I’ve recently come across a 2013 study which aimed to compare the efficiency of different study techniques.They evaluated whether the benefits of the techniques generalised across learning conditions, student characteristics, materials, and criterion tasks. Here is a summary of their results:
Least Effective Study Techniques:
Highlighting — including underlining textbooks and other materials
Rereading
Summarisation
Keyword mnemonics — the use of keywords and mnemonics to help remind students of course material
Imagery use for text learning — creating mental images to remind students of material
Moderately Effective Study Techniques
Elaborative interrogation — uses “why” questions to get students to make connections between new and old material.
Self-explanation — prompting students to provide their own explanations for problems while learning material
Interleaved practice — mixing different kinds of problems or material in one study session
Highly Effective Study Techniques
Practice testing — any form that allows students to test themselves, including using actual or virtual flashcards, doing problems or questions at the end of textbook chapters, or taking practice tests.
Distributed practice — studying material over a number of relatively short sessions.
(Source)
This fake brain actually has the same consistency as the real deal. So now you know how concussions happen!
Hi Everyone!!
I was asked by @dankamphetamemes to share my holy grail textbooks and I did, but I thought I’d do you guys one better. I recommended that you should check them out in PDF versions before you buy them because honestly they’ll burn a hole through your pocket - so I gathered all the books I use and a couple of others for you to check out!!
- Robbins and Cotran’s Pathological Basis of Disease
- BRS Pathology
- Lippincott’s Biochemistry
- Lippincott’s Pharmacology
- Physiology by Linda Costanzo
- BRS Physiology
- Moore’s Clinically Oriented Anatomy
- Gray’s Anatomy Flashcards
- Unfortunately I couldn’t find a PDF version of Medical Microbiology by David Greenwood - Ill keep looking and upload it when I find it
- Guyton and Hall Textbook of Physiology
- Clinical Microbiology made ridiculously simple
- Netters Anatomy Flashcards
- Snells Clinical anatomy by regions
If you happen to face any trouble downloading them or accessing them shoot me a message and let me know
Here’s the link - enjoy!!
We’ve all been there : you’re studying for your exam but all you’ve been doing for the last 20 minutes was re-reading the same page over and over without understanding a single sentence from it.
So you try and try again, but nothing seems to change, it just feels like your brain decided to take a nap instead.
But the problem is that time is running out because your exam is in few days and you want to do your best before it’s too late !
And the truth is, you need a break. A short break. As a matter of fact, your brain isn’t able to focus more than 45-50 consecutive minutes and thus it needs short breaks in between.
So here’s my list of -less than 10 minutes- things I actually do when I’m not able to focus anymore :
Stretch : it takes 5 minutes. Down-dog pose or anything similar will help you to get more blood to your brain, and as you already know : more blood = more oxygen = more neurons happy = more focus.
Meditate : sometimes your lack of concentration is the consequence of your anxious/tormented mind. Set a timer and try to focus on your breath for 5-10 minutes. If meditating alone is difficult for you, I suggest you to download HeadSpace app, which has some free 5-10 minutes guided meditations!
Do another productive task that isn’t related to studying : this could be making your bed, cleaning your desk, or re-organizing your notes! Just do something that makes you move and stimulates your blood flow. Plus, you’ll feel like you’ve accomplished something more !
Search for the topic you’re studying on Youtube : you’ll be able to find almost anything. I’ve done it so many times and it really helped me to get a better understanding and a more global vision of the subject i’m into !
Play with your pet(s) if you have any! It’ll be beneficial for both you : they’ll get your attention and love, and you’ll be more relaxed after !
Go for a walk : around your neighborhood. Or around the library. Or just walk your dog if you have one. Breathe the fresh air and move your legs : your body will thank you, especially if you stay seated all day.
Workout : yes, you can do an effective workout for 10 minutes. And Pinterest is here to prove it to you. Just tap « ten minutes HIIT workout » and you’ll find TONS of them. You can also look for some on Youtube (I suggest Pamela Rf 10 minutes no equipment ab workout, I promise you’ll feel it the next day).
Bonus tip : STOP STUDYING. If you tried any of these tips and your brain still doesn’t want to collaborate, maybe it’s just time for you to take a real break and do something else instead, especially if you’ve been studying for several hours. It happens to everyone and I think it’s really important to know when to stop. Moreover, it will actually help you memorize what you’ve already learned : your brain unconsciously processes it whilst you’re doing other stuff than studying!
And that’s it, just know that all these tips have been tested and approved by me :) Let me know if you tried some of these or tell me what YOU do to instead!
