Josh,
I can completely relate to what you are feeling about studying right now! Trust me...that is completely normal and also completely resolvable. As a fellow survivor of the 2nd year spring semester @ MSUCOM, I know how rigorous the curriculum is and how fatigued you are from what seems like endless hours of studying. Here's what helped me...
1.) Take a few days off after the end of the semester to just relax and get your mind focused. This does wonders!
2.) If you haven't already, write out a schedule for yourself and try to stay focused on that from day-to-day. Having an idea of what you're headed for will make the tasks easier.
3.) DO PRACTICE QUESTIONS LIKE MAD. This was one of the most important aspects of my boards preparation. It gets you away from the books and helps you become familiar with the style of questions you will see.
4.) DO FLASHCARDS or any other studying modality you can create instead of books all of the time. It gets quite tedious to sit and read a book all day.
5.) DON'T study for 12+ hours a day. You'll hear your classmates say that they are spending every hour of every day studying and trust me, that'll get you nowhere because things don't cement themselves when you've been at it for that long.
6.) Change up the scenery and DON'T study where you know there will be a lot of distractions (i.e. the KRC). It's amazing how other people's words will influence your thoughts and feelings about exam prep. Don't believe the hype!
7.) Take breaks and take them often. Go for a walk, play some golf...whatever it is that you like to do. This time is just as important because if you're all keyed up, it makes studying that much more tedious!
8.) MOST IMPORTANTLY: With the exception of OMM (and study this b/c it is easy points), the month of May is more like a quick review rather than hardcore studying. I found that the majority of what I knew on COMLEX was from studying like a fiend during my first two years of medical school. If you did well in school, you'll be fine...and I'm living proof!
I hope this helps! I wish you the best. Feel free to email me if you have any other questions. Good luck and know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel...3rd year! 😀
