How to Finish 7 Weeks of Studying in 3 Days (from a Med Student)

Summary

Salim, a final year med student, shares his Crunch Method for efficient studying. He advises starting by listing and prioritizing topics using a study matrix based on importance and personal strengths/weaknesses. Salim then recommends 'priming' topics for a general understanding before delving into details. He emphasizes active retrieval through mind mapping and practice questions to reinforce learning. The method also includes building a foundational knowledge, filling gaps with high-yield information from videos, and deepening connections by revisiting content for details. Salim concludes with strategies to maintain discipline and motivation in studying.

Takeaways

• 📚 **Efficient Studying**: Salim emphasizes the importance of studying efficiently to maximize output while minimizing effort.
• 📈 **Crunch Method**: Introduces the Crunch Method, a systematic approach to studying that covers from starting points to memorization techniques.
• 📝 **Listing Topics**: Advises to list out topics and sub-topics, grouping them based on their relevance and your strengths or weaknesses.
• 🎯 **Study Matrix**: Recommends creating a study matrix to prioritize topics based on importance and personal proficiency.
• 🤔 **Determining Importance**: Suggests determining the importance of topics by consulting seniors, syllabus, past papers, and online resources.
• 📉 **Identifying Strengths and Weaknesses**: Encourages self-assessment of strengths and weaknesses by reflecting on past performance and study time.
• 🔄 **Grouping Sub-Topics**: Highlights the benefits of grouping closely related sub-topics to build stronger connections and aid memory retention.
• 📖 **Priming Content**: Stresses the need to get a general idea of a topic before delving into details, using key headings and summaries.
• 🧠 **Active Retrieval**: Emphasizes the value of active retrieval of information to enhance memory retention.
• 📊 **Building on Foundation**: Discusses the process of filling knowledge gaps through practice questions and educational videos.
• 🔗 **Deepening Connections**: Suggests revisiting content to find smaller details and deepen connections between topics.
• 👥 **Group Study**: Recommends studying with friends to practice active recall and gain different perspectives on topics.
• 💪 **Motivation and Discipline**: Touches on the importance of motivation and discipline, with a teaser for a video on how to study without relying on them.

Q & A

What is the main goal of the Crunch Method?

The Crunch Method aims to maximize study output while minimizing effort, allowing students to study efficiently and have time for other activities.

How should students begin organizing their study topics?

Students should list out their topics and subjects, breaking them down into sub-topics and grouping them based on their relatedness to create a study matrix.

What criteria should be used to determine the importance of study topics?

To determine importance, students can ask seniors about exam topics, check syllabi for major topics, review past papers, and look for online discussions about key focus areas.

Why is it important to group related sub-topics together?

Grouping related sub-topics helps build a stronger connection between concepts, making it easier to remember information and study more efficiently.

What initial steps should be taken when approaching a new topic?

Students should cover the basics by skimming through content, focusing on key headings and chapter summaries, and making a mind map of what they remember.

How can practice questions aid in the study process?

Looking at practice questions helps identify gaps in knowledge without answering them immediately, allowing students to focus on high-yield information.

What role do videos play in the study process according to the script?

Videos provide engaging and dense information, making it easier to absorb key concepts and fill in knowledge gaps after initial study.

How should students handle less important content after building a foundation?

Once a foundation is established, students can focus on smaller details and revisit textbooks or resources to deepen their understanding of those topics.

What is the significance of active recall in studying?

Active recall enhances retention by prompting students to retrieve information from memory, which is more effective than passive review.

What strategies can help students maintain motivation to study?

The speaker shares techniques to work without relying on motivation or discipline, emphasizing the importance of developing habits that encourage consistent study.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Mastering Efficient Study Techniques

In this paragraph, Salim, a final year medical student, introduces the concept of the Crunch Method, which aims to maximize study output while minimizing effort. He emphasizes the importance of knowing where to start by listing topics and breaking them down into sub-topics. This helps in creating a study matrix that prioritizes subjects based on their relevance and the student's strengths or weaknesses. Salim advises consulting seniors and reviewing past exams to identify important topics. He also discusses the significance of grouping related sub-topics to enhance understanding and retention. An example of cardiology is provided to illustrate how to categorize topics effectively, highlighting the need to focus on high-yield areas while not getting bogged down by less important subjects.