Also if you want to see more posts like this, feel free to give me a follow ! I’ll be more than happy to see your tumblr too :)
PS : sorry in advance if you notice my imperfect grammar (english isn’t my first language)
Blog : https://anatomyandcappuccini.tumblr.com
i never used to do notes for any classes but this year i promised myself to put effort into making my notes look decent and it’s definitely a work in progress ✨
1) Decide on your paper size Before you start writing anything it’s really important to work out what size paper you want to do your mindmap on. Be it A3, A4, A5 or any other size you can think of, deciding this early on will make things much easier in the long run and leave you with a much more organised mind map
2) Work out the basics Before you actually start writing anything it’s a really good idea to work out the basics of your mind map. What type of bubble do you want the title to be in? Spiky or a cloud or just a plain circle? What kind of lines to you want leading off from it? Arrows or just plain lines? Straight or curved? Taking 30 seconds to work these out before you start will make everything much easier in the long run and leave you with a much neater and better organised mind map
3) Choose what to write with This part is all down to personal preference. Do you prefer writing in a plain colour and then highlighting later? Do you want each section in a different colour? Felt tips or biros? Fineliners or pencils? This is the time when you can think about what you’re most comfortable writing with and what’s going to make it easiest for you to retain the information
4) Add pictures and diagrams Adding little drawings to aid your explanations is a really great way to help you remember what you write. You don’t have to be good at art to make this work, just add a few little diagrams here and there and you’ll be surprised how much more easily you retain the information
5) Have fun with it You may be looking at a picture of a mind map online and saying to yourself ‘that’s exactly what I want mine to look like’ but in reality that’ll never happen. You’ll never manage to get a mind map that looks exactly the same as someone else’s and in all honesty that would be a bit boring. Instead just get stuck in and create your own unique masterpiece
I’ve seen a lot of masterposts lately, but this one is the first I’ve ever done. Feel free to add to it, or make suggests for things I should add. Links will be under certain categories, so feel free to skip to the one you feel like you need. If you see something you posted and you’d like me to take it off, please let me know.
Study Tricks/Tips/Advice
1. Tips from A+ students
2. Find Your Study Style And Methods That Work For You
3. How To Study When You Don’t Feel Like It
4. Science Backed Study Tips
5. More Learning/Studying Techniques
6. Whole Page Dedicated To Studying/Organizing
7. Homework Help
8. Tips For Effective Studying
9. How To Study Like A Straight A Student
Note Taking
1. Tips For The Lazy Student
2. Info On Cornell Notes
3. Note Taking Masterpost
4. Good Note Taking Summary/Tips
Test Prep
1. How To Prepare For A Test
2. Free SAT/AP Prep Resources
Health Related
1. How To Avoid A Breakdown
2. Books Dealing With Mental Illnesses
When You Need To Read
1. How To Read Shakespeare/Old English Texts {1} {2} {3}
2. Assigned Reading Tips
3. How To Read Difficult Books
Course Specific Help- Math
1. Square Root Calculator
2. Cube Root Calculator
3. Solve Any Equation {1} {2}
4. How To Multiply Big Numbers
Course Specific Help- Chemisty
1. Chemical Equation Balancer
2. Chemistry Help Motherload (Textbooks/Resources/Help/ETC)
3. Tips For Studying Chemistry
Websites/Apps
1. Final Grades Calculator
2. Feed Hungry People And Improve Your Vocabulary At The Same Time
3. Legal Textbook Websites/Help
4. Editor That I Use For All Writing/Typing (And it’s wonderful)
5. Note Taking Website (With App)
Language Learning
1. Duolingo (I use this personally and it’s awesome)
2. German Colors List
3. Language Learning Masterpost
4. Learn 8 Chinese Words In The Cutest Way
5. Language Learning Websites
6. Tips For Self Teaching Japanese
7. Sign Language People Commonly Use
8. A Faster Way To Learn A Language
Sleep
1. Sleep Tips
2. How Long Should You Sleep For?
3. Successful Sleep Habits (Infographic)
Motivation
1. 100 Reasons To Study
2. Motivation Masterpost
3. Motivation Quotes (Via Google)
Time Management
1. Advice Graphic/Comic
2. The Pomodoro Technique
3. Time Management Masterpost
4. How To Manage Your Time Effectively
Music
1. Classical Study Playlist
2. Hit The Books Playlist {1} {2}
3. Playlists Masterpost
4. Mini Masterpost Of Playlists