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.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Effective Cramming for Exams

Dr. Justin Sun, a learning coach and former medical doctor, introduces a method for studying efficiently in a short amount of time, specifically three days before an exam. He emphasizes this is not a recommendation for regular study habits but a skill to master in case of necessity. He shares a personal anecdote from medical school where he had to cram for an exam, resulting in a C+ grade. The story illustrates the importance of understanding the structure of exams, often based on frameworks like Bloom's Taxonomy, which categorizes levels of thinking and learning. Dr. Sun suggests that knowing the examiner's perspective and focusing on higher-order thinking can significantly improve cramming effectiveness.

05:01

🤓 Strategic Cramming Based on Learning Objectives

The summary explains the importance of aligning study efforts with learning objectives and the legal obligations of institutions to test based on these objectives. It outlines the concept of Bloom's revised taxonomy, highlighting the difference between lower and higher order thinking in exam questions. The speaker advises using the taxonomy to predict the types of questions that might be asked, thus focusing study time on the most relevant material. The summary also introduces the idea of 'logic points', suggesting that some information is more valuable for logical deduction and should be prioritized during a cram session.

10:03

📈 Prioritizing Information for Maximum Learning Impact

This paragraph discusses a strategy for 'hyper cramming', which involves identifying the most valuable information based on its potential for logical deduction. It suggests focusing on major concepts and principles that can help infer other knowledge gaps, rather than getting bogged down in detailed, low-value information. The speaker provides a step-by-step approach for the first day of a three-day cram session, recommending spending time understanding learning objectives and the levels of learning that will be assessed, followed by focusing on the most connected and logically powerful information.

15:04

🗓 A Three-Day Cramming Schedule for Optimal Results

The final paragraph outlines a detailed schedule for a three-day cram session. On the first day, the focus should be on high-logic-point information, which is most connected and valuable for reasoning. The second day involves revisiting slightly lower logic point topics, still avoiding overly detailed information. The third day is reserved for identifying any obvious gaps and using techniques like flashcards or memory palaces to memorize necessary details. The speaker also promotes his guided learning program for further study techniques and emphasizes that this cramming method helps train the brain for discernment and deep processing of information.

Keywords

💡Cramming

Cramming refers to the act of studying intensively for a short period of time before an exam, often when one has not started studying earlier. In the video's context, it is not encouraged as the primary study method but is acknowledged as a useful skill for covering a lot of material quickly. The video aims to teach a more strategic approach to cramming to maximize efficiency.

💡Learning Objectives

Learning objectives are the specific goals or competencies that an educational institution aims to teach and assess in students. In the script, they are used as a guide to focus study efforts, as most institutions are legally obligated to test students on these objectives. They help narrow down what needs to be studied and are crucial for the strategic cramming approach discussed in the video.

💡Bloom's Revised Taxonomy

Bloom's Revised Taxonomy is a framework that categorizes educational goals into different levels of complexity and specificity. In the video, it is mentioned as a common basis for creating exam questions, with lower-order thinking being more isolated and higher-order thinking being more integrated and complex.

💡Logical Deduction

Logical deduction is the process of reasoning from one or more statements to reach a logical conclusion. The video script discusses using logical deduction to guess answers more accurately during a cram session, especially when not all information can be memorized. It is a strategy to fill knowledge gaps and make educated guesses.

💡Fact Recall

Fact recall involves the ability to remember and state facts or pieces of information accurately. In the video, it is identified as a lower-order method of thinking and learning that is often tested in exams. The script suggests that focusing on higher-order concepts can indirectly aid in recalling facts through logical connections.

💡Strategic Cramming

Strategic cramming is a method of studying where one focuses on the most important or logically deducible information in a limited time frame. The video outlines a method for this, which includes identifying learning objectives and focusing on higher logic point information to maximize the chances of guessing correctly on an exam.

💡Multiple Choice Questions

Multiple choice questions are a type of exam question where students select the correct answer from several options. The script mentions that by using the strategic cramming method, one can increase the probability of guessing the right answer in multiple choice questions through logical reasoning.

