Notes on Studying

Intro: You will notice the recurring theme of active listening, note taking and studying. There are a variety of study methods presented here. Choose what works best for you. You are restructuring your mind and this is always difficult. By being active you initiate and perpetuate this process. The structure, curiosity and discipline you bring to your studies will be reflected in the structure and ability to retain, synthesize and utilize your mind will develop. It is a recursive and self-perpetuating process. Studying is primarily creating constructs for making sense of the world. As a child you did this first via physical action. (Piaget – Kant's Categories, even including causation, space and time developed via physical interaction with the environment) Now it is an intellectual process, but one that should still have the child-like character of innocent discovery, imaginative model building and energetic exploration.

Table of Contents

How to Study in Medical School by Armin Kamyab......................................................1

Don’t jst do it - Get better at it............................................................................................. 2

How to be a Straight A Student by Cal Newport.............................................................3

Cal Newport Blog..................................................................................................................... 6

Holistic Learning..................................................................................................................... 7

How To Succeed At Medical School by Dason Evans and Jo Brown........................7

Sundry Advise by Ben Robison......................................................................................... 11

How to Memorize.................................................................................................................. 12

Core Concepts for Studying................................................................................................ 21

How to Study in Medical School by Armin Kamyab

1. Start on day one - complete notes each day2. Take notes actively

Always ask ‘why?’ and answer in notesLook it Up! Spend time looking up answers as soon as you have themUse image search to implant image in mind

Notes should analyze, organize, investigate and condense material from classes/books        QEA method - questions top, evidence middle, answers at the bottom        Cornell method - questions in right column    Sample questions to consider why taking notes        What is product X?        How will this be asked on a test?        How will this be used clinically?

        How can this be applied to other subjects?        How will I remember this in a week?    Notes should be dynamic - change format to suit class and week        Point form        Diagrams        Question and Answer    Remember - these you will use these notes over and over        Quiz

Test        Final        USMLE3. Review by giving lecture out loud to self (answering questions from notes)4. Stay up to date! Keep working each day until your notes are up to date5. Weekends are for review!    By the weekend, all the class slides and lectures have been condensed into your notes    Use weekends to review your notes        Saturday and Sunday study notes from week        Sunday study notes from previous weeks/semester6. Only use your own notes    Can refer to others but all the information should be in your own hand7. Memory    Mnemonics    Word Association    Short catchy phrases8. Study Groups    Only if you need it    Have a particular reason    Share responsibility and make sure the group helps each other fill gaps in knowledge9. Skipping    Don’t    If you do, only skip if you will use the time to study the same material more efficiently10. Tutoring

Consider tutoring as a way to review material from previous semesters

Don’t just do it - Get better at it

1. Attitude/Energy – relaxed but intense, playful, positive, happyTwo learning types: Entity versus incremental. Be the second Be ready for a challengeBe clean and well dressedBe patient – don’t rush to finish

2. Focus – relaxed but intenseDeep presence during “practice” – don’t “go through the motions”Deep immersion in the depths/details of a subjectDo one thing at a time

Work in one-hour blocksRemove distractions and don’t be distracted

3. Goals – well defined and emphaticRead for specific knowledgeDig deeper into problematic itemsEstablish goals for each dayReview and assess long-term goals for inspirationReview material for long-term retention

4. Memory – transfer of information to an easily accessible internal formatAssociate

Take notesWrite out all questions and find answers

OrganizeStructure memories - chunk knowledge DiagramAdd connecting comments to notes

Practice – use knowledge in problemsReview

a. End of section - articulate each concept as you learn itb. End of chapter – articulate the main point c. Connect/Diagram major ideas and supporting detaild. Five times in 72 hours, seven times total

5. Invest in loss - this is where you growIf you are a winner when you win, then you are a loser when you lose

How to be a Straight A Student by Cal Newport

1. Time Management - goal is to minimize time spent managing time:a. Each day set aside 5-10 minutes first thing to create a schedule where you plan out

what you will do when and compact busy work into blocks. In addition, use this time to take To Do items discovered the day before and place them in your calender for a particular day.

b. Keep a single list that you update throughout the day with new To Dos. Deal with scheduling these To Dos the next morning during your 5 minutes

c. Take one hour for meals, end at a reasonable hour and schedule breaks d. Feel free to move tasks around in your schedule depending on energy level or

unexpected eventse. Aim to complete most of what is on your daily schedules 5 out of 7 daysf. Everyone breaks down. A period of intense work will cause one to want to free one’s

self from a schedule. But return to it - it is a stress reducerg. Sunday Ritual - After a late brunch and reading the newspaper, go off along and plan

the next week.

2. Defeat the Urge to Procrastinatea. Keep a work Progress Journal - Note the most important tasks to be completed each

day in your schedule. At the end of the day, check to see if completed. If not, record with a reason.

b. Eat well and regularly. Keep Hydrated.1. Moderate caffeine and alcohol2. Drink water often3. Don’t skip meals4. Fresh fruits and veggies, raw nuts, whole grains - not much else.

c. Make an event out the worst tasks1. Find a unique location (coffee shop, bookstore cafe, etc.)2. Arrange time to be at the location

a. Tell everyone you’ll be busy and how horrible the work isd. Build a routine

1. Identify daily free hours in the morning and early afternoon and use them for the same work each week

e. Choose your hard days1. Plan them in advance if possible and space them out2. Let your friends know about your hard days - keeps you motivated.3. Plan them on a regular basis and hype them up. Expect, prepare for and

survive the challenge.

3. Choose When, Where and How Longa. Study early in the dayb. Study in isolationc. Study one hour max without breakd. Study immediately after class if possible - quiz and recalle. *** Condense the days material into your own words by the end of the day***

4. Take smart notesa. Remember studying is hard work. You should be thinking hard by transforming material.b. Always go to class and take the best possible notesc. Format Notes Aggressively

i. Don’t record lectures verbatimii. Use the Question, Evidence, and Conclusion (QEC) format

1. Identify the Big Ideas2. Leave room at the top of each page for questions based on the

material3. Place answers at the bottom of each page

iii. The key is to manipulate the material and put it in your own words if possible

iv. For a technical course (i.e. Calculus), copy as many examples as possible and leave space between the example questions and the answers. Create mega problems sets with an example from the text and lecture for each concept. Study by lecturing out loud the solution to these problems without looking at your notes. If you miss one, return later.

v. For a non-computation technical course (i.e. Biology) reduce notes to a series of focused question clusters (Every day – don't get behind)

1. i.e. "Five parts of the auditory system?"2. Add to each cluster one or two background questions that flesh

out the big idea

3. Study by quiz and recall: Review by answering the cluster of questions (1 min) and then lecturing based on the background question. The background questions give you structure for your memory and the clusters insure that you remember all the detail.

4. If you have trouble with anything in the cluster, mark it and return to the entire cluster during your next round.

vi. Have a folder for lose paper for each course and one notebook for each class

5. Study smart – transform and structure materiala. Tell the story of the lecture immediately after class. Out loud!b. Study notes via quiz and recall method

a. Notes should already be in a format where you can study by answering questions posed in your notes.

c. Do not reread notes - rote review is a waste of timed. Do not do technical reading - use it as reference if there is something in class you

don’t understande. Do bring reading to class and follow alongf. Work constantlyg. Read from favored sources and prioritize

i. Papers with argumentsii. Readings that describe events or person

iii. Readings that provide contexth. Spread out memorization over multiple days and move between different topicsi. Answer ALL questions that come to mind over the dayj. The context in which you study is very important. Set up a great studying

environment!

