The Guide

This 5-step guide is best used for medical courses split into pre-clinical and clinical, but the general principles will still apply to all medical courses worldwide. Click here for the video.

Step 1: Establish the learning outcomes; i.e. what you’re expected to know. Lecture handouts and slides often have a section at the beginning outlining the main aims. Use this to get an idea of the key points, as this is likely to be examined and so is vital to learn. This will help tailor your learning and revision so that you focus on absorbing the exam relevant content, without wasting hours trying to learn a minor point. 

Step 2: Identify the most useful resources that you’re going to be learning from. I like to simplify and minimise, so often use only 1 or 2 high yield resources. For example, I established that for Cambridge pre-clinical exams, the lecture handouts and slides are the highest yield, as all exam questions are based upon them. Similarly, identify what resource your medical school bases their exams on by asking the year above, supervisors etc. For trickier concepts that aren’t explained well in the handouts, I recommend using Osmosis videos, which are well narrated, animated and truthfully kind of fun to watch. If this fails, try wiki or a dreaded textbook (a last resort).

Step 3: Design an overarching plan of your study, making sure to cover all aspects, without neglecting any. Several apps are available, but personally I just write on paper the main subjects and their topics, then identify a time slot to learn/ revise it. 

Step 4: Start learning the content and committing it to memory. Read, use active recall, spaced repetition, chunking, or any other memory technique that has worked for you in the past; have a watch of @aliabdall’s fantastic YouTube videos on evidence-based study tips for more information. Personally, I find that active recall and spaced-repetition works best for me, but experiment to find your optimal strategy.

Step 5: Test yourself by doing practice exam questions. I’d recommend doing this latest by the Xmas holiday point. It’s okay to not have the whole knowledge when you start these. As you do practice questions, you begin to realise your weaknesses and gaps in knowledge, allowing you to modify your revision plan. You will also do infinitely better in the real exams as you get used to the exam format by practicing early. 

Click here for the video.