7 How to Study for Exams-An

Evidence based Masterclass

The class is divided into three parts:

Understanding

Remembering

Focusing

UNDERSTANDING
#2 The Three Steps for Effective Studying
Understanding is by far the most important thing. Second step that is remembering,
space repetition is the technique you will need to look into.

#3 Feynman Technique
So the first step of understanding anything is being able to explain it to a friend or
explain it to a five-year-old. Feynman was a big deal back in the day before he died
because he was able to distill really complicated things in theoretical physics in a
way that made sense to the lay person. The reason he was able to do that is
because he understood the topic so well, and when you have understood it so well,
you can just explain it to anyone.
That is the key principle behind the Feynman Technique. So the way we do that, is
that, whenever we are learning a topic, what I would do is that after I've learned to
the topic or at every junction within the topic, I would ask myself, does this make
sense? Firstly, and secondly, could I explain this to a five-year-old or a reasonable
person of our age?

Understanding is by far the most important part of effective studying. Without

understanding, there is literally no point in memorizing anything. I know it can be
tempting sometimes to think, "Oh, well, I wouldn't bother understanding this proof. I'll
just memorize it and then I'll be able to regurgitate it in the exam." But that's really a
generally ineffective way to learn

Another drill is to shorten the explanation in the shortest sentence possible.

7 How to Study for Exams-An Evidence based Masterclass 1

 #4 Active Recall
Active Recall simply means testing yourself. All you have to do is start testing
yourselves a little more, rather than just try and reread and highlight and all that
useless stuff that we were doing in the past. Again, active recall is the thing which
completely changes the game. It is not just for memorizing or remembering stuff, but
also for learning in the first place.

#5 How to learn new material

Before using active recall, the thing that comes in our mind is that oh I need to learn
before testing. But there is actually some miscommunication here, as to what testing
means. We think of testing as being the thing that once we've learned the stuff, then
we get a test on it and then that tests tell how well we have remembered the stuff
and it is where we are judged based on the performance of that test.

The thing is okay, I have read the thing, now stop. Metaphorically close the book and
ask yourself okay what did I just read? What are the key concepts and can I phrase
this in my own words? Our brain is not a perfect analogy, but it's like a muscle and
that the hardware has to work to do something. The more likely is to able to do that
thing better in the future.

This process is not definitely a natural fit, it will make you uncomfortable at first, if
you stop and rehearse what you are reading and quiz yourself on it, it just takes a bit
longer.

The thing which Ali emphasizes on is, "please let it be that we should all be
testing ourselves probably two to three times as much as we currently are."

Of course, the more brain has to work to do something, the more effortful the
learning is, the more the connections are likely to be strengthened.

#6 Taking notes during class

Summarizing things with the book open is generally considered a fairly low utility
thing. Studies say that people who summarize the content don't do very well
compared to the people that just test themselves on the content. But notes always
helps us out if we want to talk a quick look at something that we have read or done
in the past. Handwriting notes it better for us than typing up notes.
We should not type out the lectures, rather we should focus on the lecture content so
we will be able to get grip on it. You will realize if you are just typing out what is being
said in lecture, you are just entering the stuff which is being said and not actually
absorbing it. So, passively typing out what the lecture was saying isn't really

7 How to Study for Exams-An Evidence based Masterclass 2

 effective. What we can do is to make more elaborative notes, take the picture of
the handwritten notes that you have made and add the extra stuff by typing it
out later on.

then use active recall for your notes :)

#7 Taking notes after the class

The main reason to take notes for Ali was to keep himself awake. But a better
reason to take notes after the class is that he was able to build his active recall
questions and was then able to consolidate his understanding of the subject.

Reasons to take notes after class:

Ability to use multiple sources to understand stuff

Make elaborative notes which you have written in the class (for example you
would a picture of your handwritten text and export it to whatever note taking
application you are using)

All this also depends on the subject you're studying. If you are studying something
that is like medicine, you do not need to make your own revision notes as generally
you need to understand and then mug things up from the text whereas if you are
studying finance, history or english, then you may want to consolidate information
from various sources to build up some novel understanding.

#8 Scooping the Subject

Basically in order to understand something, we need to understand where it fits into
the winder picture.

When you are studying small parts of a large text you need to remember what is the
big picture? For example, we are studying bills of exchange in accounts okay but
what it is for? It is for settling transactions, by whom it is used? It is used in
partnerships, sole proprietorship, etc.

It is like framing an index in your mind for what you are going to study so that you
are able to understand the matter from wider perspectives.

#9 Importance of Understanding
When you understand something, it is a lot easier to retain. It is a lot more difficult to
just memorize details without having any understanding. Again , recalling the old
Feymann technique, you should be able to explain the stuff that you are learning to a
five year old or a friend with reasonable intelligence.

