Retaining information long term

[sbuxaddict]

I know you can't really cram for medical school but studying time tends to ramp up before an exam and everyone puts more time in. After an exam, do you guys remember most of the things you studied in those last few days?

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[CherryRedDracul]

Repetition, exposure to actual clinical examples, and the ability to understand the big picture, establishing a basic framework upon where you can add bits and pieces of knowledge you pick up, are how I remember things for a long time.

Also, cramming = less long-term retention. Space your studying time out so you can get multiple exposures to the same material. Sometimes you just need to hit the same material in different ways such as by looking at different sources, drawing stuff out, flashcards, etc.

 

[Psai]

no but every time i look things up, more things stick
the more times you see something, the better you remember it

 

[Jabbed]

no but every time i look things up, more things stick
the more times you see something, the better you remember it

This. You end up forgetting things (unfortunately), but every time you revisit them it comes back more quickly and you're able to appreciate the details a bit more.

SRS is great for long term retention though.

 

[sbuxaddict]

This. You end up forgetting things (unfortunately), but every time you revisit them it comes back more quickly and you're able to appreciate the details a bit more.

SRS is great for long term retention though.

SRS?

 

[chronicidal]

SRS?

Spaced repetition systems, such as Anki.

A review: http://bit.ly/SRSmed