Studying/note taking

[GCS-15]

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Going to start med school in a couple of months and was wondering: how do people take notes/study?
In undergrad, I went to lecture (took notes), podcasted at home and re-wrote my notes (color-coded), then studied flashcards and made condensed notes. That worked pretty well. Can I keep doing this in med school? I never printed out the powerpoints or wrote on them. If there was an important image, I would draw it in my notes.

I've heard there are a lot more visuals/diagrams in med school so some people take notes on an ipad pro using the apple pencil stylus - do current med students recommend this method? Which note taking apps do people use? I've never taken notes on onenote or anything - just paper and pen so just wanted to get a head start and buy whatevers necessary.

 

[Chibucks15]

Going to start med school in a couple of months and was wondering: how do people take notes/study?
In undergrad, I went to lecture (took notes), podcasted at home and re-wrote my notes (color-coded), then studied flashcards and made condensed notes. That worked pretty well. Can I keep doing this in med school? I never printed out the powerpoints or wrote on them. If there was an important image, I would draw it in my notes.

I've heard there are a lot more visuals/diagrams in med school so some people take notes on an ipad pro - do current med students recommend this method? Which note taking apps do people use? I've never taken notes on onenote or anything - just paper and pen so just wanted to get a head start and buy whatevers necessary.

I mean that's a very solid strategy but may need to be condensed in medical school. I say start with that but find ways to fine tune so you're more efficient. One way would be to ditch pen and paper...takes too long and eventually I can't even read my writing when my hand starts cramping up. Thats my n=1 but with the amount of material you're expected to know one note I find to be much more effective. Plus you get better at typing which will help out in the long run

 

[Nucleophile1]

I use Microsoft One Note to take notes. You can import the ppt slides and take notes beside each slide.

 

[GCS-15]

I use Microsoft One Note to take notes. You can import the ppt slides and take notes beside each slide.

So it's better to directly write/annotate the powerpoints? Is this due to the sheer amount of diagrams/figures presented? I feel like some of my classmates in undergrad did that, but they weren't able to put things in their own words. That's one of the reasons i liked paper and pen - I could think about things and put it in my own words.

 

[GCS-15]

I mean that's a very solid strategy but may need to be condensed in medical school. I say start with that but find ways to fine tune so you're more efficient. One way would be to ditch pen and paper...takes too long and eventually I can't even read my writing when my hand starts cramping up. Thats my n=1 but with the amount of material you're expected to know one note I find to be much more effective. Plus you get better at typing which will help out in the long run

Ah I see. In terms of condensing the strategy - do you think just taking notes on an ipad or something during class, then making/reviewing flashcards would be better?

 

[Chibucks15]

Ah I see. In terms of condensing the strategy - do you think just taking notes on an ipad or something during class, then making/reviewing flashcards would be better?

Probably. Like I said though start with what you're comfortable with then make adjustments that help you. Everyone will study differently

 

[Aerus]

I don't take notes. The slides are always given and the podcast is always available. Writing stuff down/typing stuff down is distracting for me. I focus on really processing and understanding the material, since we have to know it eventually.

If you HAVE to take notes, do it at home at 2x speed. Taking notes during lecture is one of the most useless things, in my opinion, since you can't pause the lecture and you're going at their pace, so your notes wouldn't be ideally formatted and written anyways and there's always the risk of spacing out for a second to type something and not getting what was just said. The only reason I can imagine that is a good reason to take notes during lecture is if you must type/write something down in order to process/understand it.

 

[Mr. D.O.five]

So it's better to directly write/annotate the powerpoints? Is this due to the sheer amount of diagrams/figures presented? I feel like some of my classmates in undergrad did that, but they weren't able to put things in their own words. That's one of the reasons i liked paper and pen - I could think about things and put it in my own words.

If you really like hand-written notes, get an iPad pro and use Notability or Microsoft Onenote on there. Import the slides and you can annotate and take notes with the apple pencil, and your notes will never get lost! You can even organize them so you have a sheet of notes alongside the powerpoints!

 

[GCS-15]

If you really like hand-written notes, get an iPad pro and use Notability or Microsoft Onenote on there. Import the slides and you can annotate and take notes with the apple pencil, and your notes will never get lost! You can even organize them so you have a sheet of notes alongside the powerpoints!

Sweet, I'll try out that app!

 

[libertyyne]

No notes. Just Anki.

