honest answer is that only you can genuinely know whether you're actually learning throughout this process, or just using this process as a crutch for your homework grade. As a litmus test , honestly ask yourself if your interaction with Y (the time you spend, the questions you ask, the amount of effort you put in, the nature of the help you get, etc.) would look the same even if the homework were ungraded. If so, you're probably fine; if not, probably not. –  user541686 Commented Jan 27, 2022 at 11:55
• 2 Isn't this how we teach kids to do homework through grade school? If kids can't figure it out from the course material, they ask their parents who then guide them through the work. –  computercarguy Commented Jan 27, 2022 at 17:11

12 Answers 12

X would not be able to do it on their own

This is precisely the rationalization that leads many students to seek an excessive amount of outside help with homework problems or look up answers online. These students rationalize this behavior by claiming that they are better off because in this way the work at least gets done (which presumably equates to “learning” taking place), whereas if they tried to do it all themselves some or all of the problems would remain unsolved. So this looks like a form of progress “on paper”.

What those students are failing to grasp is that by not doing the work themselves they are missing out on a major part of the educational benefit that doing homework is meant to provide in the first place. It is perhaps a counterintuitive fact, but actually it’s the case that trying and failing to solve a homework problem is still often a more instructive and more educational experience than getting the kind of help that “Y” is giving in your scenario. So this rationalization for why getting a lot of help makes sense is faulty. In fact, it’s doubly faulty, because I think even the original premise that “X” cannot do the work themselves is almost certainly usually incorrect. ( Edit: yes, some lecturers assign homework that’s much too difficult, which would change the calculation and make what I wrote less valid.)

The upshot of this analysis is that professors will often prohibit the sort of behavior you are asking about, effectively defining it as cheating. And they do this precisely to protect students from their own self-defeating urges to take the easy way out and not follow the (more difficult) path that leads to true learning.

Of course, defining it as cheating involves a trade-off, and in some hypothetical scenarios might actually deprive a student from a genuine benefit they might gain by consulting with a friend, as well as making the learning environment appear a bit more adversarial and annoying to the student. It’s not an obvious choice if it should be considered as cheating or not. But considering it as cheating is certainly reasonable, and, needless to say, if your professor declares it to be cheating and you do it anyway, then what you are doing is a form of cheating.

Edit addressing the comments: in the comments people are raising several possible issues with what I wrote:

There’s sometimes not enough time to do all the homework yourself , because students take several classes but each lecturer assigns homework has unrealistic expectations that students will focus on their class (as pointed out by @infinitezero): true, this is sometimes a real problem and it’s absolutely true lecturers sometimes have an unreasonable tendency to want to monopolize their students’ study time.

Well, my verdict that it’s reasonable to forbid students from getting outside help on homework assumes a lecturer who assigns a reasonable amount of homework, in line with their university’s guidelines for the number of hours a student should be studying outside of class time given the course’s number of credit hours. If this assumption is not satisfied, then it’s certainly possible that no matter what rules the lecturer makes, the students would find themselves in a position where they may be required to “cheat” just to survive the course. In that case, from an ethical point of view the students cannot be considered as cheating for using such a survival strategy.

The adversarial environment is a serious issue (comment by @PasserBy): I agree. Making many rules about various things being forbidden or considered cheating can make students feel like they are walking on eggshells and in my opinion can really spoil the fun of learning. I believe in treating my students with respect and not making them feel like I am constantly suspecting them of bad intentions. Most of them truly want to learn. So yeah, definitely the anti-homework-help approach, while motivated by good intentions, and justified at some level, also has a cost that should be factored into the calculation of whether the approach makes sense.

If we take the answer’s logic that doing things on your own is good to an extreme, why do students need to go to the course in the first place? (comment of @ilkkachu): true; my logic only holds up to a point, which is why I was referring only to students getting an excessive amount of help as a problem (see also: this answer ). Lecturers generally understand that a little bit of help to resolve confusion and mental obstacles can be a good thing, and will usually not make a fuss about such things.

