Memorization strategies (no Anki)

[Deleted member 737595]

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I'm a pre-med, but want to ask med students.

I know Anki. I have made close to a thousand cards in the past month studying for the MCAT. It works well enough, but there is a nagging feeling that there is something missing. For example, I know the basic hormones of the hypothalamus and which hormones they stimulate, and what those hormones do. But the material feels disconnected. Also, as I review cards it feels kind of dull. I get around 90% correct and the ones that I don't are just bad cards.

Anyways, I don't want to hear about Anki. I want to hear about people who DON'T use flashcards and yet are able to memorize and MASTER a subject through other means. Can you walk me through your method for memorizing/mastering material for a test.

Please, no Anki people. I know how to use Anki. I want to hear from the other perspective.

 

[PS2summerdays]

The one tried and true method I know of is called "self-testing." It's basically reading something and reproducing the vital bits on a blank sheet of paper, from memory. For example, you can look at a diagram of the endocrine hormones and then try to reproduce it from memory by drawing it out. You'll mess up the first time, but then you will check to see what you got wrong and correct the errors. You do this again and again until you can reproduce it from memory prior to test day. I've found this is excellent for long-term storage.

I've tried this method starting this year and my test scores have gone up more than half a standard deviation. Good luck!

 

[Deleted member 737595]

The one tried and true method I know of is called "self-testing." It's basically reading something and reproducing the vital bits on a blank sheet of paper, from memory. For example, you can look at a diagram of the endocrine hormones and then try to reproduce it from memory by drawing it out. You'll mess up the first time, but then you will check to see what you got wrong and correct the errors. You do this again and again until you can reproduce it from memory prior to test day. I've found this is excellent for long-term storage.

I've tried this method starting this year and my test scores have gone up more than half a standard deviation. Good luck!

Yes, this is a great strategy which I have used as well. Drawing things out is crucial, like amino acids for example.

Anki has a schedule where it knows when you are about to forget this. Do students who use this kind of self-testing you describe do it once to learn it for the test? Or is there a schedule?

 

[Anti-PD1]

First things first, if it's complicated, I have to make sense of it. Meaning I won't memorize GI hormones, but I'll force myself to learn exactly what happens when a food bolus passed through the GI system. Which hormones are secreted and why. There's a reason to everything. Find the reason and learn it, and you'll master the material.

Now, there are plenty of things in medicine that are obtuse. When the scientific achievement in an area has reached its limit, here's where you'll see prominent people making arbitrary classification systems out of things that you just have to take at face value- I'm looking at you ACOG. These things have to be memorized by flashcard, because there's no reason to them.

If all else fails, I make a story out of it. Or I assign an emotional valence to it.

Example:
Type I hypersensitivity: it's hot and bothered, horny teenager, it's angry, allergy/hives/bronchospasm, shi+ hit the fan
Type II: It's cool and calculated, has a purpose in life, direct antibodies against targets: Goodpasture's, Grave's
Type III: It takes three, antibody1 + innocent bystander2 hit random targets3 everywhere, here lie the monsters: lupus, HSP, serum sickness
Type IV: It's last so it's slow. Because it's slow, it can get the adults involved. T cells.

Make a story when possible. Since our post-reptilian days, the human mind has adapted to stories. Beginning, middle, and end.

This all works a lot faster in my mind.

 

[darknecrosforte]

Something you can do to fill "what's missing" from Anki: QBank use during systems.

You should be doing USMLE-Rx alongside your systems if you think that FA is a valuable resource. The questions are drawn from those factoids and will help you apply the info and draw stronger associations. When you get something wrong or make a guess, you mark the question and then make ONE card with tags "YYYY-MM-DD", "USMLE-Rx", and "QID:####". When you get to dedicated, you should theoretically have "gone through" First Aid several times and actually know most of it.

Just a clarification: Anki doesn't "know" when you'll forget something, you program your "IQ" (Starting ease), define your baseline interval modifier (should actually be lower than 100% because it deters you from mindlessly pressing enter/space key in a zombie haze), and your Easy bonus (what you hope to build up to, where you 100% perfectly recite the answer and alll associations you have for the factoid. Should be ~120% or more). You definitely need different settings for each major purpose like Board review, class (if used), Zanki, etc.