6. Writing Papersa. Clearly delineate steps and don’t blur purpose

1. Sifting through existing arguments2. Forming own argument

b. Start early and keep brainstormingc. Conduct a Thesis-Hunting Expeditiond. Start general, get specific, use bibliographiese. Use journal databases (JSTOR)f. Ask librariang. Get second opinions from your professor

1. Communicating your argument clearlyh. Research like a machinei. Find sourcesj. Make copies of all sourcesk. Annotate the materiall. Decide if done

1. Craft a powerful story2. Describe argument in a topic-level outline3. Type supporting quotes directly into outline4. Consult experts about outline prior to beginning writing 5. Write easily

a. No more than 3-5 pages per weekday, 5-8 per weekend daym. Editing

1. Read on computer to make sure argument is clear, fix obvious errors2. Read a printed copy out loud 3. Sanity Pass - check overall flow and root out last errors

Cal Newport Blog

1. Do less, well. Only have 2-3 projects that you schedule. You can have other experiments (learning to carve, paint, etc.) but they should come during unscheduled free time. Successful people don’t do a lot, they do a few things really well.

2. Don't print out powerpoints. Load them up in PP and take notes at the bottom of the slides – then consolidate after and print in notes view.

3. For tough reading assignments where keeping up momentum is important. Preread using the dot, dash method then take notes. Also preread assignement and look up review articles on Google so you have reference points for the assignement

i. Dot's for important pointsii. Dashes for supporting information

4. 48 Hour Rule – Consolidate new information within 48 hours so that you can teach it!

i. Active review – lecture ideas out loud without notesii. Take notes in a format read for active review

1. Sample problems with problem separated out2. QEC method

iii. Ask questions immediatelyiv. Schedule two review times during the week for the new materialv. Use an autopilot schedule (same material at the same times)

5. Learning complicated subjects requires the expenditure of lots of uncomfortable and difficult hard focus. Build a system that respects this mental labor.

6. Adaptable students constantly question why they’re studying the way they are, and then seek concrete feedback on whether their hypothesis is correct. They’re not afraid to make informed changes, again and again and again.

7. Use an autopilot schedule! (Schedule regularly recurring tasks for the same time each week)

8. Work out ideas for papers, projects, diffucult problems AWAY from the computer and the Internet. Take a pen, a good notebook and find and inspiring space to think!

9. Acing problems setsi. Set aside 2-3 hours to do the easy problems and attempt the hard ones

ii. Give them a second shot and think about the hard ones away from your desk.

iii. Go to a study group (not last minute)iv. Attend office hours

10. Be a Zen-Valdictoriani. Underschedule

ii. Innovate

iii. Focus (Single major, single extracurricular activity)11. Context matters – find inspiring places to study. Consider adventure studying.

i. During hikingii. At a quiet lounge

Holistic Learning by Scott Young

Create networks of knowledge, not lists. Studying should be a time to build Constructs (think of a building) by first creating a model when knowledge is limited and then replacing the model with the bricks of knowledge. The construct is the coherent whole. Studying should either be exploratory or creative. The idea is to "create vast webs of interlinked ideas."

Specifically1. Visceralize – Link knowledge via all your senses. Create strong imagry for abstract

concepts. What does something feel like?2. Use metaphone – another way of linking while building a good construct. 3. Explore – explore your models and constructs and fill in missing holes. Look for gaps

in knowledge and insecure foundations.

If you have studied a passage multiple times and still don't remember, you don't have a construct. Work on visceralizing, creating metaphors or exploring to increase linkage and build your model or construct.

How To Succeed At Medical School by Dason Evans and Jo Brown

Academic Learning

What to learnKeep a notebook of questions and set aside time to look up answersSkill to know

what you need to knowwhat you might need to knowwhen you know enough! (to continue to learn and keep up to date)

Daily studying that includes both learning new material and reviewing previous material

Self directed learningWhat do I know about topic?What don't I know about topic?What do I need to learn?How can I learn what I need to learn?How will I know when I have learnt it adequately?

Can you explain it?Consult curriculaStudy with friends and compare depth and breadth of knowledge

Blooms Taxonomy (Levels of knowledge) – make sure you can engage in the all the levels of

knowledge when learning material.KnowledgeComprehensionApplicationAnalysisSynthesisEvaluation

When memorizing – create as many visceral images as possible using all 5 sensesRegular review sessions

Effective learning is ACTIVEPrior to studying:

Ask questionsObtain an overview Write down what you already know as a brainstorm or concept mapNote key questions you should be able to answers by the end of your learningWhat do you need to learn?

During studying:Don’t write down things verbatimLook for links to other knowledgeWrite down key words

After studyingTidy up notesDid you learn what you needed?Rewrite your network of key informationCan you put away your notes and answer questions that you identified at the start?Can you explain what you learned to someone else?

Learn by doing!Make notes in such a way so that when you review you don't simply read them.

Note taking (Less useful than Cal Newport)Use keywords

Personal so that they trigger recallDifficult to do at the start and requires practice

SQ3RSurveyQuestionRead, Re-read (take notes), Review

CornellUse dividing linesTop space for title (date, topic, etc.)Bottom quarter for 1 sentence summaryLeft hand column (2 inches) for key words

Concept Mapping

Note: It can take up to 3 months to get used to any particular note taking method

Learning from Lectures

Preparation -20 minutes to read up on a topicLabel paper carefullySit where you can concentrate best – up front!Write down what you understand rather than content of slidesIf the lecture is terrible, look up the lecture objectives and open the appropriate book

Learning from booksWork alone and in quietTake notes while reading

Distill key information and make sure the notes will require active review later on.

Learning from the InternetLimit to new articles, English, Core Clinical Journals

Clinical Skills

Three Elements for masterySensory Motor - Technical skill

Simulation, Practice, Review, Show for feedback, teachAsk patient for help (in practicing skills)

Give nameExplain what you intend to doExplain that the interview is for education onlyExplain that refusal will not affect the patient's treatmentExplain confidentiality IssuesTell how long its going to takeOffer to come back if patient is tired, unwell or busy

UnderstandingUnderstand underlying biological principles, anatomy, physiology, physics

Clinical reasoningMaking sense of findings to make diagnosis

Study sheets should contain these three aspects

Be an active learner in the wards – get involved – go and find it!Ask nurses!! Stay late if someone offers to teach youLook awake and attentive, dress smartly, make the first move, accept rejection, ask for feedback

Learning opportunitiesDrug charts – Look over everyone's drug chart and look up unknown drugsPractice writing down drug treatments for common illnesses. Get comment from doctors or pharmacist!Drug rounds – learn medications by following nursesPractical skills - Help nurses take blood pressure, pulse and temp

Physiotherapy – Check it outRadiology – read about it then go ask to ask to come along and watch

Communication Skills

Effective communication leads to empathetic, effective, efficient and satisfying interviews for all concerned. Communicate clearly, sensitively and effectively.

