Meryam Shershaby
As medical students we spend an enormous amount of time studying. After all these years, you probably have a go-to study routine. But what are the best science backed study methods?
The main aim of studying is long term retention of information. In the 1880s, Hermann Ebbinghaus proposed the forgetting curve to illustrate this.
He showed how much time it would take to forget studied material if one did not consciously rehearse it. After twenty minutes you would be unable to remember about 40% of the information. After an hour, you’d forget about 55% of the information. By the end of the day, you forget about 64%. Over time that information would fade more and more, until only 20% of the information is left after a month.
However, if the subjects consciously used that information at various intervals, after immediate exposure, their long-term retention would be increased. As shown in the picture below.
Memory is much more complex than a simple curve. There are a lot more factors, both personal and environmental, that go into forgetting. However, this curve gives a rough idea on how to study.
Study techniques ranked from worst to best according to science:
7) Highlighting/underlining:
Even though this is an extremely popular method for most students. No study has found any association between highlighting and retention of the material or performance on test.
6) Summarizing
Is similarly ineffective as highlighting.
5) Rereading
Rereading has been cited by 55% of students as their number one study technique. However, it is relatively less effective than other techniques requiring the same amount of time.
4) Self-Explanation
Explaining the material to yourself allows you to uncover details and concepts that you didn’t even know existed. Explaining the material to someone else is also incredibly effective. It forces you to simplify the material and respond to questions. This method is especially useful for deep thinkers and conceptual learners.
3) Interleaving practice
Studies show that switching back and forth between topics is better than staying with one topic until you've mastered it then moving on to another one. It allows for divergent thinking. It also aids in problem solving, which means it is great for those clinical scenario questions.
2) Spaced repetition
This one is in honor of the procrastinators among us. Study after study have proven that leaving more time in between sessions increases retention and performance in tests significantly. Instead of one long block of studying in one day; shorter sessions, over a longer period, are key to long term retention. Cramming before an exam, though sometimes necessary, offers very little to our long-term learning.
1) Practice Testing
The winning technique by a landslide is testing. Many of us find ourselves only looking at previous tests a week before an exam. It has been documented for decades that it improves learning and retention by linking information, making later the recall easier.
As such we should make it a habit in all our study sessions not just the one before exams. Practice testing includes using actual or virtual flashcards, answering questions at the end of chapters, or taking practice tests.
Only you know which works best for you but, we must be mindful of the way we study; and keep up with the latest updates on cognitive science so we can keep acing all our exams.
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