Survey: Are you efficient? Please share your techniques with everyone.

[YouDontKnowJack]

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Everyone realizes med school is a whole different game.

Do you think you study well?

How much time do you spend to ingrain a 1-hour lecture into your brain?

How do you save time? What are your techniques for each class you are taking?

 

[dinesh]

During biochemistry, have a snooze and then read the textbook.
Anatomy-jUst commit everything to memory, usually takes a few reads
Physiology- Pray to God , and if time remains try cramming it.

 

[Gimlet]

During biochemistry, have a snooze and then read the textbook.
Anatomy-jUst commit everything to memory, usually takes a few reads
Physiology- Pray to God , and if time remains try cramming it.

And the winner for least helpful post of the year is..... 😀 j/k, (but those really don't sound like efficient methods)

Anyway, one way I've found to effectively cram a lot of high yield information into a short amount of time is to work through the old exams and practice tests made available to us. Instead of just circling the answer and moving on to the next question, though, I go through each of the incorrect answer choices and figure out why they're wrong, what they actually do or are, etc. It takes longer than going through the exam like a practice test, but in terms of time invested you get a lot of good info for exams out of it.

I guess that really isn't as specific as the OP requested, but it seems to be working for all of my classes, in my admittedly limited experience.

 

[quideam]

Here's what has worked pretty well for me so far:

For courses that are primarily lecture based (physiology, biochem), I usually:
1) pre-read the notes before the lecture: don't memorzie everything, just get a good feel for the material; sometimes pre-read assigned textbook readings if there's time, but this is rare
2) go to lecture - take notes on what's emphasized (we get transcripts/slides, so it's basically just filling in details here and there in the margins); try to understand the concepts
3) that night or the next day, go through lecture notes and make a condensed version for myself - I can usually pack a 30-40 slide presentation into a few pages
4) before the test, go over my condensed notes once or twice while flipping through slides

For classes that are lab-based (microbiology labs, etc)

1) Try to get a hold of the pictures ahead of time; we look at all of our slides on the computer, so I can usually print them out before lab. Also, do the assigned lab manual readings before the lab so that I can follow what they're talking about
2) Take good notes on the slides - draw arrows, etc.; make sure I have labeled everything that was stressed
3) A few times before the test, go through the slides again and make sure I can identify anything myself. Read over the lab manual again to make sure I didn't miss any big clinical points, etc.
4) Sometimes, it's helpful to read over Ross if you want a better overview of something or things aren't quite clicking. Robbins (the big one) is good for pictures and clinical correlates as well

For Gross Anatomy
(note: my school doesn't use prosections, so you may not have to do this much if your school does)
1) Pre-read notes before class; make sure i'm at least vaguely familiar with what's going to be presented
2) Waste time in lab (I can never see anything on my own dissections); try to get an instructor to point out an item or two, but this is usually forgotten anyway
3) Go through notes and Netters to memorze structures, attachments
4) Read Moore's for clinical stuff, other details that may not be clear in the notes
5) Use Rohen's photographic atlas to make sure I can identify everything on an acutal body
6) Go in to lab several times a few days before the exam to make sure I can identify everything on the actual bodies we have
7) Pray

Overall, I don't think that any of my studying methods are revolutionary - I think the key is to pre-read, take good notes, then re-write key points and then re-read those points. Nothing fancy, no tricks - just put in the time and I think you'll see results. Of course, these methods don't always work, as sometimes you'll get crazy test questions that test absolute minutia or sometimes the lectures are terrible and you won't know what to expect at all. In these cases, just remember that you and your classmates are all in the same boat, so don't flip out - just learn as much as you can. If you're uncertain about what's "important", looking at BRS or HY can be helpful, but BE CAREFUL - while it's good to know what's in these books, you will always get tested on much more than what's in them, and sometimes on entirely different things. So just because something is "high yield" for the boards, doesn't mean it will be high yield for your exams. So, while it can be helpful to get another perspective from these books, don't let them mislead you in your studying. Aka: Unless told otherwise, yes, you do have to know the 18 different genes that activate and deactivate an obscure receptor that the researcher is really enthusiastic about.

