Choose Your Best Study Environment for Board Prep

When we think about the best environments for study, we often think about studying without interruption at a consistent time, in the same place, under the same conditions. The idea is that such consistency will create a habit and lead to more sustained attention to the task.

Some of the most interesting research in the importance of context in learning, however, actually contradicts this advice. Our brains unconsciously process our environmental cues in ways that might actually help us to retain and recall information. It turns out that varying our study environment aids in the retention of new information.

To use your environment to maximize your studying:

1. Study in a variety of locations.
2. Study at different times of the day.
3. Some distractions might actually be good for helping you retain information, so you don’t need to study in a perfectly quiet or distraction-free setting.
4. Consider studying with music if you can do so and also sustain your attention. Often music that is solely instrumental works best when you are reading.

Worry less about studying in a consistent and distraction-free setting and focus more on creating variety in your study spaces. For more tips and techniques to better learning, download our FREE guide to the MedStudy Method.