Explore some of the philosophical and ethical positions around being a doctor – become a humanist.

Skill Inventory

How good are you at listening? – really listening?Do people feel comfortable with you?How good are ou at trying to put yourself in someone else's shoes?How comfortable are you with silence?How able are you to listen to people's feelings about their distress?How able are you to listen to people's feelings about their anger?How good are you at explaining things to people?How good are you at recounting events or telling stories?Could you summarize clearly and accurately something you have just heard or read?Are you able to tell someone honestly what you think when you know the truth may offend, upset or hurt them?Are you able to negotiate options when there is disagreement?

Have someone you trust to answer the above questions for you.

See rest of How to Succeed at Medical School prior to 3rd year if necessary.

Working in Groups

Find and clarify rolls (everyone tends to be good in multiple rolls but look for missing pieces):Chariman/coordinatorShaper/motivatorLateral thinkersMonitor/evaluator – progression toward deadlineCompany worker – gets work done on timeTeam worker – builds team moralCompleter/finisher – for the perfectionist – dots the i's.Resource investigator

Four stages of team developmentForming, Storming, Norming, Performing

Make sure goals are concreteWork hard to ensure that everyone has input in final productEnsure similar levels of prior knowledgeMake sure goals are owned by everyoneMake sure you are actively learning in the group by asking questions

Consider setting ground rules for study sessionsBrainstormReview of learning objectivesMake individual questions and model answers as groupAsk questions, make links, elaborate knowledgeIs debate welcomed?How structured is the process? Would more structure help?What does group do to maximize motivation of its members?

If there is conflict, consider taking on a facilitative role. Restate opionions, find common ground, move toward brainstorming…

Problem Based LearningUsually contains a chair, a tutor and a scribe. The chair guides the group through the

steps and insures everyone has a say. The scribe can be a real motivator based on how notes are taken on the whiteboard – use colors, concept maps, flow diagrams as they drive innovation more than lists. The tutor is only a facilitator, challenging and nudging conversation.

Sundry Advise by Ben Robison

1. Read the notes on how to study and developing memory (see below), take them as a starting point, especially for classes you find difficult. They represent a philosophy of thinking and learning that are logical and helpful.

2. Labs: Write every word that comes out of your instructor’s mouth. Be prepared to work as hard for this class as any other course you take. Finish your lab write ups several days before they are due and check them with the T.A.s They determine your grade!

3. Don’t complain4. Preread before lectures. It should take 20 minutes max and do you a world of good.5. Go off by yourself after class and review/re-interpret your notes from class.6. Be prepared to study really hard 2nd year. Let this process transform you.7. Find something to love in each and every subject you take. It’s your life, might as well enjoy it.

Also intelligence is about finding something interesting in all things whether by will or by natural inclination. You can develop curiosity for all things.

8. Focus on content, not on grades. Grades will come. If you get a poor grade, focus even more on content and not on grades.

9. Sleep. Eat (well). Exercise. – Regularly. There IS time.10. Premed is preparation for the habits you will take into medical school. Use it to perfect them.11. Read Organic Chemistry as a Second Language one month before taking Organic Chemistry.

Ready Organic Chemistry as a Second Language II one month before taking Organic Chemistry II.

12. Some teachers change the way you think. It will quite possibly and most likely hurt. Keep at it. Keep up and do the work with intensity and interest. The mind you are creating will help you.

13. Translate lectures into your own words14. Read The Joy of Living by Yongey Mingyur Rimpoche or Happiness by Matthieu Ricard. A little

Buddhist perspective during a week with two exams, two quizzes and a lab report never hurt anyone. It's all about a peaceful and steady mind, loving-kindness for others and compassionate action. Both authors reflect quite a bit on current neuroscience.

15. Remember, you are unique, interesting and exciting and are going into a fascinating field of endeavor. You have a whole new world opening up before you. Enjoy!

16. Learn to enjoy difficult. Learn to enjoy the projects that are only pleasurable as you complete them. Learn to accept the temporary frustration of not understanding.

17. Being a good doctor means being compassionate, empathetic, legitimate, authentic, industrious and happy. Start now by helping a colleague, teacher, friend or stranger. Repeat.

18. Figure out acid/base equilibrium before your second semester of Chemistry.

19. Take chemistry lab with Chemistry II or during the summer. Same for organic chemistry lab.20. Start MCAT preparation six months before the exam. Study hard and intelligently. Use the Exam

Krackers books and audio unless you need the structure of a class, than take the Kaplan class – but still check out the EK books.

21. From Atul Gawande: 1. Don’t complain, 2. Ask unscripted questions, 3. Count something, 4. Write something, 5. Change

22. Real change is hard. This is what you are doing. Learn to enjoy it. 23. Learn to enjoy reading science. Do it every day.24. Start to figure out the question that will keep you up at night. This will help focus you and can

help you decide about what volunteer and research work to take on. 25. Do as much research and volunteering as you can. Find out what you really like about medicine. 26. Create semester goals. Each week create new goals based on last week's work and the semester

goals. Each morning, take five minutes to update your calendar and create a work schedule for the day based on the week's goals.

27. Set aside regular study times for each of your subjects.28. Reverse Engineer your schedule

How to Memorize

Selections from Memory: How to Develop, Train, and Use It by William Walker Atkinson

Summary:

Develop interest in subject through application of will.

The basic steps for remembering are:

1. Impress (take interest, bestow attention and concentration)2. Associate (by contiguity=sequence in time and space or similarity of kind)3. Exercise/Practice4. Review

I.e. Interest-Attention-Associate-Practice-Review

But, remember this—for it is important: Whatever can be done in this direction by means of attention, inspired by interest, may be duplicated by attention directed by will. In other words, the desire to accomplish the task adds and creates an artificial interest just as effective as the natural feeling.

"The principle of asking questions and obtaining answers to them, may be said to characterize all intellectual effort" Kay

POINT I. Give to the thing that you wish to memorize, as great a degree of concentrated attention as possible.

We have explained the reason for this advice in many places in the book. The degree of concentrated attention bestowed upon the object under consideration, determines the strength, clearness and depth of the impression received and stored away in the subconsciousness. The character of these stored away impressions determines the degree of ease in remembrance and recollection.

POINT II. In considering an object to be memorized, endeavor to obtain the impressions through as many faculties and senses as possible.

The reason for this advice should be apparent to you, if you have carefully read the preceding chapters. An impression received through both sound and sight is doubly as strong as one received through but one of these channels. You may remember a name, or word, either by having seen it in writing or print; or else by reason of having heard it; but if you have both seen and heard it you have a double impression, and possess two possible ways of reviving the impression. You are able to remember an orange by reason of having seen it, smelt it, felt it and tasted it, and having heard its name pronounced. Endeavor to know a thing from as many sense impressions as possible—use the eye to assist ear-impressions; and the ear to assist in eye-impressions. See the thing from as many angles as possible.

POINT III. Sense impressions may be strengthened by exercising the particular faculty through which the weak impressions are received.