• 17 Well, comparng this to my undergraduate years, I was somehow expected to do 4 demanding exercise sheets / week, and I needed 50% in each of them to qualify for the final exam. There's simply not enough time to do it. Partly, because lecturers like to believe I'm only taking their class and devote 100% of my time to them. –  infinitezero Commented Jan 26, 2022 at 9:44
• 7 I think the adversarial environment part is quite serious. It will in effect change the mindset of the student from personal advancement to defeat the obstacle that is the lecture, which ironically justifies the very behaviour you want to stop. –  Passer By Commented Jan 26, 2022 at 9:50
• 3 though (perhaps depending on the details), isn't all education just about showing how things should be done correctly, then nudging the student forward if they get stuck, then checking the work they did on their own, and then finally letting them go to work independently? We could basically say that you could try and fail more on your own, and thus supposedly learn more, if you didn't go to the course in the first place ! –  ilkkachu Commented Jan 26, 2022 at 12:42
• 6 @Kimball Ah, an agreeable position - “…TEACHING them how to understand and think”. The part where it gets tricky is when there is no support or teaching. Failure is an important part of learning, but it does not entail learning. If the teacher is choosing developmentally inappropriate content or content that students lack prior knowledge to solve, then the failure is not productive. IMO this answer undersells the role of the more knowledgeable other (teacher or student Y) and would be better just jumping into the final two paragraphs. –  Cardinal Commented Jan 26, 2022 at 13:41
• 7 @Alexei I guess we have different philosophies. I'm now a TA and the lecturer I work with strives to make the exercises 100% completable in a reasonable amount of time. This gives student the ability to practice relevant material but does not make them believe they are stupid. –  infinitezero Commented Jan 26, 2022 at 21:11

If this is done without guidance and permission of the instructor, then most places would consider it to be cheating. General help is fine in most cases, but specific help on graded material needs a prior OK. In my personal view it is not a gray area at all.

The reason for this is that such homework is intended to bring skill and insight to the student. Reading answers is a very different thing than creating them. Watching someone else and following their insights is much less likely to result in the insight in the student given the task.

The purpose of homework is not to get answers, but to elicit a mental change in the student. Student Y isn't helping X learn, in fact, just helping them get answers. Not deep learning, anyway.

In your scenario the problem is that X is pretty much denied the opportunity to get insights from wrong turns and mistakes. If you are "nudged" to the correct path you won't learn "why" some things don't work. I'll note that some tutors do this sort of thing, but it should be with the knowledge of the professor. And doing it on graded assignments is especially problematic.

If you ask a professor for help, rather than another student, you are likely to get a very different response. They may give a (minimal) hint, they may try to clear up a misconception that is blocking you. But they won't just lead you through the solution.

I'm a big believer in working in pairs, actually, but that only works for certain kinds of things. If it blocks insight development in either partner then it is counterproductive.

It's a grey area, because it depends heavily on the specifics of what Y's doing.

I was a tutor in the computer science section at my university's tutoring center (so, mostly helping first- and second-semester programmers come to grips with C/C++). The center was provided by the university; presumably, all faculty knew about it, and I don't know of any who discouraged its use.

This is more-or-less how we were trained to help fellow students who came in for help, with two important caveats.

First: in step 1 ("showing X how to solve each type of exercise"), we tried hard to not use any of the actual questions from the homework (not least because there was often just the one exercise: "finish the program"). So, we'd talk about what the missing code needed to do or about the concepts that it involved. At this point, we would mostly work on a whiteboard to illustrate the concept rather than actually writing code in an editor - the person coming in for tutoring typically didn't understand some important concept, and neither the lecture nor textbook explained it in a way that made sense to them, so they "just" needed help understanding the core concept.

Second: in the last step ("Y checking that no mistakes are made"), we did not point out the specific problem, but may have called out that the final answer was wrong, possibly with a leading question. At this point, the student typically came in with code that didn't work and little idea why it didn't; we had the great advantage of being able to be their rubber duck (often, explaining what the code is supposed to be doing helps the programmer see where that differs from what it's actually doing; explaining to something with a face can be psychosocially easier than explaining to a brick wall, and rubber ducks are cheap). When rubber-ducking was insufficient, a leading question or two often got the person onto the right track.

That said, there's definitely a slippery slope here. It's really easy for Y to fall into just doing X's work for them. We were specifically trained to not do that, and warned of the slipperiness of the slope.

tl;dr: it's fine if X is actually learning the concepts and Y really is just helping X understand and pointing out that (but not where!) errors have been made. It's a problem if Y is functionally doing the work and X is just punching numbers into a calculator or something.

