How do you study?

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taeyeonlover

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M1 here. I recently took a final exam for a module that covers anatomy, physiology, histology, embryology, and biostatistics and totally bombed it. I somehow still passed the course so the course director told me that I don't have to remediate.

However, while studying for this final exam, I was so overwhelmed because the exam was cumulative and I had to review all of the materials that were covered during that module that was about 4 months long. Not only that, they kept throwing new materials at us literally a week before the final exam.

I seem to find midterm exams that only test on certain disciplines pretty manageable. But when it comes to cumulative final exams, I'm just so overwhelmed and lost.

When I study, I usually study the lecture powerpoint slides or notes multiple times and sometimes watch educational videos like Osmosis if I still do not understand the concepts. I haven't tried anki cause I find it hard to get into. I also seem to have mild depression issues that makes me unmotivated at times so I am planning to see a therapist.

How do you study for big, cumulative exams like these? Any advice?

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The key is studying as you go. The material reinforces itself as you go along and if you don't start studying until finals, then it's too late. You have to understand the material really well as you go through it. If you don't understand something, spend the time to look it up until you really understand it. The threshold is basically can you explain the concept in such a way that a 5 year old can understand it? If so, then you've mastered it. Then it's about reinforcement. You can either use Anki for this or you can rewrite your notes or something like that. This is a much better way to learn than passively re-reading slides trying to absorb the information.
 
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Here was my approach to classes...

Pick your favorite study medium (lecture notes/ppt, textbooks, zanki, B&B ppt, etc.). I recommend in-house powerpoints because the people who write your questions wrote them (hear me out).

You should have some organization for each unit. Make a list of all of your lectures for each week in a spreadsheet or something. Make sure you keep track of how many times you have seen each document. It will make certain you have seen everything thrown at you 2-3 times before your test.

That schedule can just kind of run in the background and provide passive review through an organ system unit.

You need to mix that in with some study time where you focus on a topic you identify as a weak point. Now, identifying your weak points can be tough, but when you find one attack it in whatever way you can. Try a video dedicated to the topic, download a small (~50 card) anki deck and bang through it, youtube, diagrams, drawing, etc.

With this approach you:

1.) Cover in-house material several times to pick up nit-picky questions from faculty, also covers the subject matter of the block
2.) Patch and plaster the gaps in your framework with other media of your choosing

One final secret: time. time. time. even if you feel overwhelmed, just do something.

Add 1 more hour a day for the next two weeks, do 3-4 Saturday and Sunday, etc.

Good luck. Reach out to others if you feel like you are giving it your best and still struggling.
 
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UK here, I have have literally 1 exam per year on the whole year which also includes sociology, medicolegal stuff and all that type of stuff. Just do anki, you basically have to do spaced repetition. I do dope's deck, anking step 2 and also a sketchy pharma deck just to keep on top of meds.

You'll always feel lost, even I still feel lost in M3 with these exams, me and my friends always say there's no way the test us on that right? E.g which implant do we use a biventricular, single chamber or SQ device. I wish I could help you more but the reality is you basically have to study like your sitting step 1 every year. Always do practice questions as well.

Best of luck
 
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Anki
 
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Here was my approach to classes...

Pick your favorite study medium (lecture notes/ppt, textbooks, zanki, B&B ppt, etc.). I recommend in-house powerpoints because the people who write your questions wrote them (hear me out).

You should have some organization for each unit. Make a list of all of your lectures for each week in a spreadsheet or something. Make sure you keep track of how many times you have seen each document. It will make certain you have seen everything thrown at you 2-3 times before your test.

That schedule can just kind of run in the background and provide passive review through an organ system unit.

You need to mix that in with some study time where you focus on a topic you identify as a weak point. Now, identifying your weak points can be tough, but when you find one attack it in whatever way you can. Try a video dedicated to the topic, download a small (~50 card) anki deck and bang through it, youtube, diagrams, drawing, etc.

With this approach you:

1.) Cover in-house material several times to pick up nit-picky questions from faculty, also covers the subject matter of the block
2.) Patch and plaster the gaps in your framework with other media of your choosing

One final secret: time. time. time. even if you feel overwhelmed, just do something.

Add 1 more hour a day for the next two weeks, do 3-4 Saturday and Sunday, etc.

