how many hours on average do you study per week as MS1 and MS2?

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yaoming

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I'm MS1 and I'm going about, say, 49 hours. How about you? And is that enough to do well on the boards?
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Sacrament is right.

Honestly, does anyone truly study 60+ hours/week outside of class? I find that quite hard to believe.

During 1st/2nd year, I usually spent 10-12 hours/week studying during non-exam weeks... before exams, this went up to ~20 hours/week.

For anyone who IS studying > 40 hours/week, close your book and get some sleep. You get diminishing returns for working that much. Furthermore, no residency will care about your preclinical grades.

Cheers,

doepug
MS III, Johns Hopkins
 
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i find 10hrs PER WEEK (??? !!!! ?!?!?!) hard to believe. i can do that in one saturday. so u basically study one saturday and u're done for the week? "that's pretty hard to believe," for medical school. either that or you're smarter than will hunting.
 
Okay, fair enough. Take out 1.5 hrs/day for dinner & break. That makes 49.5-54.5 hrs/week. I'm at school on weekdays from 8:30am to 1-2am.
 
I'm with doepug on this. I'm no genius, but i'm somewhere in the top 1/2 of my class and can't begin to fathom anything approaching 60 hrs/week in addition to class.
 
If you're not making straight 100s, then God help us.
 
I agree with doepug. I study about 10-15 hours per week when there isn't an exam. I basically just prepare for class and read the syllabus. When exams roll around I spend more time studying starting about 4 or 5 days before the exam (about 5-7 hours per day). I am most likely not in the top 10% but that doesn't matter all that much when it is P/F. I do score above the mean on the exams, which atleast lets me know that I am doing pretty good. I don't know anyone in my class that studies as much as some of you are posting. After awhile, that much time starts to work against you in most cases. Many of us spend the rest of our time seeking clinical experiences, exercising, sleeping, or paying attention to other important aspects of our lives.
 
When I started, I found it tough to study much outside of class because of all of the extracurricular activities we were supposed to participate in. Now I make myself spend 40hrs (class + homework) per week, and that is sufficient to stay near the top. My study hours are very intense - no noise, no friends, phone calls, breaks... When I used to study at school, alot of time was wasted socializing. Bottom line - quality over quantity.
 
Don't go to class, and my studying probably works out to average 3-4 hrs every day, regardless of exam schedule (we pretty much have an exam every couple of weeks). But, no gross this semester, so that will probably change once that starts up. But 60-65 hrs, plus class time? That is brutal, there has to be some diminishing returns going on there. You'll have to relearn most of it for the boards anyway, so why kill yourself now?
 
So, on average you study about 7h/day. Do you ever go to lectures?
 
yup, go to class for like 3-4 hours, then about 6-7 hours study after that. the rest of the time is spent on eating and watching first half of leno.
it's really surprising to see these results. i'd say everyone in my class seems to do as much as i do, some even more. i probably have class average on time i spend studying.
 
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yaoming, where do you go to school? you can PM me if you don't want to post it.

this is actually really useful quality-of-life info for those of us currently applying to med schools. i know this isn't a pre-allo post, but i'm sure lots of applicants look at this forum, and would love you all if you could let us know what schools require 50-60 hours of studying per week just to keep up. :)

thank you!
 
:clap: if it works for you, great:clap:
I on the other hand can't keep up the discipline to study EVERY day 7h+lectures&lab.
I get about 30-35h/week (3 days no lect/lab's), most of it on sat, sun and mon. BUT - when I do study, I'm so concentrated on the subject, I usually don't even notice when it gets dark outside:p
:) keep up your great study habits (I really admire people with so so much discipline...)
 
:clap: if it works for you, great:clap:
I on the other hand can't keep up the discipline to study EVERY day 7h+lectures&lab.
I get about 30-35h/week (3 days no lect/lab's), most of it on sat, sun and mon. BUT - when I do study, I'm so concentrated on the subject, I usually don't even notice when it gets dark outside:D
:) keep up your great study habits (I really admire people with so so much discipline...)
 
I know people who study all day every day. They are making good grades, but when it's test time they are completely stressed out. I don't know if they will keep it up through the rest of med school. I'm like some of the other posters, study a few hours a day. On saturday and sunday, study a little more. And if a test is coming up, I study a little later than I normally would, but I'm still in bed by 11 (yes i know it's early, but i need a lot of sleep). I did fine last block. And this block have had 2 exams so far, one of which couldnt have gone better and the other which, well, sucked, but that's life.