 

[Anti-PD1]

You'll have to find your rhythm. It's a lot of data, it can be exhausting.

We used to get printed packets of the lecture in long form. So, it was less about getting stuff down, and more about understanding. For that to work you have to go to class, and pre-read the packets. I did neither.

I used to go through the packets and write my own notes in a notebook. One notebook per block. Condense things in a smart way. I.e. when you're learning about lymphomas and leukemias, they all sound the same. Do I really need to write down that you get fever, chills and malaise in X Y or Z leukemia? No. Focus on distinctions. Because that's what questions are based on. I.e. AML is a/w DIC.

 

[Mr. D.O.five]

No notes. Just Anki.

I like doing my first pass taking notes on Onenote to understand, then my 2nd pass and beyond is Anki (so I won't Anki everything in sight).

 

[libertyyne]

I like doing my first pass taking notes on Onenote to understand, then my 2nd pass and beyond is Anki (so I won't Anki everything in sight).

I anki everything in sight, image occlusion. Don't know how to break this habit bl,but it works. I just don't keep up.

 

[theonlytycrane]

No notes- just Anki as others have said. Then q-banks.

Then just remember random minutiae. You will no longer be tested on main ideas (which is what notes are for). That's too easy for everyone to ace. You'll have to remember esoteric details and factoids related to some system/pathology and sprinkle in your instructor's favorite pieces of trivia (if you care enough to spend time memorizing that too).

 

[Mr. D.O.five]

I anki everything in sight, image occlusion. Don't know how to break this habit bl,but it works. I just don't keep up.

Haha I used to do the same, but I kept getting behind on reviews. How do you keep up w/ reviews? I use some portions of Zanki (non-path stuff mostly) as my review sources too.

 

[libertyyne]

Haha I used to do the same, but I kept getting behind on reviews. How do you keep up w/ reviews? I use some portions of Zanki (non-path stuff mostly) as my review sources too.

I dont review once the term is done. There is a lot of stuff that is probably not going to be on boards so I might just Anki BRS or First Aid and keep up with that. Or even use Zanki.

I know some anki users must be abhorred, but who cares when you are banging out 90's.

 

[Mr. D.O.five]

I dont review once the term is done. There is a lot of stuff that is probably not going to be on boards so I might just Anki BRS or First Aid and keep up with that. Or even use Zanki.

I know some anki users must be abhorred, but who cares when you are banging out 90's.

Oh yeah that's what I meant, anki'ing the current block. I do Zanki daily, but that's only for blocks that I've finished. How many cards do you usually make per lecture? Getting 90s means your obviously doing something right!

 

[libertyyne]

Oh yeah that's what I meant, anki'ing the current block. I do Zanki daily, but that's only for blocks that I've finished. How many cards do you usually make per lecture? Getting 90s means your obviously doing something right!

it really depends on the unit, since length is variable. I had about 280 cards for 100 pages of biochem.

 

[ciestar]

I use Notability and the Apple Pencil for my notes.
40+ lectures and hundreds of pages/slides per unit... well, that is a LOT of paper.

 

[mistafab]

Everyone has their own method.

My method is writing on paper. Figure out what works for you when you cross that bridge.

 

[GCS-15]

I use Notability and the Apple Pencil for my notes.
40+ lectures and hundreds of pages/slides per unit... well, that is a LOT of paper.

Was it difficult moving from pen and paper to the ipad?

 

[ciestar]

Was it difficult moving from pen and paper to the ipad?

Not particularly. Other than surface texture, it didn’t feel any different. Which is why I wanted the Apple Pencil so badly.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

No notes. Just Anki.

Like seriously though

I dont review once the term is done. There is a lot of stuff that is probably not going to be on boards so I might just Anki BRS or First Aid and keep up with that. Or even use Zanki.

I know some anki users must be abhorred, but who cares when you are banging out 90's.

Highly suggest Zanki, it’s gold content wise and the cards are well put together.

 

[jcorpsmanMD]

I use to be like you too in college. I knew it wasn't going to work in medical school, or if it did I would be studying 24/7 trying to write my notes then re-write them. Anki all the way. and if you enjoy writing, at the end of the week boil down everything you've learned to the simplest concepts on a blank white piece of paper or two, to give you the big picture.

 

[Nucleophile1]

So it's better to directly write/annotate the powerpoints? Is this due to the sheer amount of diagrams/figures presented? I feel like some of my classmates in undergrad did that, but they weren't able to put things in their own words. That's one of the reasons i liked paper and pen - I could think about things and put it in my own words.

