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7 Evidence-Based Study Strategies (& How to Use Each) — Transcript

by Med School Insiders · 2,008 words · 338 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:00As doctors, we treat patients with
0:02evidence-based medicine, meaning
0:04treatment modalities that are backed
0:05with sound scientific research. We can
0:08do the same when it comes to study
0:09strategies. These are the seven
0:11evidence-based study techniques with
0:13supporting scientific evidence. Doctor
0:16Jabbal, medschoolinsiders.com.
0:18We can thank the psychologist Hermann
0:20Ebbinghaus for studying his own memory
0:22and generating what is known as the
0:24forgetting curve. In its simplest terms,
0:26the forgetting curve demonstrates that
0:28after forming a memory, we gradually
0:30forget more and more of it as time
0:32elapses. With attempts to retain the
0:34information at increasing intervals just
0:36before we forget it, the memory becomes
0:38more durable. We know from neuroscience
0:40fundamentals that repetition potentiates
0:43neural connections and allows us to
0:45remember information more effectively.
0:47The problem is that we have far too much
0:49information to learn. We can't repeat
0:51every fact we need to know on a daily
0:53basis. Enter the spacing effect. By
0:56repeated exposures to a piece of
0:58information at increasing intervals
1:00between each repetition, we can optimize
1:02memorization and retain the most
1:04information in the least amount of time.
1:06Spaced repetition is most powerful when
1:08the timing is just right. If too little
1:10time elapses between repetitions, the
1:13information is not reinforced as
1:14strongly. If too much time passes, you
1:17forget and are unable to recall the
1:19desired information. If we see the same
1:21information multiple times over
1:23increasing intervals, we'll be far more
1:25effective at encoding those facts into
1:27long-term memory. This is why cramming
1:29is so ineffective. Studying for 8 hours
1:32over 2 weeks will generally result in
1:35superior performance compared to
1:37studying for 8 hours in one sitting. I'm
1:40a big proponent of using tools and
1:42systems to streamline and automate
1:44processes. I recommend you take the same
1:46approach with spaced repetition. You
1:48could create a study schedule for
1:49yourself where you plan out when to
1:51review older lectures in addition to
1:53recent lectures, or alternatively, you
1:55can offload the process to other apps
1:58like Anki, which will test you on
1:59bite-sized pieces of information through
2:01flash cards and automatically schedule
2:03the cards based on the difficulty of
2:05recall for each. The most common mistake
2:08is procrastinating and cramming just
2:10days before the exam. This undermines
2:12any of the potential advantages of
2:14spaced repetition. When practicing
2:16spaced repetition, make sure you're
2:17using effective study strategies and not
2:19simply rereading your notes. Rereading
2:22your notes is a form of recognition,
2:24whereby you look at some facts and tell
2:26yourself, "Oh, yeah, I know that." This
2:28is unreliable. Instead, spaced
2:30repetition is most effective when
2:32combined with active recall, whereby you
2:34test yourself for the answer, which
2:36brings us to the second evidence-based
2:38study strategy. Active recall is the
2:40practice of using the testing effect to
2:42your advantage. If you're already using
2:44active recall, chances are you love it
2:46because of the resulting drastic
2:48improvement in performance. If you
2:50aren't using it yet, there's a bit of a
2:52learning curve, which may be
2:53discouraging. You should expect active
2:55recall to be a difficult process, as
2:57active learning methods are, by
2:59definition, far more challenging than
3:01passive forms. When it comes to active
3:03recall, I normally advise students to
3:05create flash cards through Anki or to
3:07use practice problems, which also has
3:09the added benefit of practicing
3:11higher-order level thinking. There are
3:13other ways to incorporate active recall,
3:14though. For example, you could write or
3:16sketch out everything you know about a
3:18certain topic without looking at your
3:20notes. Be as thorough as you can be, and
3:23afterward, check what you've written
3:24compared to your class notes for
3:26accuracy and to fill in points you may
3:28have missed. Many students try active
3:30recall for a short period of time only
3:32to give up soon after because they find
3:34it difficult. The key is to understand
3:36that if it feels difficult, that means
3:38it's working. And with anything in life,
3:40with practice, you'll get better at it.
