Someone who always crammed for exams...

[DPT2MD]

I am sure many of you out there did well in undergrad/grad (not MD) school by cramming the material for 2 or 3 days max before exams and made A's. My question is this; if you were used to being successful with this method would changing your study habits to 1. pre-reading the material the day before 2. reviewing the material in the afternoon, and then 3. pre-reading the material at night while 4. reviewing the weeks material over the weekend work well?

I know med school will be difficult due to the massive amount of material so would someone who did well before only looking at the material days before exams do well in med school with the above method? Any thoughts?

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[alfonzarel]

in retrospect, the piddly "studying" which was actually cramming the day before an exam, was not even real studying. correct me if i'm wrong, fellow posters, but i think that undergrad was a complete joke compared to medical school. i suppose that it depends on what you major was, but overall, ms1 is about 10 times more work than undergrad. i majored in kinesiology concentrating on physical therapy, so there was a hefty amount of science and physio stuff.

but in answer to your question, like the zillion ms1's before have said, it is not possible to cram in med school. i think it will never, ever, not in a million years, work out for you if you try to even cram the week before exams.

i study from 1-4 hours a day, and i shoot for 6-8 hours on the weekend. during exam weeks, that turns into roughly 6-8 hours a day. some study more, some less. point is that you gotta look at stuff every day or you get on the terribly slippery slope of getting behind.

oh, and, yes, preview, lecture (or recorded lecture), and review + review before exams works well for me. grain of salt with that though, since everyone's different. the commonality is the tremendous volume of info tossed your way. you'll figure it out, or you'll repeat a year and figure it out then.

 

[DPT2MD]

Like everyone else, I am sure the hard part will be changing the habit of cramming into looking at the material every day to stay on schedule. Good to hear that one can be successful with a few hours a day.

 

[LadyWolverine]

correct me if i'm wrong, fellow posters, but i think that undergrad was a complete joke compared to medical school. i suppose that it depends on what you major was, but overall, ms1 is about 10 times more work than undergrad.

I can't wait for the slew of engineering grads to hop on this thread and remind us of how difficult their undergraduate major was, and how medical school pales in comparison to their 30-credit a semester workload.

 

[alfonzarel]

I can't wait for the slew of engineering grads to hop on this thread and remind us of how difficult their undergraduate major was, and how medical school pales in comparison to their 30-credit a semester workload.

maybe they're right. i doubt it, but maybe med school is easy for them (yeah right). but if it is, hey great, i hope they enjoy coasting through med school, whilst the rest of us mere mortals have to work to get through a workload that our med school compares to 30-35 units a quarter. more power to them, i guess.

 

[OncoCaP]

maybe they're right. i doubt it, but maybe med school is easy for them (yeah right). but if it is, hey great, i hope they enjoy coasting through med school, whilst the rest of us mere mortals have to work to get through a workload that our med school compares to 30-35 units a quarter. more power to them, i guess.

I was an engineer. Med school is challenging in a different way. In med school, it's the quantity of information moreso than the complexity. I studied hard back then in engineering and I study hard now. What's nice about med school is that it is fairly clear what you are supposed to know, which really helps when you are trying to study efficiently. In engineering there were more possibilities in the way a problem could be presented and the complexity of the math, physics, etc. associated were considerably higher. Memorizing how a particular engineering problem was solved was often not helpful because they could change that up considerably; the concepts and principles were more important ... being able to apply certain knowledge to various problems. With some engineering problems, knowing how to set up the problem even with an open textbook can be very difficult. As far as I can tell, the engineers in my med school class work just as hard as everyone else in my class and it's not a breeze for them at my school.

 

[Ashers]

I can't wait for the slew of engineering grads to hop on this thread and remind us of how difficult their undergraduate major was, and how medical school pales in comparison to their 30-credit a semester workload.

You know a question has been asked a lot when you can predict these sorts of answers. 😀

Med school studying for me is like my studying in college prep school before I transferred to a public school and before I learned what procrastination was.

 

[DPT2MD]

So, most students don't have to spend like 6 hours a day in study mode if they keep on schedule with pre-reading, review afterwards, and review on weekends (except around exam time of course)?

Seems like 3-4 hours a day would do the trick if you were disciplined.

