Help with test taking

[Karasu]

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Happy New Year to everyone at SDN, this place has been pivotal in getting me into medical school. Now that I've completed my first semester, I'm curious if anyone can recommend either resources or a strategy to improve my exam scores.

I'm currently performing class average ± 2 to 4 points on my block exams. Usually, I sit down for the exam, and blast through questions that I know cold. When I get stuck I try and logic my way through questions that don't prime anything in my long-term memory. I'm certain that if I approached every question logically as opposed to using pure rote memorization that I'd probably be able to score higher on exams, and study less. The key is really to study less, I put in a tremendous amount of time to memorize as much information as I can. Currently, I do a mix a attending lectures, webcasting, taking notes, and making Anki cards for every lecture. I review my Anki sporadically.

If anyone here is willing to discuss how they approach their test questions, or medical school exams in general; as well as the methods they use I'd really appreciate it.

 

[OnePunchBiopsy]

First, I always read the last sentence of the vignette first to find out what they are asking for. It does not help if while reading a full vignette you are making connections about the disease, only to find out they are asking you an ethics question.

(Optional) I also read the answer choices after reading the last sentence. Some people cannot do this and it is okay if this messes with your head too much. I use it to gauge what the vignette is asking for based on the different answer choices (if it is listing all the kinds of vasculitis, what in the vignette points me to the right one?), and if it is a math question wanting numbers I usually save it for the end of the exam.

In terms of methods, there is no sense in changing something if it works! You are making well within the average. If it is not broken, don't fix it. You should be studying a lot. This will be especially true when you enter second year and have to juggle lectures and Step 1 preparation and Q banks.

Lastly, medical school is also full of smart people. I worked my ass off many nights studying for exams only to find out I too made 2 to 4 points above/below average. The fact that you are doing this well, if you are in fact giving it your all, may indicate that there is nothing wrong with the way you take tests. There will always be people smarter than you who study less and ace exams.

 

[Vandelay Industries]

Nothing wrong with being average in med school. Many med school students excelled in high school and undergrad, and have a hard time adjusting to not being the smartest kid in class anymore...what really matters is Step 1 and clinical evals, but...

The key is really to study less, I put in a tremendous amount of time to memorize as much information as I can. Currently, I do a mix a attending lectures, webcasting, taking notes, and making Anki cards for every lecture. I review my Anki sporadically.

This could be where you're doing wrong. I always felt that I did better when I truly understood the material, as opposed to blind memorization. Work your way through the topics. Get in a group of classmates and practice teaching the material to one another. Anki cards are helpful for memorization, but not general understanding.

 

[WhiteCoatSyndrome]

Learning the material is essential. I usually average high B's while there are many in my class who consistently get A's. I've noticed that a fair number of these people focus on memorization primarily in order to get high grades. This is great, but not at the expense of actually learning the material. I'm not sure how your school is, but at mine exam questions are not board style, so memorization pays off. This doesn't pay off in the long run, though, because answering board questions correctly requires being able to synthesize information and think critically. I'd rather actually learn the material, score closer to average and do well on boards rather than have a 4.0 in the first two years of med school and an average board score. Grades the 1st two years are of minimal importance, boards are of the utmost importance.

 

[Karasu]

Thanks for the replies. I'll take what's been said thus far into consideration. I'm only in my second semester, so maybe I will tweak things a bit. I fully believe in "If it ain't broke..."

Oooh, a Seinfeld fan, and a fellow Otaku. I am blessed in that both of you guys/gals replied to me. I wasn't spectacular in undergrad, and I am trying to be now. I've always realized there will be those who are smarter than I am. My goal is to be more efficient, if I could score higher or maybe even the same with some more free time this first year-- that would be awesome!

For me, understanding is easier retrospectively. With the breath of knowledge we get over a 4-5wk period each block, it's harder for me to get a deep understanding of the material until I'm at the end of the block and have all the information in front of me. I totally do understand that STEP and clinical are most important, but this random book-learning will be the foundation for all of that.

First, I always read the last sentence of the vignette first to find out what they are asking for. It does not help if while reading a full vignette you are making connections about the disease, only to find out they are asking you an ethics question.

(Optional) I also read the answer choices after reading the last sentence. Some people cannot do this and it is okay if this messes with your head too much. I use it to gauge what the vignette is asking for based on the different answer choices (if it is listing all the kinds of vasculitis, what in the vignette points me to the right one?), and if it is a math question wanting numbers I usually save it for the end of the exam.

In terms of methods, there is no sense in changing something if it works! You are making well within the average. If it is not broken, don't fix it. You should be studying a lot. This will be especially true when you enter second year and have to juggle lectures and Step 1 preparation and Q banks.

Lastly, medical school is also full of smart people. I worked my ass off many nights studying for exams only to find out I too made 2 to 4 points above/below average. The fact that you are doing this well, if you are in fact giving it your all, may indicate that there is nothing wrong with the way you take tests. There will always be people smarter than you who study less and ace exams.

Nothing wrong with being average in med school. Many med school students excelled in high school and undergrad, and have a hard time adjusting to not being the smartest kid in class anymore...what really matters is Step 1 and clinical evals, but...


This could be where you're doing wrong. I always felt that I did better when I truly understood the material, as opposed to blind memorization. Work your way through the topics. Get in a group of classmates and practice teaching the material to one another. Anki cards are helpful for memorization, but not general understanding.

 

[Goro]

My standard advice: go visit your school's education or learning center for help with test taking skills. Taking standardized exams IS a skill, like throwing a curve ball.

Happy New Year to everyone at SDN, this place has been pivotal in getting me into medical school. Now that I've completed my first semester, I'm curious if anyone can recommend either resources or a strategy to improve my exam scores.

I'm currently performing class average ± 2 to 4 points on my block exams. Usually, I sit down for the exam, and blast through questions that I know cold. When I get stuck I try and logic my way through questions that don't prime anything in my long-term memory. I'm certain that if I approached every question logically as opposed to using pure rote memorization that I'd probably be able to score higher on exams, and study less. The key is really to study less, I put in a tremendous amount of time to memorize as much information as I can. Currently, I do a mix a attending lectures, webcasting, taking notes, and making Anki cards for every lecture. I review my Anki sporadically.

If anyone here is willing to discuss how they approach their test questions, or medical school exams in general; as well as the methods they use I'd really appreciate it.

 

[Entadus]

Nothing wrong with being average in med school. Many med school students excelled in high school and undergrad, and have a hard time adjusting to not being the smartest kid in class anymore...what really matters is Step 1 and clinical evals, but...

The fact that the vast majority of medical students eventually accept this is generally the very thing that allows the top students to excel beyond their peers. Just sayin'