Study Strategies

[Betsy]

Here is a document on general study strategies that was given to me. I thought it was kinda helpful.

Study Strategies
HOW TO LEARN ALL OF THIS MATERIAL IN A LIMITED AMOUNT OF TIME
April Apperson, UCSD SOM Tutorial


The problem: The practice of medicine requires a physician to have memorized a lot of information in a fashion that allows him or her to access it quickly and from a variety of different angles. There is no way around the fact that getting all this information memorized requires 1) analysis and organization of the material and 2) several repetitions of that material to get it into long-term memory in a useful format.

The solution: Use the most active and time-efficient set of repetitions possible and find "extra" time to study.
1) Passive studying is not efficient, so don't do it. You don't need to "go over" the material before you can start working actively with it. Active studying takes more energy, but it is more efficient - use it instead of passive techniques.

• What is active studying? Actively analyzing the material as you preview it, taking your own notes during lecture, then organizing the information from all sources (notes, text, references, etc) into a variety of summary lists, charts, diagrams or pictures and actively memorizing them are active techniques that create long-term useful mental models. Specific examples of active techniques are discussed below.


2) Don't put off memorizing material until just before the exam. Of course you will forget much of it after the first time - that's why you need to build repetitions into your study pattern. But if you cram it the night before, you won't remember it a week later, much less the next quarter or the next year. So save the picky details for the night before, but memorize all the concepts and the first couple of levels of detail (yes, you need detail to practice medicine) as you go.

3) There is more time available in a day than you think - use it all.
• Divide your studying into a series of short tasks - don't wait until you have 2 or 3 hours to study. Use small bits of time while your clothes are drying or 1/2 of your lunch hour, or while the rice is cooking for dinner for active studying tasks (see below).
• Use all the "extra" time you can in the early weeks to be caught up in all lectures and ahead on papers so there is some slop when it gets ugly (starting about the first midterm.)
• Be VERY careful about "robbing Peter to pay Paul" - it's tempting to quit keeping up with other classes to study for an exam, but this is a major trap. That class has a final, too. Usually, skipping class to do a paper or study for an exam ends up costing too much in make-up time in the missed subject.



A suggested pattern of active studying that incorporates several repetitions within the process.
Overview:
• Your lecture notes supply a very complete but rough draft of all the material (it isn't the final form.)
• From your notes, you create a variety of condensed and well-organized final draft summary charts, diagrams, and pictures that will contain only the information you decide is necessary to memorize in a format that emphasizes integration.
• You will actively memorize all the summaries, then review them during later studying.

The pattern:
1) Pre-read (first analysis and memorization of "the big picture")
2) Take your own lecture notes: actively analyze material and create some organization as you listen to lecture and take notes (first iteration of all the detail and second iteration of "the big picture").
3) "Fix" your notes into the full rough draft of the material: label, complete and cross-reference your notes. During the same pass, create simple summaries within your notes and design the integrative summary materials that will form the final draft for the material (second analysis and third iteration of the "big picture", second iteration of all the detail, first major integration of the material).
4) Create integrative summaries in their various formats and include references for the simple summaries within your notes; together, these will contain the final draft of material (fourth iteration of the big picture, third iteration of the needed detail, second iteration of the integration).
5) Memorization and review: actively memorize all the summaries (more iterations of both the big picture and the details) and review needed summaries from earlier topics as you study later lectures and use old exams (see FAQs topic, "How do I practice for the exam", below).





Explanations of each step:
1) Pre-reading typically takes about 10-15 minutes per hour of upcoming lecture.
• How to do it:
Active pre-reading means identifying the "big picture" from the outline of the lecture (great source of "big picture"!), any syllabus or reading assignments and memorizing the major points and subpoints. A useful method for this would be to:
a) Scan the material to identify the number of major headings and the major subheadings each has, then take just a couple of minutes to memorize all of those (don't skip this part!).
b) Read the introduction and summary, which emphasize those points - another couple of minutes.
c) Scan the material again to note any definitions, equations and diagrams -take the time to identify axes, factors and the use of the words.

• Why to do it:
This establishes the "big picture" and allows you to take notes more actively and actually think about the material as it is being presented. It also results in better lecture notes, which require less time to fix.