You will find that either your eye memory is better than your ear memory, or vice versa. The remedy lies in exercising the weaker faculty, so as to bring it up to the standard of the stronger. The chapters of eye and ear training will help you along these lines. The same rule applies to the several phases of memory—develop the weak ones, and the strong ones will take care of themselves. The only way to develop a sense or faculty is to intelligently train, exercise and use it. Use, exercise and practice will work miracles in this direction.

POINT IV. Make your first impression strong and firm enough to serve as a basis for subsequent ones.

Get into the habit of fixing a clear, strong impression of a thing to be considered, from the first. Otherwise you are trying to build up a large structure upon a poor foundation. Each time you revive an impression you deepen it, but if you have only a dim impression to begin with, the deepened impressions will not include details omitted in the first one. It is like taking a good sharp negative of a picture that you intend to enlarge afterward. The details lacking in the small picture will not appear in the enlargement; but those that do appear in the small one, will be enlarged with the picture.

POINT V. Revive your impressions frequently and thus deepen them.

You will know more of a picture by seeing it a few minutes every day for a week, than you would by spending several hours before it at one time. So it is with the memory. By recalling an impression a number of times, you fix it indelibly in your mind in such a way that it may be readily found when needed. Such impressions are like favorite tools which you need every little while— they are not apt to be mislaid as are those which are but seldom used. Use your imagination in "going over" a thing that you wish to remember. If you are studying a thing, you will find that this "going over" in your imagination will help you materially in disclosing the things that you have not remembered about it. By thus recognizing your weak points of memory, you may be able to pick up the missing details when you study the object itself the next time.

POINT VI. Use your memory and place confidence in it.

One of the important things in the cultivation of the memory is the actual use of it. Begin to trust it a little, and then more, and then still more, and it will rise to the occasion. The man who has to tie a string around his finger in order to remember certain things, soon begins to cease to use his memory, and in the end forgets to remember the string, or what it is for. There are many details, of course, with which it is folly to charge the memory, but one should never allow his memory to fall into disuse. If you are in an occupation in which the work is done by mechanical helps, then you should exercise the memory by learning verses, or other things, in order to keep it in active practice. Do not allow your memory to atrophy.

POINT VII. Establish as many associations for an impression, as possible.

If you have studied the preceding chapters, you will recognize the value of this point. Association is memory's method of indexing and cross-indexing. Each association renders it easier to remember or recollect the thing. Each association gives you another string to your mental bow. Endeavor to associate a new bit of knowledge with something already known by, and familiar to you. In this way to avoid the danger of having the thing isolated and alone in your mind—without a label, or index number and name, connect your object or thought to be remembered with other objects or thoughts, by the association of contiguity in space and time, and by relationship of kind, resemblance or opposite-ness. Sometimes the latter is very useful, as in the case of the man who said that ''Smith reminds me so much of Brown—he's so different." You will often be able to remember a thing by remembering something else that happened at the same place, or about the same time—these things give you the "loose ends" of recollection whereby you may unwind the ball of memory. In the same way, one is often able to recollect names by slowly running over the alphabet, with a pencil, until the sight of the capital first letter of the name brings the memory of those following it—this, however, only when the name has previously been memorized by sight. In the same way the first few notes of a musical selection will enable you to remember the whole air; or the first words of a sentence, the entire speech or selection following it. In trying to remember a thing which has escaped you, you will find it helpful to think of something associated with that thing, even remotely. A little practice will enable you to recollect the thing along the lines of the faintest association or clue. Some men are adept memory detectives, following this plan. The "loose end" in memory is all the expert requires. Any associations furnish these loose ends. An interesting and important fact to remember in this connection is that if you have some one thing that tends to escape your memory, you may counteract the trouble by noting the associated things that have previously served to bring it into mind with you. The associated thing once noted, may thereafter be used as a loose end with which to unwind the elusive fact or impression. This idea of association la quite fascinating when you begin to employ it in your memory exercises and work. And you will find many little methods of using it. But always use natural association, and avoid the temptation of endeavoring to tie your memory up with the red-tape of the artificial systems.

POINT VIII. Group your impressions.

This is but a form of association, but is very important. If you can arrange your bits of knowledge and fact into logical groups, you will always be master of your subject. By associating your knowledge with other knowledge along the same general lines, both by resemblances and by opposites, you will be able to find what you need just when you need it. Napoleon Bonaparte had a mind trained along these lines. He said that his memory was like a large case of small drawers and pigeon-holes, in which he filed his information according to its kind. In order to do this he used the methods mentioned in this book of comparing the new thing with the old ones, and then deciding into which group it naturally fitted. This is largely a matter of practice and knack, but it may be acquired by a little thought and care, aided by practice. And it will repay one well for the trouble in acquiring it. The following table will be found useful in classifying objects, ideas, facts, etc., so as to correlate and associate them with other facts of a like kind. The table is to be used in the line of questions addressed to oneself regarding the thing under consideration. It somewhat resembles the table of questions given in Chapter XVII, of this book, but has the advantage of brevity. Memorize this table and use it. You will be delighted at the results, after you have caught the knack of applying it.

QUERY TABLE. Ask yourself the following questions regarding the thing under consideration. It will draw out many bits of information and associated knowledge in your mind:

(1) WHAT? (2) WHENCE? (3) WHERE? (4) WHEN?(5) HOW?(6) WHY?(7) WHITHER?

While the above Seven Queries are given you as a means of acquiring clear impressions and associations, they will also serve as a Magic Key to Knowledge, if you use them intelligently. If you can answer these questions regarding anything, you will know a great deal about that particular thing. And after you have answered them

fully, there will be but little unexpressed knowledge regarding that thing left in your memory. Try them on some one thing—you cannot understand them otherwise, unless you have a very good imagination.

Develop Attention:

In order that a thing may be remembered, it must be impressed clearly upon the mind in the first place; and that in order to obtain a clear impression there must be a manifestation of attention.

But there is this important point to be remembered, that interest may be developed by voluntary attention bestowed and held upon an object. Things that are originally lacking in sufficient interest to attract the involuntary attention may develop a secondary interest if the voluntary attention be placed upon and held upon them. As Halleck says on this point: "When it is said that attention will not take a firm hold on an uninteresting thing, we must not forget that anyone not shallow and fickle can soon discover something interesting in most objects. Here cultivated minds show their especial superiority, for the attention which they are able to give generally ends in finding a pearl in the most uninteresting looking oyster. When an object necessarily loses interest from one point of view, such minds discover in it new attributes. The essence of genius is to present an old thing in new ways, whether it be some force in nature or some aspect of humanity."

It is very difficult to teach another person how to cultivate the attention. This because the whole thing consists so largely in the use of the will, and by faithful practice and persistent application. The first requisite is the determination to use the will. You must argue it out with yourself, until you become convinced that it is necessary and desirable for you to acquire the art of voluntary attention —you must convince yourself beyond reasonable doubt. This is the first step and one more difficult than it would seem at first sight. The principal difficulty in it lies in the fact that to do the thing you must do some active earnest thinking, and the majority of people are too lazy to indulge in such mental effort. Having mastered this first step, you must induce a strong burning desire to acquire the art of voluntary attention—you must learn to want it hard. In this way you induce a condition of interest and attractiveness where it was previously lacking. Third and last, you must hold your will firmly and persistently to the task, and practice faithfully. A simple exercise is to pick a house and be able to describe exactly in Detail!

