getting Ds and Fs on exams...

[mossyfiber12]

So I am trying not to stress about this but I am not exactly sure how to solve this problem...I study 4-5 hours a day after school and then during the week before and the week of exams, I probably study 8-10 hours a day. I feel (while reading the material for the first time) that I have understood it deeply enough so I move on. I even find the material interesting so it's not that I am bored while studying and just half-ass it. However, everytime I get to the exam, I have trouble recalling specifics or start getting confused by the questions. So far I have failed both of my physio exams (68% both time), got high C and low B in anatomy and mid C in biochemistry. So, for those of you who have been in my position or who have done well your 1st year, you got any suggestions? Are my residency choices (if any) already limited? And more importantly, what do i freakin' need to do to save this semester/year? Thanks for reading...

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[nogolfinsnow]

So I am trying not to stress about this but I am not exactly sure how to solve this problem...I study 4-5 hours a day after school and then during the week before and the week of exams, I probably study 8-10 hours a day. I feel (while reading the material for the first time) that I have understood it deeply enough so I move on. I even find the material interesting so it's not that I am bored while studying and just half-ass it. However, everytime I get to the exam, I have trouble recalling specifics or start getting confused by the questions. So far I have failed both of my physio exams (68% both time), got high C and low B in anatomy and mid C in biochemistry. So, for those of you who have been in my position or who have done well your 1st year, you got any suggestions? Are my residency choices (if any) already limited? And more importantly, what do i freakin' need to do to save this semester/year? Thanks for reading...

No your residency choices are not already limited.

It seems like you might not be going through the material enough. The first pass or two are always good for the big picture, but it's that 3rd and 4th pass that start to ingrain the details and that's also when you pick up a few of the picky little questions that inevitably show up. Also, are you actively learning the material? I personally can't just read the material, I need to take notes/type notes, something, the first time I see it, I feel it helps things stick a little better.

Also look for people you can talk to at your school for helpful tips. At my school there is a tutoring program where you can talk to students in the class one year ahead of you if you need specific help or just advice with study habits.

 

[xx216xx]

Try to anticipate the types of questions that will be asked. Of course you should be able to recall everything, but when you go through the material try to figure out the types of questions they would ask about it. You should be able to gauge what's too easy and what's too hard and then you should focus on that material the most. I don't know if that'll work for you but our tests are timed to give us roughly 90 secs per question, so they will usually not ask overly diffucult questions that would take quite a bit of time to reason through.

 

[mossyfiber12]

How do you make 3/4 pass through the material? I am having trouble making the 2nd pass! I try to learn actively by drawing figures and flow charts where applicable (such as gross) but I just don't see how everyone retains all of the info.

I can't say the tests are unfair either. They test whatever was presented during the lecture and when I really go over that lecture (via podcast), I make my own notes and at that moment I fee like I really understand the material. Then, 2 weeks later when it comes time to review the material, I don't remember lot of the finer points and thus have a shallower understanding of it. I just don't know what study strategies I should be using...

 

[muireinin]

...Then, 2 weeks later when it comes time to review the material, I don't remember lot of the finer points and thus have a shallower understanding of it...

I definitely forget things if I don't look at them for two weeks. I don't know if this would work for you, but I usually look over what we've done each week on the weekend. Even if I don't remember everything, it keeps what we've been doing pretty fresh. Plus, that's how you can get your third and fourth passes through the material: once in class, twice that afternoon/evening/morning, third on that subsequent weekend, fourth etc. leading up to exam week...

 

[mudphudwannabe]

Also look for people you can talk to at your school for helpful tips. At my school there is a tutoring program where you can talk to students in the class one year ahead of you if you need specific help or just advice with study habits.

This is definitely the way to go. I think most schools have some form of academic support staff for students. You are putting in a lot of time and feeling like you're understanding things and this is not being reflected in your exams. Probably either you are not truly understanding the concepts, or you are having test anxiety, or both. You need help to evaluate your study skills, become more efficient (I don't think more time is the answer since you are already spending a lot of time), and address any test taking problems.

