How are you studying for so long?

[grapples43]

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Okay, I have a couple questions and I'm also looking for some advice on studying. I see people on this forum all the time writing about how they spend 40, 60, 80 hours a week on med school. I recently started tracking my time spent in school and I'm only hitting 20-26 hours a week (class and study time). I have kind of always felt like people exaggerate their study time and/or count all the time they are at their desk even though they spend half the time on Facebook. How much time do you REALLY spend studying every week? Is the amount of time I spend on school really that unusual?

I'm concerned because if people really are spending 60 hours a week on school and 10-12 hours a day studying during dedicated, I just don't think I can keep up when I start step 1 prep. I can't focus for that long every day and think I might need a different/extended plan for dedicated. I start dedicated mid January, but I could potentially start over Christmas break if I need to. What kind of tools do you guys use to keep going for hours every day? What kind of things should I try? Do you think I should extend my dedicated period?

 

[wanderingorion]

I suggest Anki to review things. Don’t worry so much about hours, just worry about content

 

[mehc012]

I'm hitting maybe 15-20, max, during the block and then maybe 40-60 in the week or so leading up to exams? It's easier to put in long hours if you give yourself good breaks...the non-exam periods make it more palatable to overwork during crunch time. And during crunch time, I still take a day or two per week to be active or veg, whichever I feel like I need!

 

[mistafab]

I show up at 8:30, take a half hour to 1 hour break for gym/lunch, then study until 6-6:30.

This is what I finish each block:

1. All robbins reading
2. All lectures from my school
3. All pathoma
4. All kaplan videos
5. All block + review (anatomy/embryo/physio/histo) questions on Rx
6. All practice questions from my school

Some tools I use that help me focus:

1. Self rules - no internet besides school/study work. No tabs on junk or anything open for distraction
2. Exercise / do something physical each day. Gym + I can take a 10 minute walk if I want a break during the home stretch (around 4ish can get tough sometimes without a break)
3. No texts while I study. Phone inside backpack.
4. Three cups of coffee every morning. If I do two then I get a HUGE crash at 3. Three keeps me alert all day.
5. A day to completely blow off each week (usually Sunday). Plus, a half day on saturday Off.
6. Never ever EVER study at home.
7. My personal favorite - always feel completely free to get up and walk to the water fountain for a drink. Feels good to just stretch the legs a bit. Nothing is too important to not let yourself feel comfortable... when really all you do every day is look at pages and learn stuff.
8. When I am done for the day, I AM DONE FOR THE DAY. And I dont think about any work at home. This is probably the key for me enjoying school so much.

If you find it tough to crank - it is probably more of a mental boundary thing than a focus or ability thing. Gotta make good boundaries for yourself and others. Physical and mental boundaries.

Crank crank crank! Cranking every day!*

Disclaimer: I do not actually crank every day. I only crank 5.5 days a week, as stated above. Crank. Crank. Such a cool word.

 

[theonlytycrane]

I go hard everyday, but I'm just more of an intense person who likes to study thoroughly. I also don't cram well (it stresses me out) + taking a gym break is a huge thing to keep me going.

A lot of my med school friends are amazing memorizers who can cram ridiculous amounts and barely studied in undergrad. This was never me, so studying all the time in med school has not been a huge transition.

 

[IMG69]

Start early and set goals and make sure you retain it rather then half-ass studying. I like to think less is more, I would rather retain something then have to learn it twice.

The best example I have is there is a guy in my class who literally studies every hour possible when outside of class, he always ends up sleeping in our class breaks and you can watch his internal battle to stay awake during lectures. Do his grades warrant the excessive 10+hr study days? No he doesn't even score highest in our class. In fact I beat him by about 5 marks and I wouldn't put in a 10th of the effort he does.

We all know this - study smart not hard.

If you're interested you'll naturally spend hours on a topic; when I plan to start a big study session I google a case study relevant to whatever I plan to learn E.g I like Ortho so i'll use that as an example, when I was learning spinal column anatomy I first googled a scoliosis surgical case and read through that and was obviously amazed at it all, after finishing the article I then grabbed my lecture notes and tried to piece together how the ligaments and anatomical structures would've been effected pre and post surgery.