💡Microbiology

Microbiology is the study of microscopic organisms and their interactions with other living beings. In the script, it is used as an example to illustrate how different levels of thinking (lower-order to higher-order) can be tested in exam questions, from basic fact recall to complex analysis and evaluation.

💡Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotic resistance refers to the ability of bacteria to resist the effects of antibiotics, which is a significant public health concern. In the video, it is used as an example of a higher-order topic that might be evaluated in an exam, requiring students to critically evaluate and propose strategies to address the issue.

💡Memory Palace Technique

The Memory Palace technique, also known as the method of loci, is a mnemonic device that involves associating information with specific locations in a familiar environment to aid recall. In the script, it is suggested as a method to cram in the last details before an exam, particularly for rote memorization of small details.

💡Guided Learning Program

A guided learning program is a structured course or training regimen designed to improve learning efficiency. The video script mentions such a program as a resource that covers the strategies discussed in the video, offering a step-by-step approach based on the presenter's decade of experience in teaching people to learn more efficiently.

Highlights

Dr. Justin Sun introduces a method to study efficiently in a short time without encouraging cramming.

The importance of understanding Bloom's revised taxonomy for effective studying.

The significance of learning objectives in shaping exam questions.

How to prioritize studying based on the level of thinking assessed in exams.

The story of Dr. Sun's experience with forgetting an exam and the strategy he used to pass.

The concept of 'logic points' to determine the value of information for deducing other knowledge.

Strategic filtering of information based on its relevance and logical deduction power.

The method of 'hyper cramming' and its application for limited time study sessions.

Using logic to make educated guesses when information is not memorized.

The importance of understanding the examiner's perspective to study effectively.

Differentiating between lower and higher order thinking in exam preparation.

The strategy of focusing on major concepts and principles over detailed technical information.

A day-by-day breakdown of an effective 3-day cramming schedule.

The role of logical reasoning in filling knowledge gaps during exams.

How to maximize the chances of guessing correctly on multiple-choice questions.

Dr. Sun's guided learning program for more efficient learning methods.

The benefits of the proposed cramming method for discerning information and deep processing.

Adapting the cramming strategy for longer study periods to maintain the same phases of focus.

