| Learning how to succeed in medical school can be as challenging as being accepted. Each week you may be responsible for hundreds of PowerPoint slides, twenty hours of lecture, and multiple book chapters. Tests will require you not just to know the material, but to utilize your knowledge to integrate information in complex multiple choice questions. Memorizing information may have worked in undergrad, but we need new study habits now. |  |
1. Make a schedule: Make a daily review schedule for your next test. Each lecture or chapter should be reviewed at least once prior to the test. More challenging material should get extra review time.
2. Pre-read: Each night, download the next day’s presentation or book chapter, and lightly read through the information. Your goal isn’t 100% understanding, just to be familiar with the topic so you can easily take notes tomorrow.
3. Review & Reduce: Each evening, take the day’s material and create a clean, outline version of the material. This “clean” version of your notes will become the basis of future review material. Only write down material you need, try to cut out any extraneous data/information so that you can streamline your learning later.
4. Take Breaks! Always give yourself time to exercise, go for walks, socialize, or other stress-reducing activities. Sitting in a library for 10 hours at a time is not good time management.
5. Evaluate: After each test, reflect on how you studied and what changes could help increase your efficiency and learning.
2. Pre-read: Each night, download the next day’s presentation or book chapter, and lightly read through the information. Your goal isn’t 100% understanding, just to be familiar with the topic so you can easily take notes tomorrow.
3. Review & Reduce: Each evening, take the day’s material and create a clean, outline version of the material. This “clean” version of your notes will become the basis of future review material. Only write down material you need, try to cut out any extraneous data/information so that you can streamline your learning later.
4. Take Breaks! Always give yourself time to exercise, go for walks, socialize, or other stress-reducing activities. Sitting in a library for 10 hours at a time is not good time management.
5. Evaluate: After each test, reflect on how you studied and what changes could help increase your efficiency and learning.
If you are looking for more in-depth note-taking tips, I found using a modified Cornell Style of notes worked well, but instead of using a single page/notebook, I used one notebook for 'rough draft' lecture notes, and one notebook for 'organized' reduced notes.
Share your own tips or experiences below, and contact me if you'd like more information!
Share your own tips or experiences below, and contact me if you'd like more information!
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