 

[ZagDoc]

in retrospect, the piddly "studying" which was actually cramming the day before an exam, was not even real studying. correct me if i'm wrong, fellow posters, but i think that undergrad was a complete joke compared to medical school. i suppose that it depends on what you major was, but overall, ms1 is about 10 times more work than undergrad. i majored in kinesiology concentrating on physical therapy, so there was a hefty amount of science and physio stuff.

Ditto. I largely coasted through my academic career prior to med school. "Studying" for an exam in undergrad for me might have involved 2 or 3 hours the day before or the day of. So I had a lot of the same concerns as the OP going into med school.

You're at an advantage, because it takes 30 days to form a pattern and 90 days to form a habit, and the "WOW! COOL! MED SCHOOL!" factor of starting med school and "studying medicine" lasts a couple weeks. I don't know how or when the transformation happened, but I learned to study every day, keep up on my crap, and get to work. It largely becomes a habit. Something you do not necessarily do because you "have to" (even though you do) but because its what you're used to doing as part of your daily routine. Set small goals for yourself every day and every week outside of just the exams. Tell yourself "I want to get THIS accomplished today" or "By the end of the week I want to know/be able to do THIS."

So, most students don't have to spend like 6 hours a day in study mode if they keep on schedule with pre-reading, review afterwards, and review on weekends (except around exam time of course)?

Seems like 3-4 hours a day would do the trick if you were disciplined.

That's how it was for me, largely. Your mileage may vary. For day to day studying as long as I did it every day I never spent more than 3-4 hours a day outside of lecture (unless there was an exam coming up). If I wanted to take off for a weekend, I didn't skip those hours of studying, they just got distributed as extra hours on other days.

It's hard to talk about how much you "need" to study until you're in the thick of it. Study habits amongst my classmates vary wildly depending on how well they grasp material, ability to memorize, specialty aspirations, personal responsibilities, kids, etc.

 

[DPT2MD]

Ditto. I largely coasted through my academic career prior to med school. "Studying" for an exam in undergrad for me might have involved 2 or 3 hours the day before or the day of. So I had a lot of the same concerns as the OP going into med school.

You're at an advantage, because it takes 30 days to form a pattern and 90 days to form a habit, and the "WOW! COOL! MED SCHOOL!" factor of starting med school and "studying medicine" lasts a couple weeks. I don't know how or when the transformation happened, but I learned to study every day, keep up on my crap, and get to work. It largely becomes a habit. Something you do not necessarily do because you "have to" (even though you do) but because its what you're used to doing as part of your daily routine. Set small goals for yourself every day and every week outside of just the exams. Tell yourself "I want to get THIS accomplished today" or "By the end of the week I want to know/be able to do THIS."

That's how it was for me, largely. Your mileage may vary. For day to day studying as long as I did it every day I never spent more than 3-4 hours a day (unless there was an exam coming up). If I wanted to take off for a weekend, I didn't skip those hours of studying, they just got distributed as extra hours on other days.

It's hard to talk about how much you "need" to study until you're in the thick of it. Study habits amongst my classmates vary wildly depending on how well they grasp material, ability to memorize, specialty aspirations, personal responsibilities, kids, etc

Thats what I wanted to hear, thanks. Anyone else feel the same?

 

[EBI831]

And, I"m in the entire opposite boat from most of SDN when i say that it's entirely possible to cram for med school. me and lots of my friends did it. the only catch is that you have to go to class (maybe not pay attention) but at least so your brain can hear the term at least once before the night before/2 night before kill-me-i-know-nothing session. what's weird is that in undergrad, i was a study-ahead, pre-read kind of person and in med-school, i can't study ahead for the life of me. the best i can do is once in a while reading after class...i'm pretty much burned out after class so i can't do much except on weekend days so that leaves no option really but cramming.

 

[Random Anesthesiologist]

Thats what I wanted to hear, thanks. Anyone else feel the same?

I'm in your shoes as an upcoming MS-1. I coasted through undergrad, studied well for grad school, and did what I needed to do to do well for my post-bacc.

I've trained myself to adhere to my datebook and follow that schedule very closely. I carry that sucker around in my purse even just to make appointments with friends (aka "hanging out"). The study skills books I've read on doing well in med school say this is a major help.

I'll also be motivated by the debt I'm accruing (I don't want it to be for nothing), and that I don't want to go back to my old job.

 

[ZagDoc]

I've trained myself to adhere to my datebook and follow that schedule very closely. I carry that sucker around in my purse even just to make appointments with friends (aka "hanging out"). The study skills books I've read on doing well in med school say this is a major help.

