Many students still rely on reading the textbook or rereading their notes as a primary method of studying. While this method of studying is easy, it is one of the least effective ways to prepare for an exam. Passively studying is ineffective because it fails to cement information in your brain properly. While you may retain some of the details you read in the short term, you will quickly forget them and may not be prepared for the exam. Even worse, you will find that you are spending way more time studying!

So what is the solution? Experts recommend active study strategies that have been proven to improve content retention. There is significant research to support the use of active study strategies! While they require more effort upfront, active learning pays off many folds in the long run. Utilizing active study strategies will allow you to get better results while studying less than simply reading notes or a textbook.

So, how can you implement active study strategies? Here are a few suggestions:

For memorizing facts: Use flashcards paired with spaced repetition. Don't make physical flashcards; instead, use a service like Quizlet or Anki, my personal favorite. This strategy is how college and medical students are able to memorize thousands of facts efficiently! Here is a quick demo of how you can do this:
- 1. Create a two-sided flashcard, with the front featuring a question or a fill-in-the-blank and the back displaying the answer you are trying to learn.
- 2. Practice by looking at the front and trying to get the correct answer before looking at the back. Using flashcards to read content is as ineffective as reading a textbook; therefore, avoid this approach.
- 3. If you got it right, great! You will review this card again later, but for now, you're done. If you got it wrong, you will try again sooner.
  - Systems like Anki automate this.
- 4. When you finish reviewing the day's cards, don't forget to come back the next day to continue reviews! As time passes and you master the content, the number of repetitions will decrease.

This strategy helped me master many subjects that I needed to memorize and retain for months for my MCAT; I also used it to prepare for exams quickly. By using flashcards with spaced repetition, I was able to quickly memorize a set of facts at the last minute and earn an A on the exam. Had I read my notes instead, I would not have scored nearly as high. Again, I highly recommend looking into Anki, especially for pre-med students.

For more practical subjects, such as math, practice questions are the best approach. You must make an earnest attempt at solving the question on your own before consulting the answer key or the answer explanations. Although it may take a bit more effort, you will learn a great deal this way. Additionally, going through practice questions is an essential part of any standardized test prep strategy, such as for the ACT, SAT, PSAT, and MCAT.

There are many more active study methods that you can explore to amplify your study routine. As we conclude this article, please consider practicing these study strategies and exploring additional forms of active learning.

I have attached a few images below to show what the Anki interface looks like.

Stop Re-Reading your textbook: The Importance of Active Study Strategies

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