That's just my 2 cents though, I hope you can find what works for you 🙂

 

[Nucleophile1]

How are your grades? If you are happy with your grades, then there is really no need to study more than you do now.

Also keep in mind that people in your class come from a variety of backgrounds so some people may have to study more than others. I didn't take a lot of science before I started medical school so I am playing catch up compared to many of classmates which means I sometimes have to pull longer hours.

Additionally, keep in mind that when people say they study 40 or 60 hours, they are probably including in the time that they open up Youtube or SDN. When I study for example 12 hours a day, I probably spend an hour or two of that goofing off on the internet but I don't dissect out the time to see exactly how many minutes I spent studying.

When it comes down to it, it's really not about the amount of time you spend studying, but rather the quality of your studies.

 

[TheIllusionist]

comparing hours spent studying is a dick measuring contest. hours spent probably correlates with performance, albeit far from perfectly or even perhaps all that strongly. And there is a ton of lying and inflating numbers...

 

[Osteoth]

I show up at 8:30, take a half hour to 1 hour break for gym/lunch, then study until 6-6:30.

This is what I finish each block:

1. All robbins reading
2. All lectures from my school
3. All pathoma
4. All kaplan videos
5. All block + review (anatomy/embryo/physio/histo) questions on Rx
6. All practice questions from my school

Some tools I use that help me focus:

1. Self rules - no internet besides school/study work. No tabs on junk or anything open for distraction
2. Exercise / do something physical each day. Gym + I can take a 10 minute walk if I want a break during the home stretch (around 4ish can get tough sometimes without a break)
3. No texts while I study. Phone inside backpack.
4. Three cups of coffee every morning. If I do two then I get a HUGE crash at 3. Three keeps me alert all day.
5. A day to completely blow off each week (usually Sunday). Plus, a half day on saturday Off.
6. Never ever EVER study at home.
7. My personal favorite - always feel completely free to get up and walk to the water fountain for a drink. Feels good to just stretch the legs a bit. Nothing is too important to not let yourself feel comfortable... when really all you do every day is look at pages and learn stuff.
8. When I am done for the day, I AM DONE FOR THE DAY. And I dont think about any work at home. This is probably the key for me enjoying school so much.

If you find it tough to crank - it is probably more of a mental boundary thing than a focus or ability thing. Gotta make good boundaries for yourself and others. Physical and mental boundaries.

Crank crank crank! Cranking every day!*

Disclaimer: I do not actually crank every day. I only crank 5.5 days a week, as stated above. Crank. Crank. Such a cool word.

Jesus 3 cups of coffee...

 

[deleted245139]

Jesus 3 cups of coffee...

Right?! Light weight...

Haha
Truth be told I had a very similar day to mistafab. Just tea instead... Was cheaper.
I think two things are key.
1. Avoiding distractions... Put the phone down, tv off, etc. Slate that for a break
2. Physical activity. I'd swim on my break. The shower after let you relax for a min before you got back into it.

The real key to all this is to know yourself. If you need a break every 10 to 15 min, then do it. If you can go hours then break that's fine. The overarching theme is 'marathon, not sprint'

 

[mistafab]

Just trying to be healthy.

Coffee consumption and mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer: a dose-response meta-analysis. - PubMed - NCBI

Jesus 3 cups of coffee...

 

[LyMed]

If you're getting the grades/scores you want, I don't see why it matters. Good luck on your Step.

 

[grapples43]

Thanks everyone, I think I was partially looking for some reassurance that my study schedule isn't insane since my Step 1 is coming up. I score about average in my class, and I've never been particularly unhappy with my grades, but my school's average Step 1 score is in the low 220s and I don't think I would be as happy with that.

Some tools I use that help me focus:

1. Self rules - no internet besides school/study work. No tabs on junk or anything open for distraction
2. Exercise / do something physical each day. Gym + I can take a 10 minute walk if I want a break during the home stretch (around 4ish can get tough sometimes without a break)
3. No texts while I study. Phone inside backpack.
4. Three cups of coffee every morning. If I do two then I get a HUGE crash at 3. Three keeps me alert all day.
5. A day to completely blow off each week (usually Sunday). Plus, a half day on saturday Off.
6. Never ever EVER study at home.
7. My personal favorite - always feel completely free to get up and walk to the water fountain for a drink. Feels good to just stretch the legs a bit. Nothing is too important to not let yourself feel comfortable... when really all you do every day is look at pages and learn stuff.
8. When I am done for the day, I AM DONE FOR THE DAY. And I dont think about any work at home. This is probably the key for me enjoying school so much.