05:03

🎥 Engaging with Content for Better Retention

This paragraph focuses on the approach to studying each topic after identifying them. Salim stresses the importance of covering the basics first to gain a general understanding before delving into details. He suggests priming through content by identifying key headings and summarizing main ideas during lectures or while reading textbooks. After this initial review, he recommends creating mind maps to visualize connections between topics. Salim highlights the necessity of taking time to actively recall information, which aids in retention. He provides an example of how to approach heart attacks by identifying key concepts and questions, emphasizing that this foundational knowledge is crucial for building a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

Keywords

💡Efficient Studying

Efficient studying refers to the method of learning in a way that maximizes the retention of information while minimizing the time and effort spent. In the video, Salim emphasizes the importance of efficient studying by sharing his own experiences and strategies, such as creating a study matrix and prioritizing topics based on importance and personal strengths or weaknesses.

💡Study Matrix

A study matrix is a tool used to organize and prioritize study topics. It involves listing out subjects, breaking them into sub-topics, and grouping them based on their relevance and one's strengths or weaknesses. Salim uses the study matrix as a central part of his method to decide where to start studying, illustrating how it helps in focusing on the most important topics first.

💡Prioritization

Prioritization is the process of arranging tasks or subjects in order of importance. In the context of the video, Salim talks about prioritizing study topics by assessing their importance through past exams, teacher emphasis, and online resources. This helps in focusing on what is most likely to be tested or is foundational to the subject.

💡Active Retrieval

Active retrieval is a learning technique where one consciously tries to recall information without looking at the material. Salim mentions the importance of active retrieval during the review process, suggesting that it helps in retaining information better than passive reading or note-taking.

💡Mindmap

A mindmap is a diagram used to represent ideas, concepts, or information in a radial, non-linear, or hierarchical structure. In the script, Salim advises creating a mindmap after reviewing content to help visualize connections and relationships between different topics or sub-topics.

💡Prime Through Content

Priming through content is the initial step of lightly skimming through material to get a general understanding before delving into details. Salim uses this technique to cover the basics of a topic, focusing on key headings and summaries, which sets the foundation for deeper study.

💡High-Yield Information

High-yield information refers to the most relevant or important details that are likely to appear in exams or be crucial for understanding a subject. Salim suggests using practice questions to identify these high-yield areas and then focusing study efforts on them.

💡Deepening Connections

Deepening connections involves reinforcing the links between different pieces of information to enhance memory and understanding. Salim recommends revisiting textbooks or other resources after an initial overview to fill in gaps and add details to the mindmap, thus deepening the connections between topics.

💡Active Recall

Active recall is similar to active retrieval but involves more deliberate testing of one's memory. Salim suggests doing practice questions and quizzes with friends as a form of active recall, which helps in solidifying knowledge and identifying areas that need more focus.

💡Motivation and Discipline

Motivation and discipline are内在驱动力和自律能力, which are often seen as necessary for effective studying. However, Salim discusses techniques to study effectively without relying heavily on these, allowing for both academic success and a balanced personal life.

Highlights

Maximize study output and minimize effort to achieve high grades efficiently.

The Crunch Method is introduced for efficient studying.

Studying starts before sitting down to study with 'Knowing Where to Start'.

List out topics and sub-topics, and group them based on their relation.

Use a study matrix to prioritize topics based on strengths, weaknesses, and importance.

Determine importance by asking seniors, checking syllabus, and consulting online resources.

Identify strengths and weaknesses by reviewing past performance and study time.

Group closely related sub-topics to build stronger connections and aid memory.

Difficulty in a subject does not equate to its importance.

Example of breaking down cardiology into sub-topics and prioritizing them.

Approach each topic by covering the basics before delving into details.

Prime through content by focusing on key headings and summaries.

Review content by creating a mindmap to find connections between topics.

Active retrieval of information helps in better retention.

Build on the foundation by filling in gaps with practice questions and videos.

Practice questions are a source of high-yield, relevant information.

YouTube videos can be more engaging and informative than textbooks.

After building a foundation, focus on smaller details for higher marks.

Review content for smaller details and add them to your mindmaps.

Practice questions and quizzes with friends can help fill in gaps.

Repeating the method for each topic or group ensures a high level of understanding.

The method works by layering information for efficient learning and self-testing.

Motivation and discipline are not always necessary for effective studying.

Further strategies for making oneself study without relying on motivation or discipline are discussed in another video.

Transcripts

Imagine if you could finish all of your work in  just a few days and still get the highest grade,  

instead of being like everyone else spending  months studying and barely making any progress..

