Peterparker
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i STUDY ON AVERAGE 6-8 HRS evryday............. but heard some people say that they can study for 12 hrs in a day.........
I take 15 min break after every hr, I will lay down on a sofa and close my eyes, letting my mind go blank during the break.
I take caffeine tablets, take 50mg every 1-2 hr and I usually end up taking 4 in a day. It really helps to keep you alert. But taking it for prolonged periods may also lead to tolerance and decrease in effect.......... so there should be 'cafffeine-free' periods inbetween.
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| Peterparker
Forum Senior
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please share you experiences and methods.
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| GoodGirl
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I never could study 10-12 hour for long period, during med school, I could do it just couple of weeks before the exam, and it will be same before the Step exams. I always wondered, when I read the posts like'' I study/studied 6 months and 12 hours per day. How can they do it? What is wrong with me , that I can not be like them ?  Than I realized, it does not matter. And stopped paying attention to that kind a sentences.
Important is that you/ me are moving forward, doing progress, that makes us happy and satisfied.
When I feel very tired, like you, like to rest on sofa with closed eyes. Started exercise again, noticed it boost my energy level well, going to gym, or just slow jog. That helps me a lot, to feel a fresh air on my face.
Be careful with the caffeine, 200 mg is kind a high.  Takes some brakes, find some other drinks... go stretch your body, take a cold shower  ( that will wake you up for sure, an old advice of my dad, he hated a coffee).
Well going back to my books. 
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| new_n_lost
Politically InCorrect
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Stop Taking Caffine cos it aint gonna help u.
I have stretched my study time period upto 10hrs but i had a very dedicated study partner who was kinda a Drill Sgt. for me. My Partner was on the 2nd read but first read had a big gap but was one very dedicated lady she actually made me study for 10hrs (not at a stretch) but we did it. and probably thats the only reason i finished my first read in under 3.5mnths (excluding NA 15 Jun- 15 Sept). then unfortunately i had Katrina Event in my Life and had to postpone my exm thus i m here still on my 2nd read ( which i started on Feb 07) and Believe it or not i m still havent Finished my 2nd read ( which looks the first to me).
SO if u have a study partner who actually speed u up and make u keep a pace which is fast and helpful then u have the best gift ever that God can give u while studying.
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| ShweHope99.9998
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Hi,
As a start 6 to 8 hr is very good, also the way you break , relax also is good way as far as concern , all should work well for you .
I bet good 8 hr is comparable to no good 10 to 12 hr . Also in 2 to 4 month , you'll auto matically glue your self to study desk or your speed will just simply so good, like study for long 12 -10 hr.
So do as your best way, do not bother others, we're in the danger of information over loaded.
GL GL GL happy success study to all of us
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| ShweHope99.9998
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Instead of coffee tab, take real coffee with lots of real good milk & sugar , but not too late , not too much & not daily if possible.
GL
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| Jackofknives
Ipwnpoker.com
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Guys dont drink coffee or take tablets, its bad for your health and you will become tolerant to it and then its no use.
What works best imo is stress, if you have a dedicated study partner, set up a schedule and you will get stressed to finish the material on time. Works wonders but again its bad for health is done for prolonged period of time.
Otherwise you can do it this way, study new material first, then when you are abit tired review, then when you are trashed listen to audio or watch DVD, and then discuss with your study partner about the material covered.
hope this helps
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| multifactorial
Forum Guru
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Posts: 546
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taking caffeine tablets is serious but then again it depends on how close you are to the exam.try RED BULL.a friend suggested that and it is an eye-opener/energy-booster and works well.on a different note,i would give anything to do 6-8 hrs a day,you are doing wonderfully well.it shouldnt bother you that much.
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| virgola82
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It doesn't matter how long you study but how you study. For instance I can't stay concentrated for more than 2-3 hrs. Try to schedule not the time you want to spend but the topics you want to do, so that you know that the earliest you finish them the most free time you will have... and stop taking caffeine tablets! what is the "next step in your management" gonna be? Amphetamines? It doesn't sound good... and also it can be counterproductive because it makes concepts retention harder.
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| me007
Forum Guru
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one friend of mine does studying monitoring time with stopwatch.
His conclusion is that for the real ppl more than 7 - 8 honest hours is impossible, than they just fake studying - also the way to say that it was - but was it really - ?
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| hedieh
Forum Guru
Topics: 47
Posts: 438
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Like Peterparker, it was always a question for me that how people could do this? I know some people who study 12 hours a day( even more) and some of them r very good students, but for me, I usually cannot study more than 6-8 hours a day. ( recently I am a lil bit better)
How can people like us extend our study time per day?
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| P4a99
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maybe by turning of the computer and stop surfing this forum ... that would sure save me some time !!!
Edited by praying4a99 on 06/07/07 - 06:14 PM
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| ShweHope99.9998
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Unfortunately so true if let say in the particular topic, case by you & me .
You must be a student with all summer time in your hand. My med summer time, I with or without friends study yr ahead texts one, do all opd, Em, OR , hospitals , all blood etc work to be expert , with summer fun with friends too so busier than school days.
For studing 10 to 12 hr is norm for some, but some even more and some less. Study long hr or not get most out of the study time is the best hr .. you can call it longest hr [ if frustrated ] or shortest hr[ if enjoyed it].
