Please help, what am I doing wrong?

[dt7538]

Hi everyone,

I really, really need some advice. OMS-I in the second semester here. Our test next week on Monday is covering Immunology and Physiology. The problem is, it's going to be on 20+ Immunology lectures and about 15 Physiology lectures. Physiology I don't have a problem with. Immunology is the problem. There's SO much and I'm SO behind. It takes me 4 hours to get through one lecture with listening to the recording and memorizing it. Just a couple of lectures can take up almost my entire day. This worked in the past, but it's not now. How do you study for a test with so many lectures and know everything?
I tried requesting for tutoring but they refuse to let use the tutors until after our second block exam.
Please, anybody that seems to do be able to handle this and get a decent amount of sleep, help me.

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[DO2015CA]

Simply don’t allow yourself 4 hours. Limit yourself to 2 hours. Go for passes you don’t need to memorize everything in one pass. What many did at my school was 2-3 passes.

Ex: The first one get a framework/theories of what’s being test. Second make sure that framework is solid and then hang major details on it. The 3rd is roughly the weekend before the test and is hammering out all the minutia

 

[getfat]

If you are having trouble connecting the dots for immunology check out this guy.

I think part of your problem is that you are trying to know it all after one pass. Most of us need at least 3 passes to get a good handle on the material.

I follow @DO2015CA suggestion for studying. Personally I don't focus on memorizing small tidbits until a couple days before the test. I focus more on knowing the concept and having a good idea what the answer is.

If there is certain things on the 2nd pass that you still don't understand then thats around the time to email your professor.

 

[dt7538]

If you are having trouble connecting the dots for immunology check out this guy.

I think part of your problem is that you are trying to know it all after one pass. Most of us need at least 3 passes to get a good handle on the material.

I follow @DO2015CA suggestion for studying. Personally I don't focus on memorizing small tidbits until a couple days before the test. I focus more on knowing the concept and having a good idea what the answer is.

If there is certain things on the 2nd pass that you still don't understand then thats around the time to email your professor.

That makes sense...but if we learn our lectures the week before the test (in fact we're learning 5 brand new lectures on the Friday before our Monday exam) how are you supposed to make multiple passes?

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

2x speed multiple times. Don’t try to learn everything in one go, you need multiple passes spaced out.

 

[dt7538]

Simply don’t allow yourself 4 hours. Limit yourself to 2 hours. Go for passes you don’t need to memorize everything in one pass. What many did at my school was 2-3 passes.

Ex: The first one get a framework/theories of what’s being test. Second make sure that framework is solid and then hang major details on it. The 3rd is roughly the weekend before the test and is hammering out all the minutia

How do you have the time to make multiple passes when you learn your lectures 2-3 days before the exam?

 

[IslandStyle808]

That makes sense...but if we learn our lectures the week before the test (in fact we're learning 5 brand new lectures on the Friday before our Monday exam) how are you supposed to make multiple passes?

One pass on Friday, one pass on Saturday, one pass on Sunday. That is a good amount of time to digest the material.

We have friday exams most of the time. We have 4-6 hours of lecture on Wednesday and can even have 2 hours of lecture on Thursday the day before the exam. So I end up having to pre-read the powerpoint for that lecture on that Thursday (which is more a clinical cases overview). However, by that time I have secured multiple passes of the old material. So the material focus should be far more of new material than old.

 

[DO2015CA]

How do you have the time to make multiple passes when you learn your lectures 2-3 days before the exam?

What is your testing schedule? When I was in the first 2 years we had blocks where we were having large tests every few weeks. So the first pass is the day of the lecture. 2nd pass in the weekend that the lecture was given and the 3rd was a few days before the test. Lectures that are given closer to the test usually only needed 2 passes because they were so fresh. Each pass should take no more than 1.5-2 hours.

Your learning also gets very efficient as the systems start to fall into place. You Stop having to reinvent the wheel. By the end of second year I was doing 2 passes on everything with like 1-1.5 hours each pass.

