Welcome to the final part of our blog series exploring proven study strategies used by Osmosis to make learning medicine easier for students. (See earlier posts in the series to learn about spaced repetition and test-enhanced learning.) Today we’re looking at the memory palace and how Osmosis applies technique to make it even more impactful for learners.
Osmosis
Gain a Deeper Understanding with the Power of Test-Enhanced Learning
Welcome to part two of our blog series in which we share proven learning strategies behind the Osmosis platform that help students learn medicine more effectively. (Read about spaced repetition and memory palaces in parts 1 and 3 of the series!)
Today, we’re going to explore test-enhanced learning, the act of testing yourself to improve your knowledge of a given subject. This study technique is discussed throughout our new textbook, How to Learn in the Health Professions, as well as in our video series on the science of learning.
How Spaced Repetition Enhances Learning
One of the biggest challenges of learning medicine is the sheer amount of information students are expected to process and understand. By the time most students take the USMLE Step 1 exam, they will have attempted to memorize the contents of huge books like First Aid—an 800-page behemoth of high-yield pathology—as well as endless information from their course slides and other lecture notes.
(Don’t miss parts 2 and 3 in the series to learn about test-enhanced learning and memory palaces.)
Surviving Your First Year of Medical School
Congratulations on getting accepted to medical school! Becoming a physician is a long and tough journey, and you may not be able to get by using the same methods that helped you succeed in undergrad. To maintain control while drinking from the “fire hose” of medical school, you’ll need to make sure you do these four things: