General Studying Tips for Medical School

 

Schedule your studying

In your calendar, make definite start and end times for your studying sessions. The reasoning is that, honestly, you could study all day and night for weeks and you would probably still feel like there was more to review right before your in-house or Step exams. Of course, if you need ten or fifteen more minutes, take them, but try and stick to your schedule. Click here for a detailed step-by-step strategy to daily studying.

Remove distractions

This goes without saying. Turn off your phone's notifications. Log off of Facebook. Et cetera et cetera et cetera. 

Choose a location. Rotate locations. 

Figure out sooner than later if you are a coffee shop studier, library studier, or a home studier. Once you find something that works, stick to it.  If you're OK with hours alone in a quiet cubicle, then by all means, do it. If you can't stand the silence and like some movement and noise around you, do the coffeeshop. That being said, experiment and see where you can maintain a sufficient amount of focus and productivity while still maintaining some level of sanity. 

Study with others, but only if they aren't distracting

It's comforting to study with others—there's a brotherhood that develops when you all face the same struggle of trying to jam as much information into your head as you can in a set amount of time. However, it can quickly become unproductive and you should be mindful of the dangers of studying in a group. If you do well talking over concepts with others, schedule an hour where you discuss pertinent points. Otherwise, agree to study individually but in close proximity to one other—silent, but productive, camaraderie. 

Make time for exercise and your loved ones

In the long scheme of things, one hour a day that you spend exercising is not going to make or break you on your exams; in fact, studies have shown that it makes you more productive. Exercise effectively stabilizes your mental, in addition to, your physical health. Take care of yourself and take care of your loved ones. Schedule your studying so that you have time to cook dinner with your significant other, have time to go for a walk with your friend, or watch the last quarter of the Chargers upset its fans once again. 

Take one day off a week

Give your mind some time off one day a week. Your overall wellbeing will thank you. 

 
 

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