How do you study?

I love your idea of the 2 different colored highlighters.

We aren't allowed to record lectures.

I read my material ahead of time and highlight important points. I use my power points and print 3 slides per page to take notes on the lines to the side during lecture. Then, after lecture I go back and take notes of the material I've read plus I review my notes from lecture within the first few hours after class.

I also make some index cards with important points using keywords to help me retain the info. For me, it sinks it really well when I write certain concepts over a few times.

I just started my program last Tuesday so I hope i'm studying right! In the past, it helped me to understand the material before class, then the lecture re enforces my understanding, (or corrects it lol). I use my flash card app on my phone for the things I have to memorize (iflashcards), and highlight highlight highlight! My professors give us student learning outcomes on our syllabus so I also make a document with the answers/explanations to the outcomes. Turns out I am making a study guide for the final :). I guess I won't know if i'm studying right until the first test. Good luck to y'all!

How do I study? Hmm....A LOT comes to mind. LOL!

I read the chapter summaries and do the questions and go back and flip through the pages. For me, it seems to be mostly repetition that I need. I wish I could read it all once and have it. No such luck here.

For me, I have to write to learn. I read required chapters before hand then try to take good notes in class. Then I take all that material (my notes, handouts, powerpoints etc) and type up my own set of notes on Word. These notes are what I study when I prepare for an exam and most times I don't need to refer back to the text/handouts too much.

Some of my study aids:

- I have a bundle of colored highlighters, I use different colors for different things (blue for exam, yellow for important, pink for 'needs clarification', olive for 'research'. What I am starting now is separating systems by color and use the same colors for drugs ie. red for cardiovascular system and nitroglycerin)

- Apps: Flashcards, StudyBlue, gFlash+, MedLabTutor, MedAbbr, UMMS Medical Reference, Micromedex, iTriage, MPR, 3D Musculoskeletal Quiz & 3D Body Systems Quiz, NCLEX Qbank, NCLEX Q&A - 6 of those. There are others I haven't used yet CliniCalc, Qx Calculate, Stedman's Med Term Q&A, Silvestri Lite (Saunders NCLEX-RN Exam Lite Mobile Q's)... etc. I am sure I will pare these down once I find the ones that suit me but I figure they're worth sharing (for those with iDevices, I am just getting Android devices now).

- I have two small 21.6cm x 17.5cm notebooks. I do all of my chapter exercises in those, I hand-write tables in the front of them then fill them with the exercises back to front. It's old school since I re-do it all digitally but I am a real kinesthetic learner.

- As implied above, I am working on bricks of flash cards. I hope it will help my memorization and association as it has in the past but I am a 'returning student' so it's all working and hoping at this point.

- I skim chapters, then go back and read and annotate. I'm not big on writing in books (can't seem to get into the habit) so going digital has REALLY helped! I also loaded all of the online resources available that correspond with my books. I am sure I will get more once I actually start school but for now I am just getting acquainted with the introductory chapters and what is available depending on the publisher.

There's more but I hope someone finds a little of this useful!

I don't use powerpoints or use any fancy methods, to be honest. I follow along with lecture in my book, highlighting important points. Anything that is stated which isn't in the book or needs clarification, I scrawl in the margins of it. Later on, I make index cards of all those points, but worded in ways I think they might appear on the test. I study once or twice a day in 5-10 minute intervals, and the night before the test, I spend about 20-30 minutes reviewing the note cards (with breaks every 5 minutes). My memory borders on photographic, so it's not a method I'd suggest to anyone else. I will say, though, I do think people tend to make mistakes and study for 8 hours while retaining very little! I strongly feel people should study for no more than 30 minutes at a time, and take frequent breaks during which other activities are done (ie: If I feel I HAVE to study more, I study for 10 minutes, play solitaire for 5, study another 10, browse FB for another 5, etc). I also have ADD, and man, this REALLY helps me stay productive.

I'm a writing and auditory learner so I just write notes on everything in lecture or if they're going by the book, I highlight/underline the important things and write on the margins as well as write on a separate piece of paper so I can later go through all the bullets.

The CD's that come with the books and also the evolve website are EXTREMELY useful. Make sure to do some questions before the test.

I am a returning student I'm a visual/ kinesthetic learner. In the past I had a hard time finding what was best with sooo much material to learn in a short period of time. At my previous school by the time I would get through reading I wanted to go back through to make outlines and study cards but I would never have enough time. So U would just read and keep reading over the most important points that I would highlight. I started doing a lot better by doing that. Now at my new school, its more detailed and not as fast paste, and they just don't throw a million chapters at you, they actually go over the main points, and relate it to personal scenarios so we can retain it. So I use different color highlighters to go along in my book as their lecturing, and I use it on my out line and ppt. I I have more time to outline and take additional notes in which I use different color ink pens as well. Writing and reading helps me a lot and taking frequent breaks, the multi coloring keeps my attention on what I'm reading, It helps keep me focus. Write after I read, I test myself by answering the review questions at the end of each chapter, and study guides. To make sure I have an understanding of the material, and not just reading and not being able to recall any of it.

Another big help to me was not procrastinating, and take advantage of extra free time, holidays, increment weather, etc. and reading ahead. If test is on Monday on 6 chapters I'm not going to wait till that Friday before to start reading. By giving myself more time and studying in small intervals also helps me to understand and remember the material.