Transcripts

so you've got an exam coming up in 3

days and you haven't started studying at

all what can you do to get the best

grade possible in this video I'm going

to teach you how you can study a huge

amount in a very short period of time to

be clear I'm not encouraging you to cram

for an entire exam in just 3 days but

knowing how to cover a lot of volume in

a short period of time is a useful skill

if you're new to this Channel and you're

wondering who I am I'm Dr Justin Sun I'm

a learning coach in the head of learning

I can study I'm also a former medical

doctor and for the last decade I've

helped thousands of people learn more

efficiently which does sometimes include

doing some hyper cramming before we jump

in I'd appreciate if you give this video

a like it really helps with the

algorithm which my life is at the mercy

of so why 3 days well there's a funny

story actually back when I was in my

third year of medical school there was

this paper that I was studying for and I

actually completely forgot that this

paper even existed and I know what

you're thinking thinking how can you

forget that a paper even exists well at

the time I was actually using a previous

student notes as my primary source of

studying I wasn't going to lectures

anymore and this student just decided

not to write any notes with this

particular paper so I just didn't like I

just forgot I just forgot that the whole

paper existed until 3 days before the

exam yes I understand it was really dumb

I've been very dumb for a very long long

part of my life and so for that 3 days

before the exam I studied a lot like in

72 hours I probably studied 60 of those

hours and I ended up getting the worst

mark that I ever received in medical

school which was a C+ which I think is

like a 65% or something but the thing is

I was actually quite lucky because that

particular exam and that particular

paper was very very fact recoil heavy so

I could rely on a lot of just Plano root

memorization and still managed to pass

funnily enough that very paper the next

year changed the way that they were

examining so that you would no longer

have been able to do that the questions

got way more complicated way more Nuance

like if you didn't properly understand

it you wouldn't have done very well also

potentially not surprising I don't

remember anything about that paper

anymore in fact I remember so little

about that paper I don't even remember

what the paper was on like I have a

vague memory of remembering something to

do with the pancreas and that's it maybe

was the gallbladder anyway I've learned

a lot more about how to study

effectively since then and I'm going to

teach you the right method of cramming

if you've got limited time without

spending like 20 hours a day studying so

for the first thing about cramming the

right way is to understand that you're

in a compromised position anyway you got

to lose something and you have to be

strategic about what you're going to

lose if you haven't started studying for

something 3 days before your exam and

you're expecting to still do really well

you're either a genius or you're

delusional I'm just going to let you

decide which one you are and a big thing

that helped me understand how to crme

the right way was actually getting

trained on creating assessment questions

myself as an educator I've realized what

goes on behind the scenes when they're

creating an exam paper how they thinking

about what the test you want because if

you can think like the examiner you

increase your chance of studying the

right thing now most places most

institutions will create exam questions

based on some kind of framework and

common one would be like Bloom's revised

taxonomy or solo taxonomy or really any

variation but they follow the same

general principles there are usually

different orders and levels of thinking

and they're trying to assess you on

those as a very general summary lower

order methods of thinking and learning

these tend to be a lot more isolated

whereas the higher order levels tend to

be much more integrated and there's

something of a spectrum in between so

it's the first piece of helpful

information now the the second thing is

to know that most institutions in most

countries are legally obligated to test

you on the learning objectives now they

don't have to test you on every single

learning objective and what Falls within

the scope of a learning objective can be

quite a gray area sometimes but they're

still a useful guide to work off and

most examiners are going to think like

this there's a list of learning

objectives that they have for that

particular subject let's say that there

are three for one lecture and they're

going to be thinking how can they test

these learning objectives at these

different levels of learning so already

this helps to narrow down our focus a

little bit for example if we have a

topic around Greek history then we might

get asked a question at a lower order

that's like described the major events

and significance of the Greco Persian

Wars who were the key leaders and what

were the key battles and outcomes of

this conflict whereas for the same

subject a mid order question might be

something like like analyze the social

and political structure of Athens during

the time of Pericles how did pericles's

leadership impact the Athenian democracy

culture and Empire Building efforts you

can see that it sign they compare and

contrast multiple ideas against each

other compared to the really higher

order questions which might sound a

little bit more like evaluate the

influence of Greek philosophy on the

development of West and thought

discussed the contributions of Socrates

Plato and Aristotle and how their ideas

shaped not only ancient grease but also

subsequent intellectual philosophical

traditions so now it's not just about

examining different ideas against each

other but now you have to create a value

judgment about how important the

contribution of each of these ideas and

relationships are on each other it's

more than just knowing that there are

differences and similarities it's

understanding the significance of them

if we use another example like

microbiology then we could have a lower

order equ that sounds like explain the

differences between procaryotic and

eukariotic cells with examples of

microorganisms that belong to each

category and describe their basic

structural characteristics relatively

straightforward fact recall quite