There are three general rules that may be given in this matter of bestowing the voluntary attention in the direction of actually seeing things, instead of merely looking at them.

1. Make yourself take an interest in the thing.2. See it as if you were taking note of it in order to repeat its details to a friend—this will force you to "take notice." 3. Give to your subconscious a mental command to take note of what you are looking at—say to it; "Here, you take note of this and remember it for me!"

Remember first, last and always, that before you can remember, or recollect, you must first perceive; and that perception is possible only through attention, and responds in degree to the later. Therefore, it has truly been said that: "The great Art of Memory is Attention. ''

Develop Associations:

It will be seen that it is of great importance that we correlate our impressions with those preceding and following. The more closely knitted together our impressions are, the more closely will they cohere, and the greater will be the facility of remembering or recollecting them. We should endeavor to form our impressions of things so that they will be associated with other impressions, in time and space. Every other thing that is associated in the mind

with a given thing, serves as a "loose end" of memory, which if once grasped and followed up will lead us to the thing we desire to recall to mind.

The habit of correct association—that is, connecting facts in the mind according to their true relations, and to the manner in which they tend to illustrate each other, is one of the principle means of improving the memory, particularly that kind of memory which is an essential quality of a cultivated mind—namely, that which is founded not upon incidental connections, but on true and important relations."

Memory Classes:

1. Memory of Sense Impressions (mostly sight and sound: sight impressions: of locality; figures; form; color; written or printed words. sound impressions: of spoken words; names; stories; music, etc.)2. Memory of Ideas (facts, events, thoughts, lines of reasoning, etc)

Training the eye:

Before the memory can be stored with sight impressions—before the mind can recollect or remember such impressions—the eye must be used under the direction of the attention.

“Perception, to achieve satisfactory results, must summon the will to its aid to concentrate the attention. Only the smallest part of what falls upon our senses at any time is actually perceived."

The way to train the mind to receive clear sight-impressions, and therefore to retain them in the memory is simply to concentrate the will and attention upon objects of sight, endeavoring to see them plainly and distinctly, and then to practice recalling the details of the object some time afterward.

Exercise:

Walk by shop windows and try to remember as many elements in the window as you can. (as Houdin and also the example from Kim of the Hindu trays)

But the principle is the same in all cases—the gradual practice and exercise, beginning with a small number of simple things, and then increasing the number and complexity of the objects.

It is all a matter of attention, interest (natural or induced) and practice. Begin with a set of dominoes, if you like, and try to remember the spots on one of them rapidly glanced at—then two—then three. By increasing the number gradually, you will attain a power of perception and a memory of sight-impressions that will appear almost marvelous. And not only will you begin to remember dominoes, but you will also be able to perceive and remember thousands of little details of interest, in everything, that have heretofore escaped your notice. The principle is very simple, but the results that may be obtained by practice are wonderful.

The trouble with most of you is that you have been looking without seeing—gazing but not observing. The objects around you have been out of your mental focus. If you will but change your mental focus, by means of will and attention, you will be able to cure yourself of the careless methods of seeing and observing that have been hindrances to your success.

You have been blaming it on your memory, but the fault is with your perception. How can the memory remember, when it is not given anything in the way of clear impressions ? You have been like young infants in this matter—now it is time for you to begin to '' sit up and take notice,'' no matter how old you may be. The whole thing in a nut-shell is this: In order to remember the things that pass before your sight, you must begin to see with your

mind, instead of with your retina. Let the impression get beyond your retina and into your mind. If you will do this, you will find that memory will "do the rest."

“It is true that it is the mind and not the eye that really seesIt is the mind and not the ear that really hears”

Improving Listening

The remedy for "poor hearing," and poor memory of things heard is to be found in the use of the will in the direction of voluntary attention and interest.

Try to memorize words that are spoken to you in conversation—a few sentences, or even one, at a time. You will find that the effort made to fasten the sentence on your memory will result in a concentration of the attention on the words of the speaker. Do the same thing when you are listening to a preacher, actor or lecturer. Pick out the first sentence for memorizing, and make up your mind that your memory will be as wax to receive the impression and as steel to retain it. Listen to the stray scraps of conversation that come to your ears while walking on the street, and endeavor to memorize a sentence or two, as if you were to repeat it later in the day. Study the various tones, expressions and inflections in the voices of persons speaking to you—you will find this most interesting and helpful. You will be surprised at the details that such analysis will reveal. Listen to the footsteps of different persons and endeavor to distinguish between them—each has its peculiarities. Get some one to read a line or two of poetry or prose to you, and then endeavor to remember it. A little practice of this kind will greatly develop the power of voluntary attention to sounds and spoken words. But above everything else, practice repeating the words and sounds that you have memorized, so far as is possible—for by so doing you will get the mind into the habit of taking an interest in sound impressions. In this way you not only improve the sense of hearing, but also the faculty of remembering.

If you will analyze, and boil down the above remarks and directions, you will find that the gist of the whole matter is that one should actually use, employ and exercise the mental faculty of hearing, actively and intelligently. Nature has a way of putting to sleep, or atrophying any faculty that is not used or exercised; and also of encouraging, developing and strengthening any faculty that is properly employed and exercised. In this you have the secret. Use it. If you will listen well, you will hear well and remember well that which you have heard.

Specific types of memory:

Names: (Told in the style of a true story about a Mr. X who successfully learns to remember names )

He made a study of voices, until he could classify them and analyze their characteristics. Then he found that he could hear names in a manner before impossible to him. That is, instead of merely catching a vague sound of a name, he would hear it so clearly and distinctly that a firm registration would be obtained on the records of his memory.

He would repeat a name to himself, after hearing it, and would thus strengthen the impression. If he came across an unusual name, he would write it down several times, at the first opportunity, thus obtaining the benefit of a double sense impression, adding eye impression to ear impression. All this, of course, aroused his interest in the subject of names in general, which led him to the next step in his progress.

Mr. X. then began to study names, their origin, their peculiarities, their differences, points of resemblances, etc

1. Repeat name while looking intently at the person bearing it2. Visualize the name, see the letters in mind’s eye3. Associate with other well-remembered people of same name

Numbers:

Remember sound, visualize, remember form (as in seeing the shapes of the numbers on a door then if you remember the door you remember the number)

Dates: Visualize the number in the scene

Occurrences/Events:

It is not advisable to expend much mental effort in fastening each important detail of the day upon the mind, as it occurs; but there is an easier way that will accomplish the purpose, if one will but take a little trouble in that direction. We refer to the practice of reviewing the occurrences of each day, after the active work of the day is over. If you will give to the occurrences of each day a mental review in the evening, you will find that the act of reviewing will employ the attention to such an extent as to register the happenings in such a manner that they will be available if ever needed thereafter. It is akin to the filing of the business papers of the day, for possible future reference. Besides this advantage, these reviews will serve you well as a reminder of many little things of immediate importance which have escaped your recollection by reason of something that followed them in the field of attention.

