Is it really possible to study less and pass your medical exams?

Life as a junior doctor is busy, and it doesn't leave much time for anything else. In our experience with clients, studying to pass your medical exams tends to fit around work shifts, other activities, and chores.

It's a challenging environment in which you work. Many of the junior doctors we talk to are so exhausted with shift work and study, and life seems to be on hold, that there's no gas left in the tank to study.

You've likely been told that lots of study is what is going to get you through, so you probably have the belief that more is better. However, you can absolutely study less and still ace your medical exams.

This probably flies in the face of all the advice you are given by your consultants. The received wisdom is that to prepare for your exams you need to be studying at every given opportunity.

But is this the most effective way to learn? Absolutely not.

Science knows a lot more now about the brain and how it works. You don't need to put your life on hold until you pass those final exams. The trick is to study smarter, not longer.

In our book we show you how to optimise your study by using brain-based strategies that increase retention and recall. This is not easy as the study is more intense and more focused, but the content will stick, and you will still have time for other aspects of your life.

Common issues for trainee doctors wanting to pass their medical exams.

Most of our clients come to us because they are worried about upcoming exams. But what becomes clear is that these doctors seem to be at the end of their tether. They are exhausted. In our experience are four common issues that trainee doctors face in their upcoming medical exams:

1. Studying hard but can't remember the material

To reduce your hours chained to a desk, you need to use study techniques that make content stick!

Many doctors who visit us tend to study for long hours to absorb the material then get frustrated when they can't recall that important fact or process. They know they read it not long ago, and they are hyper-aware that forgetting is a costly mistake because it could be in the exam, and everything's riding on this.

Study techniquesStudy techniques that make content stick

In our experience, most people don't know how to study. We know that this is a bold statement to make, given that this website and our book was written for junior doctors who have largely aced every exam they have taken.

But there is a big up-step in volume of material to learn in the transition from university to being a junior doctor studying for exams. Some of the most common methods of study are the least sticky when it comes to memory retention and retrieval.

There is a familiar concept known as the forgetting curve within memory research. In our practice we tell junior doctors that when you understand why you forget, you can thwart the forgetting and make sure that what you learn sticks.

In our experience, there is so much opportunity to use the brain in an optimal way to synthesise and integrate material into our long-term memory and reduce feelings of being overwhelmed. 

You wouldn't use old technology on patients, so don't use outdated study methods on yourself. The consequence of using outdated study methods is that you are likely to be studying for longer hours than necessary. 

2. No gas left in the tank and dealing with burnout

Being a doctor can be an enriching and purposeful career. However, as you know, the incredibly demanding schedules, nights on call, and staying on top of your study and medical knowledge can make it very hard to balance competing work and personal demands.

Even though doctors are a very resilient cohort, they suffer from significantly higher distress and burnout levels than the general population (National Mental Health Survey of Doctors and Medical Students, 2013).

BurnoutBurnout has reached epidemic proportions amongst Junior Doctors

Transitioning from study to work (or studying while working) is stressful for junior doctors. Burnout has been reported to be as high as 75% among Australian doctors, with the highest rates among junior doctors (Health and Wellbeing of Doctors and Medical Students, 2020).

Almost every doctor we speak to confirms this research, telling us they are burnt out, exhausted, and have no reserves.

3. Low levels of well-being which reduces your chances to pass your medical exams

For most doctors we talk with, when there is an upcoming important exam, almost everything gets pushed to the side to focus on their studies.

Unfortunately, this can mean that other aspects of their lives are put on hold.

This includes relationships with loved ones, health, exercise, spending time with friends, or pursuing hobbies – the very things that support their wellbeing and resilience. 

The removal of these supports:

  • diminishes the doctor’s quality of life
  • increases their vulnerability to increased stress and burnout
  • reduces the chances of optimising their brain to pass your medical exams.

Consider a Formula 1 car, a very complex machine that travels upwards of 320 kilometres an hour. The pit stop is crucial to the car's performance during the race.

Without a pit stop, it would be challenging to complete the entire race due to the wear and tear on the vehicle. In the pit stop, the car will pause to change tires, refuel, and make mechanical adjustments. Each of these factors is critically important to the speed and performance of the Formula 1 car.

Efficiency at the pit stop can mean the difference between winning and losing the race.

The pit stop is a metaphor for deliberate recovery and rejuvenation that you need to take both within your study and in your days.

Studying efficiently and effectively relies on optimal brain performance. Do not underestimate the importance of exercise, sleep, and managing stress. Getting these things right, provides a platform for quality study and optimal retention.

4. Past failures tend to reduce confidence that you will pass your medical exams

Doctors often arrive at medical school with no experience of academic failure. As a group, you are more goal-oriented, driven, competitive, and perfectionistic than your non-medical peers. Although medical school is challenging, it has a very high pass rate, and many doctors start their specialist training in the late 20s or 30s, having never failed an exam. Until now.

Being a doctor does not make you immune to failure and error.

On the contrary, being a doctor is a complex business with thousands of diseases to treat and many drugs and surgical procedures to choose from.

FailureTrainee doctors need to be resilient in the face of challenges, setbacks, and failures.

As a result, trainee doctors often work at the edge of their capacity and competency, and they need to be resilient in the face of challenges, setbacks, and failures.

At the same time, the rigorous exams that trainee doctors go through – with national pass rates of 70% – meaning that failure and setbacks are common. This outcome is challenging for doctors who appear infallible to the outside world.