Point of my post: you dont have to study all the time unless you have a NEED to get an A in everything. But in medical school, it's expected that you'll get A's, B's and maybe even a C or two.
 
I still have time to take a 2 hour nap everyday. I've seriously regressed back to the preschool mindset. Excellent...study as much or little as you want. Depends on the person and the motivation. This napping habit of mine will surely kill me on the wards though. I say 3-4 hours a day for me outside of class, studying in front of the TV of course....they haven't flunked me out....yet.
 
Zoiks, some people are studying WAY too much - there IS life outside of med school!

I study about 3 hours a day, more on test weeks. so, my day is more like this:

Study 9-noon
class 1-3 or 1-5
go home
cook, clean, help boo with homework, etc
eat,
read story
bed

I do not study on weekends unless its the weekend right before a test or I have a paper due (about 1x a month).

so...I guess that works out to about 15 hours/week plus class time, with an increase on test weeks.

Im not the top of my class, but Im doing decently, especially considering that I acquired a family (husband and daughter) between years 1 and 2

star
 
Completely different system here but... we're still learning medicine... right?

I study 0-10 hours + per week. It depends if there is a test or not. We have small (~hour) long tests every week or so, and I would study overnight (~5-6 hours) for those. Sometimes we have two in a week, hence the 10 hours.

When there is no small test in sight, the '+' is just so I try to minimize the trouble I will get into, trying to do any work that will be checked, preparing for PBL sessions in which other's learning will be ****ed up if I don't do any work... etc.

I don't attend school that much. I really try to, but... you know the story... the first week or so you are extremely keen to get up at 7:30am...
the next week... 'again? christ I need a coffee'
a few days later 'hey baby, im a med student'
the next morning 'zzzzzzzzzzzzzz'
the afternoon 'owwwwwwww my head hurts'
the next morning 'screw going to the 8am's... Ill get in after lunch'
the next week 'screw going on monday*'
the next month 'screw going to any of those bull****e anatomy labs again'

* s....... anymore :D

etc... :) It's a slippery slope I've slid down for two years now, I'm not that confident that next year will be any different ;). (Did I mention it was fun?)

But when an exam is near (finals), I go nuts. I guess it's stress and I love it. Essentially I learn the entire year's content in less than a month, and kick ass in the final exams. In the month before my exams, something inside me just 'clicks' and I study... constantly... My life is essentially eat, sleep and study.
 
i take 2-3 hrs a day to preview notes for the next day of lecture.. if i don't understand the material.. or the notes suck.. i go to class for a better understanding.. if not.. then i go work out.. and work on my tan.. or sleep.. about 10-15 hrs/week.. not including going to lecture..

on the weekends.. i review the entire weeks worth of notes.. takes about 3 hrs to go over the entire week of notes the 2nd time around.. and possibly do some lab slides

when test time comes.. each day.. i go over about a week worth of material (3rd time).. e.g. 5 weeks in 5 days.. in about 15-20 hrs a week (depends on the material).. if there are a lot of path/micro slides.. it comes out to be about 25 hrs for the week

and if i'm neurotic.. i'll go over the material a 4th time with a quick overview for main points.. but i usually stop studying the day before the test.. and just chill.. work out.. watch a movie.. etc.

it's not how long you study.. as opposed to how efficiently you study.. i get about the mean in the class.. w/o going to lectures.. plus.. i sleep as much as i want and have my own thing to do on the weekdays.. i find that if i go to class.. i end up going to sleep and or my mind wanders around.. i rather wake up around 9-10.. read the news... check out the sports section.. and the go to the coffee shop to study

to each their own.. i of course would not recommend my study habits to gunners or wannabe AOA candidates though
 
Studying 60 hours a week to me is overkill. You have to have more than med school in your life at that point. Personally, I spend anywhere from 10 to 20 hours a week studying and then the week before tests I study 40 hours that week maybe more. My results are great, I have honors in everything except Biochem in which I have a High pass. So, I guess I'm probably top 20%. I want to have a life and do well in school. Its just a matter of study habits and being resourceful.
 
Originally posted by WSUreds
Studying 60 hours a week to me is overkill. You have to have more than med school in your life at that point. Personally, I spend anywhere from 10 to 20 hours a week studying and then the week before tests I study 40 hours that week maybe more. My results are great, I have honors in everything except Biochem in which I have a High pass. So, I guess I'm probably top 20%. I want to have a life and do well in school. Its just a matter of study habits and being resourceful.
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I figured the other thread was supposed to be on this one and that you had just pushed the wrong button. I thought it was crazy that those people gave you crap about it and that they couldn't figure out what was going on. Doesn't suprise me though, considering the number of medical students I've come across that can memorize and purge but a little analytical thinking is extremely foreign to them.

