How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 1
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 2
Prof. Dr. Muhaya Haji Mohamad
M.D., Ph.D.
© Muhaya Mohamad
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 3
Published by Rasidah Salleh
B-7-13 Oakleaf ParkTaman Bukit Jaya, Bukit Antarabangsa
68000 Ampang, Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 603 4107 1 687
E-Mail: sidah13@tm.net.my
Digital Publishing by FaizSuberi.com
Digital Distribution by As Sohwah via DrMuhaya.com
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission from the Author.
Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia | Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Muhaya Mohamad
How to Become a Good and Successful Medical Student
Muhaya Mohamad
ISBN 983-42676-0-6
1st printing 2005
Printed and bound in Malaysia.
Cover Design
Trans Creation (M) Sdn Bhd
30 Jalan USJ 8/2A,UEP Subang Jaya
47010 Subang Jaya
Selangor Darul Ehsan
E-mail: trans1@streamyx.com
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 4
To my dearest husband Dr. Azmi, thank you for your doa' and support
To Aniah and Atiyah… Enjoy the journey…
Al-fatihah
In Loving Memory of our Beloved Son….
Mohd Hilman Azmi
(27thJanuary 1989 – 6th August 2000)
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 5
"An excellent, holistic guidance for medical students. A "Must Read" book
not only for Medical Students but for all doctors"
Professor Dr Lokman Saim
Dean
Faculty of Medicine
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
“This book is interesting and original and the content covers common
everyday issues which require answers. Dr. Muhaya has an engaging style
of writing and is able to capture and maintain readers' attention
throughout."
Professor Dr Robiah Sidin
Deputy Director
Institute of the Malay World and Civilization
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
"It is an excellent book of Inspiration and Hope for Medical Students and
Postgraduate Students"
Professor Dr Raymond Azman Ali
Deputy Dean of Graduate Studies and Research
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
"It is marvellous piece of work, highly commendable not only for students
but also for teachers, not only for medical course but also for other
disciplines in higher institutions of learning."
Professor Dr Ropilah Abdul Rahman
Head
Department of Ophthalmology
Faculty of Medicine
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 6
Acknowledgements
Many people assisted me in the preparation of this book. First and
foremost, I must thank the medical students of the Faculty of Medicine of
UKM. They inspired me to write this book by the many questions they
posed to me during my series of motivational talks.
Also, I must acknowledge Professor Nafisah Adeeb, Dean of Medical
Faculty of UKM (1997-1999) for her encouragement and substantive
constructive criticisms and input.
Special thanks goes to my friends, postgraduates and undergraduate
students for their time taken to read the manuscript and for their helpful
suggestions.
A special mention to Yam Phui Yee who took dictation by the hour and
typed the initial manuscript and for giving valuable suggestions and input.
Last but not least to my dear husband, Dr Azmi Jamion, and my two
daughters, Noor Aniah and Noor Atiyah for their constant prayers and
encouragement in all my endeavours.
Muhaya Mohamad M.D. Ph.D.
August 2005
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 7
Foreword
Life as a student is like embarking on a long, uncharted journey. It is the
beginning of a new chapter in your lives, where the months ahead hold
many exciting opportunities and challenges. For a student, recognizing
these doors of opportunities and making the right choices can be a most
perplexing affair. As one struggles to acquire as much knowledge as
possible during this phase, the scale of life may not be so easy to balance.
Perhaps more so for the medical student, the pressures of expectations of
excellence commanded by the nature of the discipline being demanded at
every turn. This, compounded by the stress of having to master a profound
body of knowledge could make the journey seem daunting. The process of
moving from being a medical student to physician is complex. Due to the
intensity and workload demanded by the discipline, there is little time to
reflect on other aspects of one’s life.
It is at this stage of their lives that guidance and direction is crucial for the
students, both in the practical and especially in the spiritual sense. At the
end of the day however, the crucial thing to remember is that the Almighty
who determines our paths and it is to Him that we should always return to
for the ultimate guidance and direction.
Prof. Dr. Muhaya did very well as a medical student and is one of
Malaysia’s renowned ophthalmologists. She was also the first recipient of
the Toh Puan Rahah Award from the University Kebangsaan Malaysia
(UKM) in 1982, an award presented to female students with outstanding
academic achievements and personality.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 8
As an inspiring educator, her work was highly commendable and
recognized, hence receiving the 1999 and 2000 Excellent Lecturer Award
(Health Section) from UKM.
Her flair for motivation is reflected in the many invitations to give
motivational talks to medical students. She has been invited annually as a
guest speaker to motivate the new intake of medical students in UKM. Her
contribution to the nation does not stop there as she is frequently invited
as a guest speaker on television and radio programmes, educating the
public on the issue of Eye Health and Self-Motivation.
The book on How to Become a Good and Successful Medical Student aims
to share her journey and life experiences as a medical student. In this
book, she shares her personal experiences and offers her insights with
much clarity and simplicity. The book addresses the issues involved in the
process of achieving the goal to become a good medical student through
application of universal spiritual values. It also poses questions that are
frequently asked by medical students, and the reader can expect to be
enlightened with insightful answers.
This book will serve as valuable insight and resource for all medical
students, be they Muslims or otherwise, while they embark on this long,
challenging journey in their quest to accomplish their dream to become
medical doctors.
Professor Dato’ Dr. Mohd. Salleh Mohd. Yasin
Vice Chancellor
University Kebangsaan Malaysia
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 9
Preface
Being a medical student has always been a tough chore in my experience.
Most students have done very well in secondary schools; however, after
being accepted to the university where the culture is very different from
that of secondary schools, one may not do as well. Apart from academic
responsibilities, medical students also have to cope with their own
difficulties in communicating and interacting with their classmates,
lecturers and definitely, with their patients.
Becoming a doctor is not just passing exams and obtaining a degree at the
end of five years. Medicine involves treating patients, and hence one has
to have communication skills, be able to acquire new skills besides being
able to develop charisma and self-confidence. Most caring students ask
themselves, "Can I be a doctor one day?"
This small book will try to answer the frequently asked questions posed by
medical students. It is hoped that this book will serve as a guide and source
of motivation to become a good and successful medical student. It
incorporates life's spiritual aspect into the practice of medicine with a
built-in positive lifestyle for all medical students. Certain technical aspects
of effective studying, note taking, and examination techniques are also
highlighted.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 10
Why did I write this book?
1. To help prevent medical students from falling into possible traps
during medical student days.
2. To try and overcome some of the possible stressful situations faced
by medical students in their five year journey to become a doctor.
3. As a source of inspiration for medical students to develop
themselves in a holistic manner so that they would become
wholesome doctors.
4. To answer some of the frequently asked questions of medical
students during the many series of motivational talks to them.
5. To provide a soothing solution or remarks to students in their times
of up and down which is sure to occur in their career.
If You Fail To Plan
Indeed
You Plan To Fail
- Muhaya Mohamad
August 2005
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 11
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 6
FOREWORD 7
PREFACE 9
CONTENTS
11
CHAPTER 1: HAVE I MADE THE CORRECT DECISION?
1. Have I chosen the correct field?
2. Can I be a doctor one day?
3. What sort of thinking is required to become a doctor?
4. What are the possible career options after
graduation?
14
16
18
20
CHAPTER 2: GETTING AHEAD OF TIME
5. Can I study and lead a reasonable life at the same
time?
6. How do I manage my time and plan an effective study
schedule?
7. Should I involve myself in many co-curricular
activities?
22
24
37
CHAPTER 3: POTENTIAL TRAPS FOR MEDICAL
STUDENTS
8. What are the common problems for First Year medical
students?
9. What are the common traps of studying?
39
45
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 12
CHAPTER 4: I SURE LOVE THOSE LECTURES
10. How do I get the maximum benefit from the
lectures?
11. What do I do when the subject is really boring and I
do not understand the lectures?
53
54
CHAPTER 5: AM I DOING IT RIGHT?
12. What are the effective study habits?
13. How do I study smart?
14. How to read quickly?
15. How do I overcome the frustration of studying
difficult subjects?
16. How do I remember what I have studied?
17. Must I have a study group?
57
63
66
69
72
77
CHAPTER 6: AM I A GOOD FRIEND?
18. How do I deal with friends who are always
depending on me for lecture notes?
19. How do I deal with friends who are always asking
me to teach them?
20. How do I overcome envy of other people's
achievements?
80
82
84
CHAPTER 7: FACING THE EXAMINATIONS
21. How can I pass all the examinations?
22. How do I prepare for multiple choice questions?
23. How do I write a good essay?
86
95
97
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 13
CHAPTER 8: CAN I DO IT?
24. How do I overcome inferiority complex?
25. What do I do if I lose the motivation to study?
26. How do I keep my interest in medicine going?
27. What do I do if I do not feel like following other
people's advice and want to do things my own way?
102
106
109
108
CHAPTER 9: CAN I BE A GOOD CLINICIAN?
28. How do I clerk a case well?
29. How do I present well in case presentation?
30. How do I get the patients to cooperate with me
during ward work and clinical examinations?
31. How do I make full use of my clinical sessions in the
clinic?
32. How do I correlate the basic sciences to the clinical
subjects?
109
114
115
117
120
CHAPTER 10: ASSETS OF A GOOD MEDICAL STUDENT
APPENDICES
Appendix 1 - Effective Note Taking
Appendix 2 - Paying Attention in Class
Appendix 3 - MURDER Study System
Appendix 4 - Speed Reading and Comprehension
Appendix 5 - Effective Reading and Comprehension
Appendix 6 - Taking Notes from A Textbook
Appendix 7 - Flip Card Technique to Enhance Your
Memory of A Subject
Appendix 8 - Ten Tips for Test Taking
Appendix 9 - Points to Ponder
122
140
142
143
145
146
149
151
153
155
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 14
1. Have I chosen the correct field?
Of course you have. The fact that you are reading this book
is an indication that you are aiming to become an excellent
doctor. If you are a person who is concerned about the
wellbeing of others and are always happy to lend a helping
hand, then you are in the correct profession.
If you are ready to work hard and strive to know as much as
possible about the human body so as to be able to relieve
another human suffering, then you are off to a good start
and will receive all the blessings of God.
According to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him),
there are five things that are very much encouraged to be
performed. One of them is relieving the suffering of others.