7 How to Study for Exams-An Evidence based Masterclass 3

 There can be topics which are quite complex that we need to understand, there will
be a few of them which we will understanding for seconds at a time and then lose
understanding. You just keep on revising and keep focusing on the broader part of
the concept which you are studying.

#10 Finding a syllabus for yourself

Firstly, before starting any subject, we need to develop a syllabus for our subject.
This is particularly important in subjects where we rely more on understanding than
in memorization.

Keep a note at the topics, and maybe subtopics. For example, if you say to yourself
that, within cardiology there's only 15 topics Within respiratory, there's only eight
topics. It becomes a lot more manageable
Whenever you are studying a minor detail of anything you should keep in mind oh
yes this is the thing and that is how it helps my main topic/syllabus to be applied in
the real life.

REMEMBERING
#11 The Magic of Spaced Repetition
Understanding is the most important part, and without understanding, there's literally
no point in memorizing or remembering stuff because we are just making more work
for ourselves.
The knowledge is more fragile that way if it's just bits that we remember rather than
bits that we actually understand and we can apply to our lives.

Space repetition is the second most important aspect of efficient studying. Keep in
mind the forgetting curve, if you will not revise your content it will keep on going
down but once you revise it again, it starts from the top once again.

7 How to Study for Exams-An Evidence based Masterclass 4

 So, it means the more times you repeat a topic, the longer it then takes me to forget
that information.
Let's say, we're studying a topic on day 1,the thyroid. Let's say we study the thyroid
on like today, by tomorrow we'll probably have forgotten about 50 percent of it, and
by three days we'd forgotten like all of it because it decays exponentially in the early
stages. Let's see, we revise it again tomorrow. Now our learning for it goes back to
backup to a 100 percent. But now it takes, let's say, a week to forget 50 percent of it.
Then in a week we come back to it and we study it. Then let's say takes a month to
forget 50 percent of it. We repeated it like a day, a week, and a month later, but at
spaced intervals and that's the idea behind spaced repetition.
We should always revise the matter that we are studying to maximize the chances
that I'm going to retain them. What's also apply here is this idea that theme that runs
through this entire class, which is that the more effortful learning feels, the harder we
have to work to learn something or to retrieve something, the more likely the
information is going to stick.

The idea behind space repetition is that we allow ourselves to forget some of it, and
we don't beat ourselves up for forgetting it because we know that's a natural part of
learning. We allow ourselves to forget some of it, and so when we retrieve that
information with active recall and revise the subjects, it means that we are working
harder for it. Therefore, that information is more likely to stick.

7 How to Study for Exams-An Evidence based Masterclass 5

 #12 Retrospective Revision Time Table

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7o09a7t4RA

You probably remember the stuff about this, if you don't, watch this video 😎
#13 Simon Clark's Space Repetition Method
Simon said if he could travel back in time and slap two words into 10-year-old
Simon's head, they would be spaced repetition.
So, according to him, he would use a paper diary and write the topics which he
would do on any given day in the future. And then, he would go forward a week,
write that topic, and then he did the same for a month as well. What helped him is,
whenever he used to sit down for study, maybe at the library, he would see his diary
and would be like okay okay so this is what I need to study today.

Note: Harsh, this won't work for you :)

#14 The Power of Interleaved Practice

It involves how we can split up our time within one study session itself. Interleaving is
the idea that we should mix up our practice as we go along within the same study
session, the idea behind it is that whenever stuff becomes too easy, whenever we
are not working very hard, whenever our brain is lifting up very light weights, then at
that point we stop learning as effectively.
The idea behind interleaving is that we do a little bit of one topic, and then a little bit
of another topic, and a little bit of a third topic, and then back to the first rather than
do three hours in one topic, three hours on Topic 2, and three hours on Topic 3 or
whatever your timing ends up being.

When it becomes hard, it is a sign that we are doing it right. When it feels easy, it is a
sign that we are doing it wrong. But isn't the hard work which gives better results and
the long term satisfaction which stays us throughout the life?

#15 Should you re-read your notes?

Studies conclude that re-reading is low utility. When compared with other study
techniques, re-reading is typically much less effective. The relative disadvantage of
revealing to other techniques is the largest strike against re-reading and is the factor
that weighted most heavily in our decision making.

7 How to Study for Exams-An Evidence based Masterclass 6

 Re-reading does work to some extent, but there are so many better things we could
be use instead like active recall and space repetition and stuff, and interleaving, and
categorizing and other things which are mentioned in the next episodes (summary
mei bhi hain obvio lol)

Ali Abdaal still reread his notes to this day some of the time. But whenever he does,
it's because he has a very small amount of energy can't be bothered to do
something that's more efficient.