These are some great ideas. I think I might need some rules for myself, the biggest one being to phone away and not touch it while I study. I pick it up every time I get bored, and if it's not an option I'll just have to do something else (hopefully study).

If you're interested you'll naturally spend hours on a topic; when I plan to start a big study session I google a case study relevant to whatever I plan to learn E.g I like Ortho so i'll use that as an example, when I was learning spinal column anatomy I first googled a scoliosis surgical case and read through that and was obviously amazed at it all, after finishing the article I then grabbed my lecture notes and tried to piece together how the ligaments and anatomical structures would've been effected pre and post surgery.

That's just my 2 cents though, I hope you can find what works for you 🙂

This is actually a really great idea that I've never thought of. Thanks!

 

[787593]

Okay, I have a couple questions and I'm also looking for some advice on studying. I see people on this forum all the time writing about how they spend 40, 60, 80 hours a week on med school. I recently started tracking my time spent in school and I'm only hitting 20-26 hours a week (class and study time). I have kind of always felt like people exaggerate their study time and/or count all the time they are at their desk even though they spend half the time on Facebook. How much time do you REALLY spend studying every week? Is the amount of time I spend on school really that unusual?

I'm concerned because if people really are spending 60 hours a week on school and 10-12 hours a day studying during dedicated, I just don't think I can keep up when I start step 1 prep. I can't focus for that long every day and think I might need a different/extended plan for dedicated. I start dedicated mid January, but I could potentially start over Christmas break if I need to. What kind of tools do you guys use to keep going for hours every day? What kind of things should I try? Do you think I should extend my dedicated period?

people who study more and perform the same as you are probably dumber. don't worry about them. if you understand the concepts and pass your classes with less effort, more power to you! 🙂

 

[Poit]

Adderall and Jack Daniels

 

[787593]

Adderall and Jack Daniels

combine for extra fun

 

[Foot Fetish]

I am probably averaging 60-70 hours of studying per week. I don't go to lecture unless it's mandatory.

 

[grapples43]

I am probably averaging 60-70 hours of studying per week. I don't go to lecture unless it's mandatory.

Right. But how are you doing that?

 

[Foot Fetish]

Right. But how are you doing that?

There's no secret formula. I just sit down and force myself to flip through my flashcards, do question banks, read, or whatever it is I have planned for the day. I stay well caffeinated. When my willpower is running low, sometimes I will use the pomodoro technique to stay on task. I don't watch TV, play video games, attend social events, go to the gym, etc. I just do my bare minimum activities of daily living, attend required classes, and study. I average less than 7 hours of sleep per night. In short, I am living a pretty ascetic lifestyle. I don't think most people could do this for extended periods of time without going insane/burning out. It works for me though. I am motivated by the anticipation of longterm gratification.

 

[68PGunner]

There's no secret formula. I just sit down and force myself to flip through my flashcards, do question banks, read, or whatever it is I have planned for the day. I stay well caffeinated. When my willpower is running low, sometimes I will use the pomodoro technique to stay on task. I don't watch TV, play video games, attend social events, go to the gym, etc. I just do my bare minimum activities of daily living, attend required classes, and study. I average less than 7 hours of sleep per night. In short, I am living a pretty ascetic lifestyle. I don't think most people could do this for extended periods of time without going insane/burning out. It works for me though. I am motivated by the anticipation of longterm gratification.

The man is a machine!!!

To be fair, my schedule is very similar in term of routine, but I do make time for some love with Jill and some exercise to avoid LV hypertrophy due to the caffeine.

 

[Yorick]

I genuinely enjoy studying and learning, regardless of what it is. Even for relatively mundane topics, I find ways to make me very interested in the material. I also identify what I need to cover and review each day, so having specific goals also helps a lot because I don't stop until I finish what I want.