 

[Deleted member 737595]

Something you can do to fill "what's missing" from Anki: QBank use during systems.

You should be doing USMLE-Rx alongside your systems if you think that FA is a valuable resource. The questions are drawn from those factoids and will help you apply the info and draw stronger associations. When you get something wrong or make a guess, you mark the question and then make ONE card with tags "YYYY-MM-DD", "USMLE-Rx", and "QID:####". When you get to dedicated, you should theoretically have "gone through" First Aid several times and actually know most of it.

Just a clarification: Anki doesn't "know" when you'll forget something, you program your "IQ" (Starting ease), define your baseline interval modifier (should actually be lower than 100% because it deters you from mindlessly pressing enter/space key in a zombie haze), and your Easy bonus (what you hope to build up to, where you 100% perfectly recite the answer and alll associations you have for the factoid. Should be ~120% or more). You definitely need different settings for each major purpose like Board review, class (if used), Zanki, etc.

Actually, I'm studying for the MCAT 😛 so everything you said kind of went over my head.

Can you explain the IQ and all that more? Or at least where I can find out about that? I know, I know, Google it, but any resource you found useful for Anki?

 

[darknecrosforte]

This is moderately advanced Anki stuff, but since you asked:

The highlighted is the base multiplier that affects how your cards are spaced/scheduled. This one means if your card was seen 3 days ago, the next time will be 3 * 2.5. In the Reviews tab, you can change this base multiplier depending if you said Easy, Good, or Hard. Each individual card will have their own value based on what you have chosen throughout the lifetime of that card. The reason I call "Starting ease" your IQ is because if you set it at a high value, most of your cards will be spaced extremely far apart and you'll see them less over time.

Technically, MCAT prep is easier/more effective than Step 1 because you have a limited amount of information/content to learn whereas technically, it is unlimited for Step 1.

 

[GoSpursGo]

Moving to pre-med.

 

[Turkishking]

I'm a pre-med, but want to ask med students.

I know Anki. I have made close to a thousand cards in the past month studying for the MCAT. It works well enough, but there is a nagging feeling that there is something missing. For example, I know the basic hormones of the hypothalamus and which hormones they stimulate, and what those hormones do. But the material feels disconnected. Also, as I review cards it feels kind of dull. I get around 90% correct and the ones that I don't are just bad cards.

Anyways, I don't want to hear about Anki. I want to hear about people who DON'T use flashcards and yet are able to memorize and MASTER a subject through other means. Can you walk me through your method for memorizing/mastering material for a test.

Please, no Anki people. I know how to use Anki. I want to hear from the other perspective.

I can memorize 8 lectures within 3 days with 21 slides each. Basically, I usually write down one lecture on a sheet a paper with each slide. I rehearse it to see if I have memorized it. Then I do that first each point on the slide. Once I finish the lecture; I look at my notes and create questions. Then I answer my questions without looking at my work. Then I’ll grade myself and see what I got wrong. Afterwards, the ones I got wrong I’ll try to memorize it.

 

[Deleted member 737595]

I can memorize 8 lectures within 3 days with 21 slides each. Basically, I usually write down one lecture on a sheet a paper with each slide. I rehearse it to see if I have memorized it. Then I do that first each point on the slide. Once I finish the lecture; I look at my notes and create questions. Then I answer my questions without looking at my work. Then I’ll grade myself and see what I got wrong. Afterwards, the ones I got wrong I’ll try to memorize it.

Down to a system. I like it.

 

[Lyoness]

I hate flashcards, they take things out of context. What works amazingly for me is to associate information with picture descriptions of the powerpoint slides posted in classes. I just use the “notes” bar and take additional notes, and then I go over them. At the end, I can look at the picture and explain everything going on without looking at the notes.


If there is some information that is dry and straight up memorization, I will write them down with my pencil, and keep rewriting them. This is how I learned all the specific parts of the brain.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[Lyoness]

Take this with a grain of salt but imo, anki or any type of flash cards is not good for the mcat science portions. It’s good for psychology, sociology, and phsx formulas. But for the mcat, u should focus on knowing the whole picture rather than specific details which are what flashcards tend to do.