2) Lecture notes create the backbone of the material you will be learning, and listening to lecture provides your best opportunity to understand "the big picture" and "what I need to know" (see FAQ's: "I don't want to go to lecture"). Taking your own lecture notes aids memory (contrary to what many would like to believe) and helps focus you on analyzing what is said, not just passively "absorbing" the lecture.
• How to do it:
a) Number the pages of lecture notes for each subject sequentially from the first lecture - NOT by lecture or date. You will need those specific page numbers for cross-indexing your notes and references from your summaries.
b) Since you are familiar with the major points, try to impose organization on your notes as you take them. Use outline format and/or different amounts of indentation to indicate headings and subheadings as you take the notes. Use any slack time to label what you've already done.
c) Leave lots of space for corrections, later additions and organization! Take notes on only one side of the page, leave a wide column (double a typical margin) and skip a few lines between topics or subheadings. If you get lost, skip at least 1/2 page - you need room to make sense of it all later.
d) Use abbreviations and develop your own shorthand of them. Never write out the entire name of a macromolecule, gene, etc. after the first time - use an abbreviation. Use symbols for other words whenever possible and be creative. Keep a list of them for the first quarter or two and be consistent. As they become habit, your speed will improve a lot.

• Why to do it:
If you are really thinking about the lecture material as you listen to the lecture, it counts as the first iteration for all the detail and the second review of the big picture. If you are just passively absorbing it, that aspect is marginal. Additionally, somehow you must get to the final draft of the material to actively memorize; the better your notes are, the faster you can get to that stage.


3) Fixing lecture notes generates many of the simpler summary lists, creates the complete and well-indexed (but not pretty) rough draft you will use for reference and for creating the integrative summaries, and begins the memorization process; this may take 1/2 hour or more per hour lecture.
• How to do it:
These processes all occur simultaneously as you go once through the notes! Doing all of this once is a major time-saver, since passive repetitions waste a lot of time. So you need your notes, the syllabus, the text, any additional references, and a few extra sheets of paper to work with.
a) Using the course outline and/or syllabus, add any needed headings to show the organization of the lecture; note these headings in the column as well for quick reference later. Label each topic in this column; these will be used both for reference and for keying memorization of the material.
b) Use the text, syllabus and any additional references to fill in any unfinished sentences or paragraphs and add any extra information you think might be needed to create your summaries. Use the index in the text to direct you to specific topics and don't get caught up passively reading large sections without actively pulling out the facts to incorporate into your organized summaries.
c) Generate obvious summary lists or chartson the blank backs of your lecture note pages and any concise lists in the wide column (sequence of events, compare and contrast characteristics, etc.)
d) Each time the lecturer mentions something discussed in an earlier lecture, stop, find the pages in your notes and note them in both places in the column; this is invaluable for summary construction and is much faster to do once at this stage, rather than hunt later.
e) Decide on the various formats you will use for the integrative summaries that contain the information from this and other lectures (more on this in 4) below).

• Why to do it:
Your "fixed" notes contain many of your summaries and are the single reference document you will use to create your integrative summaries and will refer to if you need to add more detail later or check on something you originally didn't think was important. Creating the organization forces you to analyze the material and begin to actually learn it (not just track it), and will speed up integrative summary design, also. You can save an immense amount of time later in your studying, especially in the crunch before finals, if this reference is well labeled and cross-indexed (you won't remember which lecture contained each experiment or subtopic).


4) Creating summaries of the material generates the well-organized final draft of just the material you are actually going to memorize. Summary creation also requires integration of the material, which is the difference between "tracking" and "knowing". This step includes both the simple, obvious summary lists or charts generated while "fixing" your notes (see 3. above) and the integrative summaries described here. On your final summary sheets, be sure to include the headings of the summaries within your notes and the page numbers so you remember to memorize them, as well.
• How to do integrative summaries:
a) Different material lends itself to different types of summaries, including charts, flow diagrams, pictures or simple lists; use whatever combination you prefer.
• In each case, organize the material to emphasize connections between it.
• Where possible, create "big picture" organizations that integrate material from multiple lectures.

b) Limit the material covered in a single summary to an amount reasonable to memorize and use multiple summaries to cover the material from different points of view.
• If you're not sure whether to include a specific detail, just put in an asterisk in the appropriate spot with the page number from your notes for quick reference.

c) Make sure your headings (charts/lists) or spatial organization (flow charts, diagrams) provides information on its own (sequence of events, structure-function relationships, etc.).
• This requires analysis and integration of the material, which is necessary for knowing it.
• This also aids memorization, since there is a "reason" for the order or spatial organization.

d) Use a hierarchical approach to creating headings or other organizations.
• Don't use more than six major headings on a list or chart, or more than six major sections on a diagram - it's too hard to remember.
• If you need more headings than six, decide how they are related and create headings and subheadings. Use the same rule for subheadings; just create sub-subheadings.

e) Don't hesitate to include the same information on different summaries, especially if they are organizing the material from different points of view or at different levels of detail.
• For complex material, the organization of the headings may not be enough to establish the "big picture"; in these cases, some summaries just focus on the big picture.
• Reference the "big picture" summaries to the names/numbers of the more detailed summaries of each topic, including those in your notes; remember, it's all about easy reference and access.


