---
title: Give Yourself the Gift of Time—Start Your Exam Prep Early
description: This season, give yourself the gift of time and start your exam prep early. Here are 5 reasons why preparing for your exam early will help you in the long run.
---

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# [Give Yourself the Gift of Time—Start Your Exam Prep Early](https://explore.medstudy.com/blog/gift-of-time)

 Written by [MedStudy](https://explore.medstudy.com/blog/author/medstudy) | Dec 7, 2017 4:46:38 PM

If you could add a few more hours to your day, would you? Perhaps that extra time would make your to-do list seem a bit less overwhelming. For busy physicians like you, time is a rare commodity. Why not package some time, tie a bow around it, and gift it to yourself? **If you start your board review early, that’s exactly what you’ll be doing.**

## An Early Start on Exam Prep Is a Gift Because:

1. **The board exam covers an enormous amount of knowledge.** Studying—and understanding—everything on the test will not happen overnight.
2. [**Cramming relies on short-term memory**](https://explore.medstudy.com/blog/remember-more-without-cramming), which is limited. Only long-term memory has the capacity to store all the information you’ll be tested on.
3. **Effective learning techniques require time to “forget.**” This might sound contradictory, but to reliably recall information, [you must test yourself at the point of forgetting](https://explore.medstudy.com/blog/how-spaced-retrieval-works).
4. **Self-testing works best in increasing intervals of time**. This is called “[spaced repetition](https://explore.medstudy.com/blog/whats-big-deal-self-testing),” and you’ll need to start 6 months to a year in advance. (We recommend a year!)
5. **A more relaxed pace of study reduces anxiety**—putting you in a better frame of mind to ace the exam.

Your upcoming exam is important. Put yourself at the top of the list this gift-giving season and take the time you need to succeed. 

And, don't forget to put a [MedStudy Gift Card](https://medstudy.com/products/the-medstudy-digital-gift-card) on your holiday wishlist to help you tackle your 2021 goals!

<https://medstudy.com/products/the-medstudy-digital-gift-card>

 

[View full post](https://explore.medstudy.com/blog/gift-of-time)

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