How I Ranked 1st at Cambridge University - 20 Study Tips

Summary

This video offers 20 top study tips for excelling in exams, shared by a Cambridge University graduate who managed to balance studies with a YouTube channel and social life. The tips are categorized into five parts: target revision technique, friends and balance. Key advice includes creating a visual representation of subjects, focusing on weaknesses, using a retrospective revision timetable, and understanding before memorizing. The speaker also highlights the effectiveness of active recall, spaced repetition, and interleaving in memorization, as well as the importance of mock exams, intentional flair in essays, and banking points with coursework. The video emphasizes studying with friends for motivation and accountability, sharing resources, and maintaining balance with a dedicated workspace, time for unwinding, and enjoying the journey of education.

Takeaways

• 🎯 **Scoping the Subject**: Create a visual tree diagram to understand the structure of the subject and identify key concepts and their interrelations.
• 🔍 **Focus on Weaknesses**: Use a color-coding system to highlight areas of weakness and concentrate revision efforts on these 'red zones' to improve overall performance.
• 📅 **Retrospective Revision Timetable**: Instead of a fixed plan, revise on the day based on identified weaknesses and track progress over time.
• ✍️ **Note-Taking Limitations**: Recognize that passive note-taking may not be the most effective study method and consider more active learning techniques.
• 🧠 **Understanding Before Memorizing**: Prioritize understanding concepts deeply, which can be tested by explaining them to someone with no background knowledge on the topic.
• 📚 **Active Recall**: Test yourself regularly to reinforce memory and improve retention, which is more effective than passive reading or rereading.
• 🕒 **Spaced Repetition**: Schedule review sessions over time to counteract the natural decay of memory and move information into long-term retention.
• 🔁 **Interleaving**: Mix different topics within a study session to enhance retention and understanding, rather than focusing on a single subject area.
• 📝 **Mock Exams**: Practice with past papers and mock exams to familiarize with exam format and question styles, improving exam performance.
• 🎨 **Intentional Flair**: Add creativity and uniqueness to essays and answers to stand out to examiners and potentially increase marks.
• 👫 **Studying with Friends**: Collaborate with peers for motivation, using techniques like the Pomodoro method, and create a supportive study environment.
• 🤓 **Peer Testing**: Test each other on learned topics to reinforce knowledge actively and fill in any gaps in understanding.
• 📚 **Shared Resources**: Share notes and essays among study groups to distribute workload and benefit from collective knowledge.
• 🏛️ **Dedicated Workspace**: Establish a routine and workspace that promotes focus and productivity, away from distractions.
• 🧘 **Unwinding Time**: Schedule time for relaxation and hobbies to maintain balance and prevent burnout.
• 🌟 **Enjoy the Journey**: Focus on enjoying the learning process and not just the end goal to make the most of the educational experience.

Q & A

What is the first study tip mentioned in the video for creating a comprehensive understanding of a subject?

The first study tip is to scope the subject by creating a tree diagram that visually represents everything that needs to be learned. This helps in understanding where a specific concept fits within the wider picture of the subject.

How does color coding using a red, amber, green traffic light system benefit students during revision?

Color coding allows students to quickly identify their weak areas (red zones), areas that need some improvement (amber), and areas they are strong in (green). This system helps in focusing revision efforts on specific weaknesses.

What is the purpose of focusing on weaknesses during exam preparation according to the video?

Focusing on weaknesses ensures that students do not spend disproportionate time on subjects or topics they are already good at. It helps in achieving a balanced understanding and performance across all subjects, which is essential for optimizing exam results.

Can you explain the concept of a retrospective revision timetable mentioned in the video?

A retrospective revision timetable involves planning study sessions on the day itself rather than in advance. Students identify their weak areas (red zones) for that day and study those topics, marking the date next to the subject once studied. This method is flexible and adaptive to real-life interruptions.

Why is note-taking considered a waste of time for some subjects according to the video?

Note-taking is considered a waste of time for subjects where revision guides are readily available because it is a passive activity that does not effectively aid in memory formation. It is more beneficial to focus on active learning techniques rather than just summarizing material.

What is the Feynman Technique and how does it relate to understanding a topic?

The Feynman Technique is a method where one tries to explain a topic in simple terms, as if to a child. It is based on the idea that if you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. This technique helps in gaining a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

What are the three key memorization techniques discussed in the video?

The three key memorization techniques are active recall, spaced repetition, and interleaving. Active recall involves testing oneself to reinforce memory, spaced repetition involves reviewing information at increasing intervals to counteract forgetting, and interleaving involves mixing different topics within a single study session to improve retention.

Why is doing mock exams considered an effective study technique according to the video?

Mock exams are effective because they help students understand the format and style of the actual exam, allowing them to practice test conditions and exam techniques. They also help in identifying specific areas that need improvement and familiarize students with the types of questions that may be asked.