• Don't recreate the wheel. If you find a good chart in your text or another text or the syllabus, photocopy it and add it to your notes or summaries. Be sure to add any additional information to make it complete or more comprehensive - try a different color ink to make it stand out.
• It may be helpful to have a final one- or two-page summary sheet of all the topics covered by the class, with the page numbers or names of each of the charts or lists (including those in your notes).
a) This is your final review sheet from which you can recall all of the information from all of the charts. Whatever you can't remember will be easy to look up (if it's properly referenced).
b) The professor's outlines in the syllabus provide a great source for topics you should cover.

• Why to do it:
True understanding of the material requires adequate memorization of detail and integration of the relationships between the material. Creating summaries forces the student to decide what details must be memorized and organizes them for efficient memorization. After every exam, some number of students will say, "I understood the material, but I couldn't answer the questions - I need help with test-taking." Test-taking strategies can always be improved (See FAQs on that topic), but usually the problem is mostly due to studying strategies.
1) In many cases, the student understood general concepts but did not memorize enough facts clearly enough to analyze and answer the questions. Medical school requires a much greater level of clarity of information than undergraduate classes
2) In many cases, the student doesn't realize the difference between "familiarity" with the logic provided by someone else and synthesizing the material well enough to apply it to new situations.



5) The memorization and review phase includes active memorization of the summaries and use of problem sets and old exams to practice application and make sure the right material has been included.
Active memorization should occur as summaries are created, then they can be reviewed periodically with little further investment of time.
• How to do it:
a) For any memorization:
• Identify the material to be memorized, the number of items and then use whatever method works for you to memorize it. Cover it and recite it (aloud or in your head or with friends).
• Write it out (sloppy, use abbreviations, but don't cheat and skip part) on paper or a board.
• Here's the hard part: Erase it or throw it away. Don't compare it to the original - that will only emphasize what you already know (but it's fun because it's rewarding), and you'll discount what you don't know.
• Look back at the original. Are you sure everything there was listed in the correct order on what you just did? If you are confident, then you know it. If you aren't sure, you don't have it memorized. Try it again (no cheating!!!). This focuses on what you don't know and is much more effective.

b) Start by memorizing the heading (chart/list), or organization of spatial areas (diagram), then add each row or section individually until you can write the whole thing accurately (see above).

• Why to do it:
This method emphasizes what you don't know, not what you do know. Quizzing each other is very good for motivation, but we can often read subliminal cues to help us answer the questions without really knowing the material well. Explaining it out loud to yourself is a good start, but you can verbally "hand-wave" around areas you aren't clear on. Always check yourself with this written method.
Review of the material can be integrated with using any problem sets or case studies and old exam questions.
• How to do it:
a) When a topic is discussed or mentioned in more than one lecture, pay attention - it's probably important. When fixing your notes, reference the earlier lecture note pages, and modify as needed any charts or summaries or diagrams to include the later material. Take the time to check yourself with the active memorization process for the new, combined form, which will freshen up the earlier material.
b) Use old exam questions or practice problems actively while you are creating summaries and studying; don't save them for the end!!! (See the TOPIC: "How do I practice for the exam?" and FAQ: "But I need to save the old exams…" below).


• Why to do it:
Installing information in long-term memory requires repetition and review; there is just no way around this. The creation of the summaries and active memorization perform much of this, but review is still needed. It is much more efficient to integrate the review of previous topics into similar material than to wait until the end and cram it all. Part of the review is to use old exam questions or practice questions to confirm what level of detail is needed and practice analysis (See below, TOPIC: "How do I practice for the exam?" and FAQ: "But I need to save the old exams…").

[Betsy]

Frequently Asked Questions/Frequently Heard Comments (FAQ)
"It takes too long to do this active studying thing"
• "I need to go over my notes at least twice before the final so I don't have time for all those other steps"

• "It takes too long to make those summaries."

• "I don't have time to pre-read."


"I still need to go over my notes and/or recopy them."
• "I need to go over my notes and/or the reading a couple of times to get familiar with it before I can make charts"

• "I need to recopy my notes."


