Getting 80's, right around class average...what I can do to improve?

[LakersWestSide]

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So I'm busting my butt studying hard everyday. I am not aiming for honors, I just want to focus on passing my classes which I am doing. It's my first semester and we are done with more than half the exams, and only have finals left. I am not too concerned about this semester but for the future what I can do to improve scores. And I didn't barely slide into medical school, have an MCAT above average and a GPA above the average for our school.

And I'm spending many hours. Usually spend 8-10 hours everyday studying. Maybe I'm not studying smart, it;s frustrating though. I understand everyone in med school is smart and we're in the same boat, but going forward I really want to do better. Would appreciate some study tips as well.

 

[yehhhboiii]

figure out what's important and focus on that
not everything is testable and sometimes professors include a lot of details for completeness

 

[LakersWestSide]

Yea, I'm still trying to figure out what to focus on and how to study efficiently but haven't figured it out. I repeat lectures tons of times but don't do many questions, maybe I need to do more practice questions before exams

 

[yehhhboiii]

it comes with time
i think doing practice tests is the best because you can really see what you're weak on
and then just do those slides
http://med.brown.edu/students/senate/old_exams.htm
i think this is a good resource
i try to make flashcards with just the info i think is important and don't know well so i don't waste time. i don't really look at them but i think just writing all of it out helps me a lot

 

[alpinism]

Yea, I'm still trying to figure out what to focus on and how to study efficiently but haven't figured it out. I repeat lectures tons of times but don't do many questions, maybe I need to do more practice questions before exams

Do the opposite of this. You shouldn't need to watch a lecture more than twice (even at 2x speed) unless you're totally confused on a subject. Even then, I'd find another source of information. When reviewing, make study guides with high yield info and do tons of practice questions.

 

[LakersWestSide]

it comes with time
i think doing practice tests is the best because you can really see what you're weak on
and then just do those slides
http://med.brown.edu/students/senate/old_exams.htm
i think this is a good resource
i try to make flashcards with just the info i think is important and don't know well so i don't waste time. i don't really look at them but i think just writing all of it out helps me a lot

Great, appreciate it, I'll check that out. I think I'm wasting time because I repeat entire lectures, so I need to improve efficiency.

Do the opposite of this. You shouldn't need to watch a lecture more than twice (even at 2x speed) unless you're totally confused on a subject. Even then, I'd find another source of information. When reviewing, make study guides with high yield info and do tons of practice questions.

I usually never watch lecture. I went to all classes for first set of exams, this time I studied on my own, I did better but yea I read the packets multiple times. Yeah, I'm going to change it up. I don't really do practice questions till day before, so I'll make it a habit to incorporate them into my studying. How do you determine what's high yield?

 

[Brain Bucket]

How do you determine what's high yield?

If it's in the packet - It's high yield.
If it's in the packed and underlined or made bold - It's super-duper high yield.

It's already been said - Turn your note packet/ppt slides into anki decks with specific/multiple tags and run through them until you know them well in advance of your test.

Get the best Qbooks for the subjects (amazon has great reviews), and they really aren't that expensive if you get 'em off upperclassmen. Do questions. As many as possible. Start as early as possible. Win.

 

[Frazier]

So I'm busting my butt studying hard everyday. I am not aiming for honors, I just want to focus on passing my classes which I am doing. It's my first semester and we are done with more than half the exams, and only have finals left. I am not too concerned about this semester but for the future what I can do to improve scores. And I didn't barely slide into medical school, have an MCAT above average and a GPA above the average for our school.

And I'm spending many hours. Usually spend 8-10 hours everyday studying. Maybe I'm not studying smart, it;s frustrating though. I understand everyone in med school is smart and we're in the same boat, but going forward I really want to do better. Would appreciate some study tips as well.

Are you a slow reader? The reading speed of some of my classmates...blazing fast.

But, I agree with the others...repetition, repetition, repetition, practice Q's, practice Q's, practice Q's/

 

[witzelsucht]

For everything you learn, don't just write it down as a fact, like "vestibular system controls balance." Ask yourself how the teacher will make it into an MC question. If the teacher says "vestibular system controls balance," you should be writing:

"which cranial nerve, if damaged, could cause ataxia?"
"the cerebellum receives input from what sensory modalities?
"otoliths getting stuck will cause what symptom?"

 

[cs24]

Do the opposite of this. You shouldn't need to watch a lecture more than twice (even at 2x speed) unless you're totally confused on a subject. Even then, I'd find another source of information. When reviewing, make study guides with high yield info and do tons of practice questions.

Yes this. 1000 times this. You should not be watching lectures more than once, it is much faster to review on your own. The first time you go through them, don't necessarily worry about learning all the material, but try to get a good overall picture of what the lecture is about and take notes on what areas seem to be important to your professor. Then when you go back to study on your own you know what to focus on the most and don't need to go back to the lecture itself.

For me, the most valuable part of lecture is learning what the professor thinks is important. Rarely do I get a tough concept explained extremely well to me or have some other sort of eureka moment while a lecturer is talking, and it is certainly impossible to memorize long lists of information (ie sphingolipidoses) at the pace any lecture is given. Let the lecturer give you guidance, but don't keep coming back to that hour long video over and over when you could be spending that time in more efficient ways.

 

[DrEnderW]

I totally agree with what others have said. Watch the lectures and take notes on key concepts to get the important points your prof thinks are high yield. Make study guides a few days before the test with this material and drill them - whether it be via anki or just going over your guide again and again. Supplement this material via other sources and re-watch the lectures on high speed only once you have a good idea of what is going.

For me, there's a huge difference between thinking, "oh I know that!" when I see it on a ppt or in a video versus active learning and being able to write our or verbalize the information succinctly. I don't know if other's agree, but I think the BRS books are amazing for high yield points, consulting another reference, and a utilizing few practice questions before you go to other sources.

 

[Anastomoses]

Worry less about class points and more about getting all your concepts clear in your head?

 

[NickNaylor]

Worry less about class points and more about getting all your concepts clear in your head?

Agreed. Doing the best you can is obviously ideal, but when it comes down to it what's going to matter most is that you actually learned the material, which will serve you well on step 1. I wouldn't worry so much about your ranking with respect to your classmates.

 

[CherryRedDracul]

For everything you learn, don't just write it down as a fact, like "vestibular system controls balance." Ask yourself how the teacher will make it into an MC question. If the teacher says "vestibular system controls balance," you should be writing:

"which cranial nerve, if damaged, could cause ataxia?"
"the cerebellum receives input from what sensory modalities?
"otoliths getting stuck will cause what symptom?"

Thinking like this is excellent for retention.