#16 How to Highlight effectively? (read the transcripts if you

want to, nothing much here)

https://www.skillshare.com/classes/How-to-Study-for-Exams-An-Evidence-Based-Masterclass/728748026/tr
anscripts

#17 Flashcards effective use

We should make flashcards for only those material we think is tricky or hard to
remember, we should not make flashcards for absolutely everything because we
would then just spend time on making them and revising irrelevant information that
we didn't need to, and we then would spend less time on the topics which actually
matter.

#18 Using Google Sheets as Flashcards alternative

How to Study for Exams with Google Sheets

🚀 Join my live online course, the Part-Time YouTuber
Academy, running 7th June to 14th July 2021. If you want to
learn how to kickstart & grow your channel ...
https://youtu.be/iIyDJK_SAjs

(zyada nahi hai issmei kuch, but still in case you want to see)

#19 Mind Maps

Mind Maps are one of the best things you can use for revision. It is like having the
main idea (that is the tree) and then looking at the branches to get a broader image.
Whenever we are understanding anything, we need to ensure it fits in the bigger
picture.

7 How to Study for Exams-An Evidence based Masterclass 7

 So, when you will first look at the mind map, you will try to remember the picture and
get a better idea of the concepts that you have studied in the past. This is partially
active recall.

#20 Memory Techniques- Mnemonics

Mnemonic is anything that aids our memory, or an acronym to remember a slightly
difficult thing in an easier manner. The way that a lot of these memory techniques
works like the hack for memorizing stuff is by creating a vivid picture or some sort of
an association between one thing and another that makes it easier to remember.

As humans, we are not good at remembering words but pretty good at remembering
songs or pictures, when an activity is interesting to us, then our brain is more likely to
remember the interesting or the novel. But we should just use mnemonics for the
things that are like small and very large in numbers so we need to remember them.
We want to be sensible about using them and give it in a reasonable order, we
shouldn't become overly reliant on them, especially if it comes at the expense of
understanding.

#21 Memory Techniques - The Peg System

It usually helps us in memorizing numbers. Again, we have a very bad memory for
words and numbers, but we have better memory for concepts. So the idea is to
convert the numbers into words and then visualize the words

(it is too much effort and you will not need to use this, unless you are learning
sections for law and want to learn numbers, look in the google or go back to the
skillshare class to know more, really too much to explain in a summary)

#22 Memory Technique- The Mind Palace

The idea is that you want to build a palace in your memory of location that you're
very familiar with.

The mind palace is like an imaginary place or location, one creates in their mind. It
has specific rooms, exact locations to remember the buried things, for example, you
want to go to Vyapar Kendra, try to place visual aids of the contents that you want to
learn along that journey. The idea is that you combine this with the PEC technique
and therefore develop visualizations, develop images for different numbers. It is a
little confusing to start with, Ali didn't use it extensively but mentions that the people
who did use this technique, did spectacular.

7 How to Study for Exams-An Evidence based Masterclass 8

 There's another technique which we can use there a different location of studying
corresponds to a different subject.

#23 Memorization Framework Technique

https://youtu.be/-46Vyiwat_Y

You have watched this on Youtube already, just keeping this here if you want to
watch it again

#24 Active Recall Framework

https://youtu.be/fDbxPVn02VU

#25 Random BONUS video

FOCUS
#26 Motivation is a Myth
We need to sit down and work in the first place, we need to not get distracted while
we are doing the wokr, and related to that, we need to be able to take breaks
appropriately, and we need to not burn ourselves out studying, because that would
just be bad for our physical health and our mental health. Motivation is a myth
because we only need motivation to do things that we don't want to do, and usually
those are that require a short term pain in order to get a long term gain. Human
psychology tells us that we tend to put much overweight on the short term benefits
rather than the long term benefits.
The gold standard approach is to just scrub motivation from our vocabulary, and
replace the concept of motivation from our motivation with the concept of discipline.
Motivation is when we say, I need to feel like doing this thing and the action is then
just doing the thing itself. "A three year old bases its decisions on what it feels like,
an adult bases its decisions on what it knows needs to be doing"
You can always make several adjustments to make your progress more pleasurable
for example, organizing your desk for the work flow so that it looks pretty and you

7 How to Study for Exams-An Evidence based Masterclass 9

 feel good when you are studying.

#27 How to Reduce Distractions

Again, we tend not to get distracted from watching Netflix or hanging out with friends.
But we tend to get distracted from doing work. Often the work we are doing isn't fun,
so we allow ourselves to get distracted. The idea of deep intense focus on
something, that is the flow state when we get while doing some work, is generalyl
very pleasurable and productive, so we are less likely to get distracted. What we can
do is put our phone to do not disturb and leave it in some other room.
Some people will ask, "what if there's an emergency?", see the Do Not Disturb
setting lets you hear the ring when people call you twice or you can select specific
people whom calls you will be able to receive. Also we can increase the amount of
friction that it takes to do bad things on the phone. For example, using Instagram
through a web browser or turning on Grayscale might help you out.