 

[Blunt Dissection]

How do you have the time to make multiple passes when you learn your lectures 2-3 days before the exam?

There’s usually a good deal of information in lectures that is either extraneous or that will make what is a relatively simple concept needlessly complicated. If you’re given the PowerPoints, watch the lecture and then review the PowerPoint. Supplement the concepts that you don’t understand with outside resources - they’re usually shorter and more efficient.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

How do you have the time to make multiple passes when you learn your lectures 2-3 days before the exam?

For starters I wouldn’t let it build up like that but in this case I would do a pass each day.

 

[Coltuna]

When people say "passes," what does that constitute? Just watching a lecture and/or reading the powerpoints? Or actively taking notes each time/doing practice problems/anki/etc?

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

When people say "passes," what does that constitute? Just watching a lecture and/or reading the powerpoints? Or actively taking notes each time/doing practice problems/anki/etc?

Depends on the person, for me I just watch lectures and then do practice questions. Sometimes (rarely) I’ll take notes or make my own study guide

 

[Goro]

Hi everyone,

I really, really need some advice. OMS-I in the second semester here. Our test next week on Monday is covering Immunology and Physiology. The problem is, it's going to be on 20+ Immunology lectures and about 15 Physiology lectures. Physiology I don't have a problem with. Immunology is the problem. There's SO much and I'm SO behind. It takes me 4 hours to get through one lecture with listening to the recording and memorizing it. Just a couple of lectures can take up almost my entire day. This worked in the past, but it's not now. How do you study for a test with so many lectures and know everything?
I tried requesting for tutoring but they refuse to let use the tutors until after our second block exam.
Please, anybody that seems to do be able to handle this and get a decent amount of sleep, help me.

1) go see the Professor(s) for help
2) I just asked my Immunology colleague, and she says that YouTube videos are pretty good, especially the animations
3) Do as many practice questions as possible
4) Ask your classmates who are doing well how they handle the material
5) You have my sympathies..if you think Anatomy is bad enough with its Latin and Greek stems, Immunology is more like Finnish or Basque!

 

[Jojos]

limit the amount you study and focus on reducing the lecture to the mere essential. Really condensing it. In addition You might not have to memorize that entire lecture that same day.... if you have time i would review it with a more spaced repetition manner with anki or just regular flashcards. Also, if your lectures are way long consider going to online vids that give the essentials usually much more quickly. I used lecturio most of the time, najeeb when i really needed more clarification and just random channels on youtube.

 

[Coltuna]

do all the physio lectures through

Meanign read all of the physio lectures? Or read and take notes?

 

[QueenJames]

Welcome to medical school youngin'. It gets much more fun second year.

 

[BorntobeDO?]

Immunology sucked for me, just focus on the physio and wait for the micro part of it, sketchy will save you in a bit. Just hit those lect over and over for now and do what you can.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Or read and take notes?

Notes? Ain’t nobody got time for that

I never took notes. Total waste of time, imo,

This

 

[DO2015CA]

I printed the PowerPoints and highlighted/scribbled in the margins and it worked for me

 

[Chibucks15]

1st pass listen to lecture and take notes in onenote on the powerpoint slides
2nd pass, summarize big ideas within the lecture into a large word document to review later
3rd pass, class quizlet/firecracker/bunch of practice questions
Then I wake up early before the exam, read over the word document review guide i made to refresh on some things, and do pretty well. I'm not top of the class or anything but if I wanted to get up there I'd throw in another pass or two of reading/rewatching etc.

 

[IntheClouds4ever]

1st pass with my own condensed notes. I make fill in the blank style questions and use those for repitition, then practice questions a few days before the exam.

 

[getfat]

That makes sense...but if we learn our lectures the week before the test (in fact we're learning 5 brand new lectures on the Friday before our Monday exam) how are you supposed to make multiple passes?

Complete of all material up to that Thursday by Saturday. Finished 3rd pass of Friday's material by Sunday and review the gaps.