Studying Techniques Advice Wanted!

[kalle001]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Anyone care to share their study techniques? Do you do certain types of studying to specific classes?(Sorry if this forum has been repeated a lot)

I have found flash cards and practice test works great for me, but my biggest problem is how long it takes me to make flash cards.. I spend so much time making them it cuts off time I could have been studying rather than preparing to study.

I have considered making flash cards over the next three weeks for some of my classes, but I'd hate to make a lot of useless flash cards thinking we are going to do chapters that we aren't.

If anyone has advice for biology, A&P and physics in particular those are my upcoming classes. Thanks in advance!

 

[NotASerialKiller]

Anyone care to share their study techniques? Do you do certain types of studying to specific classes?(Sorry if this forum has been repeated a lot)

I have found flash cards and practice test works great for me, but my biggest problem is how long it takes me to make flash cards.. I spend so much time making them it cuts off time I could have been studying rather than preparing to study.

I have considered making flash cards over the next three weeks for some of my classes, but I'd hate to make a lot of useless flash cards thinking we are going to do chapters that we aren't.

If anyone has advice for biology, A&P and physics in particular those are my upcoming classes. Thanks in advance!

Physics is straightforward, you study by doing problems.

For bio courses I would write out all my notes from slides/textbook or whatever else was testable, and then study from those, covering things up as I went to see if I had it down. The common advice is to use "active" studying not "passive". I found that writing them out once was active enough for me, but as I'm sure you know everyone is different.

 

[jorjorswens]

Use anki for flashcards on computer.

 

[jorjorswens]

Anki has an occlusion add on that works very well for anatomy and bio memorization. Anki was programmed with influence of Stanford studies to repeat cards at optimal repetition spacing.

 

[kalle001]

Thank you both!

 

[frosted_flake]

For bio/rote memorization courses, I make an outline of my class notes in Microsoft OneNote, then print my 'new' notes and annotate those until I can basically recite them from memory. Got me an A in pathophysiogy! (SWEET class by the way!!)

 

[kalle001]

For bio/rote memorization courses, I make an outline of my class notes in Microsoft OneNote, then print my 'new' notes and annotate those until I can basically recite them from memory. Got me an A in pathophysiogy! (SWEET class by the way!!)

Sounds like an excellent idea! Thank you!

 

[genericpremedstudent]

The act of writing out flash cards is extremely helpful for me. So helpful that I never ended using them, just making them was enough.

 

[RhinB]

I don't do flash cards but I re-write notes.

Biology - rewrite notes, walk through understanding of the material.

• I think the key thing about writing notes, doing flashcards etc is that you have to THINK continuously when you're doing them. Sure it'll take you a bit longer, but if you rush to write the notes/flashcards to get them done ASAP, you wasted time bc writing them w/o thinking doesn't add value. That's how I see it at least.
• A & P essentially the same.

Physics - Problems, problems, problems. Understanding why you got a problem wrong, why you got it write, being methodical with your approaches/troubleshooting.

One thing I learned from my dad is that YOU SHOULD BE USING AS MANY OF YOUR SENSES TO STUDY WITH AS POSSIBLE.

• Seeing - Reading (obvious)
• Tasting - Saying the material aloud/reciting
  
• Hearing - Hearing the material you've recited.
  
• Feeling - Writing the notes/memorizing by copying.
• Smell -...nothing lmao sorry couldn't get them all.

Studying with others also does a great job in helping you learn info. I forgot where I read this but there was something about how you retain:

• ~10% of what you read
• ~20% of what you hear
• ~%50 of what you recreate (write)
• ~80% of what you teach - So do your job and TEACH what you know to others! If you understand the concept full but can't recite it off the top of your head, explaining a concept to a friend will help you retain it.

Good luck studying.

 

[intangible]

I like to make hierarchy style notes that connects big concepts and elucidates differences between small concepts. Like this:

 

[kalle001]

I don't do flash cards but I re-write notes.

Biology - rewrite notes, walk through understanding of the material.