What does the video suggest about the role of friends in the study process?

The video suggests that studying with friends can be beneficial. It can increase motivation, make the study process more enjoyable, and provide opportunities for collaborative learning. Friends can test each other, share notes, and provide support during the revision period.

What is the importance of balance in the study process as discussed in the video?

Balance is crucial in the study process as it helps maintain long-term motivation and prevents burnout. It involves having a dedicated workspace, scheduling time for unwinding, and focusing on enjoying the journey rather than just the end goal. This approach leads to a healthier and more sustainable study routine.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Effective Study Techniques for Exam Success

The speaker, a university graduate, shares 20 top study tips that helped them excel in exams while balancing a busy life with a YouTube channel, business, and social life. The tips are divided into five parts: target revision technique, friends and balance. The first tip is to scope the subject by creating a tree diagram for a visual representation of the curriculum, which helps in understanding the bigger picture and identifying weak areas. The second tip is to focus on weaknesses using a color-coded system to prioritize study time. The third tip introduces a retrospective revision timetable, which involves planning study sessions on the day itself based on identified weak areas rather than a fixed schedule. Lastly, the speaker emphasizes the inefficiency of traditional note-taking and suggests focusing on more effective study methods.

05:01

🧠 Enhancing Memory Through Active Recall and Spaced Repetition

The paragraph delves into effective memorization techniques, starting with active recall, which involves testing oneself to reinforce memory. The speaker argues against passive note-taking and emphasizes the importance of understanding concepts before memorizing them. The 'Feynman Technique' is mentioned as a method to gauge understanding. Spaced repetition is introduced as a method to counteract the forgetting curve by revisiting material at increasing intervals, leading to long-term retention. The paragraph also introduces the concept of interleaving, which involves mixing different topics within a study session to improve memory retention, as opposed to focusing on a single topic, which can be less effective.

10:02

📝 Exam Techniques and the Importance of Mock Exams

This section focuses on exam techniques, emphasizing that exams are tests of performance rather than knowledge. The speaker suggests using mock exams and past papers to familiarize oneself with the exam format and question style, which aids in understanding the examiner's perspective and improving one's score. The second technique is 'intentional flair,' which involves adding unique elements to exam responses to stand out to examiners, especially in essay-based exams. The third tip is to maximize points through coursework, which can alleviate exam pressure by spreading the grading across the academic term.

15:02

👫 Studying with Friends and Collaborative Learning

The speaker advocates for studying with friends, as it can increase motivation and make the study process more enjoyable. They share their experience of forming a study group with friends from different fields of study and using the Pomodoro Technique to maintain focus. The second tip is to test each other on learned topics, which promotes active learning and helps identify knowledge gaps. The third tip encourages reading and discussing each other's essays, which can lead to a shared pool of resources and a more efficient study process, as long as the material is personalized and not plagiarized.

20:03

🏋️‍♂️ Balancing Study with Leisure and Enjoying the Journey

The final paragraph discusses the importance of balance during study periods. The speaker suggests establishing a dedicated workspace to maintain focus and build productive habits. They also emphasize the need for unwinding and scheduling leisure time, using activities like watching Game of Thrones with friends and playing sports as examples. The speaker advises against deferring happiness until after exams or graduation, urging students to enjoy the process of learning and make the most of their time as students.

🎓 Conclusion and Promoting Lifelong Learning

The speaker concludes by encouraging viewers to enjoy their educational journey and not just focus on the end goal. They promote a holistic approach to learning and life, suggesting that the years spent as a student are some of the best and should be enjoyed. The speaker then introduces the sponsor of the video, Brilliant, an online platform offering interactive courses in math, science, and computer science, which aligns with the video's theme of enhancing learning and problem-solving skills. Viewers are offered a discount for subscribing to Brilliant's premium subscription.

Keywords

💡Study Tips

Study tips refer to strategies and techniques that can enhance learning and exam preparation. In the video, the speaker shares 20 top study tips that they used to achieve success in their exams while balancing other commitments such as a YouTube channel and social life. These tips cover a range of areas from revision techniques to maintaining a social balance, demonstrating the comprehensive nature of study tips in improving academic performance.

💡Scope the Subject

To 'scope the subject' means to gain a comprehensive understanding of the entire subject matter before delving into specific details. The speaker suggests creating a tree diagram as a visual representation of the subject, which helps in understanding how individual concepts fit into the broader picture. This approach is crucial for effective studying as it provides a structured overview and helps in identifying areas of weakness for focused revision.

💡Color Coding

Color coding is a method of categorizing and prioritizing information based on different colors. In the context of the video, the speaker uses a red, amber, green traffic light system to indicate their level of understanding or weakness in various topics. This visual tool helps in quickly identifying areas that need more attention during revision and is a practical way to organize study materials for better focus and efficiency.

