Tips for Studying at Home

Organizing your study space

Having a designated study space is a key element to
successfully studying at home. Maintaining some
separation between where you relax and where you
study can help get you in the right mindset when the
time comes for you to really focus. Deciding what to
bring into your study space (and what to keep out) is
very important. Every medical student has his or her
own method, but many opt for a two-screen set up: you
can use one for the video you’re watching and one for
your notes, one for the 3D anatomy model you’re
exploring and one for your reference text, etc. Of
course, other tools such as a notebook and your
textbook can also be beneficial to have in your study
space. However, keep distractions to a minimum: save
snacks or coffee for your designated break times, keep
your phone in another room so you won’t be tempted
to use it in the middle of a study block, and choose your background noise wisely. Block out
unwanted background noise (including not-so-focused roommates) with noise-canceling
headphones or earplugs. If the sounds of your home aren’t conducive to studying, you can
always listen to music (without lyrics) or use an ambient noise app to simulate a coffee shop or
your university library. Especially if you need to use your phone as a timer, for a virtual study
group, or as the source of your ambient noise, make sure to turn off notifications, and if possible,
place it out of sight, out of mind.

Structuring your time

Your study space is set up and your distractions are minimized… but now what? One of the
important elements of a successful study session is not necessarily about the material you
review or the content you copy – rather, how you manage your time makes a world of difference
in the success of your study session. This starts with your to-do list. Before you start studying, it
is important to have a plan for what you want to study so that you can organize your time and
focus your efforts on the material that you need to review. Not only do you need to know what
you want to study that day, but you should also prioritize your to-do list. If you have a specific
exam coming up or you’ll be starting a new rotation soon, you know what is most important to
review every day or what you need to spend more time on. Once you have your prioritized to-
do list, how do you organize your time?

The Pomodoro Technique is very popular with medical students for this reason: it focuses on
accomplishing tasks by working in blocks of 25 minutes (“pomodoros”) with five minute breaks
in between, rather than just going down a to-do list. Before
you begin, take your to-do list and group your tasks by what
you think can be accomplished in about 25 minutes at a
time. Then start your timer and get to work: once you have
accomplished four pomodoros, you can take a 20-30 minute
break. This method helps you to maximize your use of time,
minimize procrastination, and keep track of exactly what
you’ve accomplished. The five minute breaks between
pomodoros help refresh your mind and allow it to reset
before starting the next block. The Pomodoro Technique
has been adapted by many students for their studies, and many study schedules also suggest
this technique or a version of it (e.g. Lecturio’s 40-Day Study Schedule for the USMLE® Step 1).
You can also adapt it yourself by choosing different time intervals according to your tasks and
your schedule. For example, sitting a full Qbank block, USMLE-style, takes longer than 20
minutes; however, you can break up your subsequent note taking and review in First Aid® by
smaller time intervals.

Virtual study groups

Even in your dedicated study space, with your headphones on and your music or ambient noise
playing, studying medicine at home can get lonely sometimes. Whether you prefer to review
material out loud with other people, or the presence of others studying motivates you to stay
focused, study groups are a go-to for many medical
students. Just because you’re at home doesn’t mean
that you and your classmates can’t keep studying
together – creating a virtual study group is one of the
best ways to continue learning in a group, even at a
distance. Many free tools (such as Facebook Messenger,
Skype, Zoom, and Google Hangouts) support group
video chats. Having two screens in your study space
setup can also be very helpful for virtual study groups,
as you can keep your chat on one screen and your study
material on the other. Are your classmates not available
or do you not want to video chat the whole time? Try
using a shared timer to keep yourselves on track, then check back in once the time is up.
Alternatively, if you want the motivation of others studying around you but maybe don’t want
to directly engage or coordinate a schedule with anyone, you can also check out the multitude
of medical students’ “study with me” videos found on YouTube, and put one on in the
background.