isolated a mid-order question instead

might sound a little bit more like

discuss the role of microorganisms and

biogeochemical cycles focusing on the

nitrogen and carbon Cycles how do

bacteria and AA contribute to nutrient

cycling in ecosystems and what are the

ecological implications of these

processes again you can see now we're

looking at comparing different concepts

and ideas with each other but we don't

have the idea of significance that comes

through the higher order version which

might sound like critically evaluate the

use of antibiotics in medicine and

agriculture analyze the challenges of

antibiotic resistance its mechanisms and

the potential consequences for public

health and propose strategies to address

the issue of antibiotic resistance

effectively that's a super broad

question incredibly complicated but

again you see that they're asking you

about the consequence the significance

the importance of these interaction

actions so this is going to be the

pattern across the board any lecture

objective they can test you on a direct

immediate fact recall very isolated they

can ask you about comparisons with

related other Concepts or objectives or

they can ask you about the significance

of them again they don't necessarily

have to ask each of these depending on

your curriculum sometimes the lecture

objectives are actually written in a way

that indicates what level they're

interested in so for example the lecture

objective might actually say that what

they want from you is to be able to

describe the something something

something which suggest that it's a

lower water Mastery they're looking for

whereas if the lecture objective uses

words like discuss evaluate contrast

these are indications that they want

that higher order flare and so when you

scan through electure objectives you can

actually get a reasonably good map for

how they're likely to test you now

remember you're going to lose something

you're not going to be able to cover

every single question there are going to

be things that you miss but this is is a

more strategic way of using your time it

increases the probability of getting

more questions correct but this is still

not enough because even then especially

if you've got a Content dense curriculum

it's going to be very overwhelming and

this is where the idea of logic comes in

how can we help our brain figure out

what the right answer is even when it

doesn't actually know the right answer I

mean it's kind of a fancy way of just

saying how can we guess more accurately

and so if we look at how our brain is

able to make logical deductions it can

be even more strategic how we spend our

time cramming let me explain our brain

has a network of knowledge it's able to

use this network to make inferences

about new information and new problems

so let's say you didn't study everything

and the test question is now asking you

about some piece of information that is

missing from your network well if you've

got enough connections that are

surrounding in it you can logically

infer the answer this is something that

might be called deduction or logical

reasoning and so obviously if you've got

more knowledge and more things

surrounding the Gap then it's easier to

make the inference for example if the

only thing that you're missing is the

second step of a process but you know

the first step and the third step and

you know what goes in and you know what

comes out you might logically be able to

figure out what happens in the middle to

make it from input and output and here's

a really strategic part when it comes to

cramming is that not all information is

the same value from a logical reasoning

perspective we can always think about

each piece of information having like

logic points the more logic points

something has the more useful it is in

figuring out other things typically

these are going to be the major Concepts

principles rationals on the other hand

if you have something that is low level

of logic points then this is going to be

like a very very detailed technical

piece of information like for example a

particular constant for an equation or

the particular micrometers or the tubule

this is information which might come up

somewhere but there's limited ways that

you can use this information to

logically deduce other knowledge gaps

and so this gives us the basis for our

hyper cramming strategy we want to use

our time to figure out what are the

learning objectives what are the and

levels of learning that they're likely

to assess us on for each of these

objectives and then what are the pieces

of information that give us the most

logical deduction power I.E which pieces

of information have the highest logic

points now you might be wondering how do

you even know what the logic points of

something are and the answer is that

until you really spend more time to

study which you don't have time to do by

the way you're not really going to know

so you have to make your best guess the

good good news is that your best guess

is probably going to be reasonably

accurate all you have to do is as you're

reading the lecture slides or the

coursebook or whatever resources you're

studying from you ask yourself how

valuable is this piece of information at

helping me explain other things in the

topic how helpful is it at making sense

of multiple other things in the topic

and you will generally be able to say

okay well this seems like it might Maybe

be related to some other things or you

might read it and think this seems

really specific and it's probably not

going to be very relevant and so what

you do is you just ignore the things

that seem like they're not going to be

as relevant and you just start with the

things that feel like they are connected

to more pieces and it doesn't really

matter if you miss a few things because

first of all again you've got limited

time you got to pick your losses but the

other thing is that you might get three

pages down and realize something you

skipped earlier actually is really

related like it directly explains this

other thing that you're now reading

about well that's fine you can just

always go back and then learn it now but

the key is to be quite aggressive with

filtering what information is helping

you reason about the topic and which

information is something that you might

just end up having to wrot learn and

memorize which you've got limited time

for and that's the type of thing that

you should really have for the last

