Recent content by achamess

In addition to tools/apps, it's also important to have an approach to learning all the things you'll be presented in PT school. There is just so much information to absorb, and what got you through college will likely not suffice at the next level. This is the situation I found myself in during...

There are diminishing returns when your baseline is high. I spent 7 weeks to gain 10 more points. A part of me wishes I had just taken the test on day one and saved myself some time, but the med student part of my brain would not allow it. I only say this in retrospect. Anyway, if anything, your...

I agree. Excellent book, and the diagrams are as valuable as the text. Another useful overview text, that lacks specific details, but that gives you a framework for understanding those details, is "How the Immune System Works" is an incredible book.

Well-done. Thanks a lot for sharing!

Personally, I don't like to study from class notes. In any case, if I were going to use class notes as part of a study sequence, I'd still start with an introductory text, which is almost always going to be better written and more coherent than a bunch of powerpoint slides. That would give my...

How you execute is based on your goals, curriculum, time, etc. It's not going to look the same for everyone. But the general principle is, if you have to choose a source to learn from, start with the "higher level" (less detailed) version, then work your way to more detail. That will get you the...

I'd like to offer another strategy: multiple passes over a body of knowledge at increasing level of detail. Here is a concrete example for physiology: 1st pass: GI phys. chapter in BRS Physiology 2nd pass: GI phys chapter in Physiology (Costanzo) 3rd pass (optional): Boron and Boulpaep - GI...

All good advice given above. I would also say, reflect on what your goals are, and make sure that what is being asked of you aligns with those goals. Don't just reflexively jump at every single task med school puts in front of you. That seems to be the med student MO. Everyone tries to be "the...

As you already mentioned, spaced repetition is an awesome tool to help you continuously review material. There is no better way, in my opinion. The key is consistency. Doing it every day. That's how you see the gains. What happens too often is that someone starts using SR really...

These two books have been particularly helpful: Scientific Writing and Communication: Papers, Proposals, and Presentations 2nd Edition Writing Science: How to Write Papers That Get Cited and Proposals That Get Funded 1st Edition

The number of cards will depend on (1) the amount of content in the lecture, (2) the granularity of your questions, and (3) your selection filter. You could easily produce 100 cards/lecture in a typical class. Many students are turned off by this number, but the fault is not Anki's. That's just...

It's important to distinguish between the acquisition of new information and the retention of that information. Learning entails both. New information needs to go into our heads, and be stored for later use. If you can't remember something, it's as good as not there at all. Anki, and SR in...

I suggest having few decks, and instead using tags. You can tag by exam, by subject, w/e. Then, you can use the tags to do selective study. You might want to have one deck for "class" and another for "step 1". That might be a useful segregation. Or you could just have one big deck called "med...

This recent survey of residency directors should be illuminating to this discussion. It depends on the field, but overall, honors in basic sciences seem to be very low on the hierarchy of selection criteria.

tl;dr Testing yourself is superior to re-reading. Re-reading seems like it should be the best way to ensure that you learn something, but in reality, it is pretty ineffective. Rather than re-reading, the much better strategy is to test yourself, to make yourself retrieve what you've learned...