One last thing: It really does take a while to get your 'groove' in medical school, so don't beat yourself up if you're having a tough time at first. 1st year was much more difficult for me than this year, and I think a lot of that is because my "study methods" have been slowly developed and are now pretty solid. So don't worry, just try out different things and see what works.

Good luck 🙂.

Q

 

[EctopicFetus]

Isnt spending time to write this making me inefficient?

 

[YouDontKnowJack]

I've always wondered how people can study just 4-5 hours a day and (presumably) retain all the information. So you have 4 hours of lecture, and 4 hours of self-study, and that's it?! You can ace your exam?

I call bullshiet. But if you're one of these people who can do the above, please share your gift with us...

 

[redgrover]

I've always wondered how people can study just 4-5 hours a day and (presumably) retain all the information. So you have 4 hours of lecture, and 4 hours of self-study, and that's it?! You can ace your exam?

I call bullshiet. But if you're one of these people who can do the above, please share your gift with us...

It depends on where you go to school. At some places, you're in class for 7 or 8 hours. You wouldn't have time for more than 4 or 5 hours at that point.

 

[ToxicFugu]

Anyway, one way I've found to effectively cram a lot of high yield information into a short amount of time is to work through the old exams and practice tests made available to us. Instead of just circling the answer and moving on to the next question, though, I go through each of the incorrect answer choices and figure out why they're wrong, what they actually do or are, etc. It takes longer than going through the exam like a practice test, but in terms of time invested you get a lot of good info for exams out of it.

I started doing this after I started med school, and it really worked for me too. IMO, it doesn't matter how many times you've read the notes/text, you won't truly learn the material until you've gone through a couple of exams. And I don't do them like timed practice exams either, I think that's a waste. It serves only to tell you how well you might do on the exam, but it won't teach you anything. I go question by question, answer choice by answer choice. Find out why an answer is right, and the specific word in each of the other choices that makes it wrong. Like Andy said, it takes a while but is well worth it.

Anyway, I am getting A's in med school now, and I was never hot stuff in college. Here's what I changed:

1) Lectures. I try to absorb as much material in lecture as possible. Lectures are key for me. I make sure I get my coffee in the morning so I am at full awareness. I try not to talk to anyone before class, so as to prepare mysef for some serious focus. And when the prof starts talking, I start repeating in my head what he said and try to think of memorization tricks on the spot to try and load the material in my head. I don't write any notes during the lecture. Instead, I might wait till lecture is over and use the 5-10 minute break to jot down what I remembered.

Yeah, it's kinda weird. But it's been working for me. And I figure that since I'm going to lecture anyway, might as well make the most of it.

2) I write notes on the notes given in class/textbook. Just the main, testable material that I might forget. I don't waste time writing notes on something I know I won't forget, or something I know that there is no way of asking a question on. This way, I can compress 10-20 page lecture notes into 1-3 pages. I review my own notes several times and refer back to the main notes every once in a while.

3) I bought "The Memory Book" by Harry Lorayne. It's got some excellent little memory tricks. I highly recommend this book to med students. If you implement the tactics given in the book, you give yourself a huge edge in memorization. Ex. He has something he calls the "phonetic alphabet" where you equate each number to a consonant sound. If you practice this tactic for a bit, you can start implementing it in your classes. It's very very effective. Cranial nerves were a piece of cake for me. I spent zero time outside of lecture learning them. I don't think i will ever forget them due to the little tricks i used to memorize them. The trick I used is much faster and effective than that stupid "Oh, Oh, OH..." mnemonic.

4) Time management. I guarantee that studying for a class for 1 hour a day for 10 days is waayyy better than studying 10 hours in one day.

5) Some people pre-read material weeks in advance. I never liked this tactic. You've got enough on your plate now to worry about material 2 weeks down the road. I believe in quality, non quantity. Learn the material you have right now thoroughly, every detail. Don't rush through this material so you can get to next week's material.