I’m Salim, I’m a final year med student, but  I’ve also done an undergrad and postgraduate  

degree - so I’ve spent more time studying than  most people would do in their entire life.

But that helped me figure out how I can  maximize my study output and minimize my effort,  

so that I study efficiently and still  have time for other things in my life.

So I’ll go through the Crunch Method so that  you can do the same - and this covers the best  

approach to studying from knowing where to start  to knowing how to remember everything you learn.

And each part connects with the next, so watch  until the end to maximize your study efficiency.

So when it comes to studying efficiently, it isn’t  just about the time when you sit down to study.

Because it starts even before, with Knowing Where  to Start - and there’s quite a few parts to this,  

so I’ll give a personal example at the end of  this section to help you visualize it better.

But the first thing you need to do is list out  the topics and subjects you have on one document,  

breaking them down into sub-topics, and grouping  them based on how closely related they are.

This is so that you can place them into a  study matrix, which is a way to prioritize  

topics based on both your strengths or  weaknesses, and how important a topic is.

But how can you tell if something is  important, or if something is or isn’t  

a strength of yours - so for importance, ask your  seniors for what came up in their exams and what  

was emphasised by teachers or professors,  check your syllabus for the biggest topics,  

same for past papers, and even check online  for what seems important to focus on.

The last is especially useful  because there’s definitely a  

post online where someone asked the  same questions for your exact subject.

And for knowing your strengths or weaknesses,  look at how you did in past exams, or how much  

time you’ve spent on the topics so  far and what you remember from them.

And remember to the start, I said  to group sub-topics based on how  

closely related they are - this is because  these bigger groups share some fundamental  

knowledge so that you can go through them  faster and build a stronger connection,  

helping you remember for longer - so shift these  grouped sub-topics higher up in your study matrix.

Just make sure to group these quite sparingly - if  

there’s very little connection,  don’t group topics together.

So now for an example to help you visualize, if I  broke down cardiology into sub-topics, it includes  

heart attacks, dyslipidaemia, arrhythmias, high  blood pressure, cardiomyopathies, and more.

The closely related sub-topics includes  heart attacks, high blood pressure,  

and dyslipidaemia - and they all  happen to come up a lot in past papers.

So them having a lot of connections  between each other and other topics,  

and being common in past exams  ranks them high in the study matrix.

But on the other end, it’s  important to realise that,  

if something is difficult,  doesn’t mean it’s important.

I remember how I didn’t know much  biochemistry, making it a weakness.

But when I saw past papers,  no questions on them came up,  

and my seniors said to ignore them too -  so that ranked it low in the study matrix.

And in the end, it didn’t come up in my exams.

This first step of knowing where to start gets  you through the most important and relevant  

things first, which is necessary if you want  to do as much as possible in as little time.

So for now ignore anything too complicated,  

because later in the video, I’ll  tell you the best time to do them.

So now you know how to start, but how  do you actually approach each topic? So  

again there’s a few parts to this and as  before I’ll give an example at the end.

But the first thing you need to do is  cover your bases - this is about making  

sure you get a general idea of what’s in  a topic, before you go into the details.

Because how many times have you done a  class or lecture where you kept taking  

notes on specific things, but after the  lecture, you couldn’t remember anything?

What’s important to do first,  whether that’s in a lecture,  

from your textbooks or anything else,  is to prime through the content.

For lectures or classes, this is just sitting  there to listen, only taking notes on key  

headings that come up in the lecture slides,  or making a few questions based on the lecture.

For going through textbooks, that’s  focusing again on key headings,  

but also chapter summaries, because those will  focus on the key principles of the topics.

Right after you’ve finished doing this, review  what you went through by making some form of  

mindmap of anything you can remember, also trying  to find connections between what you went through.

These connections are especially important  if you went through the sub-topics that  

you could group together, as in  the first part of this video.

For this part, people rush and move on straight  away if they don’t remember, but it’s important  

that you give about 15 to 30 seconds to  really think hard about what you went through.

Because this active retrieval of  information from your brain helps  

you retain information better than  if you were to quickly move on - so  

it’s important if you’re trying to go  through a lot in a short amount of time.

This is all going to create the  first, most basic layer of your  

knowledge that helps you understand the  core concepts and vaguely how they come  

together - and the rest of the content  you go through will build on this layer.

