How to study in medical school?

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MedGuy67

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hey everyone, Im starting medical school in a few months and want to what were some effective studying strategies you guys use/used in med school.

I naturally just like to attack the material and read lectures over and over for hours. I know that will be problematic in med school with just the sheer volume of material go over.

How much of my time should spent on reading versus making notes and doing practice questions?

if anyone has any of tips or any helpful links please share.


Best
 
surfguy84 said:
Isn't a website filled with medical students a better option for that question than a random google search?

If you're going to be a dick, at least don't be a *****.
Click to expand...
I was being cheeky; sorry it came off as dickish.
 
surfguy84 said:
Different people do different things. It really depends on you. For me, I watch a lecture, create an outline, create Anki cards, hit cards every day, maybe mix in some Quizlet, and supplement with Pathoma/Robbins. If you treat school like a job, 9-5 with overtime as needed, you should do well.
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That's how I approached my grad degree (like a 9-5) and it was really successful.
 
I mean you can still read lectures over and over many people do. Just make sure it's active learning and not passive reading and you're in the clear. Throw in flash cards for rote memorization and some practice questions and you're in the clear.
 
Look up my post on Medical student success.


MedGuy67 said:
hey everyone, Im starting medical school in a few months and want to what were some effective studying strategies you guys use/used in med school.

I naturally just like to attack the material and read lectures over and over for hours. I know that will be problematic in med school with just the sheer volume of material go over.

How much of my time should spent on reading versus making notes and doing practice questions?

if anyone has any of tips or any helpful links please share.


Best
Click to expand...
 
MedGuy67 said:
hey everyone, Im starting medical school in a few months and want to what were some effective studying strategies you guys use/used in med school.

I naturally just like to attack the material and read lectures over and over for hours. I know that will be problematic in med school with just the sheer volume of material go over.

How much of my time should spent on reading versus making notes and doing practice questions?

if anyone has any of tips or any helpful links please share.


Best
Click to expand...

I literally do precisely what you described. It's perfectly doable in med school. Didn't do a single practice question until I started Step studying.
 
jqueb29 said:
I literally do precisely what you described. It's perfectly doable in med school. Didn't do a single practice question until I started Step studying.
Click to expand...

That's insane. OP I recommended taking as little notes as possible. Reading the PowerPoint > Handouts > Book, getting multiple passes, then doing questions the weekend before.
 
You'll find your own style and change it probably 2-3 times before you solidify your best method. Everyone is different.
I personally hate flash cards for example because I try to learn based on concepts/physio/mechanisms rather than memorization (when possible). Others prefer the exact opposite. Results can be the same.
 
Cubsfan10 said:
You'll find your own style and change it probably 2-3 times before you solidify your best method. Everyone is different.
I personally hate flash cards for example because I try to learn based on concepts/physio/mechanisms rather than memorization (when possible). Others prefer the exact opposite. Results can be the same.
Click to expand...
This 100%. I spent my last month at work prior to med school perusing SDN threads and teh interwebz trying to come up with the best study strategy for med school. The general consensus was pretty much Anki all the way (I'm very much a conceptual learner not a memorizer). Royally failed my first exam (low 50s), went back to my undergrad/grad study method (brute force through lecture/handout as many times as possible, make a 1-2 page outline of all the key info, and as many practice questions as possible) --> highest score in my class on the next exam, and have comfortably stayed up there since. My study style has changed since, but any changes I've made have been tweaks here and there based on how I know I learn. Basically, evaluate and know how you learn, roll with the punches and make changes as needed, look into external resources (appendix in FA) and see which ones are highly rated, mesh with your learning style, and are recommended by upperclassman at your school. Don't make drastic changes or switch to other methods just because that's what everyone else is doing. Lastly, if you find you're really struggling reach out to faculty/admin/learning services ASAP - had the people we lost from my class done this most would still be with us.
 
Cubsfan10 said:
You'll find your own style and change it probably 2-3 times before you solidify your best method. Everyone is different.
I personally hate flash cards for example because I try to learn based on concepts/physio/mechanisms rather than memorization (when possible). Others prefer the exact opposite. Results can be the same.
Click to expand...

Walter Lance said:
This 100%. I spent my last month at work prior to med school perusing SDN threads and teh interwebz trying to come up with the best study strategy for med school. The general consensus was pretty much Anki all the way (I'm very much a conceptual learner not a memorizer). Royally failed my first exam (low 50s), went back to my undergrad/grad study method (brute force through lecture/handout as many times as possible, make a 1-2 page outline of all the key info, and as many practice questions as possible) --> highest score in my class on the next exam, and have comfortably stayed up there since. My study style has changed since, but any changes I've made have been tweaks here and there based on how I know I learn. Basically, evaluate and know how you learn, roll with the punches and make changes as needed, look into external resources (appendix in FA) and see which ones are highly rated, mesh with your learning style, and are recommended by upperclassman at your school. Don't make drastic changes or switch to other methods just because that's what everyone else is doing. Lastly, if you find you're really struggling reach out to faculty/admin/learning services ASAP - had the people we lost from my class done this most would still be with us.
Click to expand...

These are pretty much the best answers you'll get. There's no one magic way - we all have our "favorite" methods, but that's only because they worked for us. Experiment. Spend a few days or a week trying different methods (e.g. cards, brute force reading, whatever). The one theme that any good study method will have is repetition. And don't just memorize things for the sake of regurgitating them, regardless of what method you choose. Try to understand principles and pick out important things. If, after you are done studying xyz topic, you can explain it well to a non-medical school friend (at least in rough terms), then you probably understand it well enough.
 
How many different classes do students typically focus on each day? For example do most focus one hour on biochem, then another hour on anatomy? Or do they focus all their time and resources on one subject each day?
 
PathoTurnUp1865 said:
How many different classes do students typically focus on each day? For example do most focus one hour on biochem, then another hour on anatomy? Or do they focus all their time and resources on one subject each day?
Click to expand...

everyone's very different. I often found myself focusing on one for most of each day if there was one course that was much heavier for that day than another, but I had friends that would split days up. find what you like best and stick with it
 
Can anyone recommend resources for practice questions? It sounds like our gross anatomy and biochemistry exams are very lecture-based, with no practice exams.
 
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