Yup, I have my laptop, my desktop, my phone, my blender, and my bedside lamp all synced with Google Calendar. My life would spiral into oblivion without it.

 

[nka1985]

I am sure many of you out there did well in undergrad/grad (not MD) school by cramming the material for 2 or 3 days max before exams and made A's. My question is this; if you were used to being successful with this method would changing your study habits to 1. pre-reading the material the day before 2. reviewing the material in the afternoon, and then 3. pre-reading the material at night while 4. reviewing the weeks material over the weekend work well?

I know med school will be difficult due to the massive amount of material so would someone who did well before only looking at the material days before exams do well in med school with the above method? Any thoughts?

I was a night before the test crammer in undergrad, but that's how I studied during M1 and it worked very well for me. I didn't start pre-reading until second semester but once I started doing it I realized that lectures were more useful if I've already seen the material. We usually got out of class at noon and most days I was done studying by 415pm when my husband got home.

Just don't try to cram during med school. I have one or two friends who try it on occasion, but after seeing one of them fall asleep on their desk next to me during a test because they've only slept 1 hour...probably not the best idea. Work hard early, don't get behind, and try to have fun. 🙂

 

[Flaxmoore]

in retrospect, the piddly "studying" which was actually cramming the day before an exam, was not even real studying. correct me if i'm wrong, fellow posters, but i think that undergrad was a complete joke compared to medical school. i suppose that it depends on what you major was, but overall, ms1 is about 10 times more work than undergrad. i majored in kinesiology concentrating on physical therapy, so there was a hefty amount of science and physio stuff.

I'll stand with that. You need a rock-solid background at the very least- the first block went through the equivalent of my UG Genetics course in a week. Cell Bio was disposed of in 3 days.

Could you cram? Some exams, some subjects, sure. Just don't rely on it as a primary study technique. It's a lot easier to cram for Fundamentals of Clinical Practice or a clinical skills exam than it is to cram for anatomy or embryology.

 

[LadyWolverine]

Yup, I have my laptop, my desktop, my phone, my blender, and my bedside lamp all synced with Google Calendar.

Awesome. Can you also sync a coffeemaker, showerhead, and toothbrush? Perhaps a washer/dryer?

 

[njbmd]

How about it's like "cramming" on a daily basis instead of a couple days before each exam. There is just too much volume that you can't get everything done in a couple of days.

 

[Jwax]

And, I"m in the entire opposite boat from most of SDN when i say that it's entirely possible to cram for med school. me and lots of my friends did it. the only catch is that you have to go to class (maybe not pay attention) but at least so your brain can hear the term at least once before the night before/2 night before kill-me-i-know-nothing session. what's weird is that in undergrad, i was a study-ahead, pre-read kind of person and in med-school, i can't study ahead for the life of me. the best i can do is once in a while reading after class...i'm pretty much burned out after class so i can't do much except on weekend days so that leaves no option really but cramming.

That is exactly why I don't go to class. During the first few weeks of MSI, I went every day... I didn't pay attention and couldn't follow the professors most of the time, but I figured it was doing good just to be there. I was too tired by the time I got home from lecture to study, and after 5 days of classes all day, I didn't want to study over the weekend either. Then I realized that it was just wishful thinking to assume I could learn by auditory osmosis. So I stopped going to class and started watching lectures online, where I could pause the lecture when my mind wandered instead of losing track entirely of what they were discussing. Plus if I didn't get something, I could take the time to figure it out. This eliminated the useless and redundant sitting through class then trying to actually learn it to just learning it and then trying to memorize as much of it as I could make stick.

The only class I have tried the night-before-the-exam studying on was human behavior, and I figured out that it was best to study even for that class a week in advance so that I could just review it for a few hours the night before and try and get some sleep (which never actually worked because I was way too hopped up on nerves and Red Bull to sleep more than 3 hours before an exam).

 

[anonydoc83]

Awesome. Can you also sync a coffeemaker, showerhead, and toothbrush? Perhaps a washer/dryer?

me thinks you need to get laid.

 

[LadyWolverine]

me thinks you need to get laid.

😕

How do my sexual habits have anything to do with making my morning routine more efficient?

Wait, don't answer that...


Seriously, though, dude - wtf?

 

[meister]

I'll stand with that. You need a rock-solid background at the very least- the first block went through the equivalent of my UG Genetics course in a week. Cell Bio was disposed of in 3 days.