There is no better job in trying to achieve this than being in
the medical field, as people who come to you are those
with some form of suffering, be it physical or mental.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 15
Imagine the change you can make to the lives of others. As
an example, imagine a person who is blind in both eyes due
to bilateral cataract being able to see the very next day
after surgery.
From experience, I have seen many patients who are in
tears after being able to see their loved ones once the eye
bandage is removed following a cataract surgery. For many
of them who appear morose before the operation, their
facial expressions entirely change and their level of activity
at home improves.
As a doctor you have the ability and opportunity to make a
difference in people's lives.
Another hadith states that whenever a person leaves his
house with the intention of helping another human being,
God will give him the blessing equivalent to someone who
performs "iktikaf" (meditates in the mosque) for a month.
So, a doctor who leaves his house to help other people will
get the blessing from God all day long, provided he is
sincere and does not expect any direct reward from the
person that he helps.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 16
I am sure by now you have realised that having a strong
spiritual conscience would encourage a person to become a
doctor and help the needy.
2. Can I be a doctor one day?
If you are determined and remain focused in your goal,
have a strong discipline in your study methods and maintain
a healthy attitude in your study and course work, you will
succeed to become a doctor. You must be positive in your
attitude and have confidence in yourself during the process
of becoming a doctor.
Recall the time in school when you were doing so well and
were the teacher's pet. Recall how confident you were to
speak in public and answer questions, intelligently in class.
In every person there is tremendous potential and God
permitting, nothing or no
one can come in your way
from achieving your
primary ambition.
Before healing others, heal yourself
Physically;
Spiritually;
Emotionally and
Socially
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 17
Studying medicine requires that you remain organized,
consistent, disciplined and interested throughout the five
years of study. Each year in medical school may require
different components of your capability in varying
proportions such as the capability for understanding,
synthesizing, evaluating, public speaking and
communicating.
The list is too long to describe but you can rest assure that
the training in medicine will make you become a
wholesome person possessing good values and social skills.
Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people
who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.
- Dale Carnegie (1888-1955)
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 18
3. What sort of thinking is required to
become a doctor?
Medical students should train themselves to be critical in
their thinking. This is crucial as critical thinking is a skill that
is required to become a good doctor.
Seeing things in a holistic perspective is one requirement of
a doctor. A patient will come to you with a complaint about
their health rather than a written diagnosis. The complaint
may appear to come from a physical illness but it may be a
manifestation of a psychological problem.
So, if one is able to see a person as a whole rather than just
focusing on a symptom, then one will make a good
detective at finding the underlining cause of the symptoms.
In fact, a doctor is very much like a private investigator who
is given a clue by the one symptom the patient complained
of. It is his responsibility to look for the next clue to get to
the diagnosis using his adequate knowledge of the basic
science and correlating it with the clinical signs.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 19
Attributes of a critical thinker:
- asks pertinent questions;
- assesses statements and arguments;
- is able to admit a lack of understanding or information;
- has a sense of curiosity;
- is interested in finding new solutions;
- suspends judgment until all facts have been gathered and
considered looks for evidence to support assumptions and
beliefs;
- is able to adjust opinions when new facts are found - looks
for proof;
- examines problems closely is able to reject information that
is incorrect or irrelevant;
- sees that critical thinking is a lifelong process of selfassessment
and
- listens carefully to others and is able to give a feedback.
- Ferrett S (1997) -
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 20
4. What are the possible career options
after graduation?
General Practitioners
A general practitioner attends to patients with common
ailments such as cough and cold. For more difficult cases,
the patients will be referred to a specialist.
Specialists
There are a number of different fields that you can choose
from such as ophthalmology, cardiology, neurology and
gynaecology, to name a few. Becoming a specialist requires
a lot of hard work and minimum training of at least four
years.
However, the advantage is that you will be able to treat the
patient at a level higher than what you can do if you are a
general practitioner. You will be responsible for the
patient's progress right to the end. As a specialist, you can
also opt to work in the Ministry of Health or join
universities to become clinical lecturers.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 21
Lecturers in Pre-clinical Departments
If you do not enjoy treating patients and you find clinical
work too busy, you can join universities to become lecturers
at pre-clinical departments such as anatomy and
physiology.
Researchers
If you are interested in research, you can branch into doing
research in various reputable institutions in the country.
As you can see, there are many options to suit everyone's
interest and capability. The main thing is to become a
doctor first. People's interest may change with time
according to the kind of exposure and working experience
they obtain.
Of course, it is also determined by family circumstances.
Most lady doctors try to opt for the less busy schedule such
as becoming lecturers in preclinical departments where
they do not have to be on call.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 22
5. Can I study and lead a reasonable life
at the same time?
It depends on how you define a reasonable life. If being
able to go out every weekend and dining out every evening
is your definition of a reasonable life, then you have to be
an extremely bright medical student because you would
only have two hours of time for studying after your lecture
hours. Otherwise, this kind of lifestyle will lead to
difficulties in passing your exams well.
A smart student will know how to study effectively and will
not waste time on unnecessary activities such as
chitchatting on the Net or watching television in the
evening. From my experience, I have not seen any of my
colleagues who led this type of lifestyle and made it
through medical school with good grades within the
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 23
required number of years. Many of them who had a "good
life" in the early years of medical school, struggled in the
later part and became clinicians who are not confident with
their clinical skills.
An Arabic saying states that "a person who does not stand
now will never be able to sit later." This means that a
person who does not work hard in their younger life will
never have a relaxed life when they are older. Everything in
life has to be earned and all of us have to pay the "tax"
whatever our achievement is. I am sure that for you to
achieve the good grades required for entry into medical
schools, you have paid your "tax" in the form of many late
nights, hard work and maybe blood, sweat and tears.
You must have the determination of achieving something
and rewarding yourself later. For instance, be sure to
complete your tasks such as revising lectures of the week
before watching a movie or going shopping. The important
factor here is to learn to prioritize your daily activities
according to its importance and urgency.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 24
6. How do I manage my time and plan an
effective study schedule?
Time management is about setting and following a schedule
of study in order to organise and prioritize your studies in
the context of competing activities of work, family, etc.
According to Davidson (1997) and Wetmore (1999), the 7
divisions of time are family, society, health, finance,
spirituality, work and self-development.
i. Family
Ensure that you contact your parents at least once a week.
Scenario from my real experience: A student was not able to answer a
vital question in an exam, which could have failed him. When I questioned
him whether he had contacted his parents to pray for him for the exam,
he told me that he had not contacted his mother for a month. So I told
him that I was sure his mother was upset with him. As a result, God too
was upset with him. The lack of blessing from both his parents and God
might have resulted in him forgetting the simplest but crucial fact. (The
question was: What is the one investigation you must do before
performing lumbar puncture in a patient with papilledema. Answer: CT
Scan.)
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 25
By doing so, your parents will be happy with you and so will
God. They will pray for you and of course things will go
smoothly.
ii. Society
Be sensitive to the people around you. This includes your
roommates, classmates and those you come into contact
with. Should someone get into trouble, try to help him or
her even if it means some taxation on your time. The time
spent helping others will be repaid by God in that you will
save time on other things such as being able to understand
certain subjects in a shorter time than usual. Have faith.
iii. Health
A healthy mind comes from a healthy body. Even though
you are young with no illness, make sure that you maintain
your health by having a balanced meal, enough sleep and
adequate exercise. Do you know that exercise produces a
lot of alpha waves around you, which allow you to study
better? Do not try to save time by not having a proper meal
and just surviving on cup noodles. Be sure to take nutritious
food for good health.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 26
iv. Finance
Take some time in a day to organise your spending and
ensure that you keep at least 10% of your income as a
saving for emergency purposes. Remember, do not try to
cut down your spending on academic material. For
example, if you need to photocopy articles, do not try to
save money by choosing a cheap photocopy machine which
gives you poor quality prints or by reducing its size, which
will tire your eyes reading them.
v. Spirituality
This is an important component to spend time on because
spirituality has to be well maintained as it influences your
attitude to life as a whole. For the Muslims, apart from the
five prayers, ensure that you go to weekly religious group
meetings where you would be reminded of your behaviour
and deeds according to the Holy Book. By enhancing your
spirituality, you seek the blessings of the Almighty, and
God, being the ruler of the whole world will show his
rewards by ensuring that your life runs smoothly.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 27
vi. Work (Study)
This of course takes the priority as you are given five years
to complete your duty as a medical student and you should
be able to achieve your targets. The key factor to achieving
this is by adapting the correct attitude in your studies as
have been discussed in the previous chapters.
vii. Self-Development
This is important as you are actually developing yourself
every time you study. As a doctor, one very important skill
that you must possess is communication, in order to make
yourself understood by patients. Students must know how
to communicate with patients. They must know what to say
and when to say it.
Time is the scarcest resource
and unless it is managed,
nothing else can be managed.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 28
Guidelines on how to control your time
1. Monitor your time
As someone with faith, ensure that you allocate time for
your spiritual enhancement. All Muslims are required to
pray five times in a day. Keeping to each prayer time is a
good way of disciplining oneself.
For Muslims in Malaysia, there are three hours of solid time
after or in between prayers. Someone who prays on time
has three hours after each prayer time to do other things
before the next prayer time comes, in which one asks for
forgiveness for things that he or she has done in the
previous three hours.
According to a hadith, the five
praying times is like a river that
runs in front of one's house in
which one bathes five times a
day. Hence it will help to
cleanse one's soul.
Time is a fixed income. Plan
each day down to the second
because once time is wasted,
you can never get it back.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 29
2. Reflect on how you spend your time
Regard your time as an investment given by God to do good
deeds. Be aware of when you
are wasting your time. Know
when you are productive.
Knowing how you spend your time should aid you in
planning and predicting project
completion.
Self-audit (reflecting what good
and bad things one has done
during the day) and a time-audit
before you go to sleep.
Schedule fifty-minute blocks of
study. After one block of study,
it is advisable to rest for five
minutes by having a drink or
talking to your family. Three
blocks of a fifty-minute study is
more effective and relaxing than
a continuous two-and-a-half
hour study.
Control your time. Don't let it
control you.
Self-Imposed Time Wasters
• Visiting friends
• Talking on the phone
• Listening to music
• Watching TV
• Games, e-mail, etc.
• Daydreaming
• Not being able to say no
• Worrying
• Gossiping
• Poor reading/study skills
• Poor concentration
• Lack of planning
(AAC Study Tips, Ohio University)
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 30
Plan to use "dead time" - e.g.
use your mealtime in the
room to listen to beneficial
programmes such as religious
and motivational
programmes.