Good luck. Reach out to others if you feel like you are giving it your best and still struggling.

Hey, really appreciate this
 
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So I've been studying like this since organ modules started second half of M1 and I've been killing my exams. first semester I did average or slightly above average for context. also our exams are usually mostly in house with varying amounts of NBME questions

MS2 here. I always do my reviews first thing in the morning to get them out of the way.

so I always start out by learning the material from BnB, pathoma, and sketchy. And as I watch those videos I do the corresponding cards from the Anking deck. I personally do the boards resources for everything being covered in the in house lectures for that day even though that may mean some days I have way more cards to do than others. you could also just say you'll do 100 new cards a day and only do the videos from boards resources that would have 100 new cards. up to you.

after I've watched those videos and done the new Anki cards I have a fairly good handle on the big picture of the topics and I know what's important. Next step is to watch the in house lectures. since I already know a good amount of the material I watch in house on 2x and im only focusing on the circling things and underlining the stuff that wasn't covered in the boards resources because that'll be the stuff I need to know for the in-house portion of the exam if they're gonna be nitpicky. ill do that for everyday in the week and on weekends just do my reviews. if its the weekend before the exam ill just do my reviews like usual and on Saturday ill go through each in house powerpoint to look at the stuff I circled and underlined. by that point I know really well what info was covered in my boards resources and Anking cards so I make sure I know all of the facts I highlighted to make sure I know them. depending on how historically nitpicky the professor makes the exams ill make Anki cards for the facts from the in house lectures. I've only done this once from our renal module because he had tons of stuff to know that wasn't in boards resources. then on Sunday ill do my reviews again and do all of the practice questions from USMLE-rx. depending on how I feel I may also do amboss questions but I usually feel ok after just doing usmle rx. morning of the exam ill do my reviews relevant to that exam and just go over the in house PowerPoints just in case there's some highlighted fact I don't remember or understand.

doing each of these things has consistently led me to getting 95s-ish on exams and I never really feel stressed before the exam because I know I've done everything possible.

hope that helps!

EDIT: so sorry I just re-read your post until the end. I would 100% recommend you get the help for your mental health above all else. that'll be the biggest hindrance to your success and the therapy should help a lot. I was dealing through some stuff and went to my schools counseling center and it really helped a lot. highly recommend.

in terms of your apprehension to Anki: we've all been there. it can def get overwhelming trying to use it but its so worth it. I would dedicate a golden weekend where you have nothing to study to just watch all of the Anking videos on YouTube and learn to use it and give Anki a real shot. if by then you really don't f*ck with Anki move on to something else. but I would def recommend you try your best. its perfect for exactly what you mean about having long spaces between exams. its unreal how good it is for improving your long term retention. good luck and you can always reach out to me via PM if you need anything!
 
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Everyone is hitting the high points but I just wanted to reiterate that you should use what is good FOR YOU. If Anki is not working, don't keep forcing it, try something else. If old-school notes/ppt not working, move on, etc. You will have tons of your peers telling you what is best and you have to decide for yourself what works best instead of trying to force down different types of methodologies.

For lecture material, I use old-school methods with lecture notes, then I create hand-written review pages with high-yield points from each topic. By the time I've reached my review pages, I have already passed the material about 3x. I have used Anki as well which is great for practice questions but not my only way of studying. Now for boards studying, that's a different discussion.
 
Everyone is hitting the high points but I just wanted to reiterate that you should use what is good FOR YOU. If Anki is not working, don't keep forcing it, try something else. If old-school notes/ppt not working, move on, etc. You will have tons of your peers telling you what is best and you have to decide for yourself what works best instead of trying to force down different types of methodologies.

For lecture material, I use old-school methods with lecture notes, then I create hand-written review pages with high-yield points from each topic. By the time I've reached my review pages, I have already passed the material about 3x. I have used Anki as well which is great for practice questions but not my only way of studying. Now for boards studying, that's a different discussion.

Agree in general, but one thing I disagree with is anki. Anki will work for everyone. It is literally just spaced repetition which is proven to be how everyone learns. Certain decks might not work for everyone, but you can make anki cards into almost whatever you want (simple cards, cloze deletions, questions, matching, image occlusion, etc) and then use the spaced repetition algorithm. The beauty of anki isn’t that it’s a flash card app. The beauty of anki is that it’s an extremely customizable spaced learning app with an algorithm that works for almost anyone and is adjustable if you need it to be a little longer or shorter.
 