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| Feyza
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hi PP ...I was like maximum 5 hrs a day since I was BORN !!! I used to eat my nails and get demoralised to see ppl here in the library studying from 9 am to 9 pm ....but when I got the day from prometric and met this forum something happened to me which I could never figure out and now I can do like 12-13 a day for the last 2 months ... but me007 is a bit right bc Im on the table like 12 hrs but I guess if I open a monitor too maybe it will make 10...it differs from person to person...if I get out and have a break I find it very hard to concentrate back so I minimize the breaks and prefer to nap for 10 minutes or have a look at the forum...I mean I feel better when Im on the table...
I guess thats about the nearing time and the adrenalin discharge that makes u scary and feel like studying...but I feel even if you can ...do not study 12 a day till theres only 2 mo to the exam bc then youll be worn out bored and over tired ! thats how I feel now... so 6-7 hrs good...then 8-9 a month and 10-12 the last 20 days ...
ur so cute p4a99 
pray 4m guys...12 days left !!!
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| Feyza
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oo by the way... my bro graduated from college last week and he had his finals (not med school tho ) ...this friend of him got caffeine pills and studied like crazy for 15 days for the finals ...then ppl started laughing in the middle of the final ..my bro just couldnt figure out what was going on out there and then found out that the guy didnt take the pill on the exam day as he thought it will be over in 1 hrs and fell asleep in th eexam !!!! the girl sitting in front of him heard him snoring looked back and called the professor and they had to bug him hard to wake him up so either stop the pills or take in the exam day too jokin ! just stop them PP
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O my Lord! Open my chest for me ( grant me self-confidence ) and ease my task for me.Ta-Ha 25-26.
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| Peterparker
Forum Senior
Topics: 28
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caffeine increase your cardiac contractility, I wonder whether it will give rise to hypertension in the long run. It definitely increase your anxiety level and risk of depression in large doses.
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| Peterparker
Forum Senior
Topics: 28
Posts: 60
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caffeine is also a diuretics............. by the way red bull contains caffeine....................
anyone tried mediation??? or vitamin pills??? Exercise does not help for me, I got more tired after exercise.
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| Peterparker
Forum Senior
Topics: 28
Posts: 60
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I also find that my study time is kind of fix..................... no matter what I do in the day........... whether studying, working or having the whole day off.............. I can only studying 6-8 hrs in a day...........
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| GoodGirl
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Having a child, he is the best coach of mine. I'm so scared that I will not reach my target, so when he is in day care I read, read, and read like this would be my last day. It's true, he is a great distraction, but on other side, I never studied as efficiently as now. I feel guilty that he is in day care bc of me, so I study hard, for not feeling bad...
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| paheli
It'sAllAboutGoodKarma
Topics: 177
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this could very well be one of those eternally unanswered, and unanswerable qns that pp has brought up, esp in our circles. us burners-of-the-midnight-oil, us freaks who are willing to try to bend the laws of nature[like consuming stuff to make our magical bodies work differently], us dreamers who are realizing our dreams. and our limits....
Hey, pp. perhaps if you study for 4 hrs a day, you may be able to retain what I may have taken 6 hrs to stuff in to my brains. you may be sitting in the next table in the library, and see me slaving away at some concept, and you might be wishing you were in my shoes. well, don't. coz you don't know how hard i might be struggling, and i'm wishing i was more efficient.....wishing i was more ike you at the next table..... you see what i mean? we can never measure up to each other. we can only measure up to ourselves. we must do our best, and that's the most we can do. what does it matter if it's 2 hrs/day or 10?
keep the faith, everyone.
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| P4a99
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paheli ... thats a nice one
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| paheli
It'sAllAboutGoodKarma
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thanks, p4a99.
must say, you made a great point, too!! i was really nodding my head with a goofy grin on my face, totally relating to what you said!!
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Prepare as if you're the worst, Perform as if you're the best! As you dream, so you manifest. So, DREAM BIG!! When you face hardship, remember, God never gives you more than you can handle. Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows.
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| P4a99
Forum Fanatic
Topics: 34
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well at least your eirther learning or helping someone over here
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| GoodGirl
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Nice Paheli, nodding my head.
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| Isther
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When I prepared for Step1, I was wondering about the same thing... I decided to divide time in blocks instead of the # of hours as a whole (like during the exam)... I used to read for 7 to 9 blocks of 1hour each (7 most of the time... 9 in those exceptional moments of great inspiration )
If you add the REAL study time, + Breaks of 10 to 15 mins between each block + breakfast and lunch breaks + bathroom breaks + any other unexpected interruption... the total is a big 12 hours day of study... I hardly doubt that those people read continuously for 12 hours without going to the toilet or eating at all...
About the caffeine... Definitively, it is necessary... I used to drink 4-6 expressos per day, and some times I felt lazy... Be careful with a couple of things: caffeine causes esophageal reflux and I had a severe episode of epigastric pain during an elective and the scope revealed an esophagitis III (extremely painful and doesn't decrease with PPI's) so you try to watch your Gi mucosa if you are taking such a load of caffeine... it also causes a very bad withdrawal syndrome (headache and drowsiness) and at that dose you will feel drunk for a couple of days if you cut caffeine fast.
Well, that's my experience in the matter...
Good Luck
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