Schedule as much study time
as possible during daylight
hours. Avoid sleeping late and
have a good sleep.
Schedule a weekly review to
ensure that you understand
the entire topics that have been taught for the week.
System-Imposed Time Wasters
• Over-long visits
• Phone interruptions
• Music/noise in the area
• Waiting/delays
• Roommate problems
• Unclear assignments
• Mechanical failures
• Illness or fatigue
• Emergencies
• Unnecessary meetings
(AAC Study Tips, Ohio University)
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 31
3. Have a "To study list"
Have a daily/weekly planner. Depending on your posting,
identify the major areas that you have to cover. Plan your
study group discussions. Write down the common cases
seen and the essential points that need to be known.
Identify gaps in your knowledge as you see the common
cases or topics of the day during lectures or tutorials. This is
called "gap analysis". Make sure that two things are done in
one day: (1) preview of upcoming lectures and (2) review of
lectures given on that day.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 32
Checklist for effective note taking:
 Prepare by reading assigned text and reviewing notes from the
previous lecture.
 Keep yourself alert by sitting where you can concentrate on the
speaker.
 Listen for and record the topic of the day's lecture.
 Write more than the lecturer puts on the board or overhead.
 Ensure the subtopics of the lecture are easy to see in your notes.
 Include examples and significant details.
 Organise your notes to show the relative importance of the ideas.
 Write legibly to make the notes easy to study later.
 Edit notes for accuracy and legibility after class as soon as possible.
 Actively review your notes by predicting exam questions from them.
(AAC Study Tips, Ohio University)
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 33
4. Always know what's ahead for the day
Always go to sleep knowing you're prepared for tomorrow,
be it lectures or tutorials. Have a to-do list for the day. A
small planner will help.
The Daily Plan: The To-Do List
Planning your day takes very little time and can really pay
off. You begin by listing all the things you need to do for the
day. Then you decide which are most important to your
daily goals. Keep your list with you to stay on track.
To make your "to-do" list:
1. Use a 3x5 card or a small notebook.
2. List your activities/tasks for the day.
3. Prioritize your list:
- Write an A by your must do's - the tasks that will help
you meet your stated goals.
- Write a B by your should do's - the jobs that are
important but could wait a day.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 34
- Write a C by your could do's - easy or fun things that
really can wait.
4. Do the A's first.
For example:
Revise Physiology A3
Review lecture A 1
Call home/get new room key B1
Preview lecture A2
Check e-mail/Friendster C
(AAC Study Tips. Ohio University)
5. Have a long-term planner
Use a monthly chart so that you can always plan ahead.
Long-term planners also serve to remind you to plan your
free time constructively. Plan your holiday well. It can be
used to cover the gaps in your knowledge. It can mean
going for elective posting or get some attachments to
certain clinical departments.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 35
The Detailed Weekly Schedule
Making a detailed schedule of your week may seem too
confining. However, knowing when you can get things done
actually gives you more time to make changes.
To make your weekly schedule:
1. Enter all of your fixed obligations - classes, meetings,
meals, work, exercise, sleeping, TV, etc.
2. Schedule your study hours with these in mind:
- Be realistic.
- Think of being a student as a full-time job.
- Break big assignments into manageable parts.
- Complete assignments before you are too tired.
- Remember that short study sessions can be more
effective than marathons.
- Use the time between classes to review notes or
prepare for your next class.
- Study your hardest class first to avoid putting it off.
- Review your lecture notes as soon as possible.
- Use weekend time to catch up and to plan.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 36
3. Schedule your free time. Prioritize naps, socializing,
exercise, etc. Planning recreation is as important as
planning other activities.
4. Try for a balance between study, work, and recreation.
(AAC Study Tips, Ohio University)
The Quarter Schedule
Remember, the quarter schedule keeps you tuned in to the
big events in your life. It will remind you of quizzes,
projects, exams, papers and other events. The schedule will
keep you from being overwhelmed at the last minute.
To make a quarter schedule:
1. Get out the syllabus from each of your classes.
2. On your quarter schedule, enter the date of eachquiz,
paper due, exam, etc.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 37
3. Enter important events: trips out of town, co-curricular
activities.
4. Put your quarter schedule in a prominent place where
you can see it.
5. Update it when necessary.
(AAC Study Tips, Ohio University)
7. Should I involve myself in many cocurricular
activities?
Yes, you should, provided it does not interfere with your
studies. Joining various societies will help you shape your
personality. It will also make you treasure your time even
more.
However, if you find that you have difficulty in
understanding your subjects and require extra effort to
achieve your target, then it is not advisable to be involved
in a big way in any organization. It may be sufficient to be
an ordinary member.
Choose your co-curricular activities well. Participating in cocurricular
activities can help you develop the right side of
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 38
your brain, enhance your creativity and make you a multiskilled
person. However, it has to be done in moderation
and make sure that the time spent on co-curricular
activities does not exceed your main task of studying
medicine.
From my experience, limited amount of involvement in
societies is good enough. As medicine is a serious subject,
there is no replacement for hard work and diligence.
People who make the worst use of their time are the
same people who complain that there is never
enough time.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 39
8. What are the common problems for
First Year medical students?
1. Living in past glory
Many of those in medical schools were top students in their
secondary schools, which may give them a false sense of
security. They could have been their teachers' pets and
were top students in their class, but what they do not
realise is that when they enter medical schools, they are
studying with 200 other top students.
They do not realise that they are learning entirely new
subjects where they need guidance to get the knowledge.
Hence, if the approach is wrong, it will be difficult for them
to understand what they are learning.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 40
Real situation: A student who just joined medical school
was given a car and a hand phone and was staying in a
separate apartment with his friends. The culture of this
clique was that they would go for dinner at 8pm and return
by 10pm after which they started to study. They continued
this routine until the whole clique failed the first year
examination after several attempts and had to change to
another faculty.
2. Culture Shock
Students entering medical schools will experience a sudden
change in their life and study culture, being away from their
parents or the discipline of their previous boarding schools.
Attendance at lectures may not be taken and should one
miss a lecture, it will go undetected.
In contrast to schools or matriculation centres where
everything that students need to learn is given by the
school teacher or tutor, in medical school, lectures are
mainly given to provide the fundamental principles and
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 41
some core knowledge upon which the students have to
expand and be able to apply.
This sudden change in culture may result in some students
having difficulty to adapt themselves. Unless this is stressed
upon them and they become prepared, it may jeopardize
their performance. The approach of problem-based
learning used in many medical schools is something new
and it applies the student-directed learning methodology,
which is entirely different from the study methodology in
school.
3. Choosing or being chosen by the "wrong" friends.
Talking from experience, many students who did so well in
school did not perform as well in universities as they found
the wrong circle of friends who do not know their priorities
and goals as medical students. They are excited meeting
new friends and found new ways of occupying their time
and enjoying themselves especially when they are given a
lot of money by well to-do parents who think that by giving
everything, their children will do well.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 42
4. Loss of motivation (burnt out)
Most students study hard for exams just to get into
universities. Unfortunately, their future career pathway
after entering universities is not taught of or discussed with
the school counsellor. After studying so hard to enter
medical school, they feel burnt out and lose the motivation
to study.
5. Being forced by parents to do medicine
Some students are not interested in medicine but enter
medical school because they are being forced by their
parents. Medical subjects cannot be learned if one is not
interested.
Through experience, I have seen students who have
reached the fourth year resign because they could not go
on and had to start new at other faculties.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 43
6. Studying alone
In medicine, having a regular study group is important.
Three common reasons why students do not want to have
study groups:
i. Do not want others to know their ignorance in
medical subjects.
ii. Afraid to share their knowledge with other friends
who might score higher than them.
iii. Do not want to put the extra effort.
Through my experience, many students who do not do well
are those who do not have any study group and feel
contented at just being able to stay in the library for hours
and read their books. Whenever they do not do well in the
exam, they become depressed as they have no one to turn
to. This will lead to further demoralization and loss of
inspiration to study. It may later become a vicious cycle
with further loss of morale.
In contrast, students with study groups do much better and
should any one of them not do well, the others will try to
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 44
help them as the weakness of each person in the group are
made known during the discussion sessions.
7. Too Competitive and Not Cooperative
This is quite common especially among female students.
This could be due to them being top students in their
previous schools or matriculation centres. As a result, they
want to remain being top students and might be
overzealous and try to get as much knowledge as possible
without considering others. This problem is manifested in
any or all of the following behaviours:
i. Fighting for the lecturer's attention.
ii. Being selfish and unwilling to share the notes and
good books given by seniors with others.
iii. Dominating the lab sessions and not giving others
the chance to participate in the experiments.
iv. Hiding the fact that they have been studying.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 45
9. What are the common traps of
studying?
1. I Don't Know Where To Begin
This is a common problem. Do not panic. It is quite normal
to be overwhelmed by the amount of things that you have
to learn. Begin by making a list of all the things you need to
know which will be available in the syllabus or told by the
lecturers. Divide your workload into manageable portions.
Learn to prioritize and schedule your time realistically.
Studying medicine is like going to the war. You cannot do it single-handedly.
Teamwork is important. Nobody is your competitor and everybody is a
collaborator. Everyone has to share their ammunition to win the war and get a
common victory. There is no quota of how many should get A in medical
schools. The fact that a friend gets A does not deprive your chance of getting A.
The more you give, the more you will get. In other words, the more you give
your knowledge to your friends and share your notes, the more they will share
whatever they have with you. So, two plus two is equal to five, which is what we
call "synergy".
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 46
Discipline yourself to use the few minutes between lectures
to review lecture notes. Avoid last minute work and begin
studying early with a minimum of four hours per day.
Never skip any lectures as missing one-hour lecture can
never be replaced by five hours of studying on your own.
2. I've Got So Much To Study ... And So Little Time
Be smart. Ensure that you practise PCR (Preview,
Concentrate, and Review) of your lectures. Make a study
sheet summary of all your subjects. This can be made easier
with a group of friends in your study group. The summary
should include the lecture notes, tutorials, problem-based
learning and laboratory work which all have to be well
inter-related. Identify the most important topics that have
been emphasized and areas which are difficult to
understand.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 47
3. This Subject Is So Difficult, I Can't Understand
Any of It
Be patient! Learning about the highest creation of God is
never easy. But believe me, once you acquire the
knowledge, it is the most satisfying thing you can ever get
in this life. Regard it as a challenge. A good approach would
be to discuss with others in class. It helps to know that
others find the subject difficult too.