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Agree in general, but one thing I disagree with is anki. Anki will work for everyone. It is literally just spaced repetition which is proven to be how everyone learns. Certain decks might not work for everyone, but you can make anki cards into almost whatever you want (simple cards, cloze deletions, questions, matching, image occlusion, etc) and then use the spaced repetition algorithm. The beauty of anki isn’t that it’s a flash card app. The beauty of anki is that it’s an extremely customizable spaced learning app with an algorithm that works for almost anyone and is adjustable if you need it to be a little longer or shorter.
I absolutely agree that the method works because you are right about spaced learning. I found Anki has worked for me as well, but some people may just enjoy spaced learning in different ways, or even if someone just didn’t want to sit at their computer clicking the space bar. Or if they simply didn’t like the interface, this could all come into play for it to not be 100% useful for someone if they are trying new things. So that’s why I say don’t force something for everything. Obviously Anki is wonderful for most people and I find it useful for boards studying.
 
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Agree in general, but one thing I disagree with is anki. Anki will work for everyone. It is literally just spaced repetition which is proven to be how everyone learns. Certain decks might not work for everyone, but you can make anki cards into almost whatever you want (simple cards, cloze deletions, questions, matching, image occlusion, etc) and then use the spaced repetition algorithm. The beauty of anki isn’t that it’s a flash card app. The beauty of anki is that it’s an extremely customizable spaced learning app with an algorithm that works for almost anyone and is adjustable if you need it to be a little longer or shorter.

I agree with you, but it depends on how you define "works for you". If we're defining it as "gets results", then it works for 99% of people if used correctly. Personally, I define it as not only gets results, but I include tolerance/enjoyment factor. If you can't tolerate Anki at all, even if it gets you the best results, then it doesn't work for you. The best study method is the one that maximizes both the tolerance/enjoyment factor and gets results.

It's like a workout program. There may be one that gets the best results, but the frequency or volume is too much (or the exercises are boring), so it kills all the fun. Then there's another clearly suboptimal program that is way more fun and easy to stick to. That program is 100% the better program for the person that can't tolerate or enjoy the first program.

Now an argument can be made that you can overcome the tolerance/enjoyment factor and just suck it up for the best results. That's true, and some people have the willpower and discipline to be able to do that. But I'd wager that the majority of people don't.
 
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Agree in general, but one thing I disagree with is anki. Anki will work for everyone. It is literally just spaced repetition which is proven to be how everyone learns. Certain decks might not work for everyone, but you can make anki cards into almost whatever you want (simple cards, cloze deletions, questions, matching, image occlusion, etc) and then use the spaced repetition algorithm. The beauty of anki isn’t that it’s a flash card app. The beauty of anki is that it’s an extremely customizable spaced learning app with an algorithm that works for almost anyone and is adjustable if you need it to be a little longer or shorter.

I agree with this too im a huge a proponent for Anki. however some people just can't seem to get themselves to do the cards or the interface is too complicated etc. at the end of the day spaced repetition is what works and if they can do that type of review on their own it should be ok. I personally have no idea how I would do well without Anki just because it makes it so easy to organize your studying. I never have to think ok so today im gonna review this old topic and tomorrow ill do XYZ. Anki just tells me what to do and I do it. to each their own I guess lol
 
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M1 here. I recently took a final exam for a module that covers anatomy, physiology, histology, embryology, and biostatistics and totally bombed it. I somehow still passed the course so the course director told me that I don't have to remediate.

However, while studying for this final exam, I was so overwhelmed because the exam was cumulative and I had to review all of the materials that were covered during that module that was about 4 months long. Not only that, they kept throwing new materials at us literally a week before the final exam.

I seem to find midterm exams that only test on certain disciplines pretty manageable. But when it comes to cumulative final exams, I'm just so overwhelmed and lost.

When I study, I usually study the lecture powerpoint slides or notes multiple times and sometimes watch educational videos like Osmosis if I still do not understand the concepts. I haven't tried anki cause I find it hard to get into. I also seem to have mild depression issues that makes me unmotivated at times so I am planning to see a therapist.