💡Retrospective Revision Timetable

A retrospective revision timetable is a study planning method where instead of planning study sessions in advance, one plans them on the day itself. The speaker emphasizes the effectiveness of this method by explaining how it allows for flexibility and targeting of weak areas. It involves studying topics that are identified as weak on that day and then recording the progress, which can help in adapting study plans to real-life circumstances and maintaining a personalized study routine.

💡Note-Taking

Note-taking is a common study technique where students write down or summarize information from lectures, readings, or other study materials. However, the speaker argues that note-taking can be a passive activity and may not be the most effective way to learn. They suggest that it is better to focus on understanding and applying the knowledge through more interactive methods. The script mentions that note-taking can be a waste of time unless it serves a specific purpose, like in subjects where there is a need to develop novel interpretations.

💡Active Recall

Active recall is a powerful learning technique where students actively test themselves on the material they have studied. The speaker highlights active recall as the number one technique for effective studying, explaining that it involves retrieving information from memory rather than passively rereading notes. This method strengthens memory formation and is supported by scientific evidence for improving retention and exam performance.

💡Spaced Repetition

Spaced repetition is a memorization technique where review of learned material is spaced out over increasing intervals of time. The speaker explains that this technique interrupts the natural forgetting curve by reinforcing memory through periodic testing. It is an evidence-based method for moving information from short-term to long-term memory and is a key component of effective study strategies.

💡Interleaving

Interleaving is a study method where different topics are mixed within a single study session rather than focusing on one topic at a time. The speaker discusses how interleaving can improve retention and understanding by making the study process more effortful and engaging. This technique encourages active learning and helps in building connections between different areas of knowledge.

💡Mock Exams

Mock exams are practice tests that simulate the conditions and content of actual exams. The speaker emphasizes the importance of doing mock exams for familiarizing oneself with the exam format, question types, and improving exam performance. They argue that exams are not just tests of knowledge but also of exam technique, and practicing with mock exams can help students to optimize their scores.

💡Intentional Flair

Intentional flair refers to the unique and engaging elements that students can add to their exam responses, such as interesting introductions, creative diagrams, or clear handwriting. The speaker suggests that adding flair can make exam responses stand out to examiners, potentially leading to higher marks. This concept is particularly relevant for essay-based exams where there is scope for personal expression and creativity.

💡Coursework

Coursework refers to the assignments, projects, or other graded work that students complete throughout a course, contributing to their final grade. The speaker advises students to focus on coursework as a way to 'bank' points and reduce the pressure of final exams. By putting effort into coursework, students can improve their overall performance and have a more manageable exam period.

💡Studying with Friends

Studying with friends is a social approach to learning where students collaborate and motivate each other. The speaker shares their positive experience of studying with friends from different disciplines, using techniques like the Pomodoro Technique and creating a supportive study group. This method can make the study process more enjoyable and can lead to better motivation and retention.

💡Testing Each Other

Testing each other is an interactive study method where students quiz one another on the material they have learned. The speaker describes how this method was used in their medical school experience, allowing friends to actively engage with the material and fill in each other's knowledge gaps. This peer-to-peer learning technique enhances understanding and recall.

💡Reading Friends' Essays

Reading friends' essays is a collaborative study technique where students share their written work to create a pool of resources for the group. The speaker explains how this method was used to distribute the workload and avoid duplicating effort. By sharing essays, students can benefit from a wider range of perspectives and information, which can be adapted and personalized for their own studies.

💡Work-Life Balance

Work-life balance refers to the equilibrium between one's academic or professional responsibilities and personal life. The speaker discusses the importance of maintaining this balance by having a dedicated workspace, scheduling time for unwinding, and enjoying the journey of education rather than being solely focused on the end goal. This balance is crucial for long-term motivation, mental health, and overall well-being.

💡Enjoying the Journey

Enjoying the journey is a mindset that encourages individuals to find happiness and fulfillment in the process of achieving their goals, rather than only focusing on the outcome. The speaker advises students to appreciate their time in school and university as some of the best years of their life, emphasizing the importance of enjoying the learning process and not just deferring happiness until after exams or graduation.

💡Brilliant

Brilliant is an online learning platform mentioned in the video that offers interactive courses in mathematics, science, and computer science. The platform is highlighted for its first-principles approach to learning, where concepts are taught through interactive problem-solving. The speaker recommends Brilliant for those interested in enhancing their problem-solving skills and understanding the foundational principles behind various subjects.

Highlights

Creating a visual tree diagram to scope subjects helps understand the wider picture and identify weak areas.

Focusing on weaknesses is crucial for exam preparation, using a color-coding system can help target specific areas for improvement.

A retrospective revision timetable is more effective than a prospective one, as it adapts to real-life circumstances.