I watch the lectures at 2x speed and anything that the lecturer says that is not explicitly in the ppt, I jot down on the side. Then, I make Anki cards from the lectures and incorporate any notes that I took. With some lectures, I don't need to take any notes. There's so much material that it will be difficult to take detailed notes on everything.

No notes- just Anki as others have said. Then q-banks.

Then just remember random minutiae. You will no longer be tested on main ideas (which is what notes are for). That's too easy for everyone to ace. You'll have to remember esoteric details and factoids related to some system/pathology and sprinkle in your instructor's favorite pieces of trivia (if you care enough to spend time memorizing that too).

It's school dependent though. At my school, we are not typically tested on minutiae or random facts that the instructor likes. My school has NBME exams and they try to test us on high yield Step material. They incorporated second and third order questions so that everyone doesn't ace the exams.

 

[celery123]

First, congratulations on your acceptances OP! I will also be starting med school in the fall and I had the same questions as you. I, too, am a pen-and-paper person. I see a lot of people mentioned Anki, but would anyone mind explaining the difference between Anki and Zanki?

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

First, congratulations on your acceptances OP! I will also be starting med school in the fall and I had the same questions as you. I, too, am a pen-and-paper person. I see a lot of people mentioned Anki, but would anyone mind explaining the difference between Anki and Zanki?

Anki= the spaced repetition software program for flash cards. Edit: should add that it is free for computers and the mobile app is 25 bucks but is worth it IMO.

Zanki= a specific premade Anki deck that basically has anything you need to know for boards.

 

[Mr. D.O.five]

I watch the lectures at 2x speed and anything that the lecturer says that is not explicitly in the ppt, I jot down on the side. Then, I make Anki cards from the lectures and incorporate any notes that I took. With some lectures, I don't need to take any notes. There's so much material that it will be difficult to take detailed notes on everything.



It's school dependent though. At my school, we are not typically tested on minutiae or random facts that the instructor likes. My school has NBME exams and they try to test us on high yield Step material. They incorporated second and third order questions so that everyone doesn't ace the exams.

Needs to be done for every medical school.

 

[theonlytycrane]

It's school dependent though. At my school, we are not typically tested on minutiae or random facts that the instructor likes. My school has NBME exams and they try to test us on high yield Step material. They incorporated second and third order questions so that everyone doesn't ace the exams.

The problem with the custom-NBME exams that schools are using now is that you can't review any of the questions afterwards. It's more for the benefit of the school / NBME to gauge their questions than for us.

 

[Nucleophile1]

The problem with the custom-NBME exams that schools are using now is that you can't review any of the questions afterwards. It's more for the benefit of the school / NBME to gauge their questions than for us.

This is the only downside and honestly, it’s not that big of a deal. I was worried at first about not being able to review my answers but the benefits (high yield step concepts, familiarity with NBME style questions, etc.) far outweigh any downside.

 

[jcorpsmanMD]

This is the only downside and honestly, it’s not that big of a deal. I was worried at first about not being able to review my answers but the benefits (high yield step concepts, familiarity with NBME style questions, etc.) far outweigh any downside.

Our first semester was faculty-written exams and we weren’t even allowed to review our answers for that, so I can’t relate lol

 

[GCS-15]

I’ve never used Anki/flash cards before. I usually just make a document of notes ex) the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.

Then, I’ll make a document with important terms omitted and turn every statement into questions ex) the the mitochondria is ___? What are all the oreganelles? Etc.
Then, I’ll study this document and highlight any questions that I need to focus on. Would this work just as well as anki?

 

[Nucleophile1]

I’ve never used Anki/flash cards before. I usually just make a document of notes ex) the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.

Then, I’ll make a document with important terms omitted and turn every statement into questions ex) the the mitochondria is ___? What are all the oreganelles? Etc.
Then, I’ll study this document and highlight any questions that I need to focus on. Would this work just as well as anki?

The idea behind Anki is that Anki will show the cards right before you are about to forget them. This uses the principle of spaced repetition and it helps with long-term retention of the material. You can't do this with the document of notes. For me personally, Anki works much better than the document of notes would. I do make a document of notes before the test to cram any details that I might forget on test day but for the majority of the concepts, I use Anki.

You don't have to use Anki to be successful in medical school but I highly recommend giving Anki a try.