Thurlow Weed, a well-known politician of the last century, testifies to the efficacy of the above mentioned method, in his "Memoirs." His plan was slightly different from that mentioned by us, but you will at once see that it involves the same principles—the same psychology. Mr. Weed says: "Some of my friends used to think that I was 'cut out' for a politician, but I saw at once a fatal weakness. My memory was a sieve. I could remember nothing. Dates, names, appointments, faces—everything escaped me. I said to my wife, ' Catherine, I shall never make a successful politician, for I cannot remember, and that is a prime necessity of politicians.

A politician who sees a man once should remember him forever.' My wife told me that I must train my memory. So when I came home that night I sat down alone and spent fifteen minutes trying silently to recall with accuracy the principal events of the day. I could remember but little at first—now I remember that I could not then recall what I had for breakfast. After a few days' practice I found I could recall more. Events came back to me more minutely, more accurately, and more vividly than at first. After a fortnight or so of this, Catherine said 'why don't you relate to me the events of the day instead of recalling them to yourself? It would be interesting and my interest in it would be a stimulus to you.' Having great respect for my wife's opinion, I began a habit of oral confession, as it were, which was continued for almost fifty years. Every night, the last thing before retiring, I told her everything I could remember that had happened to me, or about me, during the day. I generally recalled the very dishes I had for breakfast, dinner and tea; the people I had seen, and what they had said; the editorials I had written for my paper, giving her a brief abstract of them; I mentioned all the letters I had seen and received, and the very language used, as nearly as possible; when I had walked or ridden—I told her everything that had come within my observation. I found that I could say my lessons better and better every year, and instead of the practice growing irksome, it became a pleasure to go over again the events of the day. I am indebted to this discipline for a memory of unusual tenacity, and I recommend the practice to all who wish to store up facts, or expect to have much to do with influencing men.''

The careful student, after reading these words of Thurlow Weed, will see that in them he has not only given a method of recalling the particular class of occurrences mentioned in this lesson, but has also pointed out a way whereby the entire field of memory may be trained and developed. The habit of reviewing and "telling" the things that one perceives, does and thinks during the day, naturally sharpens the powers of future observation, attention and perception. If you are witnessing a thing, which you know that you will be called upon to describe to another person, you will instinctively apply your attention to it. The knowledge that you will be called upon for a description of a thing will give the zest of interest or necessity to it, which may be lacking otherwise. If you will

"sense" things with the knowledge that you will be called upon to tell of them later on, you will give the interest and attention that go to make sharp, clear and deep impressions on the memory. In this case the seeing and hearing has "a meaning" to you, and a purpose. In addition to this, the work of review establishes a desirable habit of mind. If you don't care to relate the occurrences to another person—learn to tell them to yourself in the evening. Play the part yourself. There is a valuable secret of memory imbedded in this chapter—if you are wise enough to apply it.

Facts:

"Over the associations formed by contiguity in time or space we have but little control. They are in a manner accidental, depending upon the order in which the objects present themselves to the mind. On the other hand, association by similarity is largely put in our own power; for we, in a measure, select those objects that are to be associated, and bring them together in the mind.

Associate by similarity not contiguity

1. Ask questions about the fact/Analyze it2. The answers are the associations!

This matter of association by relation is one of the most important things in the whole subject of thought, and the degree of correct and efficient thinking depends materially upon it. It does not suffice us to merely "know" a thing—we must know where to find it when we want it.

When we associate what is new with what most nearly resembles it in the mind already, we give it its proper place in our fabric of thought.

I. Where did it come from or originate? II. What caused it? III. What history or record has it?IV. What are its attributes, qualities and characteristics?V. What things can I most readily associate with it? What is it like!VI. What is it good for—how may it be used—what can I do with it?VII. What does it prove—what can be deduced from it?VIII. What are its natural results—what happens because of it?IX. What is its future; and its natural or probable end or finish?X. What do I think of it, on the whole— what are my general impressions regarding it?XI. What do I know about it, in the way of general information?XII. What have I heard about it, and from whom, and when?

The more other facts that you manage to associate with any one fact, the more pegs will you have to hang your facts upon—the more "loose ends" will you have whereby to pull that fact into the field of consciousness —the more cross indexes will you have whereby you may "run down" the fact when you need it. The more associations you attach to a fact, the more "meaning" does that fact have for you, and the more interest will be created regarding it in your mind. Moreover, by so doing, you make very probable the "automatic" or involuntary recollection of that fact when you are thinking of some of its associated subjects; that is, it will come into your mind naturally in connection with something else—in a "that reminds me" fashion. And the oftener that you are involuntarily "reminded" of it, the clearer and deeper does its impression become on the records of your memory.

Another point to be remembered is that the future association of a fact depends very much upon your system of filing away facts. If you will think of this when endeavoring to store away a fact for future reference, you will be

very apt to find the best mental pigeonhole for it. File it away with the thing it most resembles, or to which it has the most familiar relationship. The child does this, involuntarily—it is nature's own way. For instance, the child sees a zebra, it files away that animal as "a donkey with stripes;" a giraffe as a "long-necked horse;" a camel as a "horse with long, crooked legs, long neck and humps on its back." The child always attaches its new knowledge or fact on to some familiar fact or bit of knowledge—sometimes the result is startling, but the child remembers by means of it nevertheless.

The grown up children will do well to build similar connecting links of memory.

Attach the new thing to some old familiar thing. It is easy when you once have the knack of it. The table of questions given a little farther back will bring to mind many connecting links. Use them.

Words, speeches, poems, etc.

1. Learn one line, review it2. Learn 2nd line, review it3. Review both together noting connections.

Not only does this exercise and use develop the memory along the particular line of the faculty used, but also along every line and faculty. This is so because the exercise develops the power of concentration, and the use of the voluntary attention.

Exercise:

We suggest that the student, who wishes to acquire a good memory for words, sentences, etc., begin at once, selecting some favorite poem for the purpose of the demonstration. Then let him memorize one verse of not over four to six lines to begin with. Let him learn this verse perfectly, line by line, until he is able to repeat it without a mistake. Let him be sure to be "letter perfect" in that verse—so perfect that he will "see" even the capital letters and the punctuation marks when he recites it. Then let him stop for the day. The next day let him repeat the verse learned the day before, and then let him memorize a second verse in the same way, and just as perfectly. Then let him review the first and second verses together. This addition of the second verse to the first serves to weld the two together by association, and each review of them together serves to add a little bit to the weld, until they become joined in the mind as are "A, B, C." The third day let him learn a third verse, in the same way and then review the three. Continue this for say a month, adding a new verse each day and adding it to the verses preceding it. But constantly review them from beginning to end. He cannot review them too often. He will be able to have them flow along like the letters of the alphabet, from "A" to "Z" if he reviews properly and often enough.

Then, if he can spare the time, let him begin the second month by learning two verses each day, and adding to those that precede them, with constant and faithful reviews. He will find that he can memorize two verses, in the second month, as easily as he did the one verse in the first month. His memory has been trained to this extent. And so, he may proceed from month to month, adding an extra verse to his daily task, until he is unable to spare the time for all the work, or until he feels satisfied with what he has accomplished. Let him use moderation and not try to become a phenomenon. Let him avoid overstraining. After he has memorized the entire poem, let him start with a new one, but not forget to revive the old one at frequent intervals. If he finds it impossible to add the necessary number of new verses, by reason of other occupation, etc., let him not fail to keep up his review work. The exercise and review is more important than the mere addition of so many new verses.

