The acronym BEDMAS defines the order in which an equation should be solved. It stands for brackets, exponents, division, multiplication, addition, subtraction. This means that any time you encounter an equation where brackets or parentheses are used, you are expected to solve whatever is inside them first. Division and multiplication are interchangeable, as are addition and subtraction; when you encounter an equation with both division and multiplication, solve in order from left to right.
The BEDMAS rule dictates that you solve whatever is inside parentheses first. The BEDMAS rule applies within parts of the equation too; when solving the elements inside a set of parentheses, solve according to the BEDMAS order. Since there will most likely not be any brackets inside of brackets, start with exponents and work your way through the brackets, then solve the rest of the equation.
Exponents, being the second element in the BEDMAS rule, are to be solved first within a set of brackets. If your parentheses have more than one exponent, solve them in order from left to right. Solve elements within the parentheses with exponents before moving on to the rest of the BEDMAS rule. If your parentheses themselves have an exponent, for example (3^2 + 2^2)^2, solve what is within the parentheses first and then solve for the exponent outside the parentheses.
As with any mathematical problem, check your work when you finish solving it. Your entire equation should be expressed in simple terms and should make sense; your textbook may also have answers to check yours against to make sure you did everything else right. Always check what you have done and if you did not get the right answer, go over your work step by step to find your error.