Have the courage to make an appointment with the
lecturer to clarify on the difficult areas. Lecturers are always
more than happy to help. Personally, I get thrilled when
students ask questions. One key point to remember is that
the more difficult the subject is, the more useful it will be
for your future clinical practice and post-graduate studies.
4. I Read It. I Understand It. But I Just Can't
Remember It
Discuss. We remember best the things that are most
discussed. Research has shown that we remember 70% of
what we discuss. Try to relate it to something meaningful to
you. As you are discussing, try to relate the topic to your
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 48
own examples. Try to co-relate the subject with what you
have learnt before.
5. I Guess I Understand It
Don't be too sure. Test yourself by talking about the
subject. Make up questions with your friends about the key
sections and test each other. Keep in mind what the
lecturer has stressed in the lectures. Study the relationships
between each topic. Try to generate your own exam
questions for the topic and answer it.
6. There's Too Much To Remember
Organise. Information is recalled well if it is represented in
an organised framework that will make retrieval more
systematic.
There are many techniques that can help you organise new
information, including:
Write chapter outlines or summaries. For example, in
pharmacology a tree diagram to show the relationship
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 49
between the various autonomic drugs will prevent
confusion of their various modes and sites of actions.
Group information into categories. For example,
pathology of a kidney can be categorised into those
affecting the glomeruli and those affecting the
pelvicalyceal system.
Information Mapping. Draw up a matrix to organise
and interrelate material. For example, in obstetrics and
gynaecology, a table comparing the different stages of
management in different types of obstetrical problem
such as multiple pregnancies or breech presentation
will help to differentiate the different emphasis at
different stages of pregnancy.
7. I Knew It A Minute Ago
Review. After reading a section, review and practise Output
Learning. Try to make up questions about the section and
answer them. If you cannot recall enough, re-read the
portions you have trouble remembering. The more time
you spend on studying, the more you tend to recall. Even
after the point where information can be perfectly recalled,
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 50
further study makes the material less likely to be forgotten
entirely. In other words, you can't over-study.
However, how you organise and integrate new Information
is still more important than how much time you spend on
studying. It is not the number of hours spent but how much
you obtained during the study session that matters. A
measure of how much you have learnt can be reflected
upon by the number of questions you can answer. Try to
make some essay questions and answer them, and try to
answer some multiple-choice questions to consolidate what
you have studied.
8. But I Like To Study In Bed
This is no good. Treat your study seriously. Reading medical
books is not similar to reading storybooks. You have to
study with a paper and pen in your hand and scribble or
make diagrams in order to study actively. You can never do
this while lying down.
In addition, recall is better when the study situation is
similar to the test situation. The greater the similarity
between the study setting and the test setting, the greater
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 51
the likelihood that material studied will be recalled during
the test.
9. I Study Better At The Last Minute
This is never true. Recall increases as study time gets spread
out over time. There is of course, some stress induced
hormones that make you more alert and active and feel full
of energy to study. However, this will lead to easy
exhaustion and you may get panic attack especially when
you find that there is too much to cover. This is futile and
you will get the repercussion during the exam. I have seen
many of my friends who had this attitude ended up having
to repeat so many papers and in the end had to repeat the
academic year and many of them took two extra years
compared to others to graduate. This will lead to frustration
and lack of self-confidence.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 52
10. I Will Stay Up All Night Until I Finish
This is counterproductive. The most important thing during
a test is to have an alert mind. Therefore, you must have
enough rest. Avoid mental exhaustion. Take short breaks
frequently when studying. Before a test, have a rested
mind. It is more important than ever to take care of yourself
before an exam. Eat well, sleep, and get enough exercise
and pray hard.
(Adapted from AAC Study Tips, Ohio University)
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 53
10. How do I get the maximum benefit
from the lectures?
Prepare for discussion/ recitation courses before class. This
is called preview. Preparing for the lecture will help you to
identify the areas that you have difficulty in understanding.
So when the lectures are given you will have a better
chance of grasping the facts and will be sensitive to the
topic that you do not understand which you can write
down.
Schedule time to go over the lecture
material is immediately after class.
Remember: Forgetting is greatest
within 24 hours without review.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 54
Should your doubt not be clarified during the lecture, be
ready to ask the lecturer at the end of the session. Mark the
difficult part with red ink. Allow no doubt in any area. Make
sure you take good notes during lectures. (See Appendix 1 -
Effective Note Taking)
11. What do I do when the subject is
really boring and I do not understand the
lectures?
Remember: no matter
how boring the subject is,
it is important for your
future practice.
Otherwise it will not be
taught and given the
credit hours. You must realise that you ought to have
adequate essential knowledge in order to practise as a
doctor later in your life. Adopt the attitude that the time
you spend to study and work hard at understanding some
facts will be considered as good deeds and blessed by God.
During Tutorials
Do not feel inferior to
answer
Try to answer questions
Do not be afraid to ask
There is NO stupid question
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 55
Keeping yourself interested in the subject will prevent you
from getting bored. Try to see the subject as a leaf on a
trunk. Therefore you must try to identify the trunk in order
to know the importance of the subject.
Ask yourself, what the impact would be on your career as a
doctor should you not know about that subject. If possible,
in a polite manner, try to ask the lecturer the significance of
the subject being taught.
Try to make an appointment to see the lecturer and ask on
whatever that you do not understand. If you feel awkward
going alone, bring a friend who has a similar problem in the
subject. Do not feel shy to show your ignorance; a smart
person is one who knows what he does not know.
As a student you are not expected to know everything, and
being exposed to a new subject, any person will need some
help at understanding it. You must have a good mindset
when studying. Bring your ego down; you gain nothing by
being egoistic.
Do not live in your past glory when you were the best
student in school. It is all right to show your ignorance and
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 56
make mistakes while you are learning. This will prevent you
from repeating the mistakes later.
It is important to have the attitude that you are responsible
for your achievement and do not blame anybody or
anything for any shortcomings.
(See Appendix 2: Paying Attention in Class)
To admit your ignorance once is to reveal your ignorance once.
To hide your ignorance is to reveal your ignorance again and
again.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 57
12. What are the effective study habits?
You can prepare yourself to succeed in your studies. Try to
develop and appreciate the following habits:
i. Take responsibility for yourself
As a doctor, one has to have enough core knowledge in
certain subjects. Without this, there will be a lot of gaps and
grey areas. Believe me, whatever grey areas you have as a
student will remain grey if you do not try to erase them.
As a result, the subsequent knowledge acquisition in certain
areas will be
hampered. Hence,
one will have
difficulty passing
exams and it can
Studying is the process of grouping together and
organising the material to be learned. It is the
basic process of memorising the material.
- Dr. Lamon H. Small -
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 58
lead to mismanagement of patients later. I have seen this
happening and the doctors usually feel very remorse and
they wish that they had taken their studies more seriously.
Therefore, as a student you are responsible to ensure that
you have a good grasp in some core subjects. In order to do
that, you have to decide and make decisions about your
priorities, time, and resources.
ii. Centre yourself around your values and
principles
Do not let friends and acquaintances dictate what you
consider important. This is very important as everyone has
to have missions in life. Whatever religion we belong to, we
always strive to make this life given to us beneficial to
others as well as to ourselves.
Our values will be dictated by our upbringing and the input
we receive from our environment. Having a clear objective
in life will help us to focus, stay on track, and prevent us
from being led astray by friends and acquaintances.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 59
For example, if you
choose to master
medical knowledge
and be good at your
work, should your
friends try to prevent
you from doing so by
telling you that you are young and should get the most in
your lifetime, you would not be influenced by that.
Of course the easiest thing to do is to follow your heart and
have momentary enjoyment, but suffering will come once
the exam paper is in front of you, and you are trembling
before the lecturer during oral examination due to lack of
knowledge.
iii. Put first things
first
Follow up on the
priorities you have set for
yourself, and do not let others or other interests distract
Learning is the process of acquiring knowledge
and knowing the material studied. This is when
the new knowledge is entered into memory. It is
the process of organising the material to be
learned into meaningful mental processes.
- Dr. Lamon H. Small -
Understanding is the process of studying,
learning and knowing the material and
having control over it.
Understanding is the level of learning
where comprehension takes place. This is
where you know the meaning of what you
have learned and know it thoroughly.
- Dr. Lamon H. Small -
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 60
you from your goals. Your priority as a medical student is to
understand your lectures.
In order to do this, the three important steps - preview,
concentrate and review (PCR) - are mandatory. There is no
shortcut in grasping the knowledge during lectures. The
most common mistake is to procrastinate and only try to
read everything that has been learnt over the past three
months in a week before the exam.
Do not fall into a trap of spending more time in
extracurricular activities especially during the prime time,
i.e. from 9 to 11 p.m. This is the usual time most meetings
are held. Try and arrange to have extracurricular meetings
during less productive times
such as on Saturday or Sunday
afternoons.
Another common trap
especially for boys, is being
distracted by friends who come
and ask them out for 'teh tarik' or `burger'. If you do not
practise PCR in your daily schedule as your priority then you
will be easily distracted.
Effective tips:
Preview the lecture
Concentrate in class
Review the lecture
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 61
iv. Discover your key productivity periods and
places
Try to identify the time and study spaces where you can be
most focused and productive. Prioritise these for your most
difficult study challenges. Sleep early and rise early every
day. You should have a minimum of 5 hours of sleep every
night. Morning is always the best and most productive time,
so train yourself to wake up early to make use of this
valuable time.
v. Consider yourself in a win-win situation
You win by doing your best and contributing your best to a
class, whether for yourself, your fellow students, and even
for your teachers. If you are contented with your
performance, a grade becomes an external check on your
performance, which may not coincide with your internally
desired benefits.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 62
vi. Look for better solutions to problems
For example, if you do not understand the lectures, do not
just re-read the material. Try something else! Consult the
lecturer, a tutor, an academic advisor, a classmate or those
in your study group. Look to continually challenge yourself.
(Partially adapted from the audio cassette by Steven Covey,
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.)
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 63
13. How do I study smart?
It is not enough to just study hard. Studying in a smart
manner is the key to success in medical schools. I would like
to stress the importance of the effective study method, i.e.