How do you study for big, cumulative exams like these? Any advice?

The bolded part is what stands out to me. Been there, done that, gotten wrecked. Depression really kills your ability to focus and motivate yourself to study every day. It's good that you have a concrete plan to seek help.

Anki, looking through my notes daily, and group studying
 
  1. I do a pass of lecture content (whether that be reading, watching, class or outside resource - I decide based on the topic and type of content)
  2. Anki
  3. Take exam
 
Already been said but do what works for you. I've done fine and have never touched Anki. Try things until you get your rhythm, but everything mentioned above have been great suggestions.

Edit: Just want to add that I do agree with the spaced repetition! I have my own way of doing it but I have heard that Anki does a great job.
 
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I organize my lecture slides in notability and write on them as the professor is talking.

After I’ve reviewed the material I try to talk it about with myself. Sometimes I like to pretend I’m doing a Ted talk.

I have a professor that says if you can’t talk about/explain it, you don’t know it well enough.
 
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I agree with you, but it depends on how you define "works for you". If we're defining it as "gets results", then it works for 99% of people if used correctly. Personally, I define it as not only gets results, but I include tolerance/enjoyment factor. If you can't tolerate Anki at all, even if it gets you the best results, then it doesn't work for you. The best study method is the one that maximizes both the tolerance/enjoyment factor and gets results.

It's like a workout program. There may be one that gets the best results, but the frequency or volume is too much (or the exercises are boring), so it kills all the fun. Then there's another clearly suboptimal program that is way more fun and easy to stick to. That program is 100% the better program for the person that can't tolerate or enjoy the first program.

Now an argument can be made that you can overcome the tolerance/enjoyment factor and just suck it up for the best results. That's true, and some people have the willpower and discipline to be able to do that. But I'd wager that the majority of people don't.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way. I don’t particularly enjoy just pounding the space bar, but it’s the most efficient way to learn and therefore gives me more free time which especially now that I’m on rotations is already in short supply. Do I enjoy doing it? No. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t work.

And it’s starting to be like people saying “I never did anki” is like the people who say they’ve never seen an episode of GoT.
 
Where there’s a will, there’s a way. I don’t particularly enjoy just pounding the space bar, but it’s the most efficient way to learn and therefore gives me more free time which especially now that I’m on rotations is already in short supply. Do I enjoy doing it? No. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t work.

And it’s starting to be like people saying “I never did anki” is like the people who say they’ve never seen an episode of GoT.

Hahaha. I think it's just a knee jerk reaction to hearing "Anki is the way" 365 days of the year. It's like when people first started ignoring lecture in favor of boards. In step write ups people always used to say studying for class = studying for boards. In a thread on the topic, I would be the first to say that I ignored lecture and still did well on boards *fingers crossed*
 
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Hahaha. I think it's just a knee jerk reaction to hearing "Anki is the way" 365 days of the year. It's like when people first started ignoring lecture in favor of boards. In step write ups people always used to say studying for class = studying for boards. In a thread on the topic, I would be the first to say that I ignored lecture and still did well on boards *fingers crossed*

Yeah but nowadays the GoT equivalent is saying you only studied for class and did well.
 
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M1 here. I recently took a final exam for a module that covers anatomy, physiology, histology, embryology, and biostatistics and totally bombed it. I somehow still passed the course so the course director told me that I don't have to remediate.

However, while studying for this final exam, I was so overwhelmed because the exam was cumulative and I had to review all of the materials that were covered during that module that was about 4 months long. Not only that, they kept throwing new materials at us literally a week before the final exam.

I seem to find midterm exams that only test on certain disciplines pretty manageable. But when it comes to cumulative final exams, I'm just so overwhelmed and lost.

When I study, I usually study the lecture powerpoint slides or notes multiple times and sometimes watch educational videos like Osmosis if I still do not understand the concepts. I haven't tried anki cause I find it hard to get into. I also seem to have mild depression issues that makes me unmotivated at times so I am planning to see a therapist.

How do you study for big, cumulative exams like these? Any advice?
Yeah. It's called don't study for your med school and just focus on USMLE instead. Just do material in Qbanks subject-specific that aligns with what you need to cover in school.
 
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