When studying for course exams, many students feel like there is too much information to learn. 

Prior to attending a class or conference be sure to pre-read all of the lecture material (if available) so that during the education session you can work on understanding the content and taking more selective notes; instead of trying to write down everything the presenter says.  The notes taken during lectures should be on concepts and key points, rather than everything.

Instead of trying to learn everything from each lecture, start by reviewing the course objectives. Spend your time and energy learning the objectives, then concentrating on material that the lecturer repeats and/or provides examples.  These will be your highest yield topics.

Even just 2-3 high-yield pearls from each lecture or conference will begin to add up over time. More isn’t always better. Consistency in taking & keeping these notes will be the ultimate driver of success in terms of your ability to review and retain that knowledge.

Learn from your seniors and those who have taken & done well on these exams in the past (the more recent - the better). While the scope & breadth of surgical knowledge may seem endless - only certain topics and learning points are actually testable in terms of a multiple-choice exam. It’s harder to create these exams than you may think. Have others guide you on what materials are actually tested upon & save time in your studying by avoiding the minutia or untestable material.

The more active the learning process, the more likely you are to stay mentally engaged and awake (that includes no day dreaming). Write. Diagram. Draw. Build algorithms. Color code your notes. Create a notebook or flashcards in which you:

• Record information that you read, but do not know well… so that you can review the material again. Take the time, in the moment to understand the information, then record it in a way that will help you remember. 

• Record facts that you will have to sit down and memorize.

• In the same notebook or on flashcards, record the ONE key point of each question that you get wrong or are unsure of. While the cases in questions change and the phrasing of the question, the key points remain consistent and are often repeated multiple times within the same exam. 

• Once you finish going through your review material, you can then just study from this notebook or flashcards.  This will help eliminate redundancy in studying, as too often learners keep going back to the same text re-reading what they do know to find what they need to revie again. You can go back and review this book or flashcards a few times before the exam. Some trainees will even rewrite this notebook whittling it down to smaller books, as they study and master the content. They are then left with only a few pages to review the night before the test.

• The goal is to revisit the material that you don’t know 4-5 times - that equates to over a 95% chance that you remember the information when tested on the actual exam.

Bonus Tip: If you might have a sleep disorder… seek a diagnosis and treat it! Physicians are notoriously bad at taking care of themselves. The consequences of a failed exam or being placed on probation for poor medical knowledge during training are catastrophic and even more tragic if preventable with treatment. Sleep hygiene has to be a priority when trying to optimize learning & knowledge retention.