"I don't want to go to lecture."
• "I never went to lecture as an undergraduate and did just fine. Why start now?"

• "I have an exam coming up, so I don't have time to go to lecture."

• "I don't like the lecturer and don't learn anything from him/her."

• "My note-taking is so bad that it is a waste of time to go to lecture."


"How do I know what will be on the exam and practice for it?"
• "How do I know what will be on the exam?"

• "But I need to save the old exams to test myself at the end."

• "I need more old exams to study from; where can I get them?"

• "How do I use old exams to study from?"

• "I used the old exam and did well, but then I didn't do well on this exam."


"I need help with my test-taking strategies"
• "I understood the material, but I had trouble answering the questions - I have a problem with test-taking."

• "I always get it down to 2 answers and the always choose the wrong one."

• "I have trouble with those trick questions."



Topic: "It takes too long to do this active studying thing"

"I need to go over my notes at least twice before the final so I don't have time for all those other steps"
ANSWER: Active studying must replace passive studying, not add to it. Analyze what you are doing and delete all the passive steps. That includes going over your notes for the final. Use the active pattern instead.

"It takes too long to make those summaries."
ANSWER: Basically, if your studying isn't giving you the results you want, then you need to change your pattern - and there is a very good chance you need to integrate the material and memorize it better. Summaries are the best way to do this. They do take time to create, but use the "extra" time in the day and the time you previously used for passive studying to find time for this. Be sure you aren't recreating the wheel by copying over perfectly good (but not too pretty) charts or by recopying perfectly good charts from the text or syllabus. Photocopies work well and let you modify them as you need. Use a different color of ink to highlight important modifications.

"I don't have time to pre-read."
ANSWER: The active process is an integrated pattern that emphasizes overall efficiency, but each step depends on having performed the earlier steps. If you decide you don't have time to pre-read, your notes will be poor and you won't track much of the lecture. You just lost one iteration of the details (you'll need to make that up later) and you will need more time to fix your notes. Skipping a 15' process which then requires 30 minutes or more to make up for is a bad investment. . If you've had a good course as an undergraduate, your pre-reading can probably be limited to memorizing the course outline.



TOPIC: "I still need to go over my notes and/or recopy them."

"I need to go over my notes and/or the reading a couple of times to get familiar with it before I can make charts"
ANSWER: Active pre-reading includes memorizing the major headings and subheadings in the course outline, syllabus and/or reading. That is the big picture. Reading the introduction and summary in the text as part of pre-reading reinforces this. So if you are having trouble with the big picture, be more rigorous in your pre-reading. Then fix your notes with the course outline/syllabus and text at hand and inserting the organizational headings into the notes super-imposes the big picture on them. Don't go over the notes a couple of times looking for the big picture - know it ahead of time and put it in.

"I need to recopy my notes."
ANSWER: Your notes are the rough draft that has all the possible information. Your summaries are the final draft with the picked information organized for integration and easy memorization. Don't worry about your notes being pretty, just well labeled and cross-indexed. Spend that time creating summaries instead.



TOPIC: "I don't want to go to lecture."

"I never went to lecture as an undergraduate and did just fine. Why start now?"
ANSWER: I don't recommend skipping lecture, since you are then missing the first chance to hear all of the details (if you actually pay attention) and review the big picture. Not to mention, this is the best place to find out what is likely to be on the exam (see FAQ below), which depends a lot on intonation and emphasis (not available in the class notes). The volume and rate of flow in medical school is a lot higher, and the analysis by the lecturer is a valuable tool you should use, not ignore.

"I have an exam coming up, so I don't have time to go to lecture."
ANSWER: The above answer applies here, too. In addition, the active process is an integrated pattern that emphasizes overall efficiency, but each step depends on having performed the earlier steps. If you do skip lecture for whatever reason, don't forget you need to replace both the analysis and review the lecture provides and the further studying you need to organize and memorize the material.

"I don't like the lecturer and don't learn anything from him/her."
ANSWER: Different lecture styles work better for different people, but the bottom line is that lecture is still the best place to find out what the professor thinks is important. If you aren't learning anything in lecture, pre-read more rigorously and memorize the headings and subheadings well enough that you won't get lost if the lecturer rearranges the order somewhat. Again, leave space if you lose track.

"My note-taking is so bad that it is a waste of time to go to lecture."
ANSWER: You still lose the experience of hearing the emphasis and extra explanation. And the only way to improve your note taking is practice. As a physician, you will be continuing your education (and note taking) the rest of your life, so now is a good time to get better. Re-read the section on note taking for specific suggestions on how to improve it.