• I think the key thing about writing notes, doing flashcards etc is that you have to THINK continuously when you're doing them. Sure it'll take you a bit longer, but if you rush to write the notes/flashcards to get them done ASAP, you wasted time bc writing them w/o thinking doesn't add value. That's how I see it at least.
• A & P essentially the same.

Physics - Problems, problems, problems. Understanding why you got a problem wrong, why you got it write, being methodical with your approaches/troubleshooting.

One thing I learned from my dad is that YOU SHOULD BE USING AS MANY OF YOUR SENSES TO STUDY WITH AS POSSIBLE.

• Seeing - Reading (obvious)
• Tasting - Saying the material aloud/reciting
  
• Hearing - Hearing the material you've recited.
  
• Feeling - Writing the notes/memorizing by copying.
• Smell -...nothing lmao sorry couldn't get them all.

Studying with others also does a great job in helping you learn info. I forgot where I read this but there was something about how you retain:

• ~10% of what you read
• ~20% of what you hear
• ~%50 of what you recreate (write)
• ~80% of what you teach - So do your job and TEACH what you know to others! If you understand the concept full but can't recite it off the top of your head, explaining a concept to a friend will help you retain it.

Good luck studying.

Love this haha! Thank you!

 

[mw18]

There are two ways to do flashcards. One has been mentioned several times, and that's to learn and focus as you're writing them. The other, since you're worried about wasting time making them, is to not consider making them study time. I used to watch Netflix while I was writing them and wouldn't really count that as study time. You'd still pick up some things, but it's mostly mindless. And if you make them as you go, it's much different than making 250 the week before a test.

And, as always, teaching someone is the best way to learn.

 

[On Eagle's Wings]

For A&P and most of my biology classes, I would re-write my notes into a comprehensive set that included mostly everything I needed to know. Then, I would walk around and explain the notes to myself, like I was redelivering the lecture. I would continue doing this until I could explain everything (and all the details) from memory. I found that this method kept me from fatiguing and made sure I could explain it all for the essay exams since I was used to explaining the material to myself. I would also reproduce the drawings/diagrams until I could do those from memory.

I tried flashcards and I agree with the OP that they take way too long to make. Even for anatomical terms that require rote memorization, I found that explaining where/what they are and then checking my answers off my notes worked better. Better yet, find a partner to quiz each other.

 

[kalle001]

There are two ways to do flashcards. One has been mentioned several times, and that's to learn and focus as you're writing them. The other, since you're worried about wasting time making them, is to not consider making them study time. I used to watch Netflix while I was writing them and wouldn't really count that as study time. You'd still pick up some things, but it's mostly mindless. And if you make them as you go, it's much different than making 250 the week before a test.

And, as always, teaching someone is the best way to learn.

Excellent idea. I'll see if that works for me as well

 

[kalle001]

For A&P and most of my biology classes, I would re-write my notes into a comprehensive set that included mostly everything I needed to know. Then, I would walk around and explain the notes to myself, like I was redelivering the lecture. I would continue doing this until I could explain everything (and all the details) from memory. I found that this method kept me from fatiguing and made sure I could explain it all for the essay exams since I was used to explaining the material to myself. I would also reproduce the drawings/diagrams until I could do those from memory.

I tried flashcards and I agree with the OP that they take way too long to make. Even for anatomical terms that require rote memorization, I found that explaining where/what they are and then checking my answers off my notes worked better. Better yet, find a partner to quiz each other.

You just gave me a great idea on partnering up! Thank you. I'll just have to find a partner that actually likes studying and likes to get good grades (always have those few who don't actually care)

 

[shnarf9892]

ANKI IS YOUR BEST FRIEND! Check out the thread about it here: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/anki-central.1064361/

It will be especially handy for medical school, because it will really help you remember information for your STEP 1 and 2. And if you have a smartphone/tablet, they have an app that links directly to your Anki account, allowing you to study your flash cards literally anywhere. SUPER handy.