3:42It becomes easier with time. Another
3:44common mistake is studying facts in
3:46isolation. Particularly with flash
3:48cards, students may focus too much on
3:50individual facts without adequate
3:52comprehension. Do not neglect
3:54comprehension, which means truly
3:55understanding the relation between ideas
3:57and how certain concepts are similar or
4:00different. Lastly, remember to not only
4:02practice the recall part, but also check
4:04your answers. If you are practicing
4:06recall without verifying accuracy, you
4:08may be reinforcing incorrect
4:10information. Closely intertwined with
4:12active recall is the concept of
4:14desirable difficulties. This states that
4:16a learning task that requires a
4:18considerable amount of effort will
4:19improve long-term performance, even
4:21though it may slow down learning
4:23initially. Research demonstrates that
4:25the traditional easy forms of passive
4:27learning show better temporary
4:28performance effects, but more difficult
4:30tasks, such as learning with active
4:32recall, result in improved performance
4:35in the long term. Think of it like going
4:37to the gym. If you bench press 10-lb
4:39dumbbells, you're technically doing
4:41chest exercises, but you're not
4:43challenging yourself enough to improve.
4:45This is like passive learning. On the
4:47other hand, if you bench press 100-lb
4:49dumbbells in each hand, you'd be
4:51exerting yourself to a far greater
4:52capacity, resulting in muscle breakdown
4:54and ultimately hypertrophy. This is a
4:57desirable difficulty which you are more
4:59readily able to achieve with tools such
5:01as active recall. Desirable difficulties
5:04is an overarching principle that serves
5:06as a common thread throughout the six
5:08other evidence-based learning
5:09techniques. Elaboration refers to
5:11further describing and explaining
5:13various ideas or concepts that you are
5:15studying to solidify your understanding
5:17of the material. The concept of
5:19elaboration sounds great, but the tricky
5:21part is how to effectively implement the
5:23technique. Here are a few suggestions.
5:25First, generate questions for yourself
5:27about how various concepts or principles
5:29work and the underlying reasons as to
5:32why. Try answering on your own first and
5:35then turn to your class materials or
5:36study buddies for verification and
5:38further explanation. Second,
5:40cross-reference different ideas, even if
5:42your professor or class materials didn't
5:44explicitly do so. By comparing and
5:46contrasting relatable components, you'll
5:48better understand the nuances of each,
5:50how they interplay, and you'll be less
5:52likely to confuse the two. And third,
5:55make the content relatable. While
5:57elaborating on a concept, relate it to
5:58your own life experiences or memories
6:01for a stronger memory anchor.
6:03Integrating new material with concepts
6:05you already know helps you organize the
6:07new ideas, thus facilitating recall in
6:10the future, such as on test day. Don't
6:12be overzealous with your elaboration,
6:14meaning keep it within the scope of what
6:16is accurate and reasonable.
6:18Overextension of elaboration can
6:20actually cause further confusion in the
6:21long run. Practicing elaboration with
6:23smaller groups, such as with the Feynman
6:25technique, can be helpful, but beyond
6:27three people, the drawbacks begin to
6:29outweigh the benefits. Interleaving is
6:31the practice of alternating your
6:33studying from one topic to another
6:35rather than blocking time for only one
6:37subject for an extended period of time.
6:39The literature suggests that this
6:41strategy is particularly helpful with
6:43subjects requiring problem-solving, such
6:45as physics, chemistry, or math. So, why
6:47is this counterintuitively beneficial?
6:50Well, interleaving facilitates finding
6:52the links, similarities, and differences
6:54between ideas. Interleaving simply means
6:56you need to switch between topics,
6:58ideas, or subjects during a study
7:00session. Avoid studying one focused area
7:02for too long. As you interleave, it's
7:05recommended you approach the topics and
7:07subjects in different orders to
7:08facilitate improved understanding. While
7:10doing so, make it a conscious practice
7:12to think how you can link principles
7:14between the different concepts. The
7:16added benefit that often goes overlooked
7:18is one of sustained endurance. When you
7:21are strategically shifting between
7:23topics, you can ward off burnout and
7:25boredom through novel stimuli. I used
7:27this practice almost religiously as a
7:29medical student to get through study
7:31marathons on an almost daily basis.