So as an example, if I’m going through  heart attacks, I’ll prime through the  

content by picking out the headings,  such as the anatomy of the arteries,  

the types of heart attacks and how  they present, and the management.

And I’d think of any questions that  would be good to know the answer to,  

making sure I actively try  to remember what I read.

This shouldn’t take more than 10-15 minutes to  do because it’s a very brief run through of the  

key points - but this already cuts down on the  hours you would have spent on a single lecture.

And this leads onto the next point which  is knowing How to Build on this foundation.

So you’ll realise from your initial  approach of the last section that  

there’s a lot of gaps in what you know,  which is normal - and in this point,  

there’s a lot of things that help you  fill in these gaps to remember everything.

The first might sound weird, but  it’s to look at practise questions  

for the topics you’ve gone through, but not  actually do them - the idea is to just skim  

through the questions and think about  whether you’d be able to answer them.

If you don’t know the answer, write  down what this question is about.

The reason to do this is because practise  questions, whether from textbooks,  

your lectures, or online question banks,  are more likely to cover the high-yield,  

more relevant information in your topics.

And once you have a list of these questions  on the topic, you can start to fill in  

the gaps - and one of the best ways to do  this is by watching videos on the topics.

Because YouTube videos are created in a way  that’s more engaging and more dense with  

information than your textbooks or classes,  making it faster to absorb key information.

And only after you’ve seen these  videos, try to answer the questions,  

and fill in the gaps you had in your initial  mindmap from the previous section of the video.

This works well because you aren’t just gaining  information and moving on to the next topic,  

you’re gaining information and testing  yourself at the same time, which is what  

helps your brain actively engage and then  store that information for the long-term.

For example, if I do questions on cardiology,  

I might notice things I missed such as how  to investigate and diagnose a heart attack,  

or treatments to prevent future heart  attacks, so I’ll look more into them after.

Doing this on the high yield and important  parts of the topic builds a solid foundation  

of knowledge made up of the first layer  from the approach section of the video,  

and from the gaps you filled from this section.

And this map of key information keeps you from  

having to constantly check through  massive textbooks or lecture slides.

And now I know what you’re thinking,  what about the content that isn’t as  

high yield that you would need  to know for the higher marks?

So now, you can start to worry about  that, because after building a foundation,  

these smaller details are easier to remember  now that you have connections to work with.

And if you remember back to the  section on approaching your work,  

I said to prime through the content  briefly - so now as part of filling  

in your gaps to deepen your connections,  go back to your textbooks, lecture slides,  

or online resources, and read through the  content that you briefly went through before.

But this time, look for the smaller  details that you missed, making sure  

to add them to wherever they fit in your mindmaps.

This is going to make you actively remember  associations between sub-topics and the small  

details, so you again learn and  test yourself at the same time.

After you’ve done one round  of this, go back to questions,  

and you should find yourself feeling that  you can answer a lot more than before.

And at this point, you should start  doing the questions instead of just  

looking at whether the content  of them seems familiar to you.

Just make sure that when you do them, give  yourself those 15 to 30 seconds of time to  

really try and remember what you went through,  instead of rushing through the questions.

But doing questions isn’t  the only way to practise,  

and being able to repeat these steps a few  times in different ways it’s what can help  

you build a high level of understanding  for your topics in a short amount of time.

And another way to make sure  you fill in any gaps is going  

through questions or quizzes with your friends.

Whether that’s doing online question banks  or past paper questions together or even  

making your own questions, do them together  so that you can take turns in answering them.

This works well because if you don’t know one  question, chances are one of your friends would,  

so they can explain it to you by giving a brief  summary with only key information - and that helps  

them too since they’ll practise active recall  as they retrieve information from their brain.

If you find yourself getting quite a few  questions wrong within a sub-topic, repeat  

both the build and deepen connections sections  of the method until you feel more confident.

And once you’ve done this for one topic or a  group of them, repeat the method for the next.

I really want to stress that all of these steps  work because it makes you layer information in an  

order that makes sense for efficiency since you  both learn and test yourself at the same time.

But now a big problem is that, even  if you know how to study efficiently,  

it can still be difficult to get  yourself to study if you don’t have  

the motivation or discipline,  or even if you just feel lazy.

And over the years I’ve been able to reliably  make myself do work without needing motivation  

or discipline, so that I can do well at  med school and still have a personal life.

So in this video here, I talk about how  you can make yourself do work without  

needing motivation or discipline -  so click the video to learn more.