Note-taking is generally not an effective study method; understanding and active learning are superior.

Understanding concepts deeply by explaining them to a novice is a better approach than passive note-taking.

Active recall is the number one technique for effective studying and memorization.

Spaced repetition interrupts the forgetting curve and helps consolidate information into long-term memory.

Interleaving different topics in a single study session can improve retention and understanding.

Mock exams are essential for understanding exam structure and improving exam performance.

Adding intentional flair to exam answers can make them stand out and potentially increase marks.

Banking points through coursework can alleviate exam pressure and contribute to a better final grade.

Studying with friends can increase motivation and make the study process more enjoyable.

Testing each other on topics is an effective way to reinforce learning and fill knowledge gaps.

Sharing and reading each other's essays can distribute workload and provide diverse perspectives.

Having a dedicated workspace and routine can significantly improve focus and productivity.

Scheduling time for unwinding is crucial for maintaining balance and preventing burnout.

Enjoying the journey of studying, rather than being fixated on the end goal, leads to a more fulfilling experience.

Transcripts

right so it's been a few years since

i've graduated from university but i

still always get a bunch of questions

from students asking for study tips on

how to do well on their exams so in this

video we're gonna go through my 20 top

tips for studying that i used to do

pretty well in my exams while i was at

school and also studying medicine at

cambridge university while building this

youtube channel and having a business

and trying to have some semblance of a

social life and enjoying the journey

along the way let's go and we're going

to split this video up into five parts

that is target revision technique

friends and balance and tip number one

is to scope the subject what this means

is that for every subject that we have

to prepare for that we have an exam for

we want to create some sort of tree

diagram that gives us a visual

representation of everything that we

need to learn in the subject often one

of the things the students struggle with

is not appreciating where a given

factoid or fact or concept fits within

the wider picture and so the way we want

to think of it is like we want to build

up the tree from the trunk and like the

kind of branches first before we worry

about the little details like the leaves

but if you're in a lecture and you're

covering like a leaf over there

somewhere down some random branch it can

be very hard to like appreciate how it

fits into the wider picture and so as

long as we scope the subject at the

start of our curriculum at the start of

a course at the start of our revision

period that will really help in terms of

just appreciating where stuff fits in

the benefit of this is that you can also

then color code the areas that you're

weak in so i like using a kind of red

amber green traffic light based system

for all the topics and so at a glance

for every subject anatomy physiology

chemistry physics whatever i can see

immediately okay these are the red zones

and therefore those are the areas that i

want to focus my revision on and that

brings us to tip number two which is to

really focus on your weaknesses when

we're starting for exams there's the

very easy temptation to focus on the

things that we are good at so people

invariably revise chapter one and

chapter two of everything far more than

chapters 19 and 20 at the back of the

book and really the point of the color

coding system is that it really helps us

target our specific weaknesses like if

you know you're really good at maths and

you know you suck at french like i did

in school there's no point spending ages

focusing on maths or spending exactly

the same amount of time focusing on

maths and french it's all about

recognizing okay i don't need to do much

work in this particular subject i'm

going to put a disproportionate amount

of effort into the stuff i'm bad at so

that i can get to a point where i'm

really good at all of the things in real

life this is actually probably bad

advice in general in real life we do

better and we get ahead and all that

stuff by focusing on the things we are

good at rather than by trying to improve

all of our weaknesses to a reasonable

standard but generally in school and

university exams it's not the case that

like if you get an amazing mark in one

subject that makes up for bad marks on

the other subject we do have to kind of

play this game of getting all of our

stuff to a reasonably high level if

we're optimizing for exam results at

school or at university and tip number

three is to use a retrospective revision

timetable now i've got a video all about

this which will be linked up there and

in the video description which i think

several hundreds of thousands of

students have found really helpful the

idea behind a retrospective revision

timetable is that it's different to a

prospective revision timetable normally

when we make a revision timetable we

like to list out that ah on this day i'm

gonna study this this and that on you

know then next week i'm gonna study a

bit of renal physiology and a little bit

of upper limb anatomy and a little bit

of like the krebs cycle in biochemistry

and we create this like theoretical plan

which a is an exercise in

procrastination because just creating

that prospective revision timetable is a

bit of a waste of time and b i don't

know if you're anything like me you

never end up actually sticking to that

theoretical timetable because real life

gets in the way there's social stuff

that happens and we find that maybe i'm

good at that thing but not of that thing

and so this theoretical plan ends up

just going out the window instead what i

like to do is use a retrospective

revision timetable and i've been using

this for my exams from like second year

of med school onwards and the idea there

is that instead of planning what we're

going to do in advance we actually just

plan it on the day and we again we focus

on our weaknesses we figure out okay

where are my red zones today you know i

was read on physiology so let me study

some of that i was read on neuroanatomy

so let's study a little bit of that and

then once we've studied it we put the

