A huge part of being in medical school (Chinese or Western) is memorization. It’s unavoidable. Every week, tons of information is thrown at us, and we are responsible to absorb and assimilate it, and to have rapid recall. Fortunately, our brains are powerful, and only get stronger with exercise. For better or worse, memorization requires repetition and focus, however, it probably takes less concentrated time than we expect.

Okay, everyone’s mind works differently, so I guess I can’t speak for everyone, but I can speak from my own experience, and from what I’ve learned from others (like Cal Newport). I find that generally speaking, sitting down for a four hour study session, is far less effective than running through my notes 2 or 3 times over the course of the day and reviewing them. This is especially effective in the morning, and right before you go to bed.

It also really really helpful to have a good understanding of how your brain works and what type of learner you are. Many of us are visual learners, some of us are audio learners or kinesthetic learners. I find that movement and speaking out loud is really helpful for me. I don’t really feel comfortable with the material until I’m able to explain it to someone else (this is slightly problematic with boring material that’s less relevant to people who aren’t studying Chinese Medicine). If I can speak it out to someone, I know I know it.

And don’t forget about acronyms…

More about memorizing and study techniques later (now I have to get back to studying, hehe).

I’d love to hear about tactics you apply…