Study Like A Pro And Nail Your Exams: 12 Tips From A 2nd Year Medical Student

1) pick a quiet and secluded place to study. Not getting distracted by people talking, coming and going, and noises is important.

2) keep your study area neat, clean, and organized so you're not distracted by a mess or interrupted because you need to look for something.

3) put away your cell phone, and turn off the internet if you don't need it to study. Constant interruptions such as texts, even if you don't look at them, can distract you from what you were studying and mess up your train of thought.

4) time frequent breaks. Studies show that when studying for over an hour, the brain forgets the first and last 15 minutes of material you were studying. Giving yourself breaks can give your concentration a rest for a few minutes and recharge your brain to study again. Aim for 5 or 10 minutes every hour, and try to stay off social media, because 5 minutes can easily turn into an hour. Set a timer or alarm.

5) drink a little coffee. It enhances alertness and concentration, but be careful not to have too much, because that can have the opposite effect. Don't go nuts on the sugar either or you could have a crash later.

6) eat something healthy that is high in protein and complex, whole grain carbs. People often binge of fast food when studying for exams but this is the worst thing you can do. Feeding the brain food that is healthy and that will give it sustained energy is critical. Fatty fast food can not only make you tired, but can also decrease concentration, cause you to crash, and increase cravings for more.

7) listen to music without words. Classical and other types of music has been shown to increase memory and concentration, and can also drown out background noise if you couldn't find a quiet place to study. The key is not listening to music with lyrics because your brain will get distracted by the words in the song and will mix up what you're studying. I searched a few stations on iTunes Radio (New Age Piano Radio is my fav) and found a couple I like; you should do the same!

8) draw it out. Tables, pathways, and even memorization is easier when you draw everything out (especially in flow charts). My favorite is using a clear paper protector over a blank sheet of paper (or notes with fill in the blanks), and draw everything out with a dry erase marker. Pin them up and look over the notes for a couple days and/or draw it out a couple more times, then move on.

9) if you're unsure about something in your notes or powerpoints, look it up. You will not only gain clarity, but you will remember it more easily since you actively looked for it. Writing things down and paraphrasing a lecture into your own words also helps a great deal more than copying everything down word for word.

10) don't study in bed. You will associate laying in bed with studying and stress, making it hard to fall asleep at night or relax. Also, laying down can give you headaches and make your neck sore since they're not in proper alignment.

11) get a good night sleep the day before your exam! Cramming and pulling an all nighter is the worst thing you can do for memory. Knowledge is transferred from short term to long term storage when you're getting REM (the deep kind) of sleep. Try to get 7-8 hours and you will be surprised how much more you remember! This is my personal number one favorite tip and has helped me ace my medical school exams.

12) switch between subjects often. Every couple hours I switch to a different subject or topic so that I don't get bored of studying the same thing for hours. I also find it helpful to do practice questions after every hour or two. Questions help you to think from a different perspective and help you to remember things. They can also help prepare you for how to answer test questions.