Medical School 2.0: An Unconventional Guide to Learn Faster, Ace the USMLE, and Get into Your Top Ch

[JPSmyth]

Has anybody else read this book?

Amazon product

Just finished it, and I anticipate trying these methods when I start school in July. The basic premise of the book is to use Anki or a similar flash card program as your primary source for studying. Convert your lecture notes, or textbook passages, or whatever your material of choice is, into flash card form and do a few 1-2 hour sessions of flash card review per day.

As you are reviewing the cards, write down your answer on scrap paper before displaying the answer on the card, this helps keep you accountable of whether you really know it or not and helps with memory by writing out the answers.

It seems like the biggest pain is going to be creating the cards, but learning will take place while I create them so it isn't time wasted.

Any upper level students, do you study similar to this? Is it feasible for this approach to work?

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[Lawpy]

There was a thread about it few weeks ago: MD & DO - Most efficient study methods: tips for incoming MS1s

 

[JPSmyth]

There was a thread about it few weeks ago: MD & DO - Most efficient study methods: tips for incoming MS1s

Ah thanks, sorry for duplicate thread! If a mod sees this please remove

 

[Elessar]

As you are reviewing the cards, write down your answer on scrap paper before displaying the answer on the card, this helps keep you accountable of whether you really know it or not and helps with memory by writing out the answers.

This really isn't feasible when you're reviewing 4-500 cards a day. Instead, just be a grown up and if you know you got a card wrong, mark it as wrong. Other than that, this seems like a good approach to studying (I know it works for me)!

 

[JPSmyth]

This really isn't feasible when you're reviewing 4-500 cards a day. Instead, just be a grown up and if you know you got a card wrong, mark it as wrong. Other than that, this seems like a good approach to studying (I know it works for me)!

Can I PM you about your methods?

 

[JPSmyth]

This really isn't feasible when you're reviewing 4-500 cards a day. Instead, just be a grown up and if you know you got a card wrong, mark it as wrong. Other than that, this seems like a good approach to studying (I know it works for me)!

Alright I'll just ask here for all to see haha. Do you use anki or a different software? Do you make your own cards or use pre made decks?

My school has prof written exams for m1 and 2 so I anticipate likely using lectures and assigned readings to make majority of cards and then fill in any gaps with FIrst Aid or any other board prep materials.

what do you base your decks off of?

 

[Elessar]

Alright I'll just ask here for all to see haha.
1. Do you use anki or a different software?
2. Do you make your own cards or use pre made decks?
3. what do you base your decks off of?

1. Anki
2. I use Bro's deck, but I also make my own cards to fill in any gaps from lecture (prof written exams)
3. I'll make cards for anything from Sketchy/FA/Pathoma that isn't in Bros deck (this is rare). I'll also make cards for certain points in lecture if there's anything I feel like I'm missing (I'll use screenshots of lecture slides in the card's 'extra' section).

Overall, this approach has been working really well - both for class exams and nailing down the "high yield" boards stuff.