The Basics of Studying & External Resources

The Basics

Before we dive into each block, we first want you to know and understand what external resources you can use to supplement class material. Professors and in-class lectures can be a great resource, but most of the time you will want to support your learning with things like flashcards and videos. It may seem overwhelming at first because there are many resources available, so our goal is to explain the core resources. Based on our explanations, you can pick those that work best for you depending on the block/content. You should not be using all resources at once in order to succeed. We will show you how different students have approached different blocks. But for now, let’s get started with what is out there. 

Taking Notes & Staying Organized in Medical School 

Let’s talk about notes, apps, and computers. Mayo laptops are necessary for intranet and EPIC/research access/patient charts, but otherwise are quite slow so you should not rely on them as your primary device if you do not have to. You should have a personal computer (Mac or PC) aside from your Mayo laptop. For lecture, many students use an iPad (any model) and Apple pencil; alternatively, you can get a Microsoft Surface Pro. If you get an iPad Pro or Microsoft Surface Pro this can function as your main laptop and your note-taking device. These will come in very helpful for histology and anatomy where you want to label parts of images or draw out structures. We would like to mention, though, that a tablet is not essential- just a popular option.  

Unlike undergrad, we don’t really use textbooks that much, and when we do, we mostly have PDF access and take notes on devices rather than on paper. This allows you to carry all your resources with you easily when you travel! For Mac use Notability (or OneNote) and for PC use OneNote to annotate slides, write notes, and organize your documents. You can input all PowerPoints, PDFs, and documents into these apps. Many people stop taking extensive notes in medical school because there’s just too much information. It’s faster just to annotate slides and use Anki or other people’s study guides from past years. Generally, keep track of your administrative and academic tasks in whatever system works for you, whether that’s Todoist, Apple Notes, OneNote, Notion, etc. Notion can take some time to figure out how to set up but can be your best friend in the long term. 

Time is priceless! Another crucial thing to download is a Video Speed Controller browser extension. This will allow you to change the speed of any pre-recorded lecture in Brightspace, Sketchy videos, Boards and Beyond videos, and more. Most students have found it more effective and efficient to watch videos in 1.5 to 2 times speed. Figure out what works best for your brain and retention, but nonetheless, this extension can save you loads of time. 

Lastly, let’s touch on staying organized. This is what we’ve found works for our class, but you all will figure out your own rhythm! We had a few people initiate a class google calendar where they uploaded all relevant events and Zoom links for the M1 class. This is super useful because there are too many links, and event invites being sent out all the time. If you love organization this might be the key to class success! 

Finally, as an individual, don’t forget to back up your files. Whether you upload them all into Google Drive, or OneDrive, or Dropbox, or an external hard drive, just make sure they are constantly being backed up because you don’t want a last-minute crisis if a device happens to crash. 

External Resources

Anki 

When tackling rote memorization or forcing yourself to revisit previous material, Anki combines the active recall of traditional flashcards with spaced repetition. It tailors the timing of the flashcards based on how you feel when answering them (if you say it’s easy to answer a card, it won’t show you that card for a while), but the timing aspect makes consistency really important. This is one of the most universal study tools that medical students use, but not a necessity -- many students find that it doesn’t work for them, or it’s only helpful in specific blocks. The key is to use it correctly so you don’t overwhelm yourself with too many cards, and try it alongside other study techniques to find what works best for you. 

You can learn more and download the application for free on desktop here - https://apps.ankiweb.net/

The mobile version is free for android and $25 for iPhone/iPad (totally worth it if you want to flip through some cards while exercising or on the go).

First Aid

Nearly everyone would agree that the First Aid text is the most useful resource that you will use in medical school. First Aid is a book organized by subject that provides all of the information that you need to know for national board exams like STEP 1. It is clear, condensed, and easy to read with helpful tables, pictures, and mnemonics. You can buy a paper copy of First Aid or check it out from the library. If you import the pdf into an app like notability, you can search the book by keywords which is very helpful. Others prefer to have a paper copy of First Aid to underline and annotate. If you have a paper copy, we recommend taking your book to FedEx, having the spine cut off, and getting the book spiral bound. This makes the paper copy of First Aid much easier to work with. The whole process takes 5 minutes and costs about $10. 