 

[IMG69]

There's no secret formula. I just sit down and force myself to flip through my flashcards, do question banks, read, or whatever it is I have planned for the day. I stay well caffeinated. When my willpower is running low, sometimes I will use the pomodoro technique to stay on task. I don't watch TV, play video games, attend social events, go to the gym, etc. I just do my bare minimum activities of daily living, attend required classes, and study. I average less than 7 hours of sleep per night. In short, I am living a pretty ascetic lifestyle. I don't think most people could do this for extended periods of time without going insane/burning out. It works for me though. I am motivated by the anticipation of longterm gratification.

I'm curious what happens when you get sick? Do you shutdown for a week then reboot? 🙂

 

[831929]

There's no secret formula. I just sit down and force myself to flip through my flashcards, do question banks, read, or whatever it is I have planned for the day. I stay well caffeinated. When my willpower is running low, sometimes I will use the pomodoro technique to stay on task. I don't watch TV, play video games, attend social events, go to the gym, etc. I just do my bare minimum activities of daily living, attend required classes, and study. I average less than 7 hours of sleep per night. In short, I am living a pretty ascetic lifestyle. I don't think most people could do this for extended periods of time without going insane/burning out. It works for me though. I am motivated by the anticipation of longterm gratification.

Does SDN count as bare minimum activity of daily living?

 

[Foot Fetish]

I'm curious what happens when you get sick? Do you shutdown for a week then reboot? 🙂

I haven't gotten sick in a while, thankfully. The main component of my studying is Anki, and I do that everyday no matter what. So, if I was really sick and truly couldn't study like I normally do, I would at least force myself to keep up with my "due" cards on Anki, which takes at least a couple hours. More likely, however, i would just try to study as usual if it's a mere cold or something. I've never been put out of commission for a full week by any illness that I can remember.

Does SDN count as bare minimum activity of daily living?

Lol. I knew someone was going to point this out. I forgot to mention in my post that I do spend 1-2 hours max browsing the web most days as my sole source of leisure. It helps me decompress a bit and maintain my sanity.

 

[831929]

Okay, I have a couple questions and I'm also looking for some advice on studying. I see people on this forum all the time writing about how they spend 40, 60, 80 hours a week on med school. I recently started tracking my time spent in school and I'm only hitting 20-26 hours a week (class and study time). I have kind of always felt like people exaggerate their study time and/or count all the time they are at their desk even though they spend half the time on Facebook. How much time do you REALLY spend studying every week? Is the amount of time I spend on school really that unusual?

I'm concerned because if people really are spending 60 hours a week on school and 10-12 hours a day studying during dedicated, I just don't think I can keep up when I start step 1 prep. I can't focus for that long every day and think I might need a different/extended plan for dedicated. I start dedicated mid January, but I could potentially start over Christmas break if I need to. What kind of tools do you guys use to keep going for hours every day? What kind of things should I try? Do you think I should extend my dedicated period?

Just do what works for you. I'm about a 50/50 person. 2-3 weeks leading up to exams I study 6-9 hours a day with minimal break. Then 2-3 weeks after exams I study about 2-4 hours a day just to not get too behind. The slacking off for that time usually motivates me later on. Need those lazy breaks in there sometimes.

 

[DrDarce]

I haven't gotten sick in a while, thankfully. The main component of my studying is Anki, and I do that everyday no matter what. So, if I was really sick and truly couldn't study like I normally do, I would at least force myself to keep up with my "due" cards on Anki, which takes at least a couple hours. More likely, however, i would just try to study as usual if it's a mere cold or something. I've never been put out of commission for a full week by any illness that I can remember.




Lol. I knew someone was going to point this out. I forgot to mention in my post that I do spend 1-2 hours max browsing the web most days as my sole source of leisure. It helps me decompress a bit and maintain my sanity.

How many hours a day do you spend looking at feet on the internet?

 

[Frogger27]

How many hours a day do you spend looking at feet on the internet?

Anki cards of different feet

 

[Foot Fetish]

How many hours a day do you spend looking at feet on the internet?

That's included in my "activities of daily living" if you know what I mean

 

[Trollest]

A gunner with foot fetishes, ah ya ya this is indeed dangerous. Handicaping all those NMBE questions, i see.