After he has acquired quite a large assortment of memorized selections, he will find it impossible to review them all at one time. But he should be sure to review them all at intervals, no matter how many days may elapse between each review.

Summation of exercise: The student who has familiarized himself with the principles upon which memory depends, as given in the preceding chapters, will at once see that the three principles of attention, association and repetition are employed in the natural method herein recommended. Attention must be given in order to memorize each verse in the first place; association is employed in the relationship created between the old verses and the new ones; and repetition is employed by the frequent reviewing, which serves to deepen the memory impression each time the poem is repeated. Moreover, the principle of interest is invoked, in the gradual progress made, and the accomplishment of what at first seemed to be an impossible task—the game element is thus supplied, which serves as an incentive. These combined principles render this method an ideal one, and it is not to be wondered that the race has so recognized it from the earliest times.

Books, Articles, Ect:

Noah Porter says: "We have not read an author till we have seen his object, whatever it may be, as he saw it." Also: " Read with attention. This is the rule that takes precedence of all others. It stands instead of a score of minor directions. Indeed it comprehends them all, and is the golden rule. . . . The page should be read as if it were never to be seen a second time; the mental eye should be fixed as if there were no other object to think of; the memory should grasp the facts like a vise; the impressions should be distinctly and sharply received."

1. Read2. Visualize places/characters3. Review the book upon completion and at the end of chapters.

At the end of each reading, take the time to mentally review the progress of the story—let the characters and scenes pass before your mental vision as in a moving picture. And when the book is finally completed, review it as a whole. By following this course, you will not only acquire the habit of easily remembering the tales and books that you have read, but will also obtain much pleasure by re-reading favorite stories in your imagination, years after. You will find that your favorite characters will take on a new reality for you, and will become as old friends in whose company you may enjoy yourself at any time, and whom you may dismiss when they tire you, without offense.

Lectures:

Note each general ideaNote the connection to the nextReview

By practice and exercise, the subconscious mentality will do better work, and will show that it is rising to its new responsibilities. You have allowed it to sleep during the many discourses to which you have listened, and it must be taught new habits. Let it know that it is expected to retain that which it hears, and then exercise it frequently by reviews of discourses, and you will be surprised at the degree of the work it will perform for you. Not only will you remember better, but you will hear better and more intelligently. The subconsciousness, knowing that it will be called upon later on to recollect what is being said, will urge you to bestow the attention necessary to supply it with the proper material.

Core Concepts for Studying

Study Method Part I: What it takes to be an Excellent Student

Note: I found this floating around on the internet and don't know the author but it is good.

In a very basic sense, we all learn the same. We must understand the material and then see it over and over again. In undergraduate, because of the low volume of learning, a person can get away with all sorts of weaknesses. However, the best students will often not have to alter their study methods at all for medical school.

To be a good student, the intangibles are required: work-ethic, dedication, and self-confidence. However, in medical school, you will discover that almost everyone has that. The filtering process of undergraduate has removed most of those that lacked these intangibles.

At this point it comes down to study method. The students who have the best methods are called geniuses. The students who have the worst methods flunk out or barely pass.

Get this in your mind and keep it there: It is the study method that makes the good student!!!

Now, one last important point, it is most important that one realizes that every good study method comes down to just a few things. You must understand the material by translating it in your own language. You must then review the material over and over again. You need to see the material at least 4 times with an optimum of at least 6 times. And finally, you need to review over several days. That is the best way to do it. When methods have these simple points in them, they are good methods.

Study Method Part II: 3 Most Common Mistakes by Medical Students:

Please note: premed students make many of the same mistakes.

1st NO NO: Don’t oversimplify the material.

I’ve now had the chance to watch many students flunk out. Every single one of them gave the same response. “Well, the material was easy to understand. It’s just the volume of information.” Wrong, Wrong, Wrong… The few times that I spoke to a student about this, I would ask them questions about the material that they understood. Again and again, I would notice a superficial memorization process in their answers. This is why they were overwhelmed on the questions. Medical school and USMLE test questions are conceptual. You don’t get that many memorization gimmies. You need to understand the material and manipulate it in your mind. Understanding the material is not easy. It takes effort, but it is a rewarding endeavor.

2nd NO NO: Don‘t just read and reread the material. You must take your own notes.

I’ve seen this countless times. In almost every case the student who did this was failing. A good student takes their own notes and transcribes things into their own words. This is critical because you are translating the notes into a language that you understand. Students who don’t do this will end up failing. This is basic study strategy and it must be done.

3rd NO NO: Don’t start to review the material on the day before the test.

Student who are doing bad are often as tired as they can be. They stay up all night before the test slaving. They put in incredible 18 and 19-hour study days on the day before a test. Yet they still do bad. You have to understand that the mind is a muscle in many ways. You can’t work it for 18 hours straight. Review needs to start well-before the day before the test. Give those concepts time to become entrenched within your mind. In undergraduate, you

can get away with not doing this. In medical school, it’s a very bad idea. Remember, medical school is like the pros. You need to be better. A good method has review built into it, such as the method that I will present.

Finally, here is an overview of one study method that will work in medical school. Enjoy. Let’s begin. This method will address every defiency that medical students make.

1st: You must preview a lecture. You can count this as the first time that you seen the material. Go here for how to preview a lecture:

Before every lecture, I preview the material. Now, I should explain where most medical students go wrong -- where I went wrong. Previewing the material SHOULD not involve reading it for 2 hours! That is LEARNING the material.

Previewing involves creating a roadmap in your head. You need to develop a feel for where the lecture is going. This will remarkably increase comprehension. There are two methods for doing this:

How to Preview

Method 1: 8 Sentence Process-Oriented Method

Look over the lecture. Write 8 general sentences explaining the lecture. The 8 sentences need to relate as a process. Make sure that you leave plenty of space between each point. The goal is to come back and fill in the details under those 8 points. Always be aware that the main point of this is to create a roadmap in your head. You need to have a feel for where the lecture is going. Within time, you will be able to do this in a few minutes. Please remember that you don’t need to learn the lecture during the preview phase! You just need to develop a feel for where it is going.

Method 2: 8 Sentence Question-Oriented Method

Look over the lecture. Write 8 general questions that you have about the lecture. The 8 questions need to cover multiple aspects of the lecture. Make sure that you leave plenty of space between each question. The goal is to come back and fill in the answers under those questions. Again, be aware that the main point of this is to create a roadmap in your head. You need to have a feel for where the lecture is going. Within time, you will be able to preview within a few minutes. Please remember that you don’t need to learn the lecture during the preview phase! You just need to develop a feel for where it is going.

Now, let’s do a brief tab. So far, you have seen the material one time for preview. You only went over it for a few minutes, but those were an essential few minutes, as you will now come to see.

Getting Something Out of Lecture: the Actual Lecture Itself:

This part is relatively simple if you engaged in the previewing method.