Anyway, that's my advice. I know it won't work for everyone, but it sure has worked for me. I was not an A student in college at all. But i know that if i stay focused, i can potentially A every class I have in med sch.

 

[Iwy Em Hotep]

1) Get enough sleep everyday. 7-8 hours, or as much as you need (more or fewer hours).
2) Eat everyday. Don't skip meals or overextend.
3) Exercise everyday.
4) Maintain pattern over weekends.

You'll find that you have more energy and that the hours that you do spend studying are much more productive.

 

[Chris127]

1) Get enough sleep everyday. 7-8 hours, or as much as you need (more or fewer hours).
2) Eat everyday. Don't skip meals or overextend.
3) Exercise everyday.
4) Maintain pattern over weekends.

You'll find that you have more energy and that the hours that you do spend studying are much more productive.

While I am only a freshman in college, I am living on my own and managing my own time now. These 4 points indicated above are very, very important. Do these and studying becomes much easier.

 

[zeloc]

Anyway, I am getting A's in med school now, and I was never hot stuff in college. Here's what I changed:

1) Lectures. I try to absorb as much material in lecture as possible. Lectures are key for me. I make sure I get my coffee in the morning so I am at full awareness. I try not to talk to anyone before class, so as to prepare mysef for some serious focus. And when the prof starts talking, I start repeating in my head what he said and try to think of memorization tricks on the spot to try and load the material in my head. I don't write any notes during the lecture. Instead, I might wait till lecture is over and use the 5-10 minute break to jot down what I remembered.

Yeah, it's kinda weird. But it's been working for me. And I figure that since I'm going to lecture anyway, might as well make the most of it.

Thanks for your detailed advice. I think it's rather incredible that you don't take any notes during class. During the 5-10 minute break, do you just jot down the main points? I'm guessing you don't have time to record all of the minute details. Could you also elaborate on the kind of tricks that you use in class to remember the material? For a while I've wanted to use Lorayne-type techniques in class, but I found that there simply wasn't time to use those tricks on the spot.

 

[ToxicFugu]

Thanks for your detailed advice. I think it's rather incredible that you don't take any notes during class. During the 5-10 minute break, do you just jot down the main points? I'm guessing you don't have time to record all of the minute details. Could you also elaborate on the kind of tricks that you use in class to remember the material? For a while I've wanted to use Lorayne-type techniques in class, but I found that there simply wasn't time to use those tricks on the spot.

Nope. No notes at all during class. In college I realized that I was paying too much attention to writing notes then on understanding the material. So I gave up note writing. Our school gives notes for each lecture, and the information I need is always going to be in there. So I take it for granted that i won't miss anything by not writing notes during class. after the class i try and write everything that i remembered hearing in the lecture that just ended, as detailed as i can be. give it a shot. the standard approach is to read your lecture notes later in the day, or maybe a few days later. i find that if i actively attempt to recall material directly after lecture it really helps in solidifying the facts.

Ok, so here's an example of Lorayne type memory tricks for medical stuff (cranial nerves in particular). Lorayne has a system of equating consonants to numbers (1 = t or d, 2 = n 3 = m 4 = r..etc.) and each of these numbers has a visual association. 1 = t = tie, 2 = n = noah 3 = ma, 4 = rye. Yeah, it's strange, I know. But with enough practice this becomes second nature. So to remember that cranial nerve 1 is the olfactory nerve, you visualize an image of "an old tie factory." for optic nerve, you visualize noah wearing gigantic optical lenses. I know, this is really bizarre, but it does work. Another really good application of this was when I needed to memorize the characteristics of the different Collagen Types. There's like a dozen or more different collagens that are distinguished by number, and the standard approach to memorizing something like this would involve flash cards, or a bunch of reading and repitition. All i did was make visual associations for each fiber type and it's function (collagen type 7 is an anchoring fibril, so in my head I just visualized a ship anchor made of two number 7s back to back). It took me like 20 minutes to get these fibers down. the cool thing is that the visual associations disappear with time and what's left is the "true memory" association of name to function. the premise of these tactics is that humans are visual creatures, and we tend to remember something better if there is a strong visual image associated with it.

anyway, i know that these strategies are weird. and I should make a disclaimer that i am weird too and what works for me may not work for everyone. but there's no possible harm in reading Lorayne's book during your next vacation and practicing the techniques he describes. i guarantee it'll prove useful somewhere down the line.

