How well do you retain info?

[Neuronette]

I study ALOT whenever there is an exam and for classes like Orgo ( usually starting a week before the exam). With me, the info I learned for the test seems to fade into the background after the exam (whch worries me). I guess I dont really make a huge effort to keep the info active in my brain, but for students who can retain all the info and for med school students, how do you make sure you do not forget the material?? Perhaps its different when you are constantly building upon knowledge in the same subject, but what if te next semester you start learning a completely different thing?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[UTKpreMD]

If you are putting it into short term memory and then sleeping on it, then you should be strengthening some synapses that can be reactivated when you study the material again or something jogs your memory to pull it back out. There is no way to keep everything immediately accessible and overtime all thoughts will fade if they are not stimulated from time to time.

It definitely helps to take the MCAT immediately following the core classes because there are quite a few terms and details that will slip into oblivion overtime. I am a senior ugrad, but sometimes I worry about medical school as well. It think it's just the bombardment of information overtime that will solidify a number of different synaptic connections to all the important information. That's what residency is for I assume.

My neurobiology class definitely helped me understand what things help and what things don't. Sleeping after you study is very important. In fact, you will be actively engaging the information you studied while you sleep, and in a way its the most important stage of studying. Your brain makes all kinds of strange new ways to get at information. The key is making multiple synapses to the same information. Tying together unrelated concepts will allow you to remember both of them for much longer because you create several paths to the same place.

 

[Doctor Strange]

If you don't use it, you lose it. Simple as that.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using SDN Mobile

 

[Erakis]

I study ALOT whenever there is an exam and for classes like Orgo ( usually starting a week before the exam). With me, the info I learned for the test seems to fade into the background after the exam (whch worries me). I guess I dont really make a huge effort to keep the info active in my brain, but for students who can retain all the info and for med school students, how do you make sure you do not forget the material?? Perhaps its different when you are constantly building upon knowledge in the same subject, but what if te next semester you start learning a completely different thing?

One thing to consider is what your individual learning style is. You may be primary visual, auditory, rhythmic, or kinesthetic. There are evaluations you can take online. That way, you can figure out your strengths and tailor your study habits. For example, if you are kinesthetic, then sketching or building models may help, or if you are rhythmic, them you can create mnemonics.