Efficiency Strategies for Maximizing Study Time
To this day, balancing medical school and other activities still remains a challenge. Since time is preciously limited, it is imperative to find ways to maximize your time and get a lot of the premeditated activities done. There are four efficient strategies for maximizing study time and they include the following:
1. Prioritize your studying
If you are involved in volunteer programs, it is necessary not to take on more than you can handle. If you know that participating in a certain extracurricular activity will prevent you from studying what you planned, then it is most favorable to restrain yourself. Being a successful med student requires balance and it is your job to find out what works best for you.
2. Study at the next level
Studying should not involve cramming for hours and hours before an exam. Study sessions should be prioritized. It is important to study in a smart way and go the extra mile. This can be done through a six-step approach: remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating and creating.
You should focus on a method that will help you achieve a higher level of learning. The higher levels of learning focus on asking questions such as what if, how and why rather than where, what and who. The ability to deduce solutions to these types of questions reduces the amount of memorizing you have to do and increases your ability to excel at challenging questions on exams.
3. Quiz yourself whenever possible
Research shows that repeated testing is beneficial to improving learning and long-term retention. Being tested is not only useful in evaluating how well you have learned something but also it is also valuable for avoiding future mistakes. Answering questions unsuccessfully can help you remember and understand concepts better. If your professor offers you practice exams, take them home and learn from them. Understand why you got certain questions wrong and other questions right. Study with friends and classmates and quiz each other. Force each other to expand answers in order to understand the material well enough to perform well on the exam.
4. Cut study time into short sessions
Many medical students make the mistake of arranging studying into two sessions. Unfortunately, longer periods of study time can decrease productivity and focus, as there is less urgency placed on the matter. This is why a certain balance should be made and studying time should be cut into shorter sessions. For instance, try studying 1 to 3 hours during the day and give yourself a little time off to relax. It is equally essential to take advantage of your breaks in between class or classes. If you plan on studying all day, schedule a proper meal with a friend so that you can give yourself time to unwind. You will be surprised as to how balancing study sessions may actually increase your efficiency when preparing for exams.