Seeing as I was a physics major and have forgotten most of the biology material I learned, that certainly bodes well for me! I'll probably just have to spend twice as much time on that stuff than most others I guess.

😕

How do my sexual habits have anything to do with making my morning routine more efficient?

Wait, don't answer that...


Seriously, though, dude - wtf?

It's extra creepy when you consider the fact that he hadn't posted in months only to open with that ace.

 

[anonydoc83]

😕

How do my sexual habits have anything to do with making my morning routine more efficient?

Wait, don't answer that...


Seriously, though, dude - wtf?

lol. mostly an observer, but noticed wry comments like that by you in a bunch of threads and that was the first thought that popped into my mind. had to let the machismo vent a little -- during sub-i we practically live in the damn hospital.

p.s. - didn't mean to creep ya out. sorry😉

 

[psipsina]

in retrospect, the piddly "studying" which was actually cramming the day before an exam, was not even real studying. correct me if i'm wrong, fellow posters, but i think that undergrad was a complete joke compared to medical school. i suppose that it depends on what you major was, but overall, ms1 is about 10 times more work than undergrad. i majored in kinesiology concentrating on physical therapy, so there was a hefty amount of science and physio stuff.

but in answer to your question, like the zillion ms1's before have said, it is not possible to cram in med school. i think it will never, ever, not in a million years, work out for you if you try to even cram the week before exams.

i study from 1-4 hours a day, and i shoot for 6-8 hours on the weekend. during exam weeks, that turns into roughly 6-8 hours a day. some study more, some less. point is that you gotta look at stuff every day or you get on the terribly slippery slope of getting behind.

oh, and, yes, preview, lecture (or recorded lecture), and review + review before exams works well for me. grain of salt with that though, since everyone's different. the commonality is the tremendous volume of info tossed your way. you'll figure it out, or you'll repeat a year and figure it out then.

I agree. My idea of studying was to make some flash cards and then study them the night before an exam in undergrad in a rather nonchalant fashion lol. This worked for grad level neuroscience classes but it wouldn't work for the volume of medschool. I know someone who "crams" in medschool, meaning they don't do much until the last 2 weeks before an exam . . . thats about as reckless as I've seen anyone be and still move on to the next year, and that kid is constantly having a panic attack and isn't sleeping for those last two weeks.

Medschool's volume just can't be crammed in a few days time in any successful way (unless you are a genius and the laws of memory consolidation just don't apply to you). Pre-reading is of course optimal but one usually falls behind a few weeks into a block and then gives up on it (if they ever convince themselves to start in the first place when they are worn out from the last test or spacey from a break lol). For me I've found that I need at least 2 passes of the material to pass, 3 to do well. This might be pre-reading--> making study guides --> and then studying them, or reading thru the notesets/syllabus three times, etc. But if I haven't seen it at least twice its 1) probably not going to be there come exam day and 2) definitely won't stick past the block for cumulative finals/shelfs/boards/wards etc.

 

[sendwich]

Seeing as I was a physics major and have forgotten most of the biology material I learned, that certainly bodes well for me! I'll probably just have to spend twice as much time on that stuff than most others I guess.

It's extra creepy when you consider the fact that he hadn't posted in months only to open with that ace.

perhaps, a she?

 

[meister]

perhaps, a she?

Never heard of a she venting machismo before but hey, whatever floats your boat.

 

[ZagDoc]

Awesome. Can you also sync a coffeemaker, showerhead, and toothbrush? Perhaps a washer/dryer?

Forgot about the toothbrush. Fighting gingivitis and telling me I have a 1:30 lunch date with my advisor, all at once!

 

[pdp2001]

for me, it depended on the class. micro, immuno, bchem, genetics - stuff i already knew, i tried to read at least once quickly and make some notes, then i crammed a few days before the exam. i found that gave me more time to study the stuff i didn't know, or found more time intensive like anatomy, physio, path, medicine. but everyone's got their own way. keep in mind though that all the material doesn't require the same amount of effort and you'll be more efficient if you figure out what you can get through quickly and what you need more time for.

 

[Chris418]

You can cram for exams, it can just be dangerous. I would normally study a bit everyday and my grades would be pretty high, but I wanted to try cramming for Renal to try it out. So for the midterm i studied for 3 days and scored a 92 on it. Tried it again for the final, got sick the morning of day 2 which got progressively worse over the weekend, and it made me lose my Honors grade in the course. So, possible? Yes. Recommend? No.