• 1 +1 but... It's a grey area, because it depends heavily on the specifics of what Y's doing. - It also depends on course policies –  Kimball Commented Jan 27, 2022 at 0:28
• @Kimball: true enough, but I think that's got to be assumed in any "can I do <thing> in <class>" question. –  minnmass Commented Jan 27, 2022 at 21:30

Graded assignments come with expectations of how the work is to be done. If the assignment doesn't state exceptions, e.g., that students may have partners, you should always assume the work must be done individually, with no help from another student. Violating that expectation would be cheating, an academic violation. If you help someone cheat, that also is an academic violation at most schools.

It's fair game to help them understand the material, e.g., going over lecture slides together, but the moment you start helping them on a graded assignment they should do on their own, you've both crossed the line. You should decline to look at or discuss the assignment. Instead, send them to the instructor or the course staff during office hours. If they give away the answer, that's on them.

• 4 So wouldn't you agree that answering homework questions on SE is also academic violation? Yet many users (even claimed professors) do it and insist that they are here just to teach! –  user21820 Commented Jan 26, 2022 at 6:51
• 1 I think the word "graded" is important here. I think if a person posts graded homework online then that is wrong. If there is a question, it is then reasonable to answer it with the assumption that the OP is not breaking academic rules. –  user2316602 Commented Jan 26, 2022 at 7:49
• 1 @user21820 Well, many SE members are not members of any academic community at all. They cannot really do any academic violations because they are not bound by any academic rules (and their oaths from the times of their uni immatriculation ceremony when they studied a long time ago are no longer binding). Explaining how to solve a mathematics or physics problem is a normal thing to do. The asker knows whether it is a homework or not and what kind of help they are allowed to seek. –  Vladimir F Героям слава Commented Jan 26, 2022 at 10:24
• @user21820 When obvious homework problems are posted to any of the SE communities, they are usually closed. –  Nicole Hamilton Commented Jan 26, 2022 at 14:24
• @user2316602: Your reasoning is contrary to Nicole's: Questions on SE come with expectations of its context. If a question looks like a homework question but does not state its context (e.g. that it is not graded), you should always assume that it is graded homework that must be done individually, with no help from others. If you help someone with what is expected to be graded homework, that is an academic violation. In short, why should we assume that SE question askers are not breaking academic rules when there is so much solid evidence against that? –  user21820 Commented Jan 26, 2022 at 15:22

There's always a limit. Surrounding that limit is a grey area.

If I do 99% of the homework for you, and let you fill in the three obvious blanks, it's cheating.

If I explain the concepts and you apply them, it's not cheating.

If I help you through the first couple problems, then let you do the next five problems with minimal help, then by the end of the twenty-problem set you're doing them by yourself, it's "cheating", but not really.

Why? Because the point of homework is to learn.

If my helping you prevents you from learning, then it's not helpful, and I'm depriving you of the knowledge you're supposed to be gaining. If making you do it completely on your own prevents you from learning because you just stare at a blank page for an hour and give up, that's not helpful either.

Ideally, teachers would teach and that would be enough. But sometimes, students aren't quite there yet, or teachers have the wrong teaching style for that student, or teachers rush a bit too much, or some outside problem distracts from the teaching. At that point, outside help can be needed.

Now, I could take the time to create a lesson plan, invent my own homework problems, etc. That would be better, and is what I tend to do with my nephews. But they're in grade school and junior high, and I can do most of their homework in my sleep. And the homework tends to only have one or two problems of a given type.

When it comes to higher-level stuff, I'm not going to always know it as well, or have the time to invent new problems out of the blue. At that point, the goal is to get you to understand enough to get through the problem yourself, with the understanding that you'll probably get tested on this later. If you're struggling with the homework, there's a good chance you're going to struggle with the test, so you should probably get more help between now and then.

Note though, that there's a huge difference between "do these 20 nearly-identical math problems before doing 20 more tomorrow" and "conduct a semester-long, scientific study of bugs that takes dozens of hours for one report". Me doing three of your problems for you on the former is of little consequence if it helps you learn, while doing the only problem for you is half your grade on the latter.