Don't stress needlessly, but do take action. At this point you should not be worried about residencies, but you should be worried about passing (and succeeding in) your classes and learning material you will need to know for future classes, step 1, and your future career.

 

[scotties123]

back in undergrad i would read things just once or twice over and be fine for an exam, but ive noticed that with med school because of the shear volume, you MUST go through the information multiple times. Ive stopped trying to understand things 100% on my first read, and just try to be able to recognize things for the second time i read it. a night or two before the exam ill run through everything one more time, and this usually goes by fast because ive already seen it twice before by then.

 

[mossyfiber12]

I have seen an academic advisor last block after not doing well and she just said that I need to do practice questions to check if I am understanding stuff. Well I don't have a problem doing the practice questions right after I read the material but it's when a week or two passes that I forget the finer points and have to relearn the quite a bit of the lecture, which is not very efficient. I usually go to class and if I do skip it I make sure I review that material that night. I also review most of the week's material during the following weekend (especially for anatomy).

I just don't know what to do here...seems like I am trying my best but can't even pass my classes...

I wish someone would see how/when/how much I study and tell me what it is I am doing wrong because I can't take these grades anymore especially with the time I am putting in...thanks everyone for your input...

 

[Jwax]

No your residency choices are not already limited.

It seems like you might not be going through the material enough. The first pass or two are always good for the big picture, but it's that 3rd and 4th pass that start to ingrain the details and that's also when you pick up a few of the picky little questions that inevitably show up. Also, are you actively learning the material? I personally can't just read the material, I need to take notes/type notes, something, the first time I see it, I feel it helps things stick a little better.

Also look for people you can talk to at your school for helpful tips. At my school there is a tutoring program where you can talk to students in the class one year ahead of you if you need specific help or just advice with study habits.

Great reply. While I personally have an incredibly hard time getting through the material 3 or 4 times, I think it is something that should be aimed for if you are having trouble passing. I have found out this year that something that is pretty helpful is reading the same information from multiple sources, i.e. for our pathology class I: 1) watch the lecture while reading the notegroups that go with it, 2) read the correlating physiology section in BRS phys, 3) read Goljan's rapid review related sections, 4) use Utah's webpath for pictures / quizzes. I guess this actually gets me through the material about 4 times, but I'm reading it from different sources. When you look at different sources, you can see what the "buzz words" are... what everyone considers really important. I think one of the best ways to memorize details is to make a flashcard of everything that is a detail. This is not remotely time effective, but if your problem is retaining the details this might help. I suck at details too (and I don't generally find the time to make flashcards very often), but I'm a really good guesser so it has worked out for me somehow. If I wasn't passing, I'd do a lot more of this kind of thing. As already said before, it helps to ask others what they are doing specifically to memorize it.

One other thought - if you just need to work on passing, try selecting topics that are seem more likely to be important and work to memorize those details specifically instead of memorizing all of the details for every part of every class. That way you'll at least rack up a few extra points.

 

[psy]

To memorize the information it's best to review it within 1 hr of the lecture ending. I'm not sure how this works out for you, but a brief skim over the notes after lecture may be helpful.

 

[Isoprop]

are you studying in one huge block? break your study sessions. a study shows that memory has a recency/primacy effect: you remember stuff in the beginning and the end much more easily than the stuff in the middle. so use this to your advantage by making lots of beginnings and endings (ie turning a 3 hr study session into six 25 min sessions).

don't pour through the material the first time through. repetition is the key here: your goal isn't to learn it the first time; your goal is to get through the material as many times as reasonably possible so that you'll remember it for the exam.

also, you're probably not doing enough rehearsals. try this: the next time you review your notes, read the heading and recite the rest of the material from memory. then check to see what you got right and what you missed. for instance, let's say you're reviewing the cardiac cycle and you start with atrial systole. before reading on, recite everything you know about it. then read and check your answers.

pay close attention to exceptions. the brain doesn't like to assimilate information that doesn't fit into pre-existing schemas. so you have to work especially hard to memorize information that is counterintuitive.

for physio specifically, i found reading and highlighting costanzo's BRS to be really effective. do the questions the weekend before exams to test yourself if you remember the material.

