How much do you study?

[AMEHigh]

How many hours per night would you say that you study?

I start school in a couple of weeks and I'm trying to get myself prepared. I'm married, so I'm also thinking about how my studying will affect the marriage. We like to be organized and have somewhat of a schedule.

Is it reasonable to think that most nights during the week I'll study 4-5 hours? Is that under estimating or over estimating?

Any guidelines or advice would be great!

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[tideleonheart]

How many hours per night would you say that you study?

I start school in a couple of weeks and I'm trying to get myself prepared. I'm married, so I'm also thinking about how my studying will affect the marriage. We like to be organized and have somewhat of a schedule.

Is it reasonable to think that most nights during the week I'll study 4-5 hours? Is that under estimating or over estimating?

Any guidelines or advice would be great!

On average, right after tests, I probably study 2 hours/night... as time goes on, I ramp it up more and more. The day before a test, I study all day, sometimes into the AM hours. So probably on average, 4-5 hours a night sounds about right.


One thing I do with my wife is we have a "date night" every Friday night. I highly recommend doing this. Put away the books and studying for the entire night no matter what! Remember, your spouse comes first! This will help keep your marriage sane and happy.

 

[ChiDO]

In class for about 20-25 hours per week.

Study from 6-10 each night and then about 8 hours on Sat/Sun.

 

[AMEHigh]

One thing I do with my wife is we have a "date night" every Friday night. I highly recommend doing this. Put away the books and studying for the entire night no matter what! Remember, your spouse comes first! This will help keep your marriage sane and happy.

Thanks for the advice! We have been slacking on our "date nights" but have promised to get back to them once I start school. Glad it's something that others do too.

 

[nascardoc]

On average, right after tests, I probably study 2 hours/night... as time goes on, I ramp it up more and more. The day before a test, I study all day, sometimes into the AM hours. So probably on average, 4-5 hours a night sounds about right.


One thing I do with my wife is we have a "date night" every Friday night. I highly recommend doing this. Put away the books and studying for the entire night no matter what! Remember, your spouse comes first! This will help keep your marriage sane and happy.

I agree with having date night with your spouse. It worked well with my wife and I, along with many classmates. It is very important to realize that your spouse is also going to medical school, but obviously in a different way from you. They have a lot of slack to pick up at home and have more responsibility since you won't have the opportunity to do much. They also deal with you when you are stressed and will be alone (either my themselves or with the kiddos) during those study times. As long as you make sure to make time for them, it will make life much easier.

 

[JStub]

If you're not a classroom person and your lectures are recorded and online, try that method instead of going to all classes. This way you work on your schedule and around your wife's. Still with this method I studied about 9 hours a day but it was the during the hours I chose (I'm not a morning person so I'd sleep in and study into midnight).

 

[Van Chowder]

On average, right after tests, I probably study 2 hours/night... as time goes on, I ramp it up more and more. The day before a test, I study all day, sometimes into the AM hours. So probably on average, 4-5 hours a night sounds about right.


One thing I do with my wife is we have a "date night" every Friday night. I highly recommend doing this. Put away the books and studying for the entire night no matter what! Remember, your spouse comes first! This will help keep your marriage sane and happy.

Im not in medical school yet, and wont be applying for another two years and I at this point don't have a gf let alone a wife lol, but I think that is AWESOME advice and I am going to use it when the time comes! Thanks

 

[engineeredout]

In class for about 20-25 hours per week.

Study from 6-10 each night and then about 8 hours on Sat/Sun.

Is that all mapped out on your 168 form?

 

[bleeker10]

Haha I have changed my 168 about 5 times in the past two weeks. I seem to have a problem with going to bed before 1. Then I wake up at 5:30 to go workout before class. Right now I'm putting in about 4-6 hours a nite during the week and 8 each day on the weekend. I do take friday nites off though to relax and recharge. Since we have a test in histo/embryo tomorrow I'll probably put in more than 8 today.

 

[punkiedad]

Is that all mapped out on your 168 form?

I learned the hard way.....tried to fit more than 168 in last week. Stupid idea. Tried to short the sleep thing. Got some great studying in the night before, but then was a PUDDLE during lecture the next day. Some notes would just trail off to a flat line.......That extra hour of studying cost me about four hours of lecture the next day.

Get the minimum amount of sleep you need (whatever that is for you) each night, otherwise it is like going to the sleep bookie. Just like Henry Hill said. "Business was slow? **** you. Pay me!"

 

[bleeker10]

Yea I agree with punkie. Get the minimum amount of sleep that will make you functional the next day. I can handle getting 4-5 hours a nite bc I've always been one to not sleep a large amount. I don't take naps either. Working out from 6-7:15 each morning helps me wake up and I don't need as much caffeine during the day to stay awake. I also eat really healthy (sandwiches, carrots, apples, granola bars, raisins, celery, grapes, etc) so I have a lot of energy. On the weekends I'll sleep for 7-8 hours to just recharge for a long day of studying.