There's also a big difference between the student who hasn't even bothered reading the text, and the student who's spent 20 hours on the first problem and gotten nowhere. Clearly, the first student needs to put reasonable effort in, while the second student either needs to go back and do the prerequisites, or get a teacher who does better with homework assignments (and that isn't hypothetical: I've had homework not even the teacher knew how to accomplish, and homework that had nothing to do with either the lecture or the book lesson).

A typical scenario falls somewhere in the middle of those extremes where reasonable help is reasonable. And in general, everyone gets help with graded homework in subjects they're less familiar with (and most homework is graded). I don't think I've ever seen a course where anyone would even blink at getting help as long as the student did most of the work themselves. Especially when there's a test that counts for far more points where the student doesn't get any help at all.

• 1 If the point of the homework is only to learn, then it should not be graded for correctness, but only a token few points for effort. This is what some teachers do, making it clear to students that the grade is for submitting reasonably complete attempts . Then there won't be cheating (by definition), and nobody has to figure out how much help to give to avoid cheating... –  user21820 Commented Jan 26, 2022 at 16:05
• 2 @user21820 true, and that’s a great point. It’s a real problem that lecturers use homework simultaneously as a formative assessment and a summative assessment . There are some good reasons why they do it and it’s not always possible to attain the ideal of “homework is only for learning” that you described, but it is definitely true that this results in perverse incentives for students to pursue a good grade in a way that doesn’t necessarily align with what’s best for them educationally. –  Dan Romik Commented Jan 26, 2022 at 20:49
• Strongly seconding @DanRomik's comment... conflicting goals... –  paul garrett Commented Jan 26, 2022 at 23:06
• 1 @user21820: Homework isn't only to learn, but that's almost always its primary purpose. If homework was all performed in class, it would cost a lot more to get an education. Grading that homework gives the student more of an incentive to actually do it, hopefully increasing their likelihood of success. In contrast, I did bring up the concept of things like semester-long dissertations, where students most certainly still get help, but the work more closely resembles an open-book exam in its expectations. –  MichaelS Commented Jan 27, 2022 at 1:29
• 1 @user3067860: Ah of course, I think we're in agreement then. My first comment's focus was merely on the issue of homework being graded that is in conflict with learning. You're of course right that learning includes much more than just the right incentive for doing homework. –  user21820 Commented Jan 28, 2022 at 17:35

I'm going to differ from the other answers thus far and say this is not cheating . The reason is because when students ask for help from TAs and lecturers, the kind of help they get is very similar to the one described.

Take, for example, this (artificially simple) problem:

Compute 5^5.

It's a very simple problem - just write out 5^5 as 5 x 5 x 5 x 5 x 5, put it into a calculator (or pen and paper), and you're there.

If a student working on this problem were to approach a TA or lecturer for help, what would the TA or lecturer say? Presumably they would say what I wrote above ("just write out 5^5 ..."). They therefore show X how to solve the exercise . They are then likely to suggest X attempt actually solving the exercise, and if X makes a mistake, they will probably point it out. Therefore they solve it together with X taking the lead (doing the calculations, with an occasional nudge or a piece of advice) and with Y checking that no mistakes are made.

So no, this is not cheating, and Y is not doing anything wrong. But I would hope X actually learns to solve similar problems without Y's help, or X is going to flunk the final exam.

• 8 The instructor and staff are free to decide on the assignments, the rules for completing them and how they're graded. If they choose to give away the answers, that's their prerogative. If you are not the instructor or staff, this is not your choice to make. –  Nicole Hamilton Commented Jan 26, 2022 at 14:20
• Discussion on pedagogy moved to chat . Please use the comments only for criticising the answer (with respect to the question, which is about ethics, not pedagogy) or suggesting improvements. Also see this FAQ . –  Wrzlprmft ♦ Commented Jan 28, 2022 at 6:51

Your whole premise is wrong here. Homework should be considered as a service to the student, allowing them to practice what they've learned and perhaps cover additional material / aspects of the same material. If you don't do your own homework, you're mostly cheating yourself out of the benefit of the homework.

(I could write a long tirade about who actually benefits from numerical grading and aggregation-of-grades for students but this is not the right place for that.)