 

[BEMD]

No your residency choices are not already limited.

It seems like you might not be going through the material enough. The first pass or two are always good for the big picture, but it's that 3rd and 4th pass that start to ingrain the details and that's also when you pick up a few of the picky little questions that inevitably show up. Also, are you actively learning the material? I personally can't just read the material, I need to take notes/type notes, something, the first time I see it, I feel it helps things stick a little better.

Also look for people you can talk to at your school for helpful tips. At my school there is a tutoring program where you can talk to students in the class one year ahead of you if you need specific help or just advice with study habits.

I agree. I try to cover all of the material at least three times. Three times just happens to be my magic number, but it might be more or less for other people. The first two passes allow me to grasp the larger picture and then on the 3rd time through the material I really focus on small details.

I typically go to all of the lectures and take notes. Then at the end of the day I will review all of the lectures highlighting the important details (this is mainly to keep me actively reading). Then each weekend I review all the notes from the past week (thats my second time through). Finally, 4-5 days before the test I start to go through the notes for the third time. I then take the practice tests that the professors give to us to find the areas where I still need work, and time permitting I review those areas one last time.

I'll admit that it is a lot of effort but it has worked really well for me so far.

Good luck

 

[mossyfiber12]

I have already set up an appointment with my school's academic service office so hopefully I will get some practical study skills info from them.

Thank you all for sharing your study habits. I guess repetition is where I am going wrong...I usually spend time understanding the entire lecture the first time I go over it (which I forget by the time exam rolls around) instead of going over it 3-4 times. I have never been the one to be able to guess questions that will be on exams so I don't know how to change that.

I have talked to quite a few students at school and they don't nearly study as much as I do (or so they say) and get more out of the material.

*sigh*...I guess the only thing I can do is try my best and hope that things work out...thanks again for your suggestions...

 

[nogolfinsnow]

I have already set up an appointment with my school's academic service office so hopefully I will get some practical study skills info from them.

Thank you all for sharing your study habits. I guess repetition is where I am going wrong...I usually spend time understanding the entire lecture the first time I go over it (which I forget by the time exam rolls around) instead of going over it 3-4 times. I have never been the one to be able to guess questions that will be on exams so I don't know how to change that.

I have talked to quite a few students at school and they don't nearly study as much as I do (or so they say) and get more out of the material.

*sigh*...I guess the only thing I can do is try my best and hope that things work out...thanks again for your suggestions...

It's good that your addressing your problem now. Most people need to tweak their initial study plans. As well, don't compare yourself to other students. For all you know they're all fudging and really spend as much time as you but think it sounds smarter if they say they only study 2hrs/day or whatever. Everyone's learning process is different.
And when I say go through the material 3-4 times, I don't go over it the same way every time. First I read the syllabus notes. Then I listen to the lecture and add details to the syllabus notes. Then I come back later in the unit and go over that lecture once or twice and maybe make some flash cards of things I'm struggling with. I really try not to get caught up in a lecture unless I really flat out don't understand something.

You mentioned practice questions: Try to save them until the week of the test. That way you can see where you need to focus your studying for the last couple days before the exam. You'll have a good idea of what seeped out of your brain between your first pass and test week, and you'll now have a chance to cram it back in there.

 

[majik1213]

the thing that worked for me was using the so-called cornell method: you turn your notes into questions. I don't know how your school works, but here we have only multiple choice. Take your notes from lecture and turn them into multiple choice questions. Spend some time trying to make tricky questions because you will actually force yourself to pay attention to nuances that can trip you up. The idea sounds kinda bizarre, but it's save my booty.

 

[Lew]

I'll be going to Tulane in August, right now I'm taking grad classes and have found that when I meet with my professors before exams and ask questions I do better. Does anyone in med school meet with instructors outside of lecture to talk about the material?

 

[soonereng]

Does anyone in med school meet with instructors outside of lecture to talk about the material?

I don't go to class at all unless it's mandatory, but for my school this would be difficult for many classes. We usually have like 4-5 lecturers per block per subject, and with 3-4 subjects per block, that would be a lot of lecturers to contact much less find the time to meet.