date down next to the subject and then

we can color code it based on how well

we did on that subject on the day and so

at the start we have a long list of

topics and they're all red because we

don't know any of it but then over time

they slowly go amber and they slowly go

green and if you want more details on

that you can check out the actual video

on the retrospective revision timetable

all right part number two is revision

and tip number four is that note-taking

is broadly a waste of time now this is a

bit of a controversial take but there's

a bunch of studies that show that

students like one of students favorite

strategy for studying is to summarize or

take notes from the stuff that they're

consuming in lectures or the stuff

they're watching videos about or the

stuff they're reading in textbooks but

there's a decent amount of evidence that

says that simply taking notes and

summarizing with the book open

proverbially is not a very effective way

to learn because it's quite a passive

thing and it's very easy for us to do

now generally we have this misconception

when we're trying to learn stuff that

learning should be easy and when

learning is easy it feels we feel

productive yeah i've just done three

pages worth of notes but actually the

way that memory is formed and the way

that we build those connections between

concepts and topics is by putting effort

into it and in a way the more effortful

it appears the harder it seems to us the

more likely our brain is to form

connections between those relevant

things and the more likely we are to

actually know the topic that's why most

students method for taking notes is a

little bit of a waste of time because

all you're doing is just summarizing the

material whereas there's a bunch of

other techniques that have been shown in

the scientific literature where they've

done hundreds of studies looking at

evidence-based study tips that are way

better than taking notes now if you're

starting a subject where you actually do

need to take notes let's say you're

studying english literature at

university where there is no easily

accessible revision guide and you do

need to have some sort of novel

interpretation of madame bovary or

something

something to that effect then in that

sense taking notes makes sense because

you genuinely do need to condense the

information down and get a hot take on

it that you can then memorize for the

exams whereas if you're studying

something like medicine or science

subject you already have tons of

revision guides there's already students

in the years above who've already

written a bunch of notes you've got

loads of free stuff available on the

internet and so in that context i think

taking notes is broadly a waste of time

and instead we should be focusing on the

more effective and efficient study

techniques and speaking of those study

techniques the next tip is to focus on

understanding first now again one of the

mistakes that students make which i made

a lot when i was a student is to try and

just memorize stuff as we go along but

the way that we should try and study is

broadly we need to understand stuff

first and we need to memorize it second

understanding it basically means being

able to explain it to a 12 year old or a

five-year-old or however year old you

have a friend or nephew or any son or

daughter basically we want to understand

things enough to explain them to a

five-year-old and there's a quote from

einstein which is that if you can't

allegedly from einstein which is that if

you can't explain it to a 12 year old

you probably just don't understand it

well enough this is also famously called

the feynman technique named after

richard feynman who apparently was just

like a fantastic communicator and really

good at physics and stuff but one of his

key skills was in being able to break

down concept topics and explain them to

kids and that's what understanding

really means like it's not really about

whether you know can a five-year-old

understand it but it's more about can

you explain it to someone that doesn't

really have a baseline level level of

knowledge on the topic and

can you answer the why why why questions

that they're going to inevitably ask and

the idea is that for each topic you try

and explain it to a five-year-old in

your head or a friend or whatever and

when you get to the point where you like

you don't know the answer to one of the

questions that they're asking at that

point you think okay cool that this is

where my understanding ends let me dive

into the textbook or the internet

wikipedia or youtube or whatever and let

me fill in this gap and now i'll be able

to explain it to the five-year-old again

and so over time we're very much

focusing on how do we understand this

information in the most efficient way

possible but then once we've understood

it we do actually have to memorize it

and thankfully we have three amazing

techniques for memorization technique

number one is called active recall and

this is the by far the number one

technique in all of effective studying

which i've done tons of videos on in the

past over the last like five years the

idea behind active recall is basically

we need to test ourselves we have this

erroneous assumption that to get

information into our brain we need to

put it into our brain by kind of reading

it or consuming it but actually the way

memory formation works is that to get

information into our brain we actually

need to try and retrieve that

information from our brain so we read

something once we try and understand

what the deal with that thing is and

then we test ourselves on the thing that

we've just read or that we've just

understood and then we ideally want to

repeat that testing of ourselves further

down the line and again this is going to

seem hard but there is gallons and

gallons of scientific evidence that says

that testing yourself on stuff makes it

far more likely for that stuff to stick

there's a fantastic book as well called

make it stick which is all about the

science of effective learning and what

the authors of that book say is that

generally if you are unhappy with your

grades or performance in any kind of

test or any kind of exam it just means

that you're not testing yourself enough

testing is by far the number one way to

improve your score so if you have bad

marks test yourself more often more

frequently and more so that it feels

hard when you test yourself and i

guarantee basically that that will lead