The main thing is just to be able to enjoy the subject and focus intently on it.
Because if we are doing that, then it becomes fun and then we don't feel the need to
get distracted by all the other bits and bobs.

#28 Pomodoro Technique- Pros and Cons

We have been able to sit down and do our work, not get distracted while using our
phone, now we want to take some breaks during that focus session because when
we are deactivating and reactivating our goals, it allows us to study and stay
focused. Brief breaks allows us to stay focused on your task, but keep in mind that
we should be intentional about the breaks that we are taking. \

One of the most popular techniques is the POMODORO technique, invented by a

guy named Francesco Cirillo in the 1990s. The idea behind the Pomodoro Technique
is that we work for 25 minutes, and we take a five minute break, and after doing 4
such sessions, we take a long 20 minutes break. 25 minutes are considered to be
enough to give us ample time to focus on the thing, but it also means we should take
a regular break that we are never going to get tired of focusing as such.

Pros

Quite fun thing we do when we are with our "nerd" or "hustling" friends

if we are doing something that we find to focus on or something we don't find

really fun, then at the end of 25 minutes session, is like a light at the end of the
tunnel and we can think, oh, yes.

7 How to Study for Exams-An Evidence based Masterclass 10

 But keep in mind this 25 minutes is the minimum, and is not rigid. Feel free to make
it flexible maybe 30/35 minutes in one session if you needed those minutes to finish
your task that is pending. Apps: Pomodoro website, Forest (it grows a tree for us in
real life)
Cons

Only con of this technique is that if you don't respect the timer, you are actually going
to procrastinate much more. But again, this is only is you have been trying this for a
few weeks and you don't see any good results.

#29 The Best Music to study with

One of the questions that arises among the students is whether we should listen to
music or not. Well the evidence shows listening to music with lyrics is actually the
worst, because the idea with lyrics is that they interfere with our working memory
and phonological loop, which is the Random Access Memory of function within our
working memory that processes words.

Best option is to listen music without lyrics, lofi or instrumental tracks. Working in
absolute silence is preferably the best thing because then we are not likely to be
affected with the music and then we find ourselves in an environment similar to
exams (shaant se bhara hua!). The best way to recall information is to mimic the
environment as best as you can. That tells us that probably working in silence is the
best thing.

What Ali and I do is, we prefer to listen to the instrumental tracks. Yes we understand
the music is slightly distracting and probably, if we worked in complete silence, we
would have given ourselves a slight edge in terms of performance. But to be honest,
listening to music and those sorts of instrumental tracks make studying so much
pleasant than working in silence, so we are satisfied to let that higher edge go, as it
makes the process much more comfortable.

Again, it just depends on priorities. If you are studying for your board exams, JEE,
NEET, etc. it may not be your option, but you are in college and two or three less
marks won't make a difference, it is not recommended, though I used to listen to
Punjabi Music in my grade 12th.

#30 Maintaining Work Life Balance while studying

Some of the general tips for maintaining a healthy work life balance while studying.

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH comes first for any sort of exam and stuff. Yeah,
there are some exams which can be life changing, but most of the times, our exams

7 How to Study for Exams-An Evidence based Masterclass 11

 don't have an huge impact in our normal course of things, especially if they are
coming at the expense of our physical or mental health.
Don't say, "this exam is literally the most important thing in my life, and because
everyone around us seems to be working, then we'll kind of try and kill ourselves
working as well." I don't know, it's just not an ideal way to go about it because as
we're saying, physical and mental health comes first.
In terms of work life balance, the thing that worked for Ali is that he would go to
different places for studying, for example, libraries and cafes, and made a rule not to
study at home during normal days.

And especially when it comes to preparing for multiple choice exams where the
technique is just to bash through a lots of questions on Anki, flashcards, etc. you can
do that while hanging out with your friends. But you will have to keep in mind is that
you give everyone an opportunity to speak.

Life can have different seasons in our life where let's say it is the week before our
exams, it is probably reasonable to spend that week just full on focused on
cramming and kind of neglecting our friends and family, but it is okay we are only
doing it for a week or so.

#31 How to Study effectively with Friendds

Studying with friends can make studying a lot more interesting. But firstly, you want
to find the right group of people those all motivated to study at around about the
similar level. And secondly, it is important that someone takes charge of what study
session is going to look like.

For the most part in my experience, people will come along for the ride with you.
Maybe you'll get a bit of, you're such a nerd. I don't want to study, and all those sort
of stuff, but you can leave those people behind. For the most part, most people that I
was friends with, at least, were keen on studying with other people because it just
makes it infinitely more enjoyable.

THE END!

7 How to Study for Exams-An Evidence based Masterclass 12