 

[Sweepea8137]

These techniques all sound fantastic. I, like quideam, pre-read, attend lecture, etc. I have found that it truly does work for me. I also noticed, more than once, that people find it helpful to create condensed versions of the lecture notes. I used to do this both in undergrad and during the first few weeks of medical school. While it worked well in undergrad, I find that it was somewhat counterproductive in medical school as the lack of time became a huge factor. I also noticed that when I tried to condense my material, all I was doing was rewriting the lecture notes or the paragraph in the textbook. I am a very visual learner and can literally memorize where I saw the material, where it was located on the page, what came directly before and after it, etc. As a result, taking notes really helped me. How do I avoid rewriting the texbook to generate concise, yet comprehensive, notes that will facilitate my studying later on down the line? Thanks for all the great suggestions!! 😀

 

[missbonnie]

Thought I'd post for the people that skip lecture.

I've found that skipping lecture has made my studying way more efficient (well more like less time spent per lecture).

We have transcripts, syllabus entries, slides for almost every class (and previous exams), so I'm not really missing much. Instead of going to lecture, I read the syllabus entry/text reading to get the overview. Then I will read the transcript to see what was emphasized in class (i.e. what they will test on) and mark it up. Sometimes I will make flashcards (for Micro, Pharm) or type up condensed notes.

In terms of actual retention/exam time, good old recall is the best way to see if you really know - I don't mean reading something and thinking "this is familiar", actually reading it, and then being able to say or write whatever is on the back of that card. For memorizing drugs (which I abhor), I will copy groups of them over and over on paper until it is automatic. I also make my own mneumonics.

Finally, a study buddy where u teach each other and talk things through has worked well for me. Of course, now that my study buddy is now one of my roommates makes this infinitely easier.

Bonnie

 

[Nittany Lion]

Thought I'd post for the people that skip lecture.

I've found that skipping lecture has made my studying way more efficient (well more like less time spent per lecture).

We have transcripts, syllabus entries, slides for almost every class (and previous exams), so I'm not really missing much. Instead of going to lecture, I read the syllabus entry/text reading to get the overview. Then I will read the transcript to see what was emphasized in class (i.e. what they will test on) and mark it up. Sometimes I will make flashcards (for Micro, Pharm) or type up condensed notes.

In terms of actual retention/exam time, good old recall is the best way to see if you really know - I don't mean reading something and thinking "this is familiar", actually reading it, and then being able to say or write whatever is on the back of that card. For memorizing drugs (which I abhor), I will copy groups of them over and over on paper until it is automatic. I also make my own mneumonics.

Finally, a study buddy where u teach each other and talk things through has worked well for me. Of course, now that my study buddy is now one of my roommates makes this infinitely easier.

Bonnie

I'm taking anatomy now, and in the beginning, I started out making flashcards for everything (muscle origins/insertions, innervations, vessel names, other structure names and things said in lectures, etc etc). I know flashcards work great for some people, but for me, I didn't do too well with that method. First of all, it took HOURS to make all the cards, which seemed helpful in itself at first but the process alone was so daunting. Then by the time the test rolled around, I was literally swimming in flashcards and the thought of even looking at them let alone going through each one made me want to vomit. I was also overwhelmed with sources that everyone kept recommended.