to an improvement of your score so

active recall was tip number one for

effective memorization the second one is

something called spaced repetition now

again space repetition is something i've

talked about ad nauseam uh you might be

familiar with it basically the idea is

that whenever we remember anything

whenever whenever we learn anything our

memory for that thing exponentially

decays and this is called the forgetting

curve which was discovered by a chap

called ebbinghaus in like the 1800s and

this is why you have that phenomenon

where you read something and then a week

later you try and look at it again and

you just completely forgotten everything

about it because that that's that's

natural it's not that we are a dumbass

and we can't memorize things it's just

literally the way that memory works and

the whole like some people have a

photographic memory is a complete myth

like there is no evidence that anyone in

the world actually has a proper

photographic memory so we all suffer

from this some kind of memory decay and

the idea behind space repetition is that

space repetition interrupts the

forgetting curve so we might study a

topic on day one and use active recall

to test ourselves at the end of the

session then our memory is going to

decay a bit and maybe the next day we

would repeat the testing of ourselves

and if we got stuff wrong we would look

at our notes then we might repeat it

four days later and then maybe a week

later and then maybe three weeks later

and the idea is that over time as we

repeat the testing and as we space that

out over time and that is what's going

to lead to the forgetting curve being

interrupted permanently and we're going

to try and help get that information

into our long-term memory this is why as

well like consistency when it comes to

studying over a long period of time is

generally a lot better than like random

bouts of intensity all in one go because

even if you do like 15 minutes per day

that is way better than doing like two

hours at the end of the week because

you're benefiting from that space

repetition effect and you're benefiting

from the fact that memory formation

really gets consolidated when we are

sleeping and so in a way the more sleeps

you have in between study sessions the

more likely you are to more effortlessly

retain all that stuff so we've got

testing we've got spacing and the third

big tip for effective memorizing is

something called interleaving again they

talk about this a lot in the book make

it stick but the idea is that basically

we want to be interleaving various

different things in a single study

session and they've done studies where

for example let's say you've got two

groups of students and you give one set

of students math problems but like

you've got them in blocks so like you

know all of the you know topic a would

be a blog topic b would be a block and

topic c would be a block and then you

take another group of students and you

sort of interleave like abc abc cba you

know that kind of thing so they're not

doing all of one set of problems in one

go and they find that the performance of

students in the second group the

interleaving group is way better than in

the first group no one quite knows why

this is but again maybe it ties into

that thing of like when studying and

when learning feels effortful like we

haven't yet got like a pattern just to

repeat ad nausea or ad nauseam for a

single set of problems when it feels

effortful that translates to better

memory and so theoretically that helps

improve our retention of stuff and so

generally we want to be interleaving

things so it's like i'm going to do

three hours of just renal physiology

it's generally a bad chat maybe like one

hour of renal physiology followed by

some heart physiology followed by some

anatomy and then going back to the renal

physiology that is probably a more

effective way of going about it all

right now we come to part three which is

technique and tip number one here is to

do lots of mock exams now the biggest

thing here is to recognize that when it

comes to studying for stuff the exam is

actually not a test of knowledge it's a

test of exam performance and yes in an

ideal world in a dream world the stuff

we'd learn at school and the stuff we'd

learn in our degree would would all

entirely be relevant and we'd be doing

it for the sake of knowledge rather than

for the sake of passing an exam in the

real world and the way the current

education system is designed which is

not ideal but in the current world we're

not doing it for the sake of knowledge

we're doing it partly for the sake of

knowledge but mostly to pass the exam to

get some sort of qualification of

qualification at the end of it this is

even true of medical school you would

think that the exams in medical school

help you be a doctor but generally the

stuff you get tested on is not the stuff

that translates to you being a better

doctor at least in written exams

compared to clinical stuff and so what

that basically means is that when we're

studying for stuff we should recognize

that we are optimizing our score in a

game and that game is the exam we're not

worried about just general knowledge

across the board well we can be but

again when a goal directed behavior to

do better in exams therefore mock exams

like past tests any any way we can get

hold of past papers that is often the

most high yield thing we can do because

again we're tapping into the whole

active recall thing and tapping into the

idea that testing ourselves is just the

way forward when it comes to memorizing

anything but we're also kind of

implicitly learning what sort of

questions the examiners are asking and

what exam technique looks like and if i

think back to the exams at university in

med school that i did the best in it was

the ones in which i'd done the most mock

exam papers so in a way i could get

inside the heads of the examiners and

kind of predict what questions were

going to be asked whenever i say this

people in the comments were always like

oh my god this is like bad like you

should be studying for the sake of

knowledge it's like yes i agree in an

ideal world i would be but i also have

to pass an exam so you know don't hate

the player hate the game as they say

technique number two is to use

intentional flair now this generally

applies to essay exams or exams in which

you have to answer questions in long

form and basically the more flair you