I’ve been told by other mcat takers that the MCAT is a critical thinking test so if you have a solid content, do plenty of practice. Don’t get hung up on the smallest details. Good luck!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[Deleted member 737595]

Take this with a grain of salt but imo, anki or any type of flash cards is not good for the mcat science portions. It’s good for psychology, sociology, and phsx formulas. But for the mcat, u should focus on knowing the whole picture rather than specific details which are what flashcards tend to do.

I’ve been told by other mcat takers that the MCAT is a critical thinking test so if you have a solid content, do plenty of practice. Don’t get hung up on the smallest details. Good luck!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

True.

Let me give you an example of what I am talking about to see if you understand my question:

I reviewed muscle contraction a few weeks back; sarcomeres, myosin, actin, rigor state, tropomyosin, troponin et cetera. Once I understood the basic concept I made Anki cards to remember the difference between tropomyosin and troponin (even though looking back there is more efficient way of remembering this through some mnemonic), or to remind myself of the mechanism through a cloze deletion.

Okay, that is Anki and flashcards which are scheduled well. Now, imagine no Anki and just a> material to learn and b> a schedule to learn the material long-term. How do YOU schedule a system whereby you make sure ALL the material is reviewed and recalled for future testing and beyond? Can you give a concrete example with a class for example? Take Biochemistry or Molecular Biology for example...

I ask all this because I want a good way to memorize CONCEPTs vs nitpickeries.

Cheers

 

[Lyoness]

True.

Let me give you an example of what I am talking about to see if you understand my question:

I reviewed muscle contraction a few weeks back; sarcomeres, myosin, actin, rigor state, tropomyosin, troponin et cetera. Once I understood the basic concept I made Anki cards to remember the difference between tropomyosin and troponin (even though looking back there is more efficient way of remembering this through some mnemonic), or to remind myself of the mechanism through a cloze deletion.

Okay, that is Anki and flashcards which are scheduled well. Now, imagine no Anki and just a> material to learn and b> a schedule to learn the material long-term. How do YOU schedule a system whereby you make sure ALL the material is reviewed and recalled for future testing and beyond? Can you give a concrete example with a class for example? Take Biochemistry or Molecular Biology for example...

I ask all this because I want a good way to memorize CONCEPTs vs nitpickeries.

Cheers

In that case, you should try to look up pictures on google summarizing processes, inserting them into a powerpoint and then writing notes about them in the notes tab. You can also make your own powerpoint slides for each body system or biochemical pathway. For example, you can make a powerpoint for the muscle system, the autonomic NS, Fatty acid metabolism, gluconeogenesis etc. Then, just keep reviewing these slides daily until you are able to actually see the pictures in your mind without looking at the slides and can summarize everything on your own.

This method works great for visual learners as well.
It's also great to have everything neatly organized into ppt slides rather than looking at anki terms and feeling overwhelmed.

 

[Lyoness]

What Anti-PD 1 said is great. I also use this method. I especially liked the emotional association part, or acronyms.
For example, when i was trying to learn about the somatosensory tonic and phasic receptors, I associated Phasic with the pronunciation of Ph as F therefor it is Fast adapting.

For myosin, actin, rigor mortis, tropomyosin, troponin:
Myosin= I associated it with an annoying person who keeps pulling you (pulling actin)
Rigor Mortis= I think I remember I associated it with the work rigid, so it's not really able to move, and in my head i imagined a rigid body.
Tropomyosin= I just thought of it as the evil guy blocking the binding site for myosin.

 

[chemphysicsinstructor]

I'm a pre-med, but want to ask med students.

I know Anki. I have made close to a thousand cards in the past month studying for the MCAT. It works well enough, but there is a nagging feeling that there is something missing. For example, I know the basic hormones of the hypothalamus and which hormones they stimulate, and what those hormones do. But the material feels disconnected. Also, as I review cards it feels kind of dull. I get around 90% correct and the ones that I don't are just bad cards.

Anyways, I don't want to hear about Anki. I want to hear about people who DON'T use flashcards and yet are able to memorize and MASTER a subject through other means. Can you walk me through your method for memorizing/mastering material for a test.

Please, no Anki people. I know how to use Anki. I want to hear from the other perspective.

Some ideas: Write things out. Draw a diagram using a whiteboard or a large piece of paper. Teach the material to someone else who is not knowledgeable about the topic.