Output Learning, in contrast to Input Learning.
Daily Strategies Checklist:
- Complete all homework /reading assignments.
- Write or recite ideas in your own words.
- Attend all classes.
- Take complete lecture notes.
- Schedule enough study time.
- Review notes using a Recall Column.
- Get help if confused.
(AAC Study Tips, Ohio University)
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 64
Output Learning in contrast to Input Learning
Input Learning involves one to read and make notes. It has
been shown to be highly ineffective and extremely tiring
and boring. In contrast, Output Learning has been shown to
be highly effective.
Important skills for medical students:
• Effective note taking
• Effective studying
• Effective examination techniques
• Effective presentation techniques
• Effective discussion groups
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 65
Steps in Output learning
 Read
 Recall
 Mind mapping
 Review the map
 Recall the map and say it out
For more tips on studying, refer Appendix 3 (“MURDER"
Study System).
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 66
14. How do I read quickly?
Before you start reading, have an aim of what you want to
know about the subject. This will lead to an active learning.
Write down some questions before reading and aim to
answer them after reading the chapter. You will remain
focused and try to find the answers to your questions.
There are three stages to reading textbooks for studying
and outlining: Skimming, Thorough Reading and Attentive
Reading.
1. Skimming is a process of familiarising yourself by
skimming through the text. You are only interested in
getting an overview of the material and looking for a
theme.
2. Thorough Reading is concerned with focusing on the
main and important ideas of the materials. This is the
time when you stop and make mental pictures of what
you are reading.
Reading is to the mind what exercise is to
the body.
Richard Steele, English 1672-1729
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 67
3. Attentive Reading is where the learning and
understanding of the material takes place. Create
questions while you are reading the material. Try to
think of the questions that could be asked about the
material.
Active study strategies:
 Make condensed summaries/outlines of chapters or big
topics
 Organise ideas in charts or graphs
 Complete questions at the end of each chapter
 Draw pictures, make and label diagrams or
processes/systems
 Create time lines
 Make note cards for vocabulary or formulas
Why the need to recall?
When we recall, we are
transferring the
knowledge from the book
to our brain memory cells.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 68
 Create a list of the 20 most important questions or
ideas
 Write a list of questions/topics to take to a study group
 Explain concepts in your own words
 Work problems until solving them becomes second
nature
(AAC Study Tips, Ohio University)
For tips on speed reading, comprehension and taking notes
from a textbook, refer to Appendix 4 (SpeedReading and
Comprehension), 5 (Effective Reading and Comprehension)
and 6 (Taking Notes from A Textbook).
"To study medicine without books is to sail an unchartered
sea, while to study medicine only from the books is not to go
to sea at all."
-Sir William OslerHow
to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 69
15. How do I overcome the frustration of
studying difficult subjects?
Your mindset is very important. As a Believer you should
regard every minute spent on studying as a good deed and
hope that God will bless you. So, even if you do not
understand something and it takes you longer to read, you
will go on learning as you know that every minute and
effort that you put in will be regarded as a good deed and
virtue by God, and the kindness will be rewarded in some
other forms such as good health. It is important to be
sincere in whatever you do.
One should study to know and not to pass only. If you only
study to pass, you may pass but you are likely to forget the
facts. However, if you study to know, you will gain
knowledge, pass the exam and still remember the facts.
Should you decide to take up the challenge and plan to do
your postgraduate
studies, all these
basic knowledge
becomes very
useful.
I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can
gather strength from distress, and grow brave by
reflection... and he whose heart is firm.
-Thomas Paine (1737-1809)
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 70
Medicine is one of the fields where every line that you read
and every fundamental fact that you learn will be used in
your everyday practice and examination.
To really learn the material, you need to sort, condense and
organise it.
1. Condense, Summarise, or Outline
• Put ideas in your own words. No simple-minded
copying.
• Use for any subject to see concept relationships.
2. Draw and Label Your Own Diagrams/Pictures
• Use for complicated systems.
• Increase visual memory.
3. Create Time Lines
• Use for chronological events or sequential
systems/processes.
4. Make Charts
• Use to compare several theories/systems/
processes.
5. Organise/Work Problems
(AAC Study Tips, Ohio University)
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 71
One good way of studying a difficult subject that I find
effective is by teaching others. This is due to the fact that in
trying to make others understand a certain topic, I have to
truly understand it first and for any questionsasked, I have
to read up further to explain to them. The human body is
such that everything is connected. Being good in one
subject will increase your understanding in another.
Speaking from personal experience, as a medical student I
was never satisfied if there were some areas that I did not
understand. I would make sure that all the facts were well
understood, and I always found ways to remember a
subject, not only by mnemonic, but also by the logical way
of understanding and thus remembering the points.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 72
16. How do I remember what I have
studied?
To remember what you have studied requires a lot of
sincerity during studying and blessings from God. By God's
grace I can still remember things that were taught more
than twenty years ago such as Additional Mathematics,
Organic Chemistry and Physics, and I have been able to
teach these secondary school subjects to form five
students. If one studied for the love of it and never
regarded studying as a chore, then one will enjoy and
remember the subjects well.
Teaching others does help a great deal. It forces you to
know the material very well in order to teach others. We
must be aware that there are many steps of learning
including reading, understanding, remembering,
synthesising, analysis and evaluation.
For one to be able to teach well, one has to reach the stage
of analysis which is not easy to do.
But once this knowledge is acquired, it will stick in the mind
and can be recalled when needed especially in exams,
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 73
which is to one's definite advantage. In the end, it is the
people who teach others that benefit the most, has full
control of his or her knowledge, and gain the blessings from
God in the process.
Learning through our senses:
• Sight - 83%
o show pictures and diagrams
o make a good effort to illustrate points
• Hearing - 11%
• Smell - 3.5%
• Taste - 1.1%
• Touch - 1.5%
Here are some tips on how to have a good and solid
understanding of your pre-clinical material where a lot of
reading, understanding, remembering, synthesising,
analysis and evaluation are required.
• Review your notes and readings frequently, so the
material is "fresh".
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 74
• As you're reading your text or reviewing your notes,
generate and write down questions about the material.
• Keep track of any terms you need to know. Mark these
on a separate note and title it as ‘grey area' or 'mustknow
list'.
Must-know, good-to-know.
Must-see, good-to-see.
This is a very important list for all medical students and they
should obtain the help of lecturers to develop them. The list
will help highlight to them which cases, subjects or topics
need to be emphasised over and over again. An example of
a must-know: the clinical features of heart failure. A goodto-
know may be the current treatment of heart failure. As
for the must-see, as an example, all students must see and
recognise a case of papilledema, and a good-to-see case is
one of optic atrophy due to glaucoma.
(See Appendix 7 - Flip Card Technique to Enhance Your
Memory of a Subject)
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 75
The do's and don'ts of studying
• The do's:
 Prepare before any lecture or tutorial
 Practise output learning
 Start studying with a prayer
 Smile while studying
 Ensure conducive environment
 Green and yellow colours have been proven to be
stimulating and able to enhance learning
 While reading, use your index finger to point the
lines in the book or to underline to remain focused
and maintain concentration
• The don’ts:
 Studying while lying down
 Study with the music on
 Being absent from any lectures or tutorials
 Study passively
 Read only, with no pencil or paper to scribble
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 76
Research has shown that we remember:
10% of what we read
 Not effective if done without the next four steps.
This is the most common cause of students
studying so hard and yet still fail the
examination.
20 % of what we hear
 Attending lecture is mandatory
50 % of what we hear and read
 Hence it is important to see the presentation
and hear the lectures
70% of what we discuss
 Study group will help
90% of what we do
 Need to do MCQs, essays, etc.
100% of what we teach
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 77
17. Must I have a study group?
Belonging to a study group is important for a medical
student. It is very difficult to do well without having regular
discussions with colleagues. A study group is not meant for
reading a book together. It should be used as a way to
ensure that one studies consistently and regularly, and to
have a point of comparison of one's knowledge with others
in the study group.
Solitary studying has the disadvantage of being unable to
cope with periods of depression, loss of interest and feeling
demoralised. In many religious beliefs, being in a group is
very much encouraged. It teaches one to be tolerant, cooperative
and interactive, and gives one the opportunity to
acquire the interpersonal skill vital in becoming a doctor.
Another advantage of a study group is that you will be able
to help your friends who have not grasped the subject as
well as you do, or, you may need the help of your friend
who understands the subject better than you do. So there is
a two-way advantage, a win-win situation when you are in a
study group. In addition, it increases your social and
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 78
communication skills by being able to impart your
knowledge clearly and accurately.
Having members in the study group doing different postings
during the clinical years have many advantages. One main
advantage is that you will be made aware of the important
cases with good clinical signs in the different wards. This
would allow you to see the cases together and later discuss
the pathogenesis and clinical implications of the cases.
Any uncertainty met during the discussion can be clarified
as a group with various angles of approach and this will lead
to a solid foundation on a disease process. Having a
discussion group will also keep you organised and
committed to a fixed timetable, and it pressures you to
manage your time to be prepared for the group discussion.
Certain difficult topics require a lot of time to understand. A
group consisting of five people for example would be able
to share the academic burden on certain topics. This
division of work will lead to less stressful evenings (imagine
you alone trying to finish some 10 pages of material to
understand a disease process).
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 79
Another advantage is that the summary of certain diseases
can be put together onto a piece of paper with inputs from
different people. As an example, the features of liver
cirrhosis can be summarised onto a piece of paper with the
diagram of a human, and one member will fill in the clinical
features of one region of the body such as the face,
abdomen and hand.
However, a study group is not a substitution for your own
studying. It is very important that you continue your study
schedule. The group should be used to supplement and
enhance your own study. Do not depend on the group or
another person to supply you with all the information that
you will need to prepare for class or a test. Depending on
someone else can prove to be a futile.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 80
18. How do I deal with friends who are
always depending on me for lecture
notes?
You should feel good as it means that your notes are good,
easy to understand and that your friends find you
trustworthy. Do remember that if you help others God will
help you. Regard it as a way of helping your friend who is
not as organised as you are. Remember that studying
medicine is like going to a war where everybody has to
work as a team to get the victory, i.e. having a degree in
medicine.
It is a degree with which you can serve the community
better and help to increase the standard of health care in
this country. Remember that today your friends need your
lecture notes, another day you may need their notes
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 81
because none of us can be sure that we can maintain and
enjoy good health all the time.