can add to that the more interesting it

is to the examiner i spent a year

supervising medical physiology at

cambridge university and so i read

dozens and dozens of essays and

inevitably the ones that i felt were the

best were the ones where there was some

level of flair whether it was just even

just like nice handwriting or you know

pretty diagrams or someone adding like a

really interesting introduction that had

an interesting take on the subject of

like how was the sodium pump discovered

if someone adds like a flarey

interesting kind of introduction it

really makes me as the examiner feel

like oh hello this is kind of

interesting this is unusual especially

you know if you're doing one of these

public exams where the examiners are

reading like hundreds of scripts in a

given day the more flair you can add and

the more you can stand out in their mind

in a good way hopefully the more likely

they are to give you a decent mark and

i'm going to let you in on a secret a

lot of examiners don't actually read

your whole essay read all of your work a

lot of them get quite lazy a lot of them

get a bit like demotivated especially as

the day progresses and so the easier you

can make it the more you can make it

look as if you are the sort of person

who deserves a high mark the more likely

you are to get that high mark again this

is not ideal you would think especially

in like things like medical school and

law school and stuff that the examiners

are reading every single word of your

essay but if you've ever tried reading

like 100 essays in a go it's just

genuinely really really really hard to

actually read every single word so

basically if we can front load the flare

and if we can make if we can structure

our essays and make him look pretty that

really does go a long way in creating

this halo effect in the eyes of the

examiners and that generally translates

to a better mark for ourselves so it you

know it's just about the packaging it's

about the marketing it's about the

presentation of stuff it's not only

about the content and tip number three

for technique is in general you should

try and bank as many points as you

possibly can with coursework this

applies to some university subjects to a

lot of school subjects at gcc and a

level or o level and a level whatever

they're called these days but when there

is the option to do coursework

throughout the year which contributes to

your final grade that is generally a

good thing to do because it's kind of

scary when 100 of your grade rests on

that final exam so the more you can put

flair and vibes and good stuff into your

coursework especially if that's an

option the easier the final exam becomes

all right that brings us to part number

four which is friends and tip number one

here is to really study with friends

this is something that most people don't

do because they're like oh my friends

are distracting but really what you want

to do is you want to find a good group

of friends where you vibe with one

another and you're all motivated to

study for the exams together you don't

even have to be doing the same subject

when i was in my second year of medical

for example i had friends who were doing

like history law medicine philosophy

maths and we would all go to the same

library and study together and we'd be

using the pomodoro technique together so

we'd study for 25 minutes then we'd take

a five minute break and we created this

whatsapp group that we called the

pomodoro society which is still going to

this day because we're all still kind of

friends and yes you might take a little

bit of a hit to your productivity but if

i think back to my university experience

a i think i was much more motivated when

studying with friends but b it also just

made the whole thing much more fun and

if i'd been just stuck in my room on my

own i would have had a lot a lot less

fond memories of university especially

exam term than i did because i was in

the library hanging out with friends and

we'd go out to lunch after a few hours

of revision tip number two for starting

with friends is to test each other this

is a thing i used to do a lot with my

medical school friends when i was in

clinical school so the final three years

of med school at cambridge university

and the idea there is one of us would

learn a topic and then we would test the

other people on it or for example if i

was studying a topic i would ask someone

to test me on it like when you're

studying with friends especially if you

have a friend like in our case it was a

friend called paul paul just kind of

knew everything and so the temptation is

there but like hey paul i don't know

anything about the thyroid can you just

tell me about the thyroid that's kind of

bad because it's just passively trying

to absorb information from another

student whereas the way we do it is like

right paul i don't know anything about

the thyroid thyroid can you test me on

it and then you can fill in the gaps and

so paul would be like okay cool what are

the common causes of a lump in the neck

or a common causes of like a painful

goiter or whatever and then i'd be like

oh crap i don't know oh i think i can

remember this i can think i think i can

remember that and so we're actively

testing ourselves and testing our

friends and then our friends are

hopefully filling in the gaps or if

there's a gap that no one knows then

someone can google it and we can all

like learn together and tip number three

for this is to read your friends essays

so when i was at university again like

me and my friends would get together we

formed a shared google drive and instead

of all of us preparing the same essays

that we would then kind of try and

memorize for the exam we kind of split

up the workload so that i was doing

three catherine was doing three jake was

doing three more he was doing three paul

was doing three columns doing three and

so on and so by the end of it like we

would like each individual would do

three essays worth of work but then we'd

have access to like 30 essays from the

other 10 medics in our college and this

was a great system right because it

means that we are distributing the

workload a lot of university revision a

lot of school revision is kind of

inefficient because a lot of people are

kind of doing the same thing and if you

poor resources and if you share your

notes and stuff you can benefit a lot

from the economy of scale in terms of

writing essays and planning stuff out

