Isolate the radical expression
Simplify both sides of the equation if possible
Raise both sides to the appropriate power to eliminate the radical
Solve the resulting equation
Check all solutions in the original equation
Reject any extraneous solutions
Repeat the process if multiple radicals remain
Use factoring or substitution when needed
Simplify radical expressions by extracting perfect powers
Combine like radicals only when the radicands match
Rationalize denominators if required