Must-Know Tips for Studying Biomed and Health Science
Avoid the mistakes of first year and maximise your chance of success with our comprehensive guide, prepared exclusively for MoneyHub by two of New Zealand's top-performing medical students
Updated 11 July 2024
Summary
To help you prepare with confidence, our guide covers:
- You have probably heard stories about Biomed/Health Science not being easy. The truth is that the papers are very content-heavy, and you will be required to memorise a lot of information.
- However, with efficient studying techniques, advice from older students and a lot of grit, you will increase your chances of attaining your goals.
- MoneyHub engaged two 4th year Auckland University medical students who attained a core GPA between 8.0 (A) and 9.0 (A+) to prepare this guide, with additional information provided by a trusted Careers Advisor.
- While this guide focuses on the University of Auckland, the information can be applied widely to Otago and most other science degrees.
- We believe this is the most comprehensive tip sheet for increasing your chances of success in your Biomed/Health Science studies. Please contact us if you have any tips you'd like to share with our research team.
- Important: While this guide is written for Biomed and Health Science students, the principles apply to many other degrees.
To help you prepare with confidence, our guide covers:
Know This First - Build the Foundations for Studying Success:
Before we get into the detail, it's essential to get the basics right. These include:
1. Understand the material before you memorise it: Understanding helps when the examiner assesses the information from different angles. Understanding also aids the memorisation process.
2. Know what the high-yield material is: Trying to understand and memorise every resource word for word provided to you is inefficient. Instead, seek the high-yield information they frequently assess and focus your efforts there. High-yield material is information and concepts that are important to know or at least fundamental to understanding other ideas. As they are important, these pieces of information and concepts are frequently examined in tests and exams.
"High-yield material" is any information and concepts that is:
3. Do not fall behind: Biomed/Health Science is very content-heavy, and it is easy to fall behind. Once you fall behind, it can be challenging to catch up. Make sure you do your best to stay on top of the content.
4. Find out what works for you: Which studying technique is the most efficient? Do you prefer group or individual study? Should you attend lectures in person, or do you prefer to watch the recordings?
5. Have some balance: Do not completely neglect your physical and mental health.
1. Understand the material before you memorise it: Understanding helps when the examiner assesses the information from different angles. Understanding also aids the memorisation process.
2. Know what the high-yield material is: Trying to understand and memorise every resource word for word provided to you is inefficient. Instead, seek the high-yield information they frequently assess and focus your efforts there. High-yield material is information and concepts that are important to know or at least fundamental to understanding other ideas. As they are important, these pieces of information and concepts are frequently examined in tests and exams.
"High-yield material" is any information and concepts that is:
- Important to know, and
- Fundamental for understanding other ideas, and
- Frequently examined in tests and exams due to its importance.
3. Do not fall behind: Biomed/Health Science is very content-heavy, and it is easy to fall behind. Once you fall behind, it can be challenging to catch up. Make sure you do your best to stay on top of the content.
4. Find out what works for you: Which studying technique is the most efficient? Do you prefer group or individual study? Should you attend lectures in person, or do you prefer to watch the recordings?
5. Have some balance: Do not completely neglect your physical and mental health.
Helpful Must-Know Tips to Navigate Your Biomed/Health Science Study:
Understand What to StudyWith an abundance of recommended readings and resources provided to you, it can be difficult to identify the high-yield material to focus on. For certain subjects, the content on lecture slides is the highest yield. For other subjects, it may be the study guide. Therefore, we recommend you find someone 1-2 years ahead of you and ask them where you could access the high-yield material and how it is assessed.
A note on textbooks:
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How to StudyPre-reading:
Revising:
Know This: Throughout the year, you will find out what works for you. Find out whether studying alone, in a group or switching between the two is the most efficient for you. Studying in a group helps solidify the material. As tests approach, grilling each other on the material improves competence and confidence levels. However it's essential to diversify your risks. Some people have a study buddy, but the danger is an over-reliance on one person who may not be up to the standard required and getting lulled into a false sense of security. For this reason, a study group is often a better idea. Also, find out whether you learn best by attending lectures or watching lecture recordings. Attending lectures will allow you to be part of the environment, watch demonstrations and interact. Watching lectures online allows you to speed the lecture up, and you will save time with transportation. It is good to experiment to see what works best for you. You could keep a record of unknown vocabulary, pause the lecture and check for meaning as you go along. Don't fall behind: A big tip is to avoid falling behind. As any Biomed/Health Science student will tell you, it is very hard to catch up once you fall behind. Lectures continue to pile up; before you know it, you are ten lectures behind. As soon as you sense that you are falling slightly behind, do your best to get back on track. |
LabsLabs can be compared to following a recipe. You get the recipe, and you have to make the meal. You can be assessed on the quality of the meal, the science of making the meal and/or how the recipe relates to the bigger picture.
In a lab, you're often given instructions on what to do. There are a variety of topics ranging from counting blood cells to making chemical compounds. Ways to get ahead include:
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Establishing a BalanceAlthough there will be a lot of content to learn, it is important to have some balance throughout Biomed/Health science. For example:
It is unsustainable to study for 16 hours every day without breaks. Having breaks and taking care of your mental and physical health will likely improve exam performance. Try to keep routines, take study breaks, and keep some perspective on life to maintain mental health. Many students have their entire identity wrapped up in getting into medicine - this is far from ideal. |
For those wanting to enter a clinical program, additional tips include MMI and UCAT
It's important to know that many academic students think they can enter their preferred course with A+ grades. However, being humble about your ability in interviews is essential. Success mainly comes from reading guidelines, practise, knowing pitfalls and getting feedback, as we explain in the MMI and UCAT sections below:
Multiple Mini Interview Preparation (MMI)An effective way to prepare for the interview is to get a bunch of friends who are also doing the MMI. First, have a look at old MMI questions. Here is a link to a forum that provides you with a few. Then, have a go at discussing ideas. Argue for one side, then argue against it. Once you are comfortable, try to answer a question in front of the group.
Another useful method to prepare for the MMI is to record yourself answering interview questions. Although it may be painful to watch yourself and hear your voice, you will learn when you say filler words like "um" and whether or not you are conveying your ideas the way you want to. Unfortunately, too many people do not do this and are not as well prepared; arguably, it is where more mature students have an advantage in 'getting over themselves' and advancing their studies. Often, a free mock MMI will allow students to practice their interview skills as the interview approaches. However, spots are limited, so sign up as soon as possible. Other useful resources are courses from companies specialising in helping you to get into a clinical program. |
UCAT PreparationThe following information was written by a medical student that scored in the 97th percentile:
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Other Useful Tips and Resources for General Day-to-Day Studying
Beyond our tips above, we've listed some must-know tips to help you maximise your chance of success:
AnkiAnki is a free program that allows you to make virtual flashcards. You can install it onto your computer and create flashcards, allowing you to test your knowledge. For example, you can select whether getting the answer was easy, good or hard after completing a question. The computer program will then determine when it will show you that exact question again based on your answer.
Using Anki is a very active technique and will help you memorise facts well. However, it is still essential to use other studying techniques to have a broader perspective. Anki also has a phone application that is free on Android but costs around $45 on the app store. |
Pre-read to get a head startReading material and learning a few critical pieces of vocabulary before lectures may be useful (if you are attending them in real-time), as prior learning helps reinforce what you're taught. E.g. learning what a car's parts are before your first driving lesson would help you learn faster. We suggest looking at John Hattie’s research (although pre-med is a different ballgame).
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