– English Lyrics

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Studying in medical school has been compared to  trying to drink from a fire hydrant. There’s so  

much information thrown at you and the  only way you can succeed is by becoming  

faster and more efficient at studying. This  video will teach you how to do just that.

Dr. Jubbal, MedSchoolInsiders.com

The first change you must make to study faster in  

medical school is to focus  on high-yield information.

No matter how much you may want to learn  absolutely everything, you won't be able  

to. With limited time, you must focus on  what will make the most significant impact.

Here are some things to look for.

Any framework of understanding that contextualizes  a concept is going to be high-yield. Comparisons,  

including tables, charts, and diagrams,  are likely to be high-yield, too.

You should also watch for repeated  concepts. For example, if you see a  

concept explained in your USMLE textbook  and it’s again discussed in your lecture,  

there’s a good chance it’s  something worth learning.

For certain exams, practice tests can help  you narrow down high-yield information by  

pinpointing your strengths and weaknesses. If  you’re already scoring exceptionally well on  

one aspect of an exam, turn your focus to the  areas where you can make the greatest impact.  

If you always answer pathology questions  correctly but struggle with anatomy, don’t  

spend time going over and over what you already  know inside and out. Focus on your weaknesses.

Lastly, remember that all tests and exams  are weighted differently. In medical school,  

you need to be intentional with your time.  Don’t invest all of your time and energy into  

maximizing performance on a pass/fail exam  when there are other tests or exams where  

getting the highest score possible is critical,  like Step 2 CK now that Step 1 is pass/fail.

Do your best, but align your effort with  the grading of what you’re studying for.

Next, you need to double down on active  study techniques. The way you passively  

read and memorize information in college  won’t work anymore in medical school.  

There’s simply too much information  to take in and not nearly enough time.

I saw many of my friends in medical school  learn this the hard way. They would waste  

so much time reading and rereading notes or  rewatching lectures. By studying this way,  

they were only memorizing information,  not fully comprehending it. Plus,  

it took them far more time compared  to active study strategies.

To get the most out of your limited time,  choose study techniques that give you the  

biggest bang for your buck, so to speak. You  want to study as effectively as possible so  

that you can free up time for more studying  as well as your own wellness and downtime.

For example, instead of reading from a table or  diagram, try to recreate it yourself. Condense  

and reorganize your notes to summarize what  you’re learning. Working with the information  

itself and manipulating it in different ways  is an active process that’s far more effective.

Spaced repetition combined with active recall is  the most effective way to memorize information.  

In fact, we ranked these two active  study techniques in place #2 and #1,  

respectively, when we Ranked the  BEST Study Strategies from 9 to  

number 1. Check out that video right  up here and linked in the description.

When it comes to active recall, create flashcards  or use practice problems. This has the added  

benefit of practicing higher-order thinking  because instead of recalling one discrete fact,  

you’re thinking in multiple layers that require  additional concepts that build upon each other.

Many students quickly abandon active recall  too soon because they find it difficult.  

They turn back to passive techniques because  they feel faster. But if studying is easy,  

it means it isn’t as effective and,  in the end, wastes far more time.

Add spaced repetition into the  mix by increasing the intervals at  

which you expose yourself to the same  information. By reviewing information  

just before you’re about to forget  it, the memory becomes more durable.  

This way of memorizing helps you retain  information in the least amount of time.

The opposite is also true. Trying to  learn everything in a short amount of  

time by cramming is incredibly ineffective.  10 hours of studying over 1 week will give  

you greater results than studying for  10 hours straight right before an exam.

Number three is to cut out multitasking. You can’t  effectively study while watching TV, bouncing back  

and forth between TikTok and your textbook,  or listening to music with distracting lyrics.

While this may make studying  a little less tedious,  

it diminishes the effectiveness of both tasks.

Effective studying requires deep focus and intense  effort. It should feel challenging. While this  

may feel unpleasant at the start, you’ll get  used to it as you continue to build the habit,  

and this tolerance for discomfort will only help  you as you continue in medical school and beyond.

Your Step and Shelf exams aren’t  a passive or laid back experience,  

so your studying shouldn’t be either. If  you won't be taking the exam from your bed,  

don’t study that way. Instead of half-assing both  work and fun, study at maximum effectiveness.

This way, you can also fully immerse  yourself in enjoying your downtime.

Only multitask when combining an automatic  task with a non-automatic task. For example,  

calling your parents while going for a walk,  doing practice problems while riding the bus,  

watching TV while stretching, or folding  laundry while listening to an audiobook.

When it’s time to study, study.  Make that your sole focus,  

and you’ll breeze through your  studies at a far faster pace.

Next, align your studying with your energy  levels and don’t force it when you’re super  

tired. If you’re not in the physical or mental  space to be able to study, fix that first. Get  

to the root of the problem so that any time  spent studying is efficient and effective.

Understand that you're never going to be  operating at 100 percent capacity at all times,  

but to study faster, you want to be studying  when your mind is at its freshest. Aim to  

study when you feel at your best rather  than when you’re already feeling drained.

This isn’t about finding motivation. If  you’re recovering from a cold and only  

slept 2 hours last night, don't spend  all day “trying” to study. Instead,  

focus on hydration and getting a good  night’s sleep so that you can come  

back to your studying refreshed  and ready to retain information.

Don’t sit in your bed for hours late  at night casually reading your notes  

or reviewing lectures. Instead, get the  sleep you need to be able to hit the  

ground running the next day. Any time spent  studying at low efficiency is time wasted.

Many students feel guilty about their free time  and believe they should be studying at all times,  

but that’s far from the reality of medical  school. Sure, you’ll need to study a ton, but  

if you study effectively, you’ll still have room  for exercise, errands, hobbies, and socializing.

If you find yourself getting tired or your  attention waning, switch to a different task.  

Your brain needs breaks, and this is when you  can turn your attention to something else in  

your life that needs it, like going to the gym,  having a shower, doing laundry, or making dinner.

Lastly, taking care of your body and mind  will indirectly help you study faster. It’s  

all connected. Your body needs fuel and rest.  Otherwise, you won’t run at peak performance.

It’s just like a car. If you don’t put  gas in it, perform regular oil changes,  

and keep it clean, it will slowly degrade,  fall apart, and, eventually, stop running.

The best medical students take a holistic approach  to their education. They understand that sleep,  

exercise, and nutrition all fit into  how they perform in school. I know  

we’ve harped on this many times before,  but that’s because it’s so important,  

and too many medical students ignore  this side of their performance.

You can go a couple of days without the  performance pillars of sleep, exercise,  

and nutrition, but after just a few days  of neglecting your health, your performance  

will begin to decline, and in the long-term,  you’ll face serious productivity setbacks.

Plus, if you don’t take care of yourself,  your immune system won’t function optimally.  

You’re more likely to get sick, which will  cut into your study time… and you’ll have  

to deal with being sick. Even though  doctors and doctors in training know  

intimately what the body needs, they still  often neglect to take care of themselves.

A healthy body and mind will help you get the  most out of a study session so that you can  

not only learn and retain more but also have  time for the other things in life you love.

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