It is important to note that First Aid is not a good resource for learning new material. First Aid on its own does not provide enough context to understand the nuances of the information that you are learning or opportunities to truly engage with and apply this information. This resource is best used to identify which information is most important to take away from each course. We recommend learning the material from the information presented in class, Boards & Beyond, etc., reviewing the high-yield points using First Aid, and then practicing applying what you learned using Anki and practice questions. Some students like to annotate First Aid while in class or while watching Boards & Beyond videos. It can be very helpful to have First Aid open during class so that you can see a clearly condensed table or text on the information that you are learning in class.

Boards & Beyond

For visual learners and those who like understanding concepts, this is a resource to use from day 1 of medical school. It is a compilation of high yield videos created by a physician that follow most of the blocks in year 1 and year 2. It is catered to the STEP 1 exam and explains concepts very clearly. The best way to use this resource is to watch the videos on a specific topic before the lecture, take notes on the slides, and then you can use Anki to reinforce the knowledge over time. 

You can learn more and purchase a subscription here - https://boardsbeyond.com/homepage

Pathoma

For visual learners and those who like understanding concepts, this is a resource to use for the fundamentals of pathology. It is a compilation of high yield videos created by a physician that covers topics of pathology for the organ blocks during year 1 and year 2. The best way to use this resource is to watch the videos on a specific topic before the lecture, follow along, and take notes in the textbook, and then you can use Anki to reinforce the knowledge over time. You should start using this resource during the Pathology block and then continue using it throughout the organ blocks. More details on this can be found in the Pathology block breakdown.

You can learn more and purchase a subscription here - https://www.pathoma.com/

Sketchy

This is a collection of videos that have animated stories used to teach you mainly about microbiology and pharmacology, although they have content about pathology and biochemistry as well. These sketches use visual cues to help you to remember a vast amount of information about bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi, and all the drugs you will learn over the first two years of medical school and beyond. This is a must-try resource that you should start using during microbiology and pharmacology blocks. The best way to use this resource is to watch the videos before the specific lecture, take notes on the images as you watch the video, and then reinforce the knowledge over time with Anki. More details on this can be found in the Microbiology block breakdown.

You can learn more and purchase a subscription here - https://www.sketchy.com/

Pixorize 

Similar to Sketchy, Pixorize uses animated videos and stories to cover biochemistry, immunology, pharmacology, microbiology, and neuroanatomy. Although it is not as popular as Sketchy (especially for pharmacology and microbiology), some people find it helpful for biochemistry. It is worth noting that Sketchy now also has biochemistry, so try each resource out and see which works for you. There are free videos as well as ones that you must get a Premium subscription for, and they have premade Anki flashcard decks corresponding to the videos. Use this resource primarily for Biochemistry if you struggle with memorizing pathways and cycles.

You can learn more and purchase a subscription here - https://pixorize.com/browse/usmle/biochemistry

Picmonic

Similar to Sketchy and Pixorize, Picmonic uses picture/video mnemonics to cover subjects ranging from biochem to psych to organ blocks. It is not as commonly used by our class, but it has been recommended by other schools and upperclassmen. They provide videos to help you remember details, and they provide questions and Anki cards to reinforce them. Each day you are allowed a free video, 20 quiz questions, and a customized “daily quiz” -- unlimited access is available through a paid subscription.

You can learn more and purchase a subscription here - https://www.picmonic.com/pricing/medicine

USMLE Rx

This resource was made by the authors of First Aid. USMLE Rx supplements and reinforces material covered in First Aid, along with providing practice questions. This resource includes a number of tools that can be purchased alone or as a bundle. The following describes each major resource. 

• Rx Bricks break down each First Aid chapter into digestible, bite-sized chunks of information. These are presented in textbook format and include clear learning objectives, check-your-knowledge questions, and practice questions. Rx Bricks include links to relevant First Aid pages (that you have access to online when you purchase this resource), Flash Facts flashcards, Express Videos, and Qmax practice questions.

• Flash Facts are USMLE Rx’s attempt at Anki-like spaced repetition. It isn’t nearly as customizable as Anki, but is succinct, easy to use, and First Aid-related. 

