study technique

[D30417995]

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how many of you mostly study by massive repetition, in particular, the first 2 years? does/did it work for you?

 

[D30417995]

there are sooooooooooooooooooooo many seemingly random facts; i still don't know how to assimilate and integrate the massive amount of facts. do all the "random" facts just miraculously make sense one day given we've been studying reasonably hard? 🙁

 

[DoctorFunk]

I study via the "vacuum effect." This basically entails reading over my course notes as many times as humanly possible before tests, hopefully picking up different details that stick in my mind every time through. It has worked well for me so far, even if it is mind-numbingly boring.

 

[Law2Doc]

there are sooooooooooooooooooooo many seemingly random facts; i still don't know how to assimilate and integrate the massive amount of facts. do all the "random" facts just miraculously make sense one day given we've been studying reasonably hard? 🙁

They may never miraculously make sense. But that doesn't mean you cannot know them well enough to do well on a test. No one ever died trying to put too much information into their brain. Just plod on. And try to look at different resources with the same info so you don't get too bored. Repitition works. There are no magic shortcuts.

 

[stargirl50]

have you tried using review books? i didn't use them 1st year but started using them 2nd year, and they have helped me a ton. it helps to hear (or read) things in more than one way i think. good luck!

 

[psipsina]

I think how you do the repitition is very important. For me just reading something a bunch of times will never ever get it into my head. I have to involve as many senses as possible when doing the repitition, and then it becomes very very efficient. My general study scheme 1) make study tool(flashcards/tables/etc)/highlight noteset from lecture 2) go thru studytool/highlighted noteset clumping ideas together, with each clump I take the concept and rewrite it in my own words 2 times on a separate piece of paper, while saying/singing it so I'm seeing, feeling, hearing, speaking it all at once. I usually have to go thru a noteset twice like this, once right after the lecture, and once before the test in a more abbreviated manner focusing on things that didn't stick from the first time. I have been doing well on my tests. This may just be some weirdo thing that only works for me, but I suggest changing how you are doing your repitition before giving up on repitition in genearal.

 

[Dookter]

I know for me, I try to fully understand/integrate things. But for some classes the information is too spread out for me to do that [gross anatomy]. So instead of going from A-->Z, understanding it as I go through, I usually sort of go from A-->Z multiple times, each time understanding more and more.

Also, before the gross exam I have this coming monday, I was trying to understand everything so that I could "think" my way through most questions. This is the first test where I am trying to understand as much as possible, but I am also flat out memorizing [or TRYING to memorize] charts of information from the book.

What can I say, other than, maybe I should have gone to at least ONE of the labs/dissections/lectures for this exam.

 

[45408]

What can I say, other than, maybe I should have gone to at least ONE of the labs/dissections/lectures for this exam.

yeah, I've found lab to be extremely helpful, especially near the exam, when everyone's dissections start looking pretty good.

 

[Med01]

I found repetition of the same information in different contexts to be helpful, like learning a new language. For example, in a new language, you learn a new grammar rule and a bunch of new words. When you hear native speakers use it in 3 different contexts, you may understand that grammar rule better.

Similarly, I found just re-reading the syllabus didn't work coz they didn't cover a concept thoroughly. So, I do a first pass look at the syllabus, then I do old tests
to practice test-taking skills and get my brain to extract the information. The questions I missed and go back to the syllabus, book to review. If I have more time, I'll do another pass on the info from the textbook or a review book. One other tip I picked up from some students who did really well was to write possible test questions, that gets your brain to think about which are testable material, and compare and contrast, instead of just absorbing info.

 

[Dookter]

I found repetition of the same information in different contexts to be helpful, like learning a new language. For example, in a new language, you learn a new grammar rule and a bunch of new words. When you hear native speakers use it in 3 different contexts, you may understand that grammar rule better.

Similarly, I found just re-reading the syllabus didn't work coz they didn't cover a concept thoroughly. So, I do a first pass look at the syllabus, then I do old tests
to practice test-taking skills and get my brain to extract the information. The questions I missed and go back to the syllabus, book to review. If I have more time, I'll do another pass on the info from the textbook or a review book. One other tip I picked up from some students who did really well was to write possible test questions, that gets your brain to think about which are testable material, and compare and contrast, instead of just absorbing info.

I hate to say it, but I think I learn more from old tests than anything. It's not that the questions are the same. It's just that I never "thought" of it that way, to put it plainly. I will see a concept in a new light, and many times profs don't explain how to use or think about information. They usually just present the information. So I learn a lot from the thought process that it takes to answer old test questions.

 

[45408]

I hate to say it, but I think I learn more from old tests than anything. It's not that the questions are the same. It's just that I never "thought" of it that way, to put it plainly. I will see a concept in a new light, and many times profs don't explain how to use or think about information. They usually just present the information. So I learn a lot from the thought process that it takes to answer old test questions.

I use the old exams near the end, because if I use them early on, I haven't learned the material thoroughly enough to know the answers for a lot of the questions anyways. For my anatomy and development/embryo classes, the old exams are a Godsend, because there's only so many ways they can ask "If your patient's left eye can't look laterally, which of the following cranial nerves is injured?" Biochemistry is another beast though. They can ALWAYS ask something in a way that I never thought of before.

 

[Dookter]

I use the old exams near the end, because if I use them early on, I haven't learned the material thoroughly enough to know the answers for a lot of the questions anyways. For my anatomy and development/embryo classes, the old exams are a Godsend, because there's only so many ways they can ask "If your patient's left eye can't look laterally, which of the following cranial nerves is injured?" Biochemistry is another beast though. They can ALWAYS ask something in a way that I never thought of before.

I agree totally. I will be hitting exams hard tomorrow for my monday exam and practical! I will be so glad for a break! I dropped my fiance and her friend off at a bar and came back home to study. I am such a loser.