How to learn

1. Make use of spaced repetition (eg Anki, Firecracker, etc). Mastery arises from repeated exposure to material, which improves our neural connections that we form. There's a reason why the majority of my class used it and we aced Step 1 (class average  was 242). If you look at the graph below, you see that the rate of forgetting diminishes significantly as you remind yourself more and more (the slope is much flatter). Flashcards also serve the purpose of retesting yourself so you know where your deficiencies are. 

Remember that for Step 1, especially before dedicated period, you are playing the long game. Your goal is to learn things well so you don't have to waste time relearning it during dedicated period. Spaced repetition helps achieve this goal by improving memory retention.

2. The Feynman Technique 1) Learn 2) Attempt to teach it out loud to yourself or to a friend in as simple a fashion as possible 3) Review what you had difficulty explaining (which shows you don't understand it well enough) then try to organize and simplify and try again. Basically a see one, do one, teach one type of technique.  By teaching it, you are figuring out what you don't know and you are also reinforcing your knowledge, making it much harder to forget. This technique is from Richard Feynman, Nobel Prize winning theoretical physicist, widely regarded as one of the greatest minds of the 20th century. 

3. Make use of the power of imagination like Mr. S, who could remember almost anything even though he had an average intelligence. (https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-mystery-of-s-the-man-with-an-impossible-memory). 

If you're like me, you won't forget the symptoms of whatever disease or sickness that you've experienced. The goal of using imagination is to imagine so vividly a disease that it feels like you are experiencing it, and thus will have much more difficulty forgetting it. For example, if I tell you that the clinical features of urinary stress incontinence is leakage of urine with any stress that increases intra-abdominal pressure (eg coughing or laughing), don't just look at it and kind of memorize it. Take a second to really think about how this would feel, how you would have to be careful in social situations to not laugh or cough too hard, and how embarrassing it would feel to leak urine. Really try to imagine how it feels. This will help both with remembering content as well as with developing empathy, as you are taking time to stop and consider how things that seem small, eg fatigue or a skin rash can significantly affect a patient's life. It may seem like a trivial problem after you have learned so much about so many other scarier things, but to a patient these problems can really affect their quality of life.

4. Test yourself: Practice problems are key. They are practical applications of the knowledge you learned and will help you remember it better. They make you retrieve information you have learned from your mind, further reinforcing that information. They show you gaps in your knowledge. And you get pattern recognition which will help you when you get to the actual test.

Another way to test yourself is just trying to review or recall lessons in your head. Identify what you are unable to recall. Then and only then do you go and re-read the material to shore up gaps in your knowledge. Whenever you encounter a chart, make sure that you will be able to reproduce it (through your knowledge of underlying concepts, not through brute memorization)

5. Eliminate distractions If you look at your phone too much, use apps like Forest or Flora. If you are browsing your computer too much, you can also use Forest for chrome or other extensions like Stay Focused. 

Or try behavioral changes like moving your mouse far away while watching video lectures, or leaving your phone in a different room or out of hands reach while studying. Turn off/put on silent phone or computer notifications. You want to get yourself in that wonderful flow state of study and eliminate any possible distractions that can take you out of that flow state.

6. Pomodoro Technique. Break down work intervals into 25 minutes (can use a timer), separated by short breaks of about 5 minutes. Repeat this 4 times, then take a longer break (15-30 minutes), then repeat. 

25 minutes has been found to be the optimal time to focus. After that your attention starts to wander, and so your learning is non optimal. Thus, you are maximizing your productivity with the focused 25 minute intervals, and recharging your focus and learning ability during the 5 minute breaks. 

Remember, you don't need to be too rigid with this, you need to figure out what length of time works for you. I have tried to make the videos in Step 1 Simplified around 25 minutes, however some are a bit longer, some are shorter. 

7. Let it sink in- After reading a section or a lecture or after a 25 minute pomodoro session, sit in a quiet dark room for a few minutes without doing anything. This is based off an article from the psychologist at Wharton Adam Grant, who wrote, "In a series of experiments, students listened to stories and then took a test of how much information they remembered an hour later. Their recall spiked by 10 to 30 percent if they had been randomly assigned to sit and do nothing in a dark, quiet room for a few minutes right after hearing the story. Your mind needs rest and space to consolidate and store information."

In summary, read or listen to a lecture without any distractions. Consider using the pomodoro schedule. As you are learning, try to use as much imagination as possible. Imagine you have the disease, are suffering from its symptoms or complications. After the lecture, sit in a quiet dark room for a few minutes without doing anything and let it sink in and consolidate.

Next, try to test yourself, either by recalling information, or covering up charts and filling them in etc. Also use spaced repetition.  

When you are comfortable with the material, attempt to teach it to an imaginary audience or to a friend in as simple a manner as possible. Identify what you had difficulty explaining and then