• Express Videos are short clips that explain First Aid concepts as explained by med students, residents, and physicians. 

• Qmax questions are USMLE-style practice questions that can be attempted after reviewing a First Aid page or learning an Rx Brick or as a stand-alone full-length practice test. This resource is good for those that appreciate First Aid as a study aid but would like to reinforce the concepts. It is one of the most comprehensive resources out there but should be supplemented with Sketchy, Pixorize, class material, etc. depending on the basic science or organ block. 

We would recommend purchasing USMLE Rx as a bundle rather than purchasing the individual tools. There are frequent discounts (up to 50% off!) that are available several times a year. Get on their email list to find out when those happen. A free trial of a week’s length is available to see if it fits your study style. 

You can learn more and purchase a subscription here - https://www.usmle-rx.com

Amboss

Amboss is mainly a question bank resource. You can create your own blocks of questions on specific topics, or you can follow their high-yield question banks for STEP 1. They also have a library, articles, and videos integrated into the platform that allows you to review or refresh your knowledge based on questions that you miss. Amboss is supposedly more representative of STEP 1 questions according to difficulty. It also has study plans for STEP 2, STEP 3, clinical clerkships, and subspecialties so you can use this resource throughout all four years of medical school. You can do a 5-day free trial first to see if the platform suits you. They also offer full or partial scholarships so make sure you apply because you may end up with some funding! A great way to get started is to do 10 questions per day for the block you are in, then once you feel more comfortable with it go up to 20 questions per day, and so on. The key is to consistently do X amount of questions every day rather than attempting to do 100 questions per day and not reaching that goal ever. You can start using this question bank from day 1 of medical school.

You can learn more and purchase a subscription here - https://www.amboss.com/us

UWorld

UWorld is the key question bank that is supposedly the most representative of STEP 1. It is recommended that you hold off on this question bank until 6 months before the end of year 2 . Most students suggest starting it right before you enter STEP 1 dedicated study period so you can get a more accurate representation of what you know at that point and the most accurate representation of STEP 1 questions. MCASOM provides students with free membership halfway through the pre-clinical years.

You can learn more and purchase a subscription here - https://medical.uworld.com/

Youtube Channels

There are some really amazing YouTube channels out there that will provide great explanations to challenging concepts from lectures. Here are some recommended channels to keep in mind. If you ever feel like a concept was not explained well in class, and you are a visual learner, then you can always search for a quick video on these high-quality channels. There are many more out there that you will discover over time.

• Ninja Nerd - https://www.youtube.com/c/NinjaNerdScience/videos

• Armando Hasudungan - https://www.youtube.com/user/armandohasudungan

• Dirty Medicine - https://www.youtube.com/c/DirtyMedicine/videos

• Institute of Human Anatomy - https://www.youtube.com/c/InstituteofHumanAnatomy/videos

• Speed Pharmacology - https://www.youtube.com/c/SpeedPharmacology/videos

• Osmosis - https://www.youtube.com/c/osmosis/videos

• Santiago AQ - https://www.youtube.com/c/SantiagoAQ/videos

Putting it All Together

So now that you have been introduced to the core resources we want to simplify things a bit. These core resources can be categorized into three ways: LEARN, APPLY, REMEMBER. 

LEARN - all of the resources that you can use to learn new content

• First Aid, Boards & Beyond, Sketchy, Pathoma, Pixorize, Youtube Channels

APPLY - all of the resources that you can use to apply your knowledge of the learned content

• USMLE Rx, Amboss, UWorld

REMEMBER - all of the resources that you can use to help you recall information in the long-term

• Anki, Question Banks, Spaced review of content on your own 

For most blocks, you will find that you can be successful by picking 1-2 sources from each category and using them together. For example, you can use First Aid and Sketchy for microbiology as your core to LEARN, then you can use one question bank to APPLY your knowledge, and if you choose one method to REMEMBER whether that be Anki or spaced review, or even just question banks that revisit old concepts. No matter what new block you enter, if you pick your core resources to learn, apply, and remember, then this should reduce your stress from all the options that exist out there. Stick to the basics and supplement as needed.