There's no secret formula. I just sit down and force myself to flip through my flashcards, do question banks, read, or whatever it is I have planned for the day. I stay well caffeinated. When my willpower is running low, sometimes I will use the pomodoro technique to stay on task. I don't watch TV, play video games, attend social events, go to the gym, etc. I just do my bare minimum activities of daily living, attend required classes, and study. I average less than 7 hours of sleep per night. In short, I am living a pretty ascetic lifestyle. I don't think most people could do this for extended periods of time without going insane/burning out. It works for me though. I am motivated by the anticipation of longterm gratification.

 

[Frogger27]

I haven't gotten sick in a while, thankfully. The main component of my studying is Anki, and I do that everyday no matter what. So, if I was really sick and truly couldn't study like I normally do, I would at least force myself to keep up with my "due" cards on Anki, which takes at least a couple hours. More likely, however, i would just try to study as usual if it's a mere cold or something. I've never been put out of commission for a full week by any illness that I can remember.




Lol. I knew someone was going to point this out. I forgot to mention in my post that I do spend 1-2 hours max browsing the web most days as my sole source of leisure. It helps me decompress a bit and maintain my sanity.

Do you use Zanki or Bros? If so how many new cards/day do you do?

 

[Jojos]

people study insane amounts of hours (i used to do this as well) because they study inefficiently. It is the efficiency that dictates whether you need to hit the material for 2-3-4-5 hours per day. find your learning method, use anki, learn how to use spaced repetition and worry more about hitting your daily target than about the # of hours studying.

I used to do a lot of hours per day, and i totally regret it. using pomodoro, feynman, anki and not writing book notes has cut it down to more than half.

 

[zero0]

I'm not

 

[GEToutLADYits6AM]

How many hours of sleep do you guys get? Ive been waking up at night with racing thoughts of what I learned, any advice?

 

[libertyyne]

How many hours of sleep do hou guys get? Ive been waking up at night with raving thoughts of what I learned, any advice?

I have been getting 8 solid hours of sleep as an m1 and have been doing very well in my classes. I sometimes have sleepless nights but only after taking an exam and replaying the questions in my head.

 

[Vrachika]

How many hours of sleep do hou guys get? Ive been waking up at night with raving thoughts of what I learned, any advice?

This happens to me if I study too close to bedtime, particularly if I'm trying to cram in last minute details before a test in the morning. To avoid I do something else for a minimum of 30-60 mins before trying to go to sleep (literally anything, clean, scroll on phone, SDN, Netflix, etc), and switched my "last minute detail cramming" from night before to morning before (was hard bc I'm not a morning person at all, but has been worth it). Also not studying in bed anymore seems to have helped as well. Also cutting back on anxiety in general (mindfulness techniques) was probably helpful as well.

Hope it gets better for you, I know how frustrating that can be!

 

[Coupd'Cat]

take a break every 15-20 minutes. Keeps you less distracted if you know you'll have a break soon, but need to focus for the meantime.

I used ones of these pomodoro timer apps: Get Productive With These Pomodoro Timer Apps & Online Tools

 

[Foot Fetish]

Do you use Zanki or Bros? If so how many new cards/day do you do?

Started off Bros, switched to ZankI. I'm about 90% done with Zanki. I added a lot of cards to it though, so it's actually larger than the original Zanki. It's over 26,000 cards and growing.

people study insane amounts of hours (i used to do this as well) because they study inefficiently. It is the efficiency that dictates whether you need to hit the material for 2-3-4-5 hours per day. find your learning method, use anki, learn how to use spaced repetition and worry more about hitting your daily target than about the # of hours studying.

I used to do a lot of hours per day, and i totally regret it. using pomodoro, feynman, anki and not writing book notes has cut it down to more than half.

Lol, cool false dichotomy, bro. Do you know what the difference between you and me is? It's not that you're more efficient. We've both figured out how to maximize efficiency. The difference is that you use that as justification for working less whereas I see it as justification to work nearly nonstop. If you had a machine that produced pure gold bars, would you unplug it after a few hours just because it's a really efficient machine? Apparently you would. Whereas my logic tells me to leave it running for as long as humanly possible. Another example is those game shows where they give some lucky guy a few minutes to run around a store and grab as much free stuff as he can fit in a cart. That's how I see Step 1 studying. To me it's a race, and every hour of everyday is precious. And don't think that I'm spending inordinate amounts of time beating the same subject to death. Quite the opposite, in fact. By Christmas time, I will have completed the entire M2 curriculum. In other words, I am learning at approximately 2x the speed of my peers.

