One of the most challenging aspects of medical school is the amount of material we need to learn in such a short period of time. Then, we are expected to retain all of it!
I’ll be sharing strategies that I’ve seen medical students use, as well as what I’d recommend based on what I’ve seen work well for me and other students. I will also note which strategies work well for class vs. boards.
Remember, everyone learns differently! If you already have a method that works for you, do stick to it!
Study Strategies
In alphabetical order
Creating Study Guide
After attending/watching a lecture, you create a study guide in an outline format that can later be used to study for the class exam.
Note: Helpful as a “second pass” of the material, with the first pass being the first time you watch/sit in lecture. This strategy works well for the basic sciences (biochemistry, genetics, etc.) The pre-made Anki decks (e.g. Anking Step 1 Deck) does not go into as much detail as class lectures, usually. Many students used this during the first semester, aka the basic/foundational sciences.
Creating Flashcards
Handmade flashcards or making own Anki flashcards for the most important concepts taken from power points.
Note: Many students like to make their own flashcards because the process of making them itself helps them absorb the material. However, making flashcards can be highly time-consuming, especially for Anki. I WOULD NOT recommend making your own Anki flashcards. If you do make flashcards (either handmade or Anki), keep it to 50 flashcards MAX per lecture. Keep in mind you will typically have 2-4 lectures a day. That would be 200 flashcards a day!
Interleaved Practice
Instead of focusing exclusively on learning/reviewing one topic, you alternate between more than one topic. Let’s say we have topic A, B, and C. Instead of learning/reviewing topic A on day 1, topic B on day 2, and topic C on day 3, you do topic A, B, and C on day 1 then repeat on day 2 and 3, etc. The pattern would be ABC ABC ABC instead of AAA BBB CCC.
Note: One of the more effective strategies for long-term retention. Great strategy for boards studying because Step 1 will not be testing you on one organ system at a time. You don’t know if you will be asked on cardiology, renal, or endocrine next. Interleaved practice allows you to retrieve information without context and out of order. You can use this method for class if you are reviewing for an exam. See below on multiple passes.
Multiple Passes/Repetition
Going/watching lecture would be your first pass of the material. Reviewing the powerpoint after class would be the second pass. Reviewing the material once more before the exam (or whenever) is the third pass. I don’t know if there is an official term for this technique, but it seems similar to interleaved practicing, but on a macro level. Instead of reviewing topics, you are reviewing multiple lectures containing multiple topics.
Note: Upperclassmen will often tell you to drill class power points to study for class exams. It’s a great way to prepare for exams, but will also require some active learning with it (i.e. testing yourself, practice questions, etc.) If you use Anki, you may not need as many passes, but I still needed the repetition. Great for boards as well if you use Anki.
Memory Palace (e.g. Sketchy, Picmonic)
Creating images in your mind to represent each term/fact/concept, then retrieving that information by conjuring the image in your head. Sketchy is based on this learning method. For example, you watch a video on a drug. The video has bananas in it, which would represent potassium. When you see the drug on a test question, if you remember there were bananas in the video, you will remember that the drug had something to do with potassium.
Note: The best way to remember bugs and drugs (Sketchy Micro & Pharm!) I suppose you can make your own memory palace, but I don’t know any medical student that does. Great for class and boards.
Mind Maps
Creating a map of different concepts and drawing connections between them. E.g. creating map of anemias with the symptoms, pathophysiology, treatment, and connecting it to other related disorders.
Note: Good way to sort out similar, confusing diseases! I often used this method before an exam to bring concepts together and test myself on what I knew.
Mnemonics (supplemental)
We’ve all heard of this one! First Aid has some good ones, but also some awful ones. You can also create your own!
Note: Good for retrieving facts/concepts quickly, but do not depend on it for learning/studying!
One Pass
Going through all the class material only once, but learning actively and taking notes THOROUGHLY. This is akin to studying like you will never see the material again.
Note: I know few people who can do this and excel on exams, which is why I wouldn’t recommend it unless you know for certain that you can study this way. Not to generalize, but students who are fast learners tend to go with this method.
Rewriting Notes/Paraphrasing
Rewriting class lectures in your own words.
Note: This is a passive learning method. In order for it to be effective, you have to take the time to understand each concept and paraphrase in your own words, which is far too time-consuming for medical school. It would be reasonable to do this verbally for the most challenging topics, like teaching it to another person to ensure you fully understand it. With that said, I would NOT recommend it for class or boards.
