Learn How To Ace Every Exam in 6 minutes

used to blank out in exams not just once but multiple times would recognize the words understand the topic maybe but no matter how hard tried just couldn't pull the answer for my memory it was frustrating like the information was just locked away it was just Out Of Reach and it wasn't because didn't study spent hours reviewing notes highlighting key points and reading textbooks when it just came down to apply that knowledge under pressure my mind betrayed me and to be fully transparent wasn't naturally gifted test taker for for example had to take the MCAT twice because struggled significantly on my first attempt Ling just around the 50th perc time after learning bit about effective studying improved to around the 80th percentile on my second try which was at least enough to get me into some of the medical schools that wanted but even then didn't feel like had truly cracked the code on test taking well over the last 5 years I've dedicated myself to learning how to learn and how to actually perform academically at the highest level and the results well when took the USMLE Step 2 exam which is the main standardized exam for medical students scored nearly the 99th percen time score that never ever would have imagined possible before and now as an orthopedic surgery resident at the world renowned Mayo Clinic actually feel confident rather than terrified when preparing for exams and yes we still take tests in residency but just wanted to share the strategies that got me here if you've ever struggled with test taking this video is for you most students spend hours studying but still struggle on test day the reason it comes down to passive learning fell into this trap too rereading highlighting and summarizing my notes but learned that this was not enough what changed everything for me was discovering two principles active recall and space repetition instead of reviewing my notes passively started forcing myself to retrieve the information used Ani to create flash cards and space them out over time reinforcing my memory in way that actually stuck and suddenly wasn't just recognizing Concepts was actively recalling them and that made all of the difference another big shift was adopting question first approach instead of passively reading material started with practice questions this trained my brain to recognize how information is tested and made studying so much more efficient used amboss and World primarily and treated every question as learning opportunity rather than just question and finally simulated ated my test conditions if you only study in relaxed environment then your brain may not be prepared for real exam stress study show that practicing under conditions similar to the actual exam improves retention and performance so took full length time practice test to train my endurance and build confidence under pressure by mimicking real exam settings made sure that my first exposure to test stress wasn't actually on the day of the exam now one of the biggest mistakes that students make is how how or even if they review their practice questions unfortunately most students don't get access to their real exams afterwards so they miss out on critical learning opportunity but you can still review your practice questions in way that's efficient and also transforms your performance what worked for me was for every incorrect answer would ask myself one did just misread the question if did forced myself to slow down in future questions and deliberately read each word carefully two was just overthinking and if so practiced trusting my instincts more doing this with practice questions where the stakes were low gave me the confidence to actually trust myself on the real test or three did lack knowledge on the topic if missed multiple questions on the same topic then I'd just briefly read about it or watch short video to help solidify My overall understanding and this process helped me pinpoint weaknesses and refine my Approach making each practice session an opportunity for growth if you're someone who is committed to your personal growth and not just in test taking but in every aspect of life this is exactly what focus on in my newsletter weekly growth it's completely free you can sign up using the link in the description below now even with great preparation how you take the test itself is just as important one of the biggest game changers for me was how approached questions especially those long ones and if you're in medical school really all you know is long questions but used to get bogged down in these long questions Sims reading every word and wasting precious time but then started reading the question and answer choices first this allowed me to recognize what was actually important before diving into the minutia and the details it seemed like it would slow me down at first but it actually sped up my test taking significantly and when was no longer racing the clock my stress levels dropped dramatically and another key strategy is one that like to call the two pass system during the first pass you answer all of the easy and medium questions first if had to reread the question or wasn't confident just marked it and moved on and the second pass is when you return to these harder ones with fresher eyes and more time and actually made golden rule for myself if had to reread question St marked it and moved on no exceptions this prevented me from wasting time and kept my confidence High throughout the exam and most importantly it kept my momentum going the last thing that you want is to get stuck on question and feel behind on the exam lose all of your confidence and then face another tricky question we have all been there but by becoming comfortable moving on and coming back later you'll actually keep that momentum and confidence flowing throughout the entire exam but what about when those moments of panic do come up because we've also all been there well that's where physiologic sigh can help significantly whenever you feel stress creeping in take two deep inhales through your nose followed by long exhale research shows that this actually activates your parasympathetic nervous system and all this does is it just rapidly lowers your stress and improves your focus this is one of the fastest ways to calm down physiologically and it can make huge difference in really any high pressure moments mastering exams isn't just about intelligence it's about strategy Implement these tips and guarantee that you'll see Improvement in both your scores and your confidence if you enjoyed this video then absolutely know that you would love this one where bring you through what productive day in my life looks like as an orthopedic surgery resident keep evolving and I'll see you guys in the next one