A day may come when you are unwell and need your
friends' help with the notes for the missed lectures.
Furthermore, your friends in medical school will be lifelong
friends because there is every possibility that you may
become specialists in the different specialties when you will
be referring cases to each other.
A friend in need is a friend indeed.
Keep your fears to yourself, but share your
inspiration with others.
-Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 82
19. How do I deal with friends who are
always asking me to teach them?
It is definitely good, if you have been asked by your friends
to teach. It means that they trust you. During the act of
teaching them you will revise, learn and consolidate your
knowledge. In sharing my experience, I remember teaching
my friends in the same year and some of my juniors once I
have passed to the next academic year. Due to these
sessions I became much better in basic subjects and clinical,
with the added bonus of being able to remember the facts
vividly.
In addition, I am sure it is the blessings showered by God
which enabled me to perform well in my exams. In the
clinical examination, I had good patients with
straightforward diagnosis and the questions asked by the
examiners were those that I was well versed with.
I always believe that performing well in exams does not
depend solely on how hard you study. There is always a
strong external factor controlled by God. I find that I was
asked questions that I knew the answers and seldom those
that I was unfamiliar with.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 83
Also, in the clinical examination, the patients allocated to
me were always co-operative and I did not have to struggle
with the history taking, which can really affect one's
performance in the exams.
I am certain that all these are rewards from God for all the
help that I may have given to my classmates and juniors.
Many of them still remember this and keep reminding me
of the difference I made to them. In addition, it is such a
great satisfaction to see your friends doing well in their
career with the knowledge that you had assisted to plough
some seeds into their success.
Helpful attitude:
 Help others to receive help from God
 Do things to the best of ability
 Respect others to gain respect
 See good in others
 Be generous
o Money
o Love
o Advice
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 84
20. How do I overcome envy of other
people's achievements?
Remember that knowledge is valued as holy and will fall
only onto clean, sincere heart. Envy is something that will
burn all your good deeds just like fire burning the dry leaf
(hadith). Why should you feel envious of anyone when
everyone is created special in his or her own way? You may
feel that the person whom you feel jealous of is superior to
you and may have everything that you do not have, but you
may not know what the person's perspective of herself or
of yourself.
Life is a cycle with ups and downs and everybody will have
their highs and lows at some point in their lives. Just clear
yourself of all these negative inner feelings as they are
"Because we are mortal, every talent, skill and ability we possess,
every thought and feeling we ever have, every beautiful sight we
ever see, every material possession we own will ultimately be lost.
Unless we share it..."
(Excerpt from "The practice Of Kindness" Canary Press)
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 85
counter-productive. They make you a very unpleasant
person and this will be reflected on your face. You will find
then that you have less friends and of course, fewer
blessings from God.
I have seen many people with such negative feelings who
do not do well in life and God has His way of showing His
punishment for them. It does not pay to have any grudge
against anybody. As I have said, knowledge only falls onto a
clean heart and you have to continuously cleanse your
heart by 'zikir' for the Muslims and some means of spiritual
enhancement for other religions.
Someone with shoes size of 6 should not feel
envious of someone with shoes size of 8.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 86
21. How can I pass all exams?
There is no short cut to passing an exam. Situations are
different from secondary schools where you can do things
perhaps at the last minute or just practise the multiplechoice
questions. It is different in the, university as the
subjects are wide and you are' expected to do some work
on your own. You have to, adjust to the new environment
and have a healthy attitude towards examinations.
Examination is a way of making sure that you have the
grasp of the subjects. The only way to make most students
study is to have exams. There are of course exceptional
students who are consistent whether there is an exam or
not. But for the rest of us there has to be the pressure of an
exam to make us study.
For tips on test taking, refer to Appendix 8.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 87
If you are conscientious and have a good rapport with your
lecturers, you can ask them for the important checklist or
the essentials that you need to know or can expand on.
Ensure that you are in control of the subjects, meaning that
you know the salient points.
Do not study at the last minute. Discuss the difficult topics
with your colleagues in your discussion group.
It is crucial that you have a healthy attitude towards the
exam. Whatever the outcome may be, you must regard the
exam as a way of finding out how much you know about
the subject and doing a gap analysis. Your grade is an
indication of how well you have prepared for the exam.
Below is a useful chart that you have to make immediately
after the exam.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 88
Learning from the exam:
Analysis of incorrect answers
Type of Question
(T/F, MC, Short
Answer, Essay, etc.)
Location of Answer
(Chapter, Page#, Lecture
Notes, Date)
Reason for Incorrect Answer
(Misread, Notes Incomplete,
Never Read, etc.)
(AAC Study Tips, Ohio University)
Guidelines for taking the exam:
 Be ready
o Test yourself to be sure you know the material.
 Be rested
o Get at least 5 or 6 hours of sleep the night before
an exam.
 Be fed
o You need to be alert. Eat a light breakfast or lunch.
 Be positive
o Say "I'll do my best" and not "I can't do this."
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 89
 Be on time
o Give yourself a chance to settle down.
 Be calm
o Close your eyes and take 3 deep breaths to reduce
anxiety.
 Be systematic
o Look over the test. Budget your time. Read
directions carefully.
 Be focused
o Read items carefully. Spend time on what you can
answer.
 Be logical
o Use the time you are given. Review your work
before leaving.
(AAC Study Tips, Ohio University)
Checklist for exam preparation:
 Think of exams as a chance to find out how well you
have mastered the concepts you have been studying.
 Know when your exams are scheduled, what they will
cover and whether questions will be objective or essay.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 90
 Complete your reading and homework as they are
assigned so you don't end up cramming at the last
minute.
 Identify the material you need to study and then
schedule time to review it over several days.
 Review each chapter/topic systematically, starting with
the oldest information first.
 Use the headings and subheadings in lecture notes and
textbook chapters to organise information and predict
exam questions.
 Make study guides, charts, outlines, summary sheets,
etc., to condense material and show the relationships
of ideas.
 Review actively by asking yourself questions and then
answering them in your own words.
 Keep reviewing concepts until you understand them
well enough to explain them to someone else.
(AAC Study Tips, Ohio University)
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 91
Holistic approach to passing an exam:
1. Physical
 Stay healthy and take steps towards this.
2. Emotion
 Avoid stressful situations. Be friendly to all your
friends and offend nobody.
3. Intellectual
 Prepare yourself well as explained earlier.
4. Spiritual
 This is one component that has to be stressed
upon. It is often overlooked by many students. It is
important to realise that whatever that happens in
this world is disposed by God. After doing
everything that is humanly possible, a Believer
would leave the consequences in the hands of
God. They will be ready for any consequence and
will not be unduly stressed by any adverse result.
This is one of the important components in stress
management.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 92
Helpful tips to pass well in the exam after studying
enough:
1. Show obedience to God. He will shower you with
blessings. Do extra prayer. For the Muslims, "solat
hajat" is very effective and useful.
2. Be good to your parents. Ask for forgiveness from them
and ask them to pray for you.
3. Be good to your teachers. Respect them and pray for
them. Ask for forgiveness before the exam and ask
them to pray for you.
4. Be good to your friends and help them in whatever way
you can.
5. Do good deeds to please others.
 Donate to the poor. Get your parents to find poor
relatives and donate whatever they need. As much
as you allay the difficulty of others, God will allay
your difficulty in the exam.
 Give food or small gifts to children. As much as you
cheer them up God will cheer you up after the
exam.
6. Do not do sinful things or immoral acts.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 93
What do I do if I fail the exam?
1. Never give up. A quitter never wins, a winner never
quits. Accept the result with an open heart. Cry if you
need to as it will help to reduce your burden of
frustration.
2. Get to work. Learn
from the exam.
Analyse your areas
of weakness and
take steps to overcome them. Make an appointment to
see the lecturer of the subject and get advice. If
possible, try to ask for remedial classes from him or
her.
3. Identify friends who fail the same exam and make
plans to discuss the subject in the group to ensure that
you have a good support mentally and academically.
4. Identify your not-so-good habits that lead to the
failure. Do not hesitate to ask opinions from your close
friends. Correct these habits.
5. Identify the time wasters that lead to reduction in your
studying time. Do not repeat these time-wasting habits
and avoid time-wasting activities.
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways
that didn't work."
-Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931)
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 94
6. Get your parents to pray for you. Increase your
submission to God and do more God-favoured
activities.
7. For the Muslims, try to increase the quality of your
prayer in terms of promptness and doing it in a group
(jamaah).
8. Avoid missing lectures in your effort of trying to study
in the library for the repeat exam. Missing a single
lecture will take you hours of study to acquire the same
knowledge.
9. Involve more in discussions and practise more past
year questions in order to increase your Output
Learning.
10. Have a healthy mindset towards failing an exam.
It is not a failure but a delayed success. You will get
more knowledge of the subject that you have to
repeat.
Some of my friends became specialists in the field that
they failed badly during medical school because the more
they studied for the repeat paper, the more interested
they were in the subject.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 95
22. How do I prepare for multiple-choice
questions?
MCQ is meant to test the depth and width of knowledge...
In medicine there is no guesswork. Hence any wrong
answer is penalised. No guessing is allowed. Here are some
tips to help you answer the multiple-choice questions.
 Read the directions carefully.
o Clearly identify whether you must mark the one
best correct answer or all correct answers.
o Know if you will be penalised for guessing; find out
if an incorrect answer will cost you more points
than a blank answer. In other words, find out
whether the minimum mark for a question is zero
or the mistake is carried forward to the next
question.
 Read the stem of the question (the question itself as
opposed to its options) all the way through, then read
each possible answer all the way through.
o Use these options to provide you with hints about
things you need to know.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 96
o If you are uncertain of the correct answer, cross
out the options you know are definitely wrong,
and then mark the question so that you can
reconsider it at the end of the exam.
o Circle all negative words and "100% words" within
the question stem and options. 100% words are
those that do not allow for exceptions, like "all".
o "All of the above" answers are often correct. If you
know two out of three options are correct, "all of
the above" is a strong possibility.
 If you're not sure about a number answer, toss out the
high and low and consider the middle range numbers.
 If you have no idea of the answer, check for "look alike"
options to find what you consider the best answer
among them.
 Check for the most inclusive option - the option that
contains the most information.
(Adapted from Walter Pauk's How to Study In College.)