After reading these posts I've decided that I probably need to up my study time a little bit!!!!
 
What are your study habits like ortho? Even though my study habits have worked so far, I think I might study one more hour a day and save myself some stress come exam time. I swear people are so different around exams at my school, its so funny to see them before and after the tests.
 
Well my study habits up to this point have been horrendous! Unlike others I can't claim that I'm above the class average either. Basically I'm a huge procrastinator that hates rote memorization. I actually did pretty well with my study methods in Biochemistry. I had absolutely no biochemistry background and studied very little yet still pulled of a B and got above the National Average on the shelf exam.

Microanatomy and Gross Anatomy are killing me though. Gross isn't really so bad itself but I've totally neglected it except for last minute cramming for the last two tests because of a bad microanatomy grade. Basically it's really snowballed and I'm in real danger of failing both classes (and repeating them next year). So I have the Cell Biology and Histology shelf exam tomorrow to pull up my Microanatomy grade and then head and neck written and practical, and the Gross Anatomy shelf exam in January to pull up my Gross Grade.

So if there are any pre-meds reading this let it be a warning of what inadequate study skills will do to you. I'm not the person with the lowest MCAT score in the class that got off the waitlist in July either (not that there is anything wrong with that), in fact I have one of the higher MCAT scores. I don't care how smart you are, medical school is about studying, not necessarily super long hours of study but EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE study.

O.K. I need to get off here I have a BRS Cell Biology and Histology book that I need to read!!!!:( :( :(
 
I hear you ortho. I have had a very hard time keeping my head above water too - nevermind honors and mean. I just mean pass.

I realized you can put in 6 hrs of studying, where some might do two and they are better off for it. Efficiency is the secret - but how to figure it out?...

As for gross, we have this book called ECA by moore and agur. I spent the first section (extremities) reading all that damn dense book. I passed the lab exam by exactly 0%. 57% on a 57% pass level.
One of my gross buddies, who just knew his ****, said screw ECA read chung and netter. So I actually took his advice threw out ECA and got 76% on 57%PL for torso lab exam. The multiple choice portion is not in yet...

I feels a bit scary to throw out the prof rec. text and not do the reading but hell if somethings not working you have to try something else.

All the best on passing your tests ortho, I'm waiting in purgatory too ;)
 
I would say I study about 15-20 hrs during non-exam weeks and 30-40 during crunch time for exams at the end of blocks. I did study more when we had anatomy and spent more time in the lab, but other than that I think I gave a fair estimate of my study time outside of class. My class attendance is average, and my exam scores most of the time this semester have been on or around the class averages. So far I've honored 2 classes and passed the rest. I feel like I am retaining a lot more of the material than classmates who are studying more than I am or trying to do everything (i.e. MPH program, job on the side, spouse, school, etc.) all at once b/c I am trying to learn what I think will be important in the treatment of patients and not worrying about honoring classes. And my class rank? Couldn't tell you, cause we have none during the first two years!:D P=M.D. is really the best philosophy you can take during med school, unless you want to give yourself an ulcer like the people Erin mentioned. bannanie, this may be of interest to you since I go to Tufts and you just got in there (congrats!):) Bottom line: While my academic and personal accomplishments in med school have not been spectacular compared to many people in my class, I am very happy with how much I've learned this semester and proud that I'm making it through and trying my best.

BTW, I am under the impression that TUSM students do quite well on the boards, with a 98%+ pass rate for the past few years for Step 1.
 
Originally posted by shorrin
I hear you ortho. I have had a very hard time keeping my head above water too - nevermind honors and mean. I just mean pass.

I realized you can put in 6 hrs of studying, where some might do two and they are better off for it. Efficiency is the secret - but how to figure it out?...

As for gross, we have this book called ECA by moore and agur. I spent the first section (extremities) reading all that damn dense book. I passed the lab exam by exactly 0%. 57% on a 57% pass level.
One of my gross buddies, who just knew his ****, said screw ECA read chung and netter. So I actually took his advice threw out ECA and got 76% on 57%PL for torso lab exam. The multiple choice portion is not in yet...

I feels a bit scary to throw out the prof rec. text and not do the reading but hell if somethings not working you have to try something else.