So I had to change something, and I threw away the whole flashcard idea and just started making condensed note sheets (on regular paper, not cards) like some others have said above. I also only use one textbook (Moore's) and BRS on the side, and I go to class most of the time just to hear what points are emphasized. We have a noteservice at my school, which is great. I use those notes and the lecture slides as my main sources for making my note sheets. I wouldn't say I'm just rewriting everything, because just simply copying notes is pretty inefficient and boring. I definitely try and process it as I go, picking out key points from lectures that I know will either be definitely tested or that I'll have a hard time remembering later, and I write those down in my own words in bullet points. At the end of going through a lecture and making note sheets (or again closer to the test), I either skim through the textbook if I need to just read a little more about something to get a "bigger picture" of it, or I go through the same material in the BRS book and add anything from there that I might have missed onto my note sheets. Lemme tell you, by the time the test rolls around, studying a few packets of note sheets is much more inviting than having to go through 15 huge stacks of notecards a million times.

I also HIGHLY recommend what others have said above about going through stuff with a friend. Every few days, after I've already gone through a lecture on my own, one or two friends and I get together to "talk stuff out" - we basically just each go through our own notes out loud to each other and do a little bit of quizzing each other. This helps SO much - just hearing yourself talk through something really solidifies it, and hearing other people's tricks for memorizing certain things really helps too. I've been able to remember certain things because I can hear my friend saying something catchy about it in my head that just sticks. Also it's good to talk stuff out with a friend because it can help you get points that you may have accidentally missed.

By ditching the notecards and doing those things above I was able to become way more efficient at my studying and my score jumped almost 30% from the first test to the 2nd one 👍 Hopefully this will work for my other classes too once anatomy is over 🙂

 

[YouDontKnowJack]

nice responses, folks.

I'd like to hear some estimates of your (retention time)/(lecture time) ratio.

For instance, it takes me about 6 hours to remember 1 hour's worth of lecture material satisfactorily. A 6:1 ratio....... not very efficient by any means, but it could be worse.... like wasting time rewriting notes 😀

 

[Reborn24]

I started doing this after I started med school, and it really worked for me too. IMO, it doesn't matter how many times you've read the notes/text, you won't truly learn the material until you've gone through a couple of exams. And I don't do them like timed practice exams either, I think that's a waste. It serves only to tell you how well you might do on the exam, but it won't teach you anything. I go question by question, answer choice by answer choice. Find out why an answer is right, and the specific word in each of the other choices that makes it wrong. Like Andy said, it takes a while but is well worth it.

Anyway, I am getting A's in med school now, and I was never hot stuff in college. Here's what I changed:

1) Lectures. I try to absorb as much material in lecture as possible. Lectures are key for me. I make sure I get my coffee in the morning so I am at full awareness. I try not to talk to anyone before class, so as to prepare mysef for some serious focus. And when the prof starts talking, I start repeating in my head what he said and try to think of memorization tricks on the spot to try and load the material in my head. I don't write any notes during the lecture. Instead, I might wait till lecture is over and use the 5-10 minute break to jot down what I remembered.

Yeah, it's kinda weird. But it's been working for me. And I figure that since I'm going to lecture anyway, might as well make the most of it.

2) I write notes on the notes given in class/textbook. Just the main, testable material that I might forget. I don't waste time writing notes on something I know I won't forget, or something I know that there is no way of asking a question on. This way, I can compress 10-20 page lecture notes into 1-3 pages. I review my own notes several times and refer back to the main notes every once in a while.

3) I bought "The Memory Book" by Harry Lorayne. It's got some excellent little memory tricks. I highly recommend this book to med students. If you implement the tactics given in the book, you give yourself a huge edge in memorization. Ex. He has something he calls the "phonetic alphabet" where you equate each number to a consonant sound. If you practice this tactic for a bit, you can start implementing it in your classes. It's very very effective. Cranial nerves were a piece of cake for me. I spent zero time outside of lecture learning them. I don't think i will ever forget them due to the little tricks i used to memorize them. The trick I used is much faster and effective than that stupid "Oh, Oh, OH..." mnemonic.

4) Time management. I guarantee that studying for a class for 1 hour a day for 10 days is waayyy better than studying 10 hours in one day.

