136: Are You Studying Wrong? 3 Counter-Intuitive Science-Backed Study Methods For Veterinary Professionals. With Dr Matt Hollindale
Cracking the code on effective studying isn’t just about working harder—it’s about working smarter. In this episode, Dr. Matt shares how he ditched ineffective study habits like highlighting and endless rereading and replaced them with evidence-based techniques that skyrocketed his success in his ECC membership exams.
We break down the science behind active recall, spaced repetition, and practice testing—proven methods that help veterinary professionals retain complex information longer and perform better on exams. You’ll learn how to craft personalised study questions, hear which tech tools can expedite you learning, and strike the perfect balance between intense preparation and self-care.
Whether you’re just starting vet school or wrestling with your specialist exams, this episode delivers practical, research-backed strategies to boost your learning efficiency and avoid burnout.
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Are you wasting hours on outdated study methods like cramming and re-reading—only to forget everything by exam day? You might be studying wrong—and Dr. Matt Hollindale is here to help you fix that so you can learn smarter, not harder.
When preparing for his ECC Membership exams, Dr. Matt became obsessed with the science of study. The result? He achieved the top marks of the 2023 cohort. Now, he’s applying the same methods to his residency training and sharing them with you.
In this episode, we dive into science-backed strategies that transform how you study. Say goodbye to endless highlighting, reading and re-reading, and hello to techniques that actually makes things stick.
Whether you’re a veterinary student building good habits early or preparing for specialist exams, this episode will save you many hours. (And possibly even some tears!)
Here’s what we cover:
- The biggest study mistakes you didn’t know you’re making.
- How active recall and spaced repetition turbocharge your memory.
- The best AI and tech tools to revolutionise your study game.
- Why prioritising your well-being is as critical as your study hours.
Links & Resources
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Topics and Time Stamps
04:33 Common Study Mistakes
08:58 Study Techniques That Actually Work
18:11 Making It Practical
20:56 Using Spaced Repetition for Better Long-Term Memory
29:08 Tech and AI Study Tools
31:39 Google Notebook LMS
34:38 Advanced Strategies
38:54 The Importance of Self-Care in Studying
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- Highlighting is a technique where you mark text with a coloured pen, often yellow, to draw attention to what you are reading. While this may help focus on individual concepts, it can negatively impact your ability to make connections between those concepts. Studies have shown that students who highlight or underline text perform no better on multiple-choice tests than those who simply read the text. In fact, they may perform worse on questions requiring them to make connections.
- Rereading, although sometimes showing a small benefit, is generally considered a low-utility study method due to the time it consumes compared to more effective techniques. Research suggests that the benefit gained from rereading is limited beyond what you get from the initial reading. Instead of rereading, actively trying to retrieve information has a more powerful effect on learning and long-term retention.
- Active recall involves answering questions without any supporting information. This is similar to using flashcards, where a question is presented and you must try to answer it from memory, before checking the answer.
- The process of active recall helps to strengthen memory and make it easier to recall information later.
- Creating your own questions while reading through a chapter can help you focus on the material and think about how it might be applied.
- Using pre-made questions can also be helpful.
- Practice testing is similar to active recall and involves testing yourself with questions or practice exams.
- It is beneficial to do practice tests before studying a topic in depth, as this helps to identify what you already know and what areas require more focus. You may be surprised by what you already know.
- Practice tests can highlight your weaknesses, guiding you to the areas that need the most attention.
- After taking a practice test and identifying weak areas, you should actively read the material, focusing on these areas.
- During this active reading, write down questions as you go and use them for further active recall practice.
- Practice testing can be enhanced by using spaced repetition, which involves spacing out the times when you review the material.
- Spaced repetition is a technique that involves reviewing material at increasing intervals to help solidify information in long-term memory.
- Tools such as Anki and Quizlet use algorithms to schedule reviews based on how well you know the material, showing you cards more often if you struggle with them.
- If you are using flashcards, rate them after each review to indicate whether you did not know the answer, whether it was hard, good or easy.
- This approach can help with long term retention.
- The forgetting curve demonstrates how quickly information can be forgotten, which is why spaced repetition is so effective.
- Begin by skimming through the chapter or material, looking at titles, bolded words, and images.
- Think about what questions could be asked about the material.
- Try to answer these questions before you study.
- If you are feeling motivated, write your own questions or answer them in your head.
- Alternatively, use AI tools such as ChatGPT to generate practice questions.
- Actively read the textbook or chapter and write questions as you go.
- The next day, try to answer these questions.
- If you get a question wrong, reread the relevant chapter or search online for the answer.
- Use spaced repetition to review the material and your questions over time.
- Anki is a powerful, free, open-source flashcard program.
- Anki uses an algorithm to determine when to show you flashcards based on your performance, using spaced repetition to optimise learning.
- You can rate cards after each review to indicate whether you did not know the answer, whether it was hard, good, or easy. Based on your rating the card will be shown again in 10 minutes, the next day, or in several days.
- Anki is content-agnostic and supports images, audio, videos.
- You can create your own flashcards or import pre-made decks. There are many pre-made decks available.
- You can create multiple different flashcards from just one input.
- You can put pictures and block out labels.
- Flashcards can be shared with others using an export function.
- Anki is free to use on desktop, but the iOS app is paid. .
- Quizlet is another web-based flashcard tool.
- It is not as powerful as Anki, but it is easier to use.
- Quizlet allows you to create your own flashcards or find sets made by other teachers, students and experts.
- It offers study modes and in-class games.
- Quizlet is a free app.
- ChatGPT can generate practice questions on various topics. You can prompt it to act as a professor in your subject and ask it to generate practice questions to establish your level of knowledge. You can also ask for the answers.
- Google Notebook LMS is a free AI tool that allows you to create notebooks with up to 50 sources, including PDFs, Google Docs, YouTube links, and pasted text.
- The AI will search the files and answer questions and create study resources.
- It can generate study guides, essay questions, short questions and answers, summaries, indexes, and study plans.
- Notebooks can be shared with up to 50 other Google users.
- Past papers are useful for studying as they give you insight into the specific exam.
- There are many online resources for veterinary students.
- A book by Patsy and Kel Jermaine is recommended for a good approach to studying that includes self-care.
- When starting a new topic, skim through the material, looking at headings, bolded words and pictures. Think about what questions you might be asked.
- Create a framework or hierarchy of how to learn the information, linking new information to what you already know.
- Use a traffic light system (red, yellow, green) to rate how well you know each topic, focusing more on the red topics.
- Don't neglect self-care. Make sure you are sleeping well, eating well and exercising.
- If you are sleep deprived, you can review questions, but save learning the answers for when you are refreshed.
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