In one sentence: create your own math problems then solve them.
Oftentimes students are thinking, "I wonder what problems the teacher is going to put on the test?" Think about the problems that you hope are not on the test and start creating exactly these same problems yourself. Just the process of creating the problems will help you to think through the whole process more clearly and will help you in recognizing what is being asked and what is needed. Then when you actually solve the problem you will have that type of problem down and it will become a part of your growing math skills.
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