Exam season is upon us! Don’t fear, I am here with more tips and tricks to get you through the next few weeks. Most of these will be tailored to medicine, but some are applicable to GCSE, A-Level or anything you are studying. I wrote a previous blog post with a lot more tips that are all applicable to any type of studying so go there for even more advice.
As usual, everything will be linked in 🙂
Acland’s Anatomy is an amazing resource to watch videos with actual specimens which I find can be more useful than textbooks with coloured diagrams as it is more realistic, and they also have exams to test your knowledge. You can sign up for a free account for access to videos and your university log in gives you access to exams.
You have probably watched the TV show Grey’s Anatomy, but the actual textbook is a fantastic resource for revision, or even just a trusted resource to do some extra or background reading. There are loads of copies (physical or ebook) you can loan from the university library.
Teach Me Anatomy and Teach Me Physiology are amazing sites to brush up on your knowledge and have simple explanations for difficult to grasp concepts. The also have little 3 question mini quizzes on different pages and clinical relevance bites which I have found very useful. They also have other parts of the Teach Me series including surgery, obstetrics and gynecology and paediatrics.
Societies are another great resource, many of them run tutorials throughout the year and release revision material. Surgical society, Muslim Medics, Endocrinology the list is endless. This year I attended the centralised mock some societies came together to run and the feedback was very useful and highlighted areas of improvement.
For those of you doing GCSEs, I got you. @aceyourexams on TikTok runs through practice maths questions and mathsmadeeasy.co.uk is a great resource tailored for the 9-1 curriculum with videos, explanations, worksheets and practice drill questions. Khan Academy and CrashCourse are also great resources for understanding things conceptually. I used physicsandmathstutor.com and chemrevise.org for access to past papers, summary notes of each topic and pre-made flashcards. Those last few are great for both GCSE and A-Levels.
Spaced repetition is a proven study technique that works. Revisit your material again and again but switch up your study style and make sure you are not avoiding topics you know you find difficult. Yes, I am talking to you. Same for me, though, I need to start on my Development and Ageing module.
I am not a huge fan of revision timetables but at least have a rough plan to work out a timeline of when you need to have revision done so you feel prepared for the final exams. Double and triple check your exam dates and if they are in person or online. Plan your revision to accommodate for the timetable, for example, if between exam 1 and 2 you have a week spent a little more time on 1 than 2 now because you have that extra time to revise for that.
I recommended gutsystudygirl on Youtube on a previous blog post (and her channel is still amazing! She posts motivational messages in the breaks which is very sweet), but if you are looking for live streaming, the account @livestudybuddies goes live every day on TikTok. Another great account is @medical_kat who does study lives and shares productivity hacks. She also has a great discord server to join for a studying community.
If you don’t want to use your phone to limit distractions, go to studystream.live where they have worldwide focus rooms to study in. It’s basically a zoom call where everyone is there to study. Hundreds of people join the servers so there is a sense of community that everyone is trying to get work done.
We are coming closer to the end of this academic year. I cannot stress enough how important breaks are. Hydrate yourselves, relax your shoulders, nourish yourselves, go for a walk, whatever makes you feel good.
As always, if you are stressed, panicked, worried, want to talk to someone, need help, please reach out to someone!
Happy studying and good luck!
