MS2's taking step 1: How to study longer?

[GonefromTX]

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Hey everyone. So I'm taking step 1 this summer and I'm having a hard time focusing for long periods of time. I don't know if I'm just lacking in discipline or just not studying right but I've found that 5 hours per day of focused studying is absolutely the most I can do on a typical day, even on 30mg Vyvanse (I have ADHD).

5 hours per day (I don't go to class either) is pretty bad for a medical student right? I mean I see gunners in the library from morning till night pretty much everyday. Can y'all describe a typical study day for you and does anyone have tips for focusing for extended periods of time?

Thanks!

 

[ridethecliche]

Can you break it up?

I.e. if you wake up early enough then maybe do like 3-4 hrs in the AM, then go do something else for a few hours that you enjoy, and then come back in the evening and study for 3-4 hrs more?

How are you with scheduling? Do you make study plans or do you just wing it? Do you use a planner with what all you have to do on a particular day/week/etc to put things into perspective or does seeing things like that freak you out?

Studying duration (something I'm working on as well) is an endurance thing just like anything else. When you start running, you don't go from running a mile to running a marathon in a week. It's not really reasonable to expect yourself to be able to go from 5 to 10 hours over a week. You have to add things in bits and pieces.

When you're studying, is it passive or active? Are you doing qbanks/anki to mix things up when you can't possible stare at a book any longer? Watching sketchy/picmonic when you have to read about a bug or drug but don't want to deal with it?

 

[jqueb29]

5 hours per day was plenty 1st and 2nd year (until Step studying). For Step studying, just motivate yourself. When I told myself "my life will be ruined if I don't study 10 hours today", it made things much easier.

 

[deleted245139]

Add a workout in there. I was a fan of swimming if you have access to a pool.... A bunch of laps, a little weightlessness, and a little mind reset.

 

[whatisthisstuff]

Break it up for sure. I will purposely delay things just so I can use them as a break. For me its usually 1. Walking dog, 2. exercise, 3. eating. I do those pretty much every day. If theres sports on I want to watch I will usually plan around that too.

Something else that helps is maybe saving the things you enjoy doing more till later in the day when you are more tired/over it? Active studying is always so much easier to keep your mind engaged. Things like practice questions are easier to sit down and do for an hour than going through old notes in my book, so I usually do the most tedious things when I'm drinking coffee and most focused. Same thing with watching lecture. I can usually force myself to get through an hour or two when I'm pretty tired rather than some other things.

Lastly, I've found that giving yourself time crunches helps studying be more effective. When you are really trying to get a certain amount done by a certain time is when things tend to happen the best. I've actually had my best test and final grades during med school when I've been out of town the weekend before. I forced myself to be really efficient in the time I had available.

 

[673441]

I second Jqueb29's advice! This is literally the most important exam of our lives. If you think about the urgency in doing well on this exam, then you're surely to conjure up some motivation. If that doesn't work, try taking naps throughout the day.