 

[daveyjwin]

Wow, you guys seriously studied that much? I'm amazed.

I went to a PBL School, so I only had "class" for like 14 hours per week. I would, on average, study anywhere from 2-4 hours a day, depending on what I felt like that day. Pre-Boards and Test Days, I would get up to around 6-8 hours a day. Never more than that. I got around 7 hours of sleep every night, and still had free time to watch TV and play video games and go on dates. And I did well on Boards.

I feel that your investment in studying developes diminishing returns the more you do it, with the curve flattening out around 6 hours a day. Perhaps I could have done better had I studied more, but I feel that that extra 10 percentile on my boards wasn't worth the extra 50% of study time it would have required.

 

[passthekoolaid]

Most of 1st year I had poor study habits. I put in maybe 2-4 hours a day of unproductive studying and it resulted in an average GPA. Not a good way to do it.

Second year has begun and I've made an effort to study more and more efficiently. Now I'm to about 6-8 hours a day (after class) and I'm making an effort to be more organized and not get behind. To be honest, I spend more time studying now AND I spend more time with my girlfriend because I'm not as stressed about the fact that I should be studying. Not to mention my grades have significantly improved. My advice is to make a concerted effort to be EFFICIENT with your time...which sometimes means spending a good portion of your "study" time organizing and planning...even when you want to just dive right in and start reading. Do that and you'll be under less stress, have more free time (esp on the weekends) for your wife and you'll be much better off...

 

[bleeker10]

Wow, you guys seriously studied that much? I'm amazed.

I went to a PBL School, so I only had "class" for like 14 hours per week. I would, on average, study anywhere from 2-4 hours a day, depending on what I felt like that day. Pre-Boards and Test Days, I would get up to around 6-8 hours a day. Never more than that. I got around 7 hours of sleep every night, and still had free time to watch TV and play video games and go on dates. And I did well on Boards.

I feel that your investment in studying developes diminishing returns the more you do it, with the curve flattening out around 6 hours a day. Perhaps I could have done better had I studied more, but I feel that that extra 10 percentile on my boards wasn't worth the extra 50% of study time it would have required.

We are in lecture from 8-12, then labs in the afternoon from 1-3 or 1-5 at the latest depending on the group we are in. I've been pretty inefficient with my studying lately, so as soon as I get better I'm sure my times will go from 4-6 hours a nite to 2-4 hours a nite. Plus we are in our anatomy core so in order to learn as much as possible, I have to study more. Maybe that will change once anatomy is over in October

 

[DrDre2001]

Wow. I'm a pre-med and 4-5 hours a night doesn't sound that bad. Or atleast it is not as bad as what I thought it would be after hearing many people say that med school is completel H*ll.

 

[engineeredout]

Wow. I'm a pre-med and 4-5 hours a night doesn't sound that bad. Or atleast it is not as bad as what I thought it would be after hearing many people say that med school is completel H*ll.

Five hours a night after being in school from 8-4 or 5, plus I assume you want to eat during that time. Maybe you gotta go food shopping? Go back to the anatomy lab and do some more reviewing? Suddenly its midnight by the time you get your five hours of studying in, and it usually isn't even enough but you know you're at the point where you can't keep your eyes open and its not even useful studying.

 

[ILikeFood]

Five hours a night after being in school from 8-4 or 5, plus I assume you want to eat during that time. Maybe you gotta go food shopping? Go back to the anatomy lab and do some more reviewing? Suddenly its midnight by the time you get your five hours of studying in, and it usually isn't even enough but you know you're at the point where you can't keep your eyes open and its not even useful studying.

Word.

How are people doing 2-4 hours a day? I want to do that!

 

[Kgecko]

I'm married as well and it can be hard at times to get enough study time in and make sure my husband doesn't feel neglected. I struggled with this my first year. I now study 4hrs a day after class M-W (usually have class rom 8-12). I take Thursday night off to spend with him, we go out to dinner and catch up on our weekly tv shows. Friday I study after class for a few hours then spend the evening with him, and I study 4-5hrs on Sat and Sunday. Your welcome to PM me if you want more info.

 

[dozitgetchahi]

Five hours a night after being in school from 8-4 or 5, plus I assume you want to eat during that time. Maybe you gotta go food shopping? Go back to the anatomy lab and do some more reviewing? Suddenly its midnight by the time you get your five hours of studying in, and it usually isn't even enough but you know you're at the point where you can't keep your eyes open and its not even useful studying.

Dude, that's why I'm starting to think that skipping classes to study is the best idea. Most lectures simply seem to involve the professor reading his/her lecture slides to us, which is essentially a waste of time because I can read much faster than he or she can talk. Plus, some of the lecturers have heavy accents that simply make them impossible to understand. I obviously don't get much out of those lectures. Anyway, I quickly began to feel like going to all of the lectures is a waste of time just because it leaves you with so little time for personal study of the material - which is where the real learning happens (for me, anyway).