TOPIC: "How do I know what will be on the exam and practice for it?"

"How do I know what will be on the exam?"
ANSWER:
1. Find out whether the exam is multiple choice, short answer, essay or problems - it does affect your studying. The types of summaries and charts described above work well for both types.
2. How many questions will each topic get? Theoretically, the questions on an exam should be balanced to roughly parallel the proportion of lecture hours per topic. Of course, it doesn't always work out that way, but it is a place to start.
3. How do I get practice on the kinds of questions that will be on the exam?
• If one example is given to illustrate an equation or principle or graph, assume that any others are good subjects for exam questions. Look them up in your notes or text and work them out.
• If the instructor gives a sample calculation, and the accompanying table has more examples, fill it in.
• If practice problems or old exams are provided or assigned - do them!!! If the course includes conferences with assigned questions, be sure to analyze and answer all the questions that other students presented. There is a lot of difference between tracking logic outlined by the lecturer or text and applying principles in a way you have not seen before.
• Don't save the old exams to test yourself prior to the exam!! (see the question below).



"But I need to save the old exams to test myself at the end."
ANSWER: Don't save the old exams to test yourself just before the exam!!! It is then too late to modify your studying. You may do well and be complacent, or do poorly and be a nervous wreck. So what? Start using the old questions as soon as you have created the summary for a particular topic - even before you have done the active memorization. Having it all memorized may only happen the night before the exam, and that is too late to be of use.

"I need more old exams to study from; where can I get them?"
ANSWER: The policy on old exams has changed recently. Each class is required to have a written policy on what old exams are available and where. All other exams are illegal to use or to have. Usually, exams from the previous year or more will be available. Used properly one, or at most two, old exams are plenty for preparation - see question below.

"How do I use old exams to study from?"
ANSWER: Don't save them to test yourself!! (see question below). Complete analysis includes:
a) Analyze each exam question, don't just answer the questions and count up how many you got right. Whether or not you got the question right, analyze it thoroughly.
• Make sure you understand why EACH possible answer is right or wrong and how each wrong answer could be made correct and what topic it was referring to.
• If you didn't get it right, go back and memorize the entire chart or summary that contained it.
• Ask yourself if there are any other examples that could easily be used with the same format.

b) Make sure the information for each exam question is somewhere in your summaries or charts (not just the original class notes)--if not, add it and any equivalent information to any related categories.
c) Try writing a few possible questions yourself, then answering them (or trade with a friend). This is a very powerful technique to having to analyze the material, know the big picture and know details.


"I used the old exam and did well, but then I didn't do well on this exam."
ANSWER: It will be a different exam and the predictive value of old exams is marginal, so don't depend on your score on the old exam. Thorough analysis of the exam questions (see above), and predicting a few harder ones, will be much more effective preparation.
• Check each class to be sure it is the same professors(s) and the same content!!
• The emphasis in lecture can change, even when the topics don't. And without the stress of the exam, you don't make as many mistakes and usually think more clearly. The old ones were almost always easier than the one you took - just ask anyone in any year.




TOPIC: "I need help with my test-taking strategies"

"I understood the material, but I had trouble answering the questions - I have a problem with test-taking."
ANSWER: Test-taking strategies can always be improved and can help the student display what he or she really does know, but usually most of the problem due to passive studying strategies.
1) In many cases, the student understood general concepts but did not memorize enough facts clearly enough to analyze and answer the questions. Medical school requires a much greater level of clarity of information than undergraduate classes. Knowing how much detail to learn is difficult, and varies with each class; old exams can be helpful (another reason to use them early) as well as listening to the professor's emphasis during lecture (this often takes attention and practice, since each lecturer's style differs). One active studying pattern that works for many people is described above.
2) In many cases, the student doesn't realize the difference between "familiarity" with the logic provided by someone else and synthesizing the material well enough to apply it to new situations. "Going over notes" only helps with "familiarity". Organizing the material in charts or diagrams requires synthesis and integration.