Suppose a person X ... etc. etc. ... and with Y checking that no mistakes are made. Is this cheating?

Huh? Of course not.

Generally no, but possibly in preventing X from developing their sense of self-reliance. Which is not teaching, but is often not the right thing to do pedagogically. Although often it is the right thing to do, if the alternative is X just giving up.

This is complicated, as all the responses have been showing. Claiming credit for work that isn't your own is plagiarism -- period. However, we all certainly want students to learn from other students.

Here's my approach. First, I don't like using homework as an assessment. I have other assessments. I assign homework because I want my students to go home, think about material, and experience applications that are illustrative and promote understanding of the material. Homeworks are thus part of the education, not the assessment.

Here comes the first problem with this: if homeworks are not part of the grade, some students (often the students who need it the most) won't do them! Thus, I need to make homeworks a small part of the overall grade. Usually, a chunk just big enough to take an A down to an A- is good enough.

Now, for the copying part. In my syllabus, I say copying will not be tolerated, but I encourage the students to work in groups, suggesting that they go have their discussions about the approach of the problem, WITHOUT WRITING IT DOWN, then at a later solo period, they should write up their homeworks. I think this is an approach where students can learn from each other, and actually do enough work on their own homeworks that they can claim ownership of what they turn it.

• Why should homework contribute a part of the grade for students who can get everything on the tests/exams correct? You're right, students who need it need motivation, but your approach doesn't actually do that well, but rather penalizes the good students who don't really like sitting through your tons of tiny exercises just to not be unceremoniously bumped down a half-grade. Instead, consider having something like homework = 10% and tests = 40% and exam = 70%, and anything above 100% truncated to 100%, so that poor students still want to do homework, but it won't help cheaters at all. –  user21820 Commented Jan 27, 2022 at 17:53
• @user -- 10% is the number I use for HW, and I give out plenty of A's. –  Scott Seidman Commented Jan 27, 2022 at 20:03

I'm only a layman, so consider this a layman's assessment.

The purpose of homework is to familiarize the student with the material; to increase understanding. If the help given furthers that, then it's serving the purpose; if the help given hinders that, then it's subverting the purpose. So to a large degree, it depends on just how "hand-holdy" the help is vs. how much the student struggles.

Having said that, this is why homework should not be a massive portion of the grade as in your example scenario, because that encourages point-gathering by any means necessary, and actual understanding can start to look like as a secondary consideration.

• 1 That answers a different question though. Grading it can either be a stick or a carrot to get them to actually do it. –  Buffy Commented Jan 26, 2022 at 22:29
• 2 I have taken math courses where the grade was 100% based on the homework, albeit at the graduate level. I think you might want to narrow your assertion. In any case, this does not answer the question. –  Terry Loring Commented Jan 26, 2022 at 22:30
• @TerryLoring I'm not familiar with how graduate work is conducted, but I had kind of assumed by that stage one is beyond the point of grades being a consideration. Guess not. Today I learned. However, that last paragraph is more of a side-note editorial on my part, not the actual answer, which I consider to be the sentence starting with "So to a large degree…". Granted, it's a squishy answer, but then again it's a squishy question. –  Atario Commented Jan 27, 2022 at 4:43

This is homework, not a test. Tests have to be taken strictly alone, and there are typically safeguards enforcing that — even in Covid times, when they are taken remotely.

Homework, by contrast, is not as strictly regulated, which is reflected by the missing enforcement. If a student does not know how to solve a task they can look at their notes, read the textbook, watch a YouTube video or ask a tutor, like in your example. All of those are legit and even encouraged because, as you say, the homework is an opportunity to learn. In the end nobody knows what happens at home. Of course the idea is that the student is the actual homework author, but the exact conversation happening between the student and tutor cannot be controlled and regulated.

Plagiarism or outright copying from a fellow student is forbidden though. That rule is enforceable and will typically be enforced, after the fact.

What you describe is prototypical tutoring which is encouraged, common and helpful.

This is an interesting and complex issue, and not one answered by "Yes" or "No". It's also a very common one - what you describe above happens to some degree with nearly every class in every school.

The point of homework is to show that the student learned the material , and to reinforce the concepts . The former is more true at the university level, while the latter is more true at the high school or earlier levels, but both are true to some degree at both. Grading is intended to show how well the student understood the material .

