Factor out the greatest common factor first
Look for special products such as difference of squares
Look for perfect square trinomials
Look for sum or difference of cubes
Group terms and factor by grouping
Rewrite the polynomial in a simpler form if needed
Use the zero product property after factoring
Check for rational roots using the Rational Root Theorem
Use synthetic division or polynomial division to reduce the polynomial
Factor the remaining polynomial completely
Verify by multiplying the factors back together