5) Some people pre-read material weeks in advance. I never liked this tactic. You've got enough on your plate now to worry about material 2 weeks down the road. I believe in quality, non quantity. Learn the material you have right now thoroughly, every detail. Don't rush through this material so you can get to next week's material.

Anyway, that's my advice. I know it won't work for everyone, but it sure has worked for me. I was not an A student in college at all. But i know that if i stay focused, i can potentially A every class I have in med sch.

cool

 

[redgrover]

4) Time management. I guarantee that studying for a class for 1 hour a day for 10 days is waayyy better than studying 10 hours in one day.

The biggest caveate to this is with biochemical pathways, if you ask me.

Studying related pathways for an hour would be a waste of time if you have a bunch of them, IMHO. I think it's best to sit with them for multiple hours at a time, learn how the system works, learn the individual components work for each pathways (thereby reinforcing the bigger picture), and then reviewing these pathways until you can repeat them over and over again in your head.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Long Dong]

I need advice to get threw 3rd year. It is kicking my a$$. I get home and I'm so tired I can't seem to study so I nap, wake up and only have about 2 hours to study before I workout. I think I might have to give up working out. But man I'm just so tired all the time that studying is very enefficient.

 

[Kezaar]

If I want to learn something I have to be interested by what I read, so even it's a boring text I tell me before why it is interesting for me to study it. I also prefer to learn a big chapter of a subject in one aternoon or evening because I think it makes more sense. Sleep is very important too, if you're tired you can't work efficiently.

 

[Herm]

I'm a 2nd year student. My strategy in the first year was to attend lectures and then to read the relevant chapters in textbooks. I tend not to take in too much in lectures, so reading the textbooks was worked for me because it was like hearing the lecture again.

The big downfall, for me, was not having concise revision notes before my cumulative exams at the end of year. I ended up going through my lecture slides, handouts and class notes. But, I think having some concise revision notes would have been very helpful.

I'm trying to tweak my study strategies to cope with the second year. I know that writing notes takes ages, but I think it might be worth it in the end.

Just for completeness, I *did* do well in year 1. But, year 2 seems to be a different ball game.

Thanks for taking the time to jot down some advice for the rest of us. I know that your time is valuable. But, it's been helpful to hear what you had to say. So thanks!

 

[coastal]

Another vote for the med school by correspondance route. My school posts most of the powerpoint slides for lecture online, and there are learning objectives for every lecture. I usually go through the powerpoint quickly, then do some reading around the subject if I think the notes suck (at least half of the time they aren't very good). I use Harrison's, emedicine, and my pharmacology book for the most part for the extra reading. When I'm efficient I'll then go through and answer all the learning objectives, and then do most of my studying from that. One of the biggest things I learned last year is that there is tonnes of crap in medical school that has very little clinical relevance. I'm in Canada, so I don't have to worry about knowing lots of bs for the USMLE, so I don't get hung up on details of biochemical pathways, anything to do with histology and all similar garbage. I find it important to get going early in the morning so, when my classmates are starting lecture at 8:30, I try to be in the library by the same time, if not by 8. On average, I've probably spent about 30 hours a week on Meds stuff so far this year, and I'm going to try to up that to 40hr/wk from here until the end of the semester. That's the goal at least, I had it last year too and didn't manage to put in that much time even in exams. Alot of people think that's not very many hours, but the time I put in is a heck of alot more efficient than time spent in lecture (for me). If I had to go lecture every day and then go home and study again....that would be a hellish existence.

 

[ToxicFugu]

I need advice to get threw 3rd year. It is kicking my a$$. I get home and I'm so tired I can't seem to study so I nap, wake up and only have about 2 hours to study before I workout. I think I might have to give up working out. But man I'm just so tired all the time that studying is very enefficient.

It's all about the caffeine bro. I love coffee. You have to make sure you don't build up a tolerance for it though. I drink half-caf/half-decaf on early lecture days and never drink coffee on the weekends. Full caffeinated cup when it really matters. What are you rotating through? Maybe it's just the clerkship you're on that wears you out.