night of cramming rather than day one of

a 3-day cramming stretch so here is how

I would schedule it if you've only got 3

days day one spend about one or 2 hours

of that time which I know it seems like

a lot of time but it's well worth it

scoping through the topic to pick out

what are the learning objectives and

what are the orders of learning that

they're probably going to test me on

this is going to give you a bit of

filter for when you're reading the

information so you can make sense of how

important it is and how much time it's

worth investing into it in the first

place you might sometimes find entire

lectures where every single learning

objective is very very lower order and

memorization heavy this is the type of

lecture that you might want to just

completely skip on this first day and

come back to later it's kind of like a

nice to have on the other hand you might

realize that only two or three lectures

are really really dense and asking you

about the higher water things and you've

got like another 10 or 20 lectures that

are all much simpler much faster and the

learning objectives for it seem much

simpler in lower order in that case the

right strategy might be to put the

higher water of stuff off first and just

go through the simple lectures because

most places you will have to be tested

on every lecture at least once in fact I

remember when I was in unique one of my

friends skipped the hardest five

lectures of Bio chemistry like these

five lectures would have taken like the

same amount of time to study as all the

other lectures combined for that topic

and they managed to get an A minus

without studying the hardest lectures at

all they only focused on the simplest

lectures and because they knew that as a

percentage all of these lectures have to

be tested at least once they just moed

up a bunch of those easy points and they

let themselves just figure out the rest

with the hardest lectures to get like

you know 20 or 30% of those questions

right but the moral of the story here is

that when you're clear about the

learning objectives and you're clear

about the different orders that they're

likely to test you on it makes you have

a much better judgment about what is

relevant and what is not so it's time

very worthwhile to spend after you do

that go through the lectures and keep

that filter in your mind ask yourself

how connected as this information to

everything else does it give me more

logical reasoning and deduction ability

and make a guess on how many logic

points it has spend your time to learn

the things that have the highest logic

points only for as much of that paper as

you can you want to cover as many

lectures as possible focusing only on

the stuff that has the highest logic

points and to be honest if you can do

that there is a really good chance that

with that alone you could pass because

especially if it's a multiple choice

question youve increased the chance of

guessing the right answer from maybe

like a 25% random selection to a 45% but

we still have day two and so on day two

we're going to do the exact same thing

as day one but now on the slightly lower

level of logic points these are the

things that you skipped on the first day

still not those really really detailed

things but the parts that feel like they

are maybe a little bit more important

but definitely not as important as the

stuff that you covered on day one and

again go through as many lectures as

possible filling that out and again I

know it's scary to keep just skipping

all of this content but You' got to lose

something and again you have to pick

your losses and so for day three we're

going to spend this time looking at the

learning objectives looking at the

different orders that they're going to

test you on and asking yourself are

there any really obvious gaps that I

haven't been able to fill yet and if

you've got some more time try to cram in

using flash cards or Memory Palace

techniques all the tiny little details

that you might need to pick up and just

get through as many of those details as

possible if you can't get through them

more no big deal you're already putting

yourself in the best possible position

anyway and what you'll find is that when

you walk into the exam you're not really

going to be that confident for any

question but overall your chances of

getting the right Mark are going to be

relatively High because you can figure

out a lot of things you can logically

reason the right answers if you like

this approach you thought it was

interesting and you want to learn more

methods like this then this as well as

basically everything else I talk about

in all my videos are covered in my

guided learning program this is a

stepbystep guided training program that

distills a decade of my experience

teaching people to learn more

efficiently so that you can have the

smoothest and easiest and most

error-free path of becoming more

efficient learner if that sounds

appealing to you then you can check that

out at ion study.com there's a link in

the description now this method of

criming is actually really beneficial

for some other reasons as well first of

all it really helps to figure out that

logic Point scoring because it trains

your brain to be more Discerning with

the information this is a really

important part of deep processing which

is in other words how intelligent you

are and that's something that you can

train I talk about that a lot more in my

video around learner types and the other

thing is that if you have more days like

4 days or 5 days or 6 days or seven days

or maybe even like you know like a whole

semester to study for it you can

actually use the exact same approach but

you just spend longer on each of the

days but the phases and what you're

focusing on in each phase of study

Remains the Same in the first phase

whether that's one day or seven days

we're focusing on the higher logic Point

items and then on the second phase we're

focusing on the mid logic Point items

and in the third phase AKA maybe the few

weeks before the exam or few days we're

going to be going through lecture

objectives looking at the different

orders that we might be tested on

looking for gaps and then mopping up all

those little details that we'd have to

rot memorize that we're only going to

remember for a few days anyway and so

that is the most cognitively beneficial

way of cramming again I'm not saying you

should cram but if you're going to do it

you may as well do it the right way