 

[GCS-15]

The idea behind Anki is that Anki will show the cards right before you are about to forget them. This uses the principle of spaced repetition and it helps with long-term retention of the material. You can't do this with the document of notes. For me personally, Anki works much better than the document of notes would. I do make a document of notes before the test to cram any details that I might forget on test day but for the majority of the concepts, I use Anki.

You don't have to use Anki to be successful in medical school but I highly recommend giving Anki a try.

Thanks, will give it a try!

 

[DoctorG2020]

So it's better to directly write/annotate the powerpoints? Is this due to the sheer amount of diagrams/figures presented? I feel like some of my classmates in undergrad did that, but they weren't able to put things in their own words. That's one of the reasons i liked paper and pen - I could think about things and put it in my own words.

As you can see, everyone has a different strategy. When I was an M1, I went to class and studied from the PowerPoints for my first exam (didn't do too well). For every exam thereafter, I used OneNote on my Ipad during class to take handwritten notes. I'd then transfer those notes to the paper/pen method making a more condensed study guide (second pass). Third pass, I'd highlight the really key points on that study guide. I also invested in a small white board, and I would just rewrite anything I didn't remember down on that white board again until it stuck. I did pretty well on the rest of my exams.

If you couldn't tell, I definitely love the handwriting method 🙂

 

[arcus]

Going to start med school in a couple of months and was wondering: how do people take notes/study?
In undergrad, I went to lecture (took notes), podcasted at home and re-wrote my notes (color-coded), then studied flashcards and made condensed notes. That worked pretty well. Can I keep doing this in med school? I never printed out the powerpoints or wrote on them. If there was an important image, I would draw it in my notes.

I've heard there are a lot more visuals/diagrams in med school so some people take notes on an ipad pro using the apple pencil stylus - do current med students recommend this method? Which note taking apps do people use? I've never taken notes on onenote or anything - just paper and pen so just wanted to get a head start and buy whatevers necessary.

It depends on the course. Pharmacology, Micro, Biochem.....writing by hand with pen on paper and blowing through stacks of paper outling concepts. Micro was especially pen/paper intensive making my own tables, and at times writing the same darn algorithm over and over again. Worked for me.

Remember when you were in Kindergarten and your teacher caught you throwing spitballs, and she punished you and made you write 100 lines of “I will not throw spitballs at the ugly boys”?

Oh wait. Your generation was never punished.

Apple Pencil works swell

 

[GCS-15]

Thanks for the input, everyone.

 

[Jojos]

what you wrote would work great if we had the time. At this point i am much more about making a basic condensed study guide with a video about the topic + lecture notes and that into Anki. I let anki take care of the reviewing and maybe read the study guide 1-2 before the exam. This is when i have the time. Often i just read a topic and then find questions about it. No matter what though i always try to get anki involved since i hate cramming and i find that with it the info is retained for the long term.

 

[Save a life]

As you can see everyone does something different. I have classmates that only take notes by hand, others that only use the computer. Some use Anki, some go to class, some watch lectures on x2, and others use Firecracker. Ask 10 people, get 10 answers.

Personally, I use Anki and annotating first-aid. I make my own hybrid cards that are mix of first aid and my lectures. I need at least 3 passes to get the material in my head.

Depending on if your exams are faculty written or NBME, you’ll want to focus your studies accordingly.

 

[vit-012]

I’ve never used Anki/flash cards before. I usually just make a document of notes ex) the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cel
Then, I’ll make a document with important terms omitted and turn every statement into questions ex) the the mitochondria is ___? What are all the oreganelles? Etc.
Then, I’ll study this document and highlight any questions that I need to focus on. Would this work just as well as anki?

It might.
Point-1: you will need to devise a schedule for a few more repetitions ( easy to do if the exam is within 4 weeks).
Point-2: you will need to mark-up only 'text' you need to review the next time. Also an easy task. But if an exam is in 3mo, it is harder to schedule the subsequent reps. But Anki will do it with ease; you just tell Anki when u want to see the text.
Point-3: cramming before the exam. Anki will help you to find 'cards' you've had most trouble with.
The suggestion not to anki everything in sight is very important; if not heeded, Anki will bury you in cards due to be reviewed again. Also, making good cards is not as easy as hiding a word with Cloze_Deletion.
Before trying a Zanki deck, study the Manual's chapters Preferences; Deck Options; and Browser. You can print it.