 

[bumblebee29]

If you're not a classroom person and your lectures are recorded and online, try that method instead of going to all classes. This way you work on your schedule and around your wife's. Still with this method I studied about 9 hours a day but it was the during the hours I chose (I'm not a morning person so I'd sleep in and study into midnight).

seriously? 9 hrs a day! without exams? is dat really possible? if yes..wow!

 

[FutureSurg]

I studied about 5 hours a day, including weekends during the first two years

 

[RoyalFB]

I listen to lectures at 2x speed instead of going to class. So I sleep until 9ish, get up and listen to the lectures and I'm done by lunch. Then I take a break and study a couple hours in the afternoon. Done for the day by 2 or 3- when my classmates are still in class.

I highly recommend this method if you have the discipline to stay on task and you like lots of free time.

 

[Dr Oops]

Five hours a night after being in school from 8-4 or 5, plus I assume you want to eat during that time. Maybe you gotta go food shopping? Go back to the anatomy lab and do some more reviewing? Suddenly its midnight by the time you get your five hours of studying in, and it usually isn't even enough but you know you're at the point where you can't keep your eyes open and its not even useful studying.

yup and by the time that 4th or 5th hour of studying rolls around and your eyes just dont wanna stay open you still feel like you really didnt accomplish that much.

 

[DrDre2001]

Five hours a night after being in school from 8-4 or 5, plus I assume you want to eat during that time. Maybe you gotta go food shopping? Go back to the anatomy lab and do some more reviewing? Suddenly its midnight by the time you get your five hours of studying in, and it usually isn't even enough but you know you're at the point where you can't keep your eyes open and its not even useful studying.

I see.

I guess I agree with the users above then who would say to skip the lectures and just study by yourself.

 

[beckhunter116]

Some schools have mandatory attendance.

 

[bleeker10]

We have mandatory attendance. The only thing I've skipped was an optional gross lab review so I could work on answering questions for a lower extremity forum and quiz we had today. I was still in the building though. It can be hard to go over everything in 4 hours. I go to gross lab in the evenings every so often and I end up spending 2 hours in there. There are definitely days when I feel that sleep is interferring with my studying. Especially this week since we have our first anatomy practical tomorrow. Today is gonna be a long day of studying. It will probably be 8-9 hours today and a couple in the morning before my scheduled practical at noon

 

[daveyjwin]

I think if you are spending more than 4 hours a day studying and not getting all A's and a 600+ on your boards, you are not using your time properly. 4 a day should be plenty, less if you have lecture all day, more if you skip and/or have PBL.

 

[wongb18c]

2-3 hours a day on class days, and 5 hours on sat and sun. Just because someone is studying 8 hours a day doesn't mean it's efficient, and it doesn't mean he or she will do better than someone who puts in less time, everyone reads and retain material differently.

2-3 hours a day after lecture is plenty, if you actaully do it everyday.

 

[bleeker10]

Yea I agree. I am not saying you need to put in 4-6 hours a nite to do well. I'm saying I need to put in 4-6 hours a nite to do well. I study for about 1.5-2 hours and take a 20 minute break. Everyone studies differently and grasps the material differently than others. Don't listen to people who say you only need to study 2 hours a nite to do well. You will have to figure out how much you need to study in order to get the grades you want. I came into med school thinking I could study 2-3 hours a nite and take a full day off on the weekends. I quickly learned that wasn't going to work.

 

[SpecialmED]

Wow I wish I had that type of motivation. I don't goto class as I can only pay attention for 30 min or so. So I stream 2x when I get around to it. And I can't make myself study until the last 3-4 days before a test, say 3-6 hours a day depending how worked up I get about failing.

So on the bright side I have tons of free time. I'm sure I'll pay for that free time when the boards roll around.

 

[USArmyDoc]

seriously? 9 hrs a day! without exams? is dat really possible? if yes..wow!

I did it and it was a waste of my life.....if I did it again I would study 3-4 hrs tops per day.

 

[DiverDoc]

Im in the labyrinth of Neuro. Ive been doing 8 - 9 hrs/ day for about ten days now. Fun times

 

[Dr Oops]

test weeks are 10-17 hours a day

normal weeks are about 4- 7 hours depending on if i goto class or not. You know it will be hard coming in but u cant really be prepared for the time commitment.

 

[Buckeye(OH)]

I studied 8-10hrs a day when I was a student, however, I didn't go to class.....ever, so its not like it was that bad.

 

[Dissected]

How much?

Not enough.

 

[Tuckermans]

Man, I would die if I studied 4-6 hours a night and 8 hours on the weekends. I try to study 2 hours a night during the week and 3-4 hours a day on the weekends. If you can be motivated to put that time in every day, I have found that it has been totally sufficient. It is all about keeping up with the material. We are comming up on block exams and the people who are in trouble are the ones who didn't work very hard at the beginning of the block and are pulling 8 hour study days now.