You need to bring your 8 or 10 sentence list to class. As the professor lectures, check each point that you feel the professor has covered as the professor lectures over it. You may still take notes on another sheet of paper. But use the "checklist." It takes two seconds to check a sentence. Whenever the professor has not touched something, put a question mark by it.

Use the question mark if you don't understand something also. Write it down and then put a question mark by it.

IMPORTANT: it is extremely important that you put a question mark by anything that you don't understand and IMMEDIATELY see the professor about it!

Now, after class is over or during class, ask questions about everything that you don't understand. Don't be embarrassed. Just tell the professor that you didn't understand it. Write down each point that you don’t understand on a separate sheet of paper. Go see the Professor about it.

Now, there is a Part II to getting something out of lecture. If the professor initially explains something and you still don't understand it go to the professor‘s office hours. Ask the professor to explain it again while politely telling him or her that you didn't get it. If you still don't understand it, ask the professor again -- but this time try to be more specific in determining what aspect of the professor’s explanation is causing problems.

If you don't understand it for a third time, go home. Pull out a book. Read it. Come back the next day and ask the professor to explain it again. You will most likely get it.

It is important to understand that you can still do well in medical school without going to lecture. It’s just that you will have to study a lot longer and harder than if you learn how to retain information from lecture. It’s advantageous to use a proven method, such as this one, that will help you utilize things like lectures.

Many learning psychologists maintain that you should do an additional step.

Take 10-15 minutes immediately after the lecture to re-read the material. I will personally do this, but it is optional. Supposedly, studies have shown that it greatly increases comprehension.

Time for a tally: You have seen the material one time for Preview. You have also seen the information 1 time in lecture. That is two times. If you do the Optional Derivation, then you have seen the material 3 times! But lets assume that you don’t do the optional derivation. You’re at two times right now. It’s time to learn how to cover a lecture.

Covering the Material:

Now, we enter the next stage of learning.

This should be the third time that you see the material within 24 hours (possibly fourth)! When you finish covering the lecture, you should have everything entered into memory, save a concept or two that you will need to ask the professor about for clarification.

You must learn to become a transcriber. This means that you must get used to transcribing the notes or books that you have been reading into your own, concise words.

These need to be in an organized format: Something that naturally flows within your own mental construct. What’s important is that you learn to word your notes in a clear, concise fashion.

Second, and this is extremely, extremely, extremely important. You must diagram. Now, you might find yourself copying diagrams and pathways. That’s okay. You need to do that. But challenge yourself to try and create your own diagrams and drawings also.

The process of learning and memory works like this. Learning something is a skill. That is, you understand something as a process and you are able to master the process within your mind. Afterwards, you form logical representations within your mind of various relationships. This is what enters the information into long-term memory.

You’re a thinker suddenly. You’re thinking through your information as you study it. You’re finding relationships, and it enters memory. That is the whole key to learning! You have to form relationships.

Think about this. What is a mnemonic? A mnemonic is simply a relationship that links words to a simple concept. In essence, you are forming a primitive relationship of the scientific material so that it enters memory. Now, imagine the power of forming your own relationships. You will remember things longer and faster.

Train yourself how to think through material. Many medical students never master that and they pass. But they never become excellent at mastering the scientific material. You can, but you have to work hard to learn how to do this.

Now, I can explain why the diagram and drawing is so important. The diagram that you make represents interconnecting relationships that you have made yourself. At least that is the case when you make your own diagrams. Use drawings, use boxes, use learning trees, etc. Try to understand the process.

Challenge yourself to make at least 5 diagrams per a lecture at the beginning. After that, you will naturally find how many you need for the information to enter memory.

Finally, make sure that you understand everything. If there is word that you don’t know, look it up! If there is something that you don’t understand, ask for help. You need to understand these concepts to form relationships.

IMPORTANT! There is a common question that should be addressed. People often ask how to diagram and how they should ask their questions. That is a very good question, and it is easy to answer. The best way to learn how to word your own notes is to look at the professor’s lectures. Take a look. You will notice plenty of diagrams along with concise, interconnecting points.

When you get done with covering the material, your information should look like a lecture that you prepared. Imagine yourself getting ready to present it in front of the class. Imagine having to answer questions about the material. That’s the key to covering this stuff.

After you finish going through all the trouble to make your own notes, make sure that you organize them in a folder. You will use these for the review process.

It is time to take a Tally. You have now seen the material 3 times (4 times if you do the optional way). You know it (mostly).

Now, it is essential that you review like a madman or madwoman. This is where the difference between a high-pass and honors student takes place.

The Review Phase

If you don’t remember anything else, remember this: The Review Phase Must Happen Over Time!!!!!!! Let me say it again. The Review Phase Must Happen Over Time!!!!! The best method of review is to do it over time, not all in one day.

Review 1: This occurs the day after lecture. Spend no more than 10-15 minutes reviewing a particular subject each day. But there is an art to reviewing also. Most students make the oft-repeated mistake that I used to make. They simply scan over the material and call it review. Hell NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is how you review. Read over your previous notes – the ones you made the day before. You’ll be able to do this in about 5 to 10 minutes after you get a little bit of practice.

However, while doing this, you will need to do something else. You will need to do something that I haven’t seen mentioned anywhere else on the web. You need to challenge yourself to add at least 5 sentences to your notes.

Now, in these 5 sentences, you should be able to link concepts to something else. Write down the relationship in a brief sentence. You will become so good at this that you will be able to do this in 10 minutes. It is essential that you link your notes to existing concepts within your mind. This is how things stay in long-term memory.

It’s time for the second review.

2nd Review. Now, you need to see the material a 5th time. This time spend 5 minutes skimming over the lecture – mainly looking at the major points of your concise, diagrammed, lecture notes. Try to add at least 2 sentences to it. It should take no more than 5 minutes.

At this point, you are done with the material for one day. So, let’s recap really quickly.

In review, you spent 10-15 minutes going over the previous days lecture. You added 5 sentences to your previous notes linking them to existing concepts within your mind. During the other 5 minutes (you need to spend 20 minutes reviewing), you went over the material that you reviewed before – adding 2 sentences to it. Once again, you are linking it to an existing concept within your mind. Concept building is the key to learning.

Okay, so by now. You’ve seen the material 5 times in 72 hours!! You’re probably saying enough already. But it is not over yet.

6th, during the weekend, you must do a master review. You need to re-read over all the material that you were given. You can skim through it, but you need to go over it for around 2 ½ hours. And guess what. You need to add more sentences. Try to add 5 to 10 sentences over the entire week of information. This will be the 6th time that you see the information.

In fact, spend every weekend reviewing the material for that entire unit!! So, that you never forget it.

7th. Finally, let’s fast forward. The day before the test, spend 4 or 5 hours reading through all of your concise notes and sentences that you added. You’re ready to make close to a 100% on the test. Reread through the original lecture notes also.

One special note: you will realize that you will see the material multiple, multiple, multiple times. But each time that you see it, you add something to it. In essence, you never get behind.

Now, I once had a question that you may have right now. I realized that you would see the material several times for older information, but what about the new information? Remember, that by the third time that you see the material, you should know everything. So, it will be fresh in your mind by test time. Plus, you do a master review on the day before the test. So, you will see everything at least 4 times. Most things, however, you will see at least 7 times!

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