Effective Study and Surviving Exam Stress
04 Nov 2014

A career in medicine involves regular assessment. Lifelong learning is highly valued in medical culture and practise with ongoing learning and professional development a requirement for doctors.1,2 Awareness of learning styles and strategies allows you to use your strengths and manage limitations to enhance learning. This is important not only to do well in exams, but also in becoming a successful doctor.
Learning styles and strategies
Learning styles describe “how” you learn – how you take in, process and retain information. By recognising your preferred style, and using appropriate study techniques, you will optimise your studying and improve learning. Learning styles can be classified into four dimensions: active or reflective, sensing or intuitive, visual or verbal, and sequential or global. Your preference towards a learning style in each dimension listed below may be strong, moderate or mild, and in some situations, both styles may apply.3
The Way You Make Information Meaningful | ||
Active |
Reflective |
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Characteristics |
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Strategies |
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The Way You Connect with Information | ||
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Sensing |
Intuitive |
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Characteristics |
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Strategies |
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The Sensory Input You Prefer | ||
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Visual |
Verbal |
Characteristics |
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Strategies |
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Your Pattern of Learning | ||
Sequential |
Global |
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Characteristics |
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Strategies |
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Exam Stress
It can be difficult to balance training and educational commitments with a heavy workload.4 This can be even more challenging during exam time. It is tempting to spend all your time studying, but this can lead to burnout and various physical and mental health problems.5 The following stress management strategies are not an exhaustive list, and you should include some of your own healthy strategies to manage stress during exam time.
Managing stress in the lead up to exams:
- Discuss concerns with a mentor4
- Exercise4-6
- Plan a holiday or time off4
- Spend time with family and friends4,5
- Get sufficient sleep5-7
- Maintain a healthy diet5,6
Managing stress during the exam:
- Arrive at the exam in good time7
- Take a few slow deep breaths before starting and whenever you feel your breath quickening throughout the exam6,7
- Make a time management plan that includes revision time7
- Begin with the questions you feel confident about7
- Don’t panic if you cannot answer a question immediately, come back to it later7
- Be positive, use positive self-talk, e.g. “I have studied, I am prepared”6
Assessments are often stressful, but using study strategies based on your personal learning style can lessen this stress and increase your learning. Remember that effective learning is important for medical professionalism, not just passing exams.
References
1. Agnew A, O'Kane C. Addressing the Hiatus of Learning Incentives for Prevocational Doctors: Continuing Medical Education Points For Interns. Med J Aust. 2011;194(7):349–52. Available at: mja.com.au/journal/2011/194/7/addressing-hiatus-learning-incentives-prevocational-doctors-continuing-medical.
2. Medical Board of Australia. Obligations on Medical Practitioners. AHPRA; [updated 19 July 2011; cited 3 October 2012]; Available at: medicalboard.gov.au/Registration/Obligations-on-Medical-Practitioners.aspx.
3. Seiler D. Age and Learning Style in the Adult Learner. The Journal of Human Resource and Adult Learning. 2011;7(2):133–8. Available at: hraljournal.com/Page/15%20David%20Seiler.pdf.
4. Australian Medical Association. AMA Survey Report on Junior Doctor Health and Wellbeing. 2008. Available at: ama.com.au/node/4217.
5. beyondblue. A Script For Healthy Living and Wellbeing. In: Perry W, Hillis J, Shun M, editors. Keeping Your Grass Greener: The Wellbeing Guide for Medical Students: Australian Medical Students' Association; 2011. p. 12–3. Available at: media.amsa.org.au/publications/keeping_your_grass_greener_2011.pdf.
6. University Counselling Service. Tip Sheet for Exam Anxiety. Australia: The University of Newcastle; 2010. Available at: newcastle.edu.au/Resources/Teaching%20and%20Learning/UNISS/Student%20Resources/examanxiety.pdf.
7. The Learning Centre. Surviving Exams. The University of New South Wales. [updated 17 August 2012; cited 5 October 2012]. Available at: lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/survive.html.

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