"I always get it down to 2 answers and the always choose the wrong one."
ANSWER: At least two different processes seem to contribute to consistently doing this.
• Students unconsciously equate effort with accuracy. So if it takes 3 minutes to justify one answer and only 30 seconds to justify another, the 3 minute answer is often picked; of course this usually means that it took more assumptions and tortuous reasoning to justify the 3 minute answer, which makes it less likely to be true.
• Students also frequently give more validity to impressions of "what your body wants to do" or "what the cell wants to do" than to actual known relationships or equations that describe reality. Often, a student will say something like, "Well, I knew that stroke volume times heart rate equals cardiac output, and answer 'b' fit that equation, but I though that stroke volume should be really important in determining MV02 because the heart wants to move all that blood, so I chose answer 'c'." Notice the difference between "knew" and "should".
Technique:
Use a marking system (e.g. "++, +, +/-, -, --" or TT, T, ?, F, FF) to assign a "truth" value to each answer as you first read it - before you agonize over any of them. For example:
º TT is definitely true (you can think of an equation or fact that demonstrates it)
º T is probably true (you can't think of a definite proof, but you have some supporting evidence or a strong hunch)
º ? is one you are really not sure of
º F is probably false
º FF is definitely false.

• Think about each answer you aren't sure of, but don't change the original "truth" value unless you have a revelation of an equation or relationship you suddenly recognized or remembered.
• If the one you are agonizing over gets a +/- or ?, but the original has a + or T, go with the original.



"I have trouble with those trick questions."
ANSWER: Many "trick" questions aren't - they just require careful reading (so will prescriptions, etc).
Common problems in this category include:
1) Choosing the first correct statement, even though it is not the best answer to the question.
2) Choosing a familiar association between two factors, even though that association does not work in the described scenario or the factors are related inversely instead of directly.
3) Reading the first half of an answer and choosing it, without reading the second half and realizing that it make the answer false.
Techniques:
a) For each answer, read the stem and that answer as one continuous statement.
• Make sure the statement answers the question asked and is true under the conditions listed.
• While reading each answer, make sure the entire statement is correct, not just half.

b) Slow yourself down by underlining, boxing or circling relevant information in the question and jot down any useful equations or quick lists in the margin as a reminder.
• Try to have a "back-up" alternative logic to verify your answer; emphasizing organization and connections during studying helps this technique this a lot.

[gkalv]

here's what i did. basically you need to do what works for you. i didn't take kaplan b/c i'd rather study on my own and i didn't want to sit in lecture for a day if it was a topic i thought i knew well and only get one day for what i was weak in. plus i didn't think i'd want to study/memorize after spending hours in lecture.

took 5 weeks total to study, roughly one week per module. some modules took more time so i just added an extra day or two. i took the day off each sunday and worked out once in the am before studying (around 5:30 am) and once after studying (around 5pm). i never really felt stressed out and actually lost 10 lbs, which i then gained back third year....

monday - transfered notes from my study sheets from 1st and 2nd year into my FA book. sometimes FA just has a disease explained but doesn't say much about how to make Dx or how to treat, so i added this info. also anything else we talked about in class that was associated with the disease (p-ANCA, anti-microsomal Ab's, etc). also, i would spend 1/2 the day reviewing whatever i did the week before. now i really only needed one book to go back and look up something i forgot instead of hunting through 3 different books.

tuesday - anatomy, physiology and biochem of that organ system module.

wed-thurs - review anatomy and physiology but focus mainly on pathology.

friday - review/finish mon-thurs stuff and focus on drugs. also spent time on random stuff like specificity, sensitivity, etc.

saturday - go through module again with the approach described below for each topic.

each night i would then do anywhere from 50-200 qbank questions. first week i was doing 50 every couple nights, last week i was doing 100-200 a night.

on saturday: overall review of everything i had in my FA book for that chapter. for each disease, think of 1 - how the patient will present (mostly what labs b/c physical exam findings will be obvious or not specific enough), 2 - how to make or clues to the Dx (ex: osmotic fragility test, ristocetin, anti-? Ab's, etc), 3 - pathophys of the disease, 4 - how to treat (insert pharm here), 5 - what is the mech for that treatment/drug, 6 - what are the side effects of that treatment.

each time you think of a topic during your reveiw, make sure you can answer all 6 questions. you'll get asked any one of them on the test. i always tried to finish those even if i had to look it up over and over again b/c eventually the mechanism, side effects, drug interactions, etc will stick in your head.


books i used:
FA for step 1
goljan pathology rapid review
BRS (grid book) physiology
pathology pre-test
physiology pre-test

i also listened to the goljan review audio files 1/2 was through second year on the way to and from class, and on the way to and from campus while studying and while working out. i made it though most of his lectures at least 3 times.

it's true that you only need to know the pharm in FA for step 1 plus maybe a couple new HIV drugs that you'll hear about in lecture

[wowposter]

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