Spaced Repetition (e.g. Anki, Firecracker)
Reviewing flashcards repeatedly over time with more delays in between each review.
Note: Anki has my highest recommendation. Research shows this method improves boards scores. It’s an excellent way to actively learn and it has been a tried and true method for medical students! Highly recommend for class & boards.
Recommended Strategies
Again, keep in mind that what worked for me and others, may not work well for you! Be open to trying out different strategies and modifying it to see what yields the best results. Don’t mind what others are doing and just focus on finding what works best for you.
Spaced Repetition with Anki
My primary method of studying was (and still is) Anki. If you’ve been reading my posts, you probably already know I am a huge Anki fan. Anki is an evidence-based approach (see this research study) that has been shown to be superior for performing well on the boards. It’s also a solution to the challenge of medical school – learning a large amount of material in a short period of time and retaining it.
Don’t be discouraged by the steep learning curve of Anki – like many others, it took me months and many hours to figure it out! I’ll create a post on Anki for Dummies to break it down for you and share only what you need to know (because honestly Anki can be SO confusing).
I also used Anki as my primary method for studying for boards!
I recommend using the Anking Step 1 Deck.
Interleaved Practicing & Multiple Passes
I think interleaved practicing (an actual psychology term) and multiple passes (a term I just hear in medical school) is the same thing.
With interleaved practicing, instead of studying everything about esophageal cancer for example, then moving on to everything about gastric cancer, then moving on to everything about colon cancer, you would be studying a little bit about each cancer every day (e.g. just the symptoms of each cancer).
With multiple passes, instead of only going through the material once, you will go through the material multiple times so you don’t forget the earlier topics you just learned. A common problem during medical school and boards studying is that you start to forget material that you learned previously!
Mind Maps
This is a great way to engage with material and learn actively. You create a map of diseases, symptoms, signs, and treatment, and draw connections between them, thereby synthesizing the information. Mind maps are especially helpful for distinguishing diseases that are similar. E.g. During my hematology-oncology block, I often confused the leukemias and lymphomas (B-ALL, T-ALL, CML, and AML).
Mnemonics
For the most part, memorizing is not an effective way to learn. But if there’s no way around it, mnemonics definitely help. It can also be a great way to recall something quickly. You can make your own, use the ones from First Aid, or Google some.
Memory Palace
My experience with memory palaces is limited to Sketchy Micro & Pharm. I didn’t create my own or anything. Palaces may not work for everyone, but if it does work, you will be able to recall facts quickly just by conjuring the memory palace in your mind.
General Tips
- Don’t mind what others are doing if you’ve found a strategy that works well for you.
- When you feel overwhelmed with studying, a little bit of studying is still better than nothing!
- Don’t be afraid to reach out for help! Upperclassmen are usually happy to offer their insight and lessons learned.
- Ask yourself if you are actively learning and engaging with the material. Although repetition is important, you must test yourself! Anki is one excellent way to do this. Passive learning is not enough!
- Beware of mindless highlighting!
- If you DO highlight, do so with purpose! E.g. I only highlighted things I couldn’t remember to catch my attention when I went back to review.
- Don’t waste time trying to find fancy ways to write your notes! No time for aesthetic in medical school!
- Determine whether you learn better in class or at home (watching lectures).
- Benefits of going to class: accountability, staying on a schedule, avoiding distractions at home
- Benefits of watching lectures from home: going at your own pace, time to jot down notes
- If you are a lecture goer, try pre-reading power points the night before to get the most out of lecture. I didn’t have the time to do this, but if you do, it’s an excellent way to absorb material!
- Tip from a classmate of mine who attends lecture consistently: rather than trying to write down every word the professor is saying, just listen and only take notes on important concepts the professor emphasizes.
- If you attend lecture, you can have First Aid/Pathoma open and add class notes to the margin (recommend getting all your books spiral bound to make this easier)
- Know if you study better alone or in groups, or in groups with silence.
- Know your optimal study environment. Do you like the dead silence of libraries? Background noise of coffee shop?
- Do you study best at night or in the morning?
See related post on Anki for Dummies!
That’s all, hope that helped! Let me know if you have any questions! Happy studying 🙂
With lobe,
Kelly