now obviously if in the exam you are

trying to regurgitate a friend's essay

word for word that is probably bad it's

probably gonna be picked up on and

that's not what i'm endorsing what i'm

endorsing is use your friends notes

share resources amongst yourselves and

then when you're doing stuff you can add

your own flair and your own vibes to it

to make it your own and finally we have

part number five which is balance now

tip number one here is to have some sort

of work space i really liked going to

libraries in my first year of med school

i tried working in my room and i really

failed at working in my room because i'd

always get distracted because my

computer was there and because the music

would be on and because the bed was

right next door and so if i just wanted

to sleep it would just be too easy to

fall asleep whereas from second year

onwards i started going to the library

and then i made it this routine to go to

the library every morning after

breakfast do some work and when you're

in that zone when you're in that zone of

silence maybe you've got your like study

with me music playing in the background

link in the video description if you

want to check it out on spotify there's

just something about that that really

helps in terms of focus this is a thing

that i'm finding these days as i'm

working on writing a book about

productivity which is that like when i

have a specific space like some kind of

routine that in the morning i'm gonna

wake up i'm gonna go to the gym and then

i'm gonna sit down for three hours and

try and write my book that is when i

make the most progress whereas when my

routine goes out of whack and i try and

write here and there and everywhere else

then it's just actually genuinely hard

to to focus and so i'm big on building

some kind of routine and some kind of

workspace that feels productive that

helps us build those healthy habits for

kind of maintaining that consistency and

enjoyment over a long period of time tip

number two in balance is to definitely

have time for unwinding there is this

like over-glamorization that happens

especially at university especially in

things like medical schools where people

are like hey i work so hard i don't have

time to sleep i worked so hard i pulled

an all-nighter that's generally bad

obviously balance is the way forward i

think students these days now no longer

compete to see who can work the hardest

because that kind of used to be a thing

back in my day when i was in my youth

but you know it's all about balance it's

all about having hobbies having stuff

that you can do to unwind i find it

useful to actually schedule that time

into my calendar because when you're

enjoying work and when you're kind of

turning into a game which is which is

what i was big about when you're

enjoying it it can be very easy to just

be like oh i'm having so much fun that i

just can't be bothered to i don't know

go to the gym or like do the sports

stuff but generally i think scheduling

time for unwinding in the calendar is is

really helpful i would have liked game

of thrones nights with my friends we'd

all hang out every week and watch game

of thrones we'd do a bunch of like

sports stuff together you know playing

badminton playing squash that kind of

thing even in the midst of exam season

and i was actually in exam season that i

first took up squash for the first time

in my second year and we played on

average like an hour a day as like an

exam break and that stress buster stress

reliever semi-relaxing semi-competitive

thing just really helped in terms of

making me feel more motivated to

actually study while i was studying and

also to feel more tired at the end of

the day so i could have a good a good

night's sleep because sleep is when all

these memories and stuff gets

consolidated and tip number three for

balance is to really focus on enjoying

the journey and not being so fixated on

the destination this is the advice that

i give to a bunch of students who come

to me for advice these days like when

you're a student it can be very easy to

defer your happiness until after the

exams or until after your degree or

until you get a job and one of the most

saddening things i hear from medical

students is oh you know this i don't

really enjoy med school this med school

thing is really hard but once i become a

doctor it will all have been worth it

i'm always like oh that's like a

dangerous way of living life because a

med school is genuinely more fun than

being a doctor and when you're a doctor

you're obligated to be in and you have a

job and the stress is different to the

stress of being a medical student but

also like you know being a student is

supposed to be the best time of your

life it's like your prime you've got

loads of friends around you and never

again in your life will you be in an

environment where you have so much spare

time and you have so many friends all

around you and so really focus on

enjoying that process and the way i

think of it is we want to try and enjoy

each day on its own merit rather than

being fixated on like you know this next

rung of the ladder and i will be happy

when i dot dot dot so really it's all

about the journey rather than the

destination yes we want to optimize for

studying for exams and we want to

optimize for doing well and doing well

in our degrees and all that kind of

stuff but really you know if we're not

enjoying the journey along the way you

know we want to try and do our best

towards journey along the way because

otherwise we're just like screwing

ourselves over by kind of throwing away

these like potentially best years of our

life for the sake of an end goal and

it's only when you get to the end goal

that you realize actually i kind of wish

i'd enjoyed myself more along the way

now if you've gotten to this point in

the video then firstly thank you very

much for watching but you're also

probably the sort of person who

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subscription so thank you so much for

watching this video if you got value out

of this you might like to check out this

video over here which is specifically

about the essay memorization framework

that i used to win the price for best

exam performance in one of my years of

med school so that'll be linked over

there otherwise thank you so much for

watching do hit the subscribe button if

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see you in the next video bye