7:34Interleaving requires a bit of
7:35calibration. If you spend too little or
7:38too much time on a single topic, it can
7:40prove detrimental. Switch too often and
7:42you begin to face the issues of
7:44multitasking, whereby you fail to
7:46achieve meaningful deep understanding,
7:48and the effectiveness drops. Spend too
7:50much time, and you're not interleaving,
7:52but rather just performing traditional
7:54blocked studying. My recommendation is
7:57to perform at minimum one to two
7:58Pomodoro blocks before switching to a
8:01new topic. At the end of the study
8:03session, summarize the relevant key
8:04points, but do so in a different order
8:06than when you first reviewed the
8:08information. Concrete examples are a
8:10useful tool in facilitating
8:11understanding complex or difficult
8:13concepts. It's quite simple. Find
8:15relevant examples that illustrate the
8:17principles from a lesson you're trying
8:18to learn, and ensure you deeply
8:20understand how the concrete example is a
8:22reflection of this principle in
8:24practice. To implement this practice,
8:26collect examples, and then explain how
8:28the example illustrates the principle
8:30you're attempting to learn, and repeat.
8:33You can also create your own examples or
8:35exchange examples with your study group
8:37for added benefit. When practicing this
8:39technique, ensure that the examples are
8:41actually relevant and accurate to the
8:43concept or principle you're studying.
8:45Too often, students will find poor
8:47examples online, through friends, or
8:49from other resources that reinforce an
8:51improper understanding. Dual coding is
8:54the practice of inputting information
8:56related to the same concept through
8:57multiple forms of media. For example,
9:00you may read about a concept in a
9:01textbook, and additionally use visuals
9:04and diagrams to drive the point home. To
9:06most effectively implement dual coding,
9:08don't simply look at a visual and think,
9:10"Ah, yes, I know this." But rather
9:13actively explain the concept in your own
9:15words. Even better, take the information
9:17you've read about in a textbook or heard
9:19about in lecture, and create your own
9:21visuals. This goes back to the summary
9:23sheets and synthesis questions I spoke
9:25about in my how to take notes video.
9:27This will not only prove helpful in the
9:29active process of creating the diagram,
9:31but now you also have a condensed
9:33high-yield visual for future reference.
9:35The most common mistake to avoid with
9:37dual coding is passively reviewing the
9:39various forms of media rather than
9:41approaching the practice through active
9:43methods. Demonstrate mastery, you should
9:46be able to draw necessary figures from
9:48memory without cheating and looking at
9:50your notes. Understand that these seven
9:52principles are not to be practiced in
9:54isolation, but rather are interrelated
9:57and should be used in conjunction. I
9:59refuse to believe the myths that how you
10:01do in school or on standardized exams is
10:03fixed and based on predetermined
10:05intelligence. I believe anyone has the
10:07ability to dramatically improve their
10:09study techniques, efficiency, and
10:11performance on test day. If you need
10:13help taking your performance to the next
10:14level, our team at Med School Insiders
10:16will help you implement these seven
10:18techniques and more. Not only are our
10:21tutors top-tier performers with top
10:22percentile scores on the MCAT, USMLE,
10:25and other tests, but they're also
10:27phenomenal teachers as well, helping
10:29thousands of students drastically
10:30improve their performance. Unlike other
10:32companies, we don't just take any
10:34tutors. We are insanely selective and
10:36only recruit the best. My team and I
10:39have worked tirelessly in creating the
10:40best one-on-one tutoring experience for
10:42future doctors. We've obsessed over
10:45creating the most effective and rigorous
10:47system that optimizes for one thing,
10:50delivering results. If you want to crush
10:52your MCAT, USMLE, or need help doing
10:55better in any class from organic
10:57chemistry or physics to cardiology or
11:00surgery and everything between, our team
11:02has got your back. Visit
11:03medschoolinsiders. com to learn more.
11:06Out of these seven evidence-based study
11:08techniques, which ones are you
11:09neglecting and going to practice moving
11:11forward? Let me know with a comment down
11:13below. If you liked this video, please
11:15give us a thumbs up to keep the YouTube
11:17gods happy. To see more content like
11:19this every Saturday at 8:00 a.m., make
11:21sure you're subscribed with the
11:22notification bell enabled. Much love to
11:24you all and I will see you guys in that
11:26next one.

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