Anything you do to help someone learn the material , without affecting the actual result of grading, then, should be acceptable. That means, if a student asks for help understanding a homework question, there's no issue with showing them the concept - so long as you work a substantially different example. In grammar school, if homework is solving 6x3, showing the student how to skip-count in 4s to solve 8x4 would be totally fine, for example.

Where it gets complicated, though, is when you're in university, and the concept is more of a way of thinking, or problem solving, rather than just a direct method of solving problems. If you're doing a proof, it's pretty likely that any example you show will give away something - the point of the proof is to figure out what tool from your toolkit to use, and to identify what elements are in the proof. Both of those are critical thinking, and require having those tools - but telling the student what tools are relevant is probably going over the line.

Ultimately, I always found this a very hard line to tend. When I was in high school, in a college level chemistry class, I would do homework with my then-girlfriend, who was not as strong of a chemistry student. I wouldn't give her answers, but would point out ways to solve things when she'd get stuck. This led eventually to being told we had to stop, because it appeared like cheating - we'd always have the same answers, or at least close, and it was obvious from the tests that there was a difference between test and homework performance. As a high school student, this felt unfair, but as an adult it makes sense; I wasn't a trained educator, and she was losing out on some of the self-learning that is normal for homework - and the teacher wasn't finding out accurately what her true level of understanding was, since she was missing some of the critical thinking steps.

What I'd do, if I were you, is instead of helping with homework, study independently of the homework, before doing the homework. Go over the concepts together from class, make sure you understand all of the instructor's examples. Then, do the homework separately. That lets you get the most important part of the value of the homework: finding out how much you understand, before you have exams, and also learning through having to find the answers independently.

• You seem to be assuming that Y is taking the class as well as X. That is not state in the original posting. –  Terry Loring Commented Jan 26, 2022 at 22:48
• For the most part, it doesn't really matter. It's where my personal experience comes from, hence the wording, but whether the Y is in the class or not doesn't matter much. –  Joe Commented Jan 26, 2022 at 22:50

There are two separate issues here:

• Has the student completed the assignment?
• Has the student behaved unethically?

The first question is, as others have pointed out, instructor-dependent. If the instructor permits the students to work together, it's fine. Otherwise, it isn't. So you should ask for clarification in advance.

The second is much easier: the only potential ethical problem that could happen here is academic dishonesty, and it's trivial to guard against that: Acknowledge any help you received . The instructor may still not give credit for the assignment if they wanted you to work on it alone, but there's no potential for misconduct if you fully disclose all help you received.

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We are on to you. I am going to create a list of "homework help" websites that will cause a student to fail and include them on my syllabus. It might not help, but they will know that I KNOW.

I am so sick of cheating. And, please, do not tell me to create more authentic assessments. I have been teaching for 16 years, and I know better than to just give multiple choice tests from the textbook company's bank. I have been teaching online for about 5 years also, so none of what is happening now is new. It's just magnified for many people who have never taught online before. And technology is moving faster than even the savviest professor can keep up with. I assign projects, creative assignments and writing assignments and things that ask students to engage with the real world and include their own experiences. But, still, the cheating is terrible. Believe it or not, someone else can write a paper about your "authentic experience." Unicheck sucks, Turnitin sucks. I know my math colleagues have their own issues where you can just take a picture of a problem and find a solution WITH explanations. These are all under the guise of helping students and leveling the playing field. After looking at posts here over the last few weeks, and based on my own experiences, I am going to have a list on my syllabus for websites I know students use to cheat or for "help." If I find that students have used these sites, they will receive a zero on the assignment. One part of me thinks, "Maybe they didn't know about these sites, and I am abetting them." The rest of me says, "No, they know about them, but they think I don't." And, although most students are honest, plenty of them are looking for loopholes. "The professor didn't specifically say that I could NOT pay someone to do my homework for me from one of these sites, so it must be OK." I realize it isn't going to stop it completely, but maybe it will give a few students pause to know that I am on to them. It is pretty easy to find out if a student has used these programs. This is the list I have. Please enlighten me if you know of any others. Chegg, Course Hero, Spinbot (or any thesaurus spinners), Quizlet, any Essay writing bots.

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