Study techniques
Sometimes, however, your tasks won’t line up well with the fixed block schedule used in the
Pomodoro Technique or a study group doesn’t make sense for what you need to review. There
are dozens of other study techniques that can be used to ensure your retention of material. Here
are a few to get you started:
Active learning is something you can practice in a variety of study contexts. Instead of passively
watching high-yield medical videos or multitasking and thus not taking in as much information
as possible, active learning helps you give yourself direction and stay focused on the content. To
practice active learning, you should do small self-check-ins before, during, and after you review.
Before you start studying, establish what you’re about to learn and what you already know
about the subject. While you’re reviewing the material, make sure you know how it fits into the
bigger picture, that you understand what you just watched or read, and write down keywords
you might want to use for future review. After you’ve completed your study session, ask yourself
what you can take away from the study session and make notes of what you need to review or
continue learning the next time you approach this topic. By practicing active learning, you not
only give your current study session direction, but you can also reflect upon and adapt your
study technique in the future.

Reverse learning is a study technique recommended specifically for dedicated study, for
example, as you’re preparing for your licensing exams. In this context, you can use a Qbank to
reverse-engineer your studies. Instead of starting by reading chapters in First Aid® or watching
high-yield video lectures, start by answering clinical case questions. Read through the questions
and answer them first, practice test-style. Then, use the related materials (such as text and video
answer explanations, First Aid® references, etc.) to enhance your understanding of the topics,
or to better understand why the correct answers are in fact correct. Are you new to patient-
centered clinical vignettes? Lecturio has a free eBook that walks you through the ins and outs of
reading and answering 30 different Qbank-style questions to help get you started.

Unless you have a photographic memory, you likely won’t remember everything you studied on
the first try. Regularly reviewing what you’ve learned is as important as learning it right the first
time. There are many retention strategies out there – some people use paper or virtual
flashcards for recall, some people use songs to help jog their memories, and some use
mnemonics to keep information straight. But how often should you review certain topics?
Spaced Repetition is one method. The idea behind Spaced Repetition is that, instead of learning
as many facts as possible within a short period of time, you should review material at
increasingly spaced intervals after learning it.

Brain-Healthy Food
You’ve just read about study and learning techniques,
but what about break time? Whether it’s the five
minutes between pomodoros or a longer break for a
meal or at the end of a day, make sure you take some
time for yourself to relax and recharge. Your break time
is also the ideal time to grab a snack – but instead of
reaching for your go-to chips or chocolates, try to grab
snacks and prepare meals with ingredients that will also
help your brain:
Avocados: Full of mono-saturated fats, vitamin K, and folate, avocados can help keep your blood
sugar in the right range, improve your memory, and boost your concentration. They’re also rich
in vitamin C and vitamin B, both of which your body needs on a daily basis.

Bananas: Bananas are full of vitamin B6, which according to a study from Boston’s Tufts
University, can help improve your cognitive function. They’re also a good source of potassium.

Berries: Research shows that flavonoids, the natural plant pigments that give berries their bright
colors, can help with your memory and recall.

Nuts: Nuts can be a great source of healthy fat and protein. According to a 2015 study from
UCLA, walnuts in particular might also help improve memory.

Leafy greens: Did you know that leafy greens such as broccoli, kale, spinach, and collards may
actually help slow cognitive decline in the long run? That’s because they’re all rich in nutrients
such as vitamin K, lutein, folate, and beta carotene.

Omega-3s: Fatty fish, such as salmon, light tuna, cod, or pollack, are a good and healthy source
of omega-3 fatty acids, which are healthy unsaturated fats linked to lower blood levels of beta-
amyloid. If you’re not a fan of fish, try to incorporate other omega-3 sources into your diet, such
as flaxseed, walnuts, chia, or avocados.

Whole grains: Your ability to focus and concentrate comes from a steady flow of energy (read:
glucose) in your blood. Choosing whole grain cereals, pasta, or bread to stay mentally alert
throughout the day, as whole grain foods have a low-glycaemic index and thus release energy
slowly into your bloodstream.