All the best on passing your tests ortho, I'm waiting in purgatory too ;)
Click to expand...

I actually had a lot of trouble with anatomy last year. I think your friend has good advice on using whatever book works for you instead of reading Moore's (I just read the blue boxes and chart with a few exceptions). Also, as I said on another thread, spend as much time in the lab as you can and look at as many cadavers as possible, preferably with a knowledgeable friend, tutor, or professor. this helped me so much.. good luck! one more final to go for me in Neuroscience then 2 weeks off...
 
Katie,

It seems you learned a valuable lesson from your first 2 anatomy tests. Efficiency is key in this game, and it is something that you pick up as the work load increases. The goal in basic sciences is determining what is high yield, and learning it well. Anything else is cake. For me, lecture notes and review books were my foundation. I used big books such as Guyton's phys, albert's cell, etc as reference PRN. By the time you reach third year, you will be suprised at your ability to learn (or at least memorize:)) large amounts of info in a short period of time.

For example, I just completed my 3rd yr medicine rotation. My resident was somewhat of a hard ass, so I was physically working in a hospital over 100 hours/week. In my "free time", I was expected to "read" (residents way of saying study) as much as possible. I was able to cram a lot of stuff in over the past couple of days, and survive the shelf exam today.

It is truly amazing what you can accomplish when you don't have a choice :)

Good luck all, as many of us are completing exams.
 
My habits are pretty similar to everyone else's. I usually study 3-4 hours per day during the week (interruptions and all) and then a little more on the weekends. We have tests every Monday and so I usually study somewhere between 8-10 hours on Saturday and Sundays. During the week, almost all the studying involves prepping for that exam on Monday, with minor exceptions for quizzes, clinical problem solving, etc. The majority of my class does some form of "test cycling", which involves spending the whole week before an exam, studying for that exam only. Its hard not to when you do the best when the material is fresh in your mind. I would say that I am probably right in the middle of the group in terms of the number of hours spent studying. I did fairly well this semester (5 A's , 2B's), mainly because I am a good crammer (and I retain the majority of it afterwords, so its not necessarily binge and purge). In the past I have tried to keep of with material over the semester, but I found that it was just a waste of my time. I would like to add that it is a pain in the butt cramming 4 weeks worth of material in the span of 6 days, so if you can do just as well, keep up with your work over the semester.
Ciao
 
My typical study pattern for a 5 week block in an organ-based system.

Week 1-3: 4 hours or less every 3 days or so.
Week 4: 3 hours every other day, at least.
Week 5: 4-6 hours every day.

I do about 1 S.D. above the mean every exam and that's good enough for me.
 
I do about 10 hours during the week, then usually about 3-4 on Sunday.

For me, it comes down to studying efficiently and 'choosing my battles'. Unlike how it was in general bio or calculus, you won't become an expert in absolutely everything for every test, so you need to know a little about a lot of things, versus a lot about a few things. One guy in my gross group commented that it takes him 20 minutes to memorize a page of notes. On the other hand, I try to learn the material in an applicable manner. For example of what I mean, I wouldn't go ape**** and memorize every minute detail about the muscles in the foot, what they do and what innervates them. I try to visualize the muscles, where they're located, then think about what it is they do; since I know their general area, what nerve innervates them will follow. I find that less time needs to be spent rememorizing once this is done, and then I can spend more time doing the hard-core memorization of which spinal cord levels comprise the tibial division of the sciatic nerve.
 
Originally posted by orthoman5000
Basically I'm a huge procrastinator that hates rote memorization. ....

Microanatomy and Gross Anatomy are killing me though. .... I don't care how smart you are, medical school is about studying, not necessarily super long hours of study but EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE study.
Click to expand...

Hey Orthoman.....I'm an M2 at UAMS. I gathered from a previous post that you're an M1 here? Anyway....take heart. Next semester and next year your analytical skills will serve you MUCH better.

I had a helluva time in gross....was definately below the average in there and studied my BUTT off. Physiology will be a lot easier for you if you know how to think rather than memorize. Pathology the same (it's really pretty easy). Microbiology involves a lot of memorization....but it's different than gross. You DO have to put a lot of time into that class though. I studied 40-50 hours a week first year, and I doubt I study 10 a week this year except during exams. I make B's.

So my word of advice....just get through the year and know that it gets LOTS better....and try not to stress out. Stress just makes ya' miserable....

Peace~
Lindsey
 
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