Different goals I guess? Admittedly, my strategy doesn't make sense for 95% of medical students. I'm trying to get a 270+ on boards though.

 

[libertyyne]

Started off Bros, switched to ZankI. I'm about 90% done with Zanki. I added a lot of cards to it though, so it's actually larger than the original Zanki. It's over 26,000 cards and growing.



Lol, cool false dichotomy, bro. Do you know what the difference between you and me is? It's not that you're more efficient. We've both figured out how to maximize efficiency. The difference is that you use that as justification for working less whereas I see it as justification to work nearly nonstop. If you had a machine that produced pure gold bars, would you unplug it after a few hours just because it's a really efficient machine? Apparently you would. Whereas my logic tells me to leave it running for as long as humanly possible. Another example is those game shows where they give some lucky guy a few minutes to run around a store and grab as much free stuff as he can fit in a cart. That's how I see Step 1 studying. To me it's a race, and every hour of everyday is precious. And don't think that I'm spending inordinate amounts of time beating the same subject to death. Quite the opposite, in fact. By Christmas time, I will have completed the entire M2 curriculum. In other words, I am learning at approximately 2x the speed of my peers.

Are you using any lectures service ? And if so would you recommend them?

 

[Foot Fetish]

Are you using any lectures service ? And if so would you recommend them?

Nope. No lectures here. I don't have the patience for videos lol

 

[libertyyne]

Nope. No lectures here. I don't have the patience for videos lol

I know it might be outside of the scope of this thread. But, I would sure love a write up about your method. I have been trying to expose myself to material from future units while still doing well on current units and I have difficulty figuring out what I should be looking at that would be beneficial.

 

[GEToutLADYits6AM]

Started off Bros, switched to ZankI. I'm about 90% done with Zanki. I added a lot of cards to it though, so it's actually larger than the original Zanki. It's over 26,000 cards and growing.



Lol, cool false dichotomy, bro. Do you know what the difference between you and me is? It's not that you're more efficient. We've both figured out how to maximize efficiency. The difference is that you use that as justification for working less whereas I see it as justification to work nearly nonstop. If you had a machine that produced pure gold bars, would you unplug it after a few hours just because it's a really efficient machine? Apparently you would. Whereas my logic tells me to leave it running for as long as humanly possible. Another example is those game shows where they give some lucky guy a few minutes to run around a store and grab as much free stuff as he can fit in a cart. That's how I see Step 1 studying. To me it's a race, and every hour of everyday is precious. And don't think that I'm spending inordinate amounts of time beating the same subject to death. Quite the opposite, in fact. By Christmas time, I will have completed the entire M2 curriculum. In other words, I am learning at approximately 2x the speed of my peers.

Different goals I guess? Admittedly, my strategy doesn't make sense for 95% of medical students. I'm trying to get a 270+ on boards though.

How many hours do you sleep? (If you sleep less than 6, how are you able to function with less than optimal amount of sleep? Do you meditate/exercise or do anything to Improve your memory and concentration? Thanks in advance

 

[Foot Fetish]

How many hours do you sleep? (If you sleep less than 6, how are you able to function with less than optimal amount of sleep? Do you meditate/exercise or do anything to Improve your memory and concentration? Thanks in advance

Admittedly I don't sleep as much as I would like. I try to get 5 hours as my bare minimum. 7 would be ideal. I don't really meditate. I "meditate" by Web browsing and posting on my favorite websites for a couple hours per day. I don't exercise anymore, unfortunately.

 

[GEToutLADYits6AM]

Admittedly I don't sleep as much as I would like. I try to get 5 hours as my bare minimum. 7 would be ideal. I don't really meditate. I "meditate" by Web browsing and posting on my favorite websites for a couple hours per day. I don't exercise anymore, unfortunately.

Then how do you concentrate? And doesn't memory formation occur while you sleep?

