How to Finish 6 Months of Study in 72 Hours

Summary

In this video, Dr. Justin Sun, a learning coach and former medical doctor, shares effective cramming strategies for students with an imminent exam. He emphasizes the importance of understanding learning objectives and Bloom's taxonomy to prioritize study material. Sun advises focusing on high-logic-point concepts first, then filling in gaps with lower-logic-point details. His method aims to maximize study efficiency and logical reasoning abilities, even under time constraints, ultimately improving guessing accuracy on exams.

Takeaways

• 📚 Start by understanding the importance of Bloom's Taxonomy and how it influences the creation of exam questions, which helps in prioritizing study material.
• 🏥 Dr. Justin Sun's personal experience with cramming for an exam in 3 days, and the importance of learning from such experiences for effective studying.
• 🎯 Focus on the learning objectives provided by institutions, as they are legally obligated to test students on these objectives, guiding your study direction.
• 🤓 Develop the ability to think like an examiner to increase the chances of studying the right content by understanding the framework behind exam creation.
• 📈 Identify the levels of learning that are likely to be assessed, such as lower order thinking like memorization and higher order thinking like evaluation and synthesis.
• 🧠 Utilize logical reasoning to deduce answers for unfamiliar questions by focusing on major concepts and principles that offer the most 'logic points'.
• 📝 Prioritize studying material that has high logic points, which are the key concepts that help explain other parts of the topic and enhance deductive reasoning.
• ⏰ Strategically allocate time over 3 days, starting with high logic point topics, then mid-level, and finally filling in gaps and memorizing details.
• 🔍 On day one, spend time identifying learning objectives and the likely levels of assessment to filter the importance of study material.
• 🚫 Be prepared to skip lectures that are lower order and memorization-heavy if they do not contribute significantly to logical reasoning or deduction.
• 🔑 Use the final day for identifying gaps and focusing on memorization techniques for details that are necessary but not central to logical reasoning.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is how to study effectively in a short period of time, specifically how to cram efficiently for an exam in 3 days without compromising the quality of learning.

Who is Dr. Justin Sun?

Dr. Justin Sun is a learning coach and the head of learning at I Can Study. He is also a former medical doctor who has helped thousands of people learn more efficiently over the past decade.

Why did Dr. Sun initially struggle with his medical school exam?

Dr. Sun struggled because he completely forgot about the existence of a paper he was supposed to study for, due to relying on previous student notes that did not cover that particular paper. He only studied for 60 hours in the 72 hours leading up to the exam.

What was the outcome of Dr. Sun's last-minute cramming for the medical school exam?

Dr. Sun received a C+, which is equivalent to about 65%, which was the worst mark he ever received in medical school. However, he was able to pass because the exam was heavily based on rote memorization.

What is Bloom's revised taxonomy mentioned in the video?

Bloom's revised taxonomy is a framework used to create exam questions that assess students on different levels of thinking, ranging from lower-order thinking (isolated knowledge) to higher-order thinking (integrated understanding).

What are learning objectives and why are they important for exam preparation?

Learning objectives are the specific goals or competencies that an educational institution aims to teach and assess in a subject. They are important for exam preparation because they guide the creation of exam questions and help students focus their study efforts on what will actually be tested.

How can understanding the examiner's perspective help with exam preparation?

Understanding the examiner's perspective allows students to think like the examiner, which can help them predict what might be tested and at what level of learning, thus increasing their chances of studying the right topics and concepts.

What is the concept of 'logic points' in the context of this video?

'Logic points' refer to the value of a piece of information in helping a student explain other things in the topic or make logical inferences about unknown information. Information with higher logic points is more useful for deducing other knowledge gaps.

Why is it beneficial to focus on higher logic point items during the first phase of cramming?

Focusing on higher logic point items first is beneficial because these items are more likely to help a student make connections between concepts and logically deduce answers to questions they might not know, thus increasing their chances of answering correctly on the exam.

How should a student prioritize their study material during a 3-day cramming period according to the video?

A student should prioritize by first identifying the learning objectives and the levels of learning that will likely be tested, then focusing on the material with the highest logic points. On the second day, they should focus on items with slightly lower logic points, and on the third day, they should address any obvious gaps and try to memorize any remaining details.

What is the guided learning program mentioned by Dr. Sun and where can one find it?

The guided learning program is a step-by-step training program created by Dr. Sun that distills a decade of his experience in teaching people to learn more efficiently. It can be found at ionstudy.com, with a link provided in the video description.