Last but not least, always say the prayer before you make
the choice for the best answer.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 97
23. How do I write a good essay?
i. Read each question three times before starting to
answer.
ii. Plan the answers for all the questions.
- You have to start planning when your brain is still
alert, not exhausted. Avoid the temptation of
answering one full question from the start just
because you know the answers for that. By writing
down the plan and important facts when you are
still alert, you will get more information onto the
paper even though it may appear haphazard.
- Once you have gone through all the questions and
have some form of answers to all the questions,
you will feel more confident in doing one question
in detail at a time. You will not be apprehensive as
to whether you have any idea of what to write for
the subsequent question whilst doing the first one.
iii. Have subheadings.
- This will be easily seen by the examiner correcting
the paper and will give an impression of good
organisation. It is a good way to show the
examiner the topics that you know well.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 98
iv. Write legibly.
- You will be surprised at how much time you have if
you are calm and have planned your essay well.
The fact that you can write clearly and legibly is
good and will make you more confident.
v. Make paragraphs to explain a core fact.
- A paragraph is a visual signal to readers that the
group of sentences is devoted to a single topic.
Without such visual groupings of sentences,
examiners feel confronted with line after line of
text for which they cannot plan their reading time
or their concentration.
- Work that is divided into paragraphs helps
examiners anticipate how much information they
will get on one idea and help them scan quickly
through pages of material when they are searching
for particular types of information.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 99
Before writing:
 Set up a time schedule to answer each question and to
review or edit all questions.
 If six questions are to be answered in sixty minutes,
allow yourself only seven minutes for each. Use the
other three minutes to
check the answers and
spend time on more
difficult questions.
 If questions are "weighted", prioritise that into your
time allocation for each question.
 When the time is up for one question, stop writing,
leave space, and use a new booklet to begin the next
question. The incomplete answers can be completed
during the review time.
 Read through the questions once and note if youhave
any choice in answering questions.
 Pay attention to how the question is phrased or to the
"directives", or words such as "compare", "contrast",
"outline", "discuss" or "describe".
Six incomplete answers will usually
receive more credit than three
complete ones.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 100
 Answers will come to mind immediately for some
questions. Write down their key words, listings, etc., as
they are fresh in mind. Otherwise, these ideas maybe
blocked (or be unavailable) when the time comes to
write the later questions. This will reduce "clutching" or
panic (anxiety or fear which disrupts your thoughts).
 Before attempting to answer a question, put it in your
own words.
 Examiners are influenced by the compactness,
completeness and clarity of an organised answer.
 Writing in the hope that the right answer will somehow
turn up is time-consuming and is usually futile.
 To know a little and to present that little well is, by and
large, superior to knowing much and presenting it
poorly - when judged by the grade received.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 101
Speaking of my experience as an examiner for essay paper, I
find that a paper that is well organised with clear headings
and subheadings is easy to correct as the points stand out
well. Illegible handwriting is an eyesore and creates a bad
impression. Do not scribble. Write legibly. You must
understand that examiners are humans and have their
limitations. Good presentations pay in the end. Avoid using
a bright highlighter to underline the subheadings. Instead,
use a normal pencil or a red pen.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 102
24. How do I overcome inferiority
complex?
First and foremost, remember that everybody is created
equal and is the same in the eyes of God. This is the
teaching in all major religions. Your lecturers are not
superior to you. They are just born earlier than you so they
have the benefit of having more experience.
You must acquire this mindset so that you can overcome
the intimidation that you may feel when facing your very
senior lecturers such as the lecturers and senior consultants
in the clinical years. Lecturers have had many years behind
them, and so it is all right if you are not as good as them.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 103
Even if your English is not very good, go on and speak in
English because the only way to learn a language is to
continue practising it.
Poor command of English is one of the most common
reasons of inferiority complex faced by students in local
universities.
Only God is great and no man is superior to another. We
are brought to this world with different roles and
achievements. Each of us has our own potential and our
ceiling of achievement. What is important is that we all
work to achieve the best that we could with what is given
to us.
No one has the right to harass or look down upon anybody else.
Humbleness is important to be instilled in whatever stage of your life
especially so when you climb higher in the ladder of life. A good way to
have this humbleness is to train oneself to do things like cleaning the
toilet, eating on the floor and make friends with the poor rather than
the rich.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 104
Once we are awed only by the greatness of God, other
humans or worldly things will not fascinate us. This can
prevent the feelings of jealousy towards others who have
achieved more than we do. It is important to realise that
you only strive for the life hereafter rather than the current
temporary life which no one has any control of as to the
duration, which is all in the hand of God.
25. What do I do if I lose the motivation
to study?
Have a positive thinking and use the power of the mind.
Always suggest good things about yourself.
Visualise yourself in five years to come. If you continue
being unmotivated, visualise what will become of you. Your
action today will decide your fate tomorrow.
Look at the successful people around you. Remember that
there is nothing easy in life; even a simple chore like
cooking rice requires an effort. Remember your parents
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 105
who have put so much hope and spent so much money and
time on you.
Be warned that you will be that parent one day and you do
not want your children to disappoint you in the manner
that you may disappoint your parents by feeling
demoralised or demotivated and losing interest in studying.
All religions teach their followers to work hard, as all efforts
put to improve one's knowledge is highly regarded by all
religions. A knowledgeable but poor person is far superior
to one who is rich but ignorant.
The Law of Progress
Any progress consists of ups and downs. Watch a tree grow.
It grows some leaves and a storm comes along and blows
some away. It grows more leaves and another storm comes
along and blows some away. Watch the stock markets or
the tides at the beach. There are ups and downs. Quitters
don't understand this. They figure that progress should all
Believe you are defeated, believe it long
enough, and it is likely to become a fact.
-Norman Vincent PealeHow
to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 106
be one way up. As soon as they slide a little, they think the
game is over and they give up. Understand the progress
principle and etch it in your mind. It might change your life.
- Andrew Matthews (Author of "Being Happy")
26. How do I keep my interest in
medicine going?
Be aware of your surroundings. Appreciate all the medical
development that you see and look forward to be part of it.
Look around you and see your seniors who have passed
their exams and watch how they progress. Talk to your
seniors who are doing well in class and get inspiration from
their success. Be careful when choosing your friends. Avoid
those who are always grumbling and have negative
attitudes towards studies.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 107
Visualise yourself in five years to come. Whatever you do
today will have an impact on your life later. Imagine the
kind of person and doctor you would like to be within that
time. Think of the impact of your work on someone's life.
You will be helping someone to improve his or her life and
the job satisfaction that comes with it should keep your
interest in medicine going.
Try to watch movies or TV programmes that have medical
themes such as "ER" and "Chicago Hope". Even though it
may not be the optimum theme but there are some
medical facts and messages that will keep you interested in
medicine.
I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do
everything, but still l can do something.
Therefore, I will not refuse to do the
something that I can do.
-Helen KellerHow
to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 108
27. What do l do if l do not feel like
following other people's advice and want
to do things my own way?
Remember that it is the ego that is preventing you from
listening to other people. It is ego that has caused iblis to be
discharged from heaven. If someone who is successful has
given an advice on how to achieve something, why not
follow it as the person has gone through the same process
and is willing to show you the shortcut of the long journey.
If you are certain that
your own way is
good, then go ahead,
but do not give
excuses for not
following the advice.
Learn from people. Find a good role
model. Ask questions. Get inside their
heads. Learn to think how they think.
In time you will develop your style but
a role model can get you rolling.
-Andrew Matthews (Author of "Being
Happy")
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 109
28. How do I clerk a case well?
The golden rule is to establish a good rapport with the
patient. This can be achieved by having good
communication skill. There are two main parts to clerking a
case i.e. history taking and doing physical examination. A
good history will provide eighty percent of the clues in
making a diagnosis. A good framework is illustrated on the
next page.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 110
1. History
Questions are asked according to the chief complaint of the
patient. A good framework would be CDC (CAUSE,
DIAGNOSE, COMPLICATIONS). History is taken to find out
the CAUSE, to help in making the DIAGNOSIS, and to elicit
for COMPLICATIONS.
Case illustrations
 History to be taken for someone who complained of
haemoptysis.
 Leading questions need to be asked to find out the
CAUSE of the haemoptysis. Two important causes to be
ruled out are tuberculosis (TB) and cancer of the lung.
Problems of students:
 Inability to utilise and apply knowledge
acquired to the clinical problem
 Study with the aim to pass only
 Not knowing the significance/relevance
of the subjects being taught
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 111
Hence symptoms suggestive of TB such as contact with
PTB patients, night sweat, and symptoms suggestive of
both TB and cancer of the lung such as weight loss, loss
of appetite and chronic cough will have to be elicited.
2. Physical examination
This is done to look for the cause, to help in diagnosis and
to look for complications. Clues to look for the CAUSE
would be those suggestive of TB such as lymphadenopathy,
those suggestive of cancer of the lung such as clubbing of
the fingers, chest finding such as pleural effusion which can
be due to both TB and cancer of the lung.
3. Investigation
This is done to look for the CAUSE, to confirm the
DIAGNOSIS and to assess for COMPLICATIONS. In the above
said patient, investigations to look for the CAUSE would be
a chest x-ray which will show the changes typical of TB or
cancer of the lung. It would also confirm COMPLICATIONS
of pleural effusion if any.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 112
The Chest X-Ray will assist in the management of the
pleural effusion by confirming the level of the pleural
effusion and help in the removal of the pleural fluid.
4. Management
To complete the management, it is crucial that the CAUSE,
the DIAGNOSIS and the COMPLICATIONS are treated.
It is very important that the history taking includes three
very important aspects of symptoms, i.e. onset, duration,
progression.
The onset will give a clue as to the CAUSE
o Symptom that has a very acute onset within
minutes is vascular in origin such as Central retinal
artery occlusion or cerebrovascular accident.
o Symptoms that occur within days may mean acute
inflammation which can be infective or non-
Classification of aetiology of disease based on
onset and duration of symptoms.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 113
infective in origin. The younger and the older age
group make infection more likely. This includes
things like a swelling on the skin due to a boil.
o Symptoms that occur for a duration of a few
months tend to be due to chronic inflammation
such as TB and malignancy such as cancer of the
lung.
o Symptoms that occur for a duration of a few years
tend to be due to a benign tumour or degenerative
disease.