 

[Treebeard]

I could really use some tips for studying more efficiently. During my last block (anatomy) I was studying 15+ hours every day, and seriously studying without distractions or screwing around for almost all of it other than a lunch break and dinner break. I ended up doing pretty well in the course, but I'm at an unranked P/F school so I'd really like to dial the hours back and get more involved in research and some relaxation time. I'm not really sure how to go about it though...simply "studying less" seems like a poor idea unless I add efficiency so as to learn the same amount.

 

[Foot Fetish]

Then how do you concentrate? And doesn't memory formation occur while you sleep?

Yeah, memory is consolidated in sleep. I guess I can just function with a bit less sleep. I drink a good amount of caffeine to be honest, 200-400 mg most days.

 

[Giovanotto]

I've noticed as I've progressed from an OMS1 to OMS2, I've become way less efficient at studying. I'm losing many of the good habits I formed at the beginning. Slowly trying to turn things back around.

 

[Medin2017]

I haven't gotten sick in a while, thankfully. The main component of my studying is Anki, and I do that everyday no matter what. So, if I was really sick and truly couldn't study like I normally do, I would at least force myself to keep up with my "due" cards on Anki, which takes at least a couple hours. More likely, however, i would just try to study as usual if it's a mere cold or something. I've never been put out of commission for a full week by any illness that I can remember.




Lol. I knew someone was going to point this out. I forgot to mention in my post that I do spend 1-2 hours max browsing the web most days as my sole source of leisure. It helps me decompress a bit and maintain my sanity.

How many cards can you hit per hour? And when studying ahead on stuff lectures don't teach what resource do you use

 

[Jojos]

Started off Bros, switched to ZankI. I'm about 90% done with Zanki. I added a lot of cards to it though, so it's actually larger than the original Zanki. It's over 26,000 cards and growing.



Lol, cool false dichotomy, bro. Do you know what the difference between you and me is? It's not that you're more efficient. We've both figured out how to maximize efficiency. The difference is that you use that as justification for working less whereas I see it as justification to work nearly nonstop. If you had a machine that produced pure gold bars, would you unplug it after a few hours just because it's a really efficient machine? Apparently you would. Whereas my logic tells me to leave it running for as long as humanly possible. Another example is those game shows where they give some lucky guy a few minutes to run around a store and grab as much free stuff as he can fit in a cart. That's how I see Step 1 studying. To me it's a race, and every hour of everyday is precious. And don't think that I'm spending inordinate amounts of time beating the same subject to death. Quite the opposite, in fact. By Christmas time, I will have completed the entire M2 curriculum. In other words, I am learning at approximately 2x the speed of my peers.

Different goals I guess? Admittedly, my strategy doesn't make sense for 95% of medical students. I'm trying to get a 270+ on boards though.

have fun burning out. i won't be joining you, i have a life and other passions.

 

[mehc012]

have fun burning out. i won't be joining you, i have a life and other passions.

He might not burn out, but damn does that seem unnecessary for his goals.

 

[68PGunner]

Started off Bros, switched to ZankI. I'm about 90% done with Zanki. I added a lot of cards to it though, so it's actually larger than the original Zanki. It's over 26,000 cards and growing.



Lol, cool false dichotomy, bro. Do you know what the difference between you and me is? It's not that you're more efficient. We've both figured out how to maximize efficiency. The difference is that you use that as justification for working less whereas I see it as justification to work nearly nonstop. If you had a machine that produced pure gold bars, would you unplug it after a few hours just because it's a really efficient machine? Apparently you would. Whereas my logic tells me to leave it running for as long as humanly possible. Another example is those game shows where they give some lucky guy a few minutes to run around a store and grab as much free stuff as he can fit in a cart. That's how I see Step 1 studying. To me it's a race, and every hour of everyday is precious. And don't think that I'm spending inordinate amounts of time beating the same subject to death. Quite the opposite, in fact. By Christmas time, I will have completed the entire M2 curriculum. In other words, I am learning at approximately 2x the speed of my peers.

Different goals I guess? Admittedly, my strategy doesn't make sense for 95% of medical students. I'm trying to get a 270+ on boards though.

Dude, you need to schedule Step 1 around March or April at this pace and go on a long 2-3 months vacation to work on that fitness and skin factors. I believe it’s an auto rejection for Derm if your skin is imperfect while sporting a beer gut.