Student Study Profiles

C Dawg

You’ve probably heard that many medical students use Anki, which is my primary study strategy. I like Anki for a couple of reasons. Firstly, flashcards are a way of quizzing myself (as opposed to reading over notes). Secondly, it reduces the study burden as a final exam approaches because I am continuously reviewing past material with spaced repetition. Thirdly, it gives me an endpoint to my studying each day -  when I finish my flashcards, it is a more objective way for me to say “I don’t need to study anymore." 

How do students use Anki? You can either make your own cards or use pre-made decks - or do both, which is what I do. The pre-made deck I used is Anking. I started with every card suspended, and I un-suspend cards as I learn the material in lectures, small groups, and review sessions. For important points that do not have a pre-made Anking card, I will make my own card. For year 1, Anking is best once you get to pathology and immunology. It is also good for biochem. It is not as useful for histology and anatomy - but both these classes have decks made by your older classmates that correspond very well with the lectures. 

I do want to mention a caveat. Anki is not a great learning tool, but it is a great reviewing tool. I personally feel it’s more important to conceptually understand class material well first, and then use Anki to supplement and reinforce my learning. Draw concepts out, study with your classmates, and keep on practicing those excellent study habits that have gotten you here in the first place.

Kaptain K

Prior to medical school, I was the student that read every textbook cover to cover. I hate being on a screen and never used resources like Anki or watched videos on Youtube. I have a hard time staying tuned in with lectures, so I have to take handwritten notes to stay engaged. Something about writing things out with my own hand helps me commit them to memory. I had to come to grips with the fact that I couldn’t read textbooks for medical school class; there just isn’t enough time. But when I tried to catch up to the 21st century and use Anki or watch videos, I found that I simply wasn’t retaining the information. A lot of students are able to watch a lecture later on 2x speed, but I don’t retain auditory information that quickly. 

So here’s my strategy: I attend lecture live to stay maximally engaged and take notes as much as I can. After the lecture, I go back through the PowerPoint and fill in gaps in my notes (and also review the information). I also used to be the type of person who learned everything the first time I heard it, then gave it a second run-through before the final, but medical school changed me into someone who reviews each week’s materials every weekend, so studying for the final is the 3rd or 4th time I’ve revisited the information. Anki specifically may not work for me, but the idea behind it (repeatedly reviewing information to keep it fresh) is super important. I now make paper notecards or repeatedly re-visit my notes. When I still don’t understand something with the material provided on Brightspace or in the lecture, I check out the recommended or “required” course textbook from the library and read the section on the topic that’s confusing me.

So if you’re old school like me, you may have to update your strategies a little bit (like don’t waste money buying textbooks as I did), but you don’t have to reinvent the wheel! Don’t get discouraged if no one else studies like you; know what works for you and stick with it. 

Grumpy Pops

I am a visual learner and do not like Anki that much. I like learning concepts and Anki is too much repetition of disconnected factoids in my brain and a lot of pressure every day to force myself to finish X amount of cards. The only time I have used Anki is to reinforce Sketchy with the Pepper Deck (this is a must for everyone). Otherwise, I do not rely on Anki. 

I approach every block by creating an excel schedule for myself of every week. It includes the lectures and class content for the week, along with the core external resources I have chosen for that block and what I need to accomplish each day and each week. You can see my neuro example schedule here. This is how I stay organized and know exactly what I need to review and how much time it will take me to complete.

My core resources depend on the block, but normally include Boards & Beyond, Sketchy, Pathoma, and YouTube videos because I love learning by watching videos and understanding concepts with visual aids. I always annotate on slides as I watch these videos. I will get my first view of a topic from external resources, then I will get my second pass through class lecture. I might review a third time from the previous resources, and then right before the exam I will quickly read through First Aid as a final reminder of the high yield content. I’d rather get my eyes on the content 3 to 5 times from various sources rather than aim to see it once and memorize it perfectly the first time around. I like to keep a tab on all of the resources I have used thus far in an excel spreadsheet (Sketchy, Boards & Beyond, Pathoma). 

I also got an Amboss membership right around the end of the micro/pharm block and started attempting to do practice questions about 10-20 per day consistently (I recommend starting this earlier if possible). This is another way to get your spaced review of old concepts and learning by applying your knowledge. 

Megatron 

I prefer a proactive studying approach over a reactive one, meaning that I like to get comfortable with the content prior to the lecture (usually the day before), and then use the lecture as a time to review and solidify that content. Take a Tuesday lecture for example. Monday night, I will do a quick (<2 hour) review of the content covered that day, and then prep for Tuesday content. I do so by watching Boards & Beyond or Pathoma videos, annotating First Aid, and watching any corresponding SketchyPath or SketchyPharm videos (usually 3 hours of work). Then Tuesday night, I'll do a quick review of the Tuesday content, again <2 hours, and then start to prep for Wednesday. 

For me, "reviewing content" looks like white-boarding, talking through the content aloud, or making study sheets on my iPad. After I've reviewed the content at least once, I un-suspend the appropriate cards in Anki and complete those cards in addition to any rollover reviews I have. I'll continue to do the Anki cards throughout the week and review any content that I don't feel confident about in addition to prepping for upcoming lectures.

I use a color-coded excel sheet to keep track of what I need to see again and what I feel confident about. Over the weekend, I review the content that I've noted as needing another look and complete the corresponding USMLE  Rx questions for the entire week (because it's easy to choose the specific First Aid sections that match the content covered). In the days leading up to the final, I use Amboss or any remaining USMLERx questions and rewatch any Sketchy videos that I found particularly high-yield. When I come across a topic in a question that I don't feel confident on, I use First Aid or sometimes lecture notes to review, but I only do so when a question points out that deficit (meaning I don't do a comprehensive review of the topics through First Aid, I just use the questions to identify areas of weakness while also practicing test-taking strategies for that block). 

Crazy Cookie 

My study strategy has changed a lot throughout medical school, but throughout my first year, I have focused on using active recall and practice questions to learn the material. After watching a lecture, I will often watch the corresponding Boards & Beyond video to hear the information presented again in a new way. I have a hard time memorizing anything from videos, so I use Anki to memorize key details. I typically un-suspend cards using Boards & Beyond or First Aid tags. I will occasionally make my own cards for lecture-specific information but generally stick with pre-made cards. I also love doing course-provided and textbook practice questions. In my opinion, these are by far the most effective way to learn as they force you to apply and connect information. Several of the courses have an optional Q&A textbook that you can find online through the Mayo Clinic Library website. 

It is also important to me that I have a strong conceptual and clinically focused understanding of the material. Anki is great for memorizing details, but these details aren’t very useful without a strong conceptual framework. While the lecture slides are often longer and more difficult to understand than outside resources, I think they do a much better job presenting clinically useful information. I always annotate the lecture slides in class and highlight key information. As I review the lecture slides, I will initially try to recall the key details from each slide or section. I then review the slides, check if my recall was correct, and ask myself questions about the material to see if I have a strong conceptual understanding. I fill in any conceptual gaps using google searches or YouTube videos.  

I often make mind maps or summary sheets to learn challenging concepts. I always write these out by hand and try to write as much as I can from memory before referring back to the slides. Additionally, I have a “learned” document that I add to as I do practice questions or review the slides. In this document, I write down key facts or details that I may have forgotten. Writing these down helps me remember them better, and I can reference this document right before I take a quiz or exam. Just before I take a quiz or exam, I will redo the course-provided practice questions, review the slides that I found to be the most confusing, and review my summary sheets/minds maps.