The progression of disease is important especially the
relationship to food intake in gastrointestinal
symptoms or the response to medications of certain
ischaemic heart disease.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 114
29. How do I present well in case
presentation?
Most importantly, you have to know your subject well. You
must have the substance in order to present well. Clerk
your cases well and be organised in your clerking. Ensure
that you do have an organised way of clerking cases. (See
Question 28)
An important point to know is the definition of diseases. It
is a good way to start talking when asked by the examiner
on the cases that you have presented. One main weakness
of medical students is uncertainty of the definition of
diseases. Knowing the definition of diseases carries a lot of
advantages to medical students, as it is self-explanatory.
Another important point is knowing the natural history of
diseases. It will help in the clerking and determination of
prognosis and predicting the squeal of the disease.
After knowing all that need to be presented, a good student
should have the ability to speak well and express
himself/herself. This can be achieved by regular practice
which can be done in front of the mirror or presenting
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 115
among friends. A good eye contact is crucial during case
presentation. It gives an impression of high self-confidence.
From my experience, better marks are given to students
with better speaking ability although the things said are
similar.
30. How do I get the patients to cooperate
with me during ward work and
clinical examinations?
You must like and respect them. Do not treat them as
objects and appear only to be interested in the interesting
signs that they have. Establish rapport and ask about their
illness.
To some senior citizens, asking about their grandchildren
does make them happy and they will feel that you are
interested in them as a person. Explain to them the
importance of you
getting the signs and
emphasise to them
Sometimes, how things are said is more
important than what things are said.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 116
that they will get the blessing from God when they cooperate
with you as it helps you to learn. They help you to
become a good doctor so that you can help others in future.
Practising medicine is not only about being academically
qualified, but it also involves personal grooming and
personality development. Personal manners are something
that will carry you far in life. Whenever someone meets you
for the first time, be it your patient, lecturer or friend, it is
your manners and etiquette that will give an impression to
him or her.
Good manners will draw people to like you and you will get
all the co-operation that you need. It is important to know
what to say, when to say and how to say it. This is crucial
when one is clerking a patient.
Talking to an elderly person will be different from talking to a child. The
awareness of the patient's diagnosis will help. A patient with cancer of
course may not be as cooperative as someone with a simple treatable
illness.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 117
31. How do I make full use of my clinical
session in the clinic?
First, make sure that you are punctual. A five-minute delay
to the clinic may mean that you may have missed an
interesting case. Make sure to jot down all the cases that
you see in the clinic. Try to ask the medical officer or
lecturer about the case. If they are too busy to attend to
you, note down the case and write down your doubt about
the case. Clarify it during the tutorial session or any time
you can get hold of the lecturer.
A very useful thing to do is to have a clinical notebook and
jot down the learning point against every case that you
have seen. This is a good way to ask the medical officers or
lecturers with whom you see the case.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 118
An illustration of a clinical notebook
Date:
Case:
Diagnosis:
Learning Points/ Doubts
Important:
History
Physical signs
Investigations
Treatments
Things to revise about this
disease
- Basic science
- Clinical subjects
After the clinic, be sure to check up on the cases and read
around the topic. Should there be any basic knowledge that
is preventing you from fully understanding the case, ensure
that you read about it. Most students find it a big chore
having to revise the basic pre-clinical subjects. They do not
realise that studying the subjects in order to understand the
clinical features will have a tremendous impact on the
understanding of the clinical subjects and remembering the
pre-clinical subjects.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 119
Anything that is understood in a logical manner by the
application of the basic anatomy and physiology will be
much consolidated and will stick in your mind for a long
time.
An example in the ophthalmology clinic setting: seeing a
patient with a dilated pupil will lead you to read what
muscles control the size of the pupil. The action of a dilating
drop can be understood if you know the receptors on the
muscles controlling the pupil.
Make sure that you read up on the cases seen after the
clinic and discuss the cases with your colleagues. Try and
learn to clerk the cases that you see in the clinic. Avoid the
passive attitude
and do not expect
to be told or
spoon-fed all the
time. Be proactive
and ask questions.
Refrain from these situations in the clinic:
Feel intimidated by the senior consultants
Become passive observers
Reading books while lecturers are clerking
patients
Discuss among yourselves while lecturers
are talking to patients
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 120
32. How do I correlate the basic science
and the clinical?
This is something that many students have difficulty in
doing. This is because it is a painful process for most people
to go back to the books which they have covered one or
two years earlier. However, if one is conscientious and
sincerely wants to master a subject, then there is no short
cut but to look back and revise what one has learnt and
forgotten to enable one to understand further on the
subject.
Speaking from personal experience, I used to have so many
books in front of me in the library while trying to
understand the pathology of an organ. Reading the
anatomy and the physiology of the organ such as the
kidney, in order to understand the pathology and why it
causes renal failure in a patient that one sees in the ward is
extremely helpful.
I tried to find the explanation of all the symptoms that the
patient showed based on the pathology that occurred at
the cellular level. Having done this, it helped me to retain
the most essential facts about renal failure and has helped
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 121
me along my medical career. Of course it is painstaking but
it is a worthwhile step to take.
You should see it as a long-term investment with long-term
benefits. If you take the short cut by remembering the
symptoms just for the sake of the medical examination only
to forget it later, this will affect your preparation for your
final exam, where you will find that you probably need to
read the symptoms again. This, in turn will encroach into
the time allocated for reading a new subject.
You will waste your valuable time as you are doing things
twice because you did not do it well the first time.
"This is what knowledge really is. It is finding out
something for oneself with pain, with joy, with
exultancy, with labour and with all the little
ticking, breathing moments of our lives, until it is
ours as that only is ours which is rooted in the
structure of our lives"
- Thomas Wolfe (1900-1938)-
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 122
The three important aspects that determine the
achievement of a person in life are:
i. Attitude
ii. Knowledge
iii. Skills
Among these three assets, the most important one that
acts as the determinant is the attitude. The correct attitude
will ensure adequate acquisition of knowledge and skills.
MEDICINE IS A ZERO DEFECT BUSINESS
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 123
I. Attitudes
 Enthusiastic
 Enthusiastic individuals will end up getting what
they want in the end. Their enthusiasm will drive
them to go for their goals. Their enthusiastic spirit
will also have an effect on the people around
them. Such individuals will have positive effects on
people around them such as their friends and
colleagues in their career as a
doctor.
 Passion in studies and work
 This means that they are
very proud of their work and will
be fully involved in whatever they
do to push their career pathway
ahead. This passion for
knowledge acquisition will result
in constant motivation to work
hard. Students are likely to practise `eat, drink and
sleep' medicine and not `eat, drink and sleep
football'.
Good medical students:
 Makes good doctors
o good specialists
o good lecturers
o good teachers
 Who will teach well to
medical students and
paramedics
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 124
 Proactive
 Students are likely to be independent in their
effort to acquire knowledge. They will know
exactly what to do to achieve their academic goals.
 Motivated
 This constant inner drive is important as the study
period in medicine can be long and laborious. It
will be filled with a lot of hard work and
heartaches at times when the subject is difficult.
However, if one is motivated, whatever adverse
feeling one has can be overcome easily.
 This is one of the most important assets to have in
order to last in the medical field, which requires
one to continuously educate and develop oneself
professionally.
 Adaptive
 This is the ability to adapt to one's surrounding and
working environment. Medical students come
from various backgrounds and so do the patients
that they deal with. Interacting with patients of
different socio-economic status might be difficult
as they have different levels of knowledge and
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 125
expectations. Hence being adaptive will make life
much easier for them.
 Competitive
 This spirit is important as medicine is a field that is
highly challenging and the exams can be tough.
This does not mean that one has to be selfish and
not help one's colleagues to acquire knowledge for
fear that they will get better marks. There has to
be a healthy mindset where a benchmark is set
and students should strive to achieve it.
 Respect for others
 All medical students must develop this highly
crucial value as they will be dealing with people
who, as well as their relatives, are physically well
but can be mentally or emotionally disturbed (as a
result of the patient's illness). Respectful
behaviours will automatically gain respect from the
other party and this will help in the management
of both the patients and relatives. In addition,
respect from the lecturers, friends, and colleagues
will foster good relationships and will create a
healthy working environment.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 126
 High EQ-emotional quotient
 This very much talked-about new quotient, apart
from the usual IQ or intelligent quotient, is
important as it will determine how one handles
one's emotion in a stressful situation. It is about
expressing one's emotion in a way that will not
hurt other people even though what has to be said
is a negative remark. As an example, one can show
his or her anger or displeasure in a polite and
gentle voice but the message of displeasure is put
across. The strongest person in the world is
actually one who can control his or her anger.
 High SQ
 Spiritual and social quotient: this involves ensuring
one's relationship with God. All religions teach
their followers to exercise good behaviours. A
person who has high spiritual quotient will do what
should be done and not otherwise. This will lead to
the development of a wholesome person who will
be gentle to the people surrounding him and other
creatures created by God. This will then lead to a
high social quotient where a person will not harm
or hurt anyone by his looks, words and deeds.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 127
 Goal-driven
 This makes someone focused on his or her work
and not lose his or her direction in life no matter
what happens along the way. This will create a,
healthy attitude towards their study, examination,
training and relationship with their friends.
 Team-spirit
 This is extremely essential in the medical field as
medicine is always about teamwork where a
patient may present with a problem that has to be
managed by a team of doctors. This requires one
to be tolerant and accommodative, with a high EQ
and SQ.
 Serenity
 The common Malay term is `lapang dada'. In this
age of academic achievement and material gain,
soul cleansing is very important. In the medical
field, different people have different levels of
achievements, especially during medical schools. A
medical student who does not appear to study
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 128
may do well in his or her exam compared to
another student who has been slogging for the
past few months.
 The lack of soul cleansing or high spirituality will
lead to unhealthy feelings of jealousy towards the
high achievers and blaming of perhaps the
surrounding, lecturers or even God for one's
failure.
 However, if one has serenity as a result of soul
cleansing, seeing the success of others will further
motivate one to work hard and create the feeling
of happiness of other people's achievement. This
will allow one to accept his or her failures and
work hard for future exams whilst preventing any
ill feelings towards others.
 Accommodative
 This is an important asset that is needed to allow a
person to tolerate negative values or situations
around him or her. As a medical student, one is
bound to meet various types of personalities who
may not be to his or her liking. This can range from
one's friends, lecturers, patients and medical staff.
