My All-time Favourite Study Techniques

So, the most important question...how do I study? 

#1 Spaced Repetition: Repeat it till IT IS GLUED!

I still remember the first time I was introduced to this method. I went to one of the premed conferences held at University of Windsor. It was a “meet the doctor night” where I was able to interview and ask many doctors and current medical students’ questions. One of the medical students introduced this strategy to me and the rest was history. Hey, if a medical student shared this study tip, it must be useful since they’re life surrounds never ending studying. his method involves separating your study time into several sessions instead of one or two. The first time I used this method in my introductory biology exam, my grade significantly improved. I split 80 slides of learning into a few days and repeating these concepts. It was much easier to latch on and memorize these concepts as my brain wasn’t as fried as it would have been had I studied in one or two days. It’s like learning a sport, reviewing the same concepts multiple times helps it glue to your brain. Some of my favourite websites to help with this technique are Anki and Quizlet (see my other post for more information!)


#2 Active Recall: Can You Teach it?

What makes a good teacher? Someone who knows what they are teaching! I will forever remember my first-year biology professor saying, “if you can’t teach it to a 5th grader you don’t know it”. You are basically recalling the information by testing yourself while studying. One of my best friends and I love studying together. Basically, we teach each other concepts and ask questions as if we were having any other conversation. I have found that a lot of times I think that I know a concept inside and out because I can recite some information. Although, using this method, you start to learn the ins and outs of the subject and get more confident when approaching exams. Try it and see what happens!

 

#3 Mind maps, Mind maps, MIND MAPS!

Why this technique? It’s how your brain works! Human brains don’t think linearly, we associate concepts together. Mind maps are a great way of associating many topics together and help gain a deeper understanding by connecting different concepts. Also, when using a mind map, you are also practicing the blurting method. Blurting out what you remember onto a piece of paper rather than rereading a textbook 100 times until your brain is fried is very beneficial. You can also keep writing the mind map repeatedly to make sure you got all the concepts!

Mind map examples to get your team inspired. Nulab. (n.d.). https://nulab.com/learn/design-and-ux/mind-map-examples-to-get-your-team-inspired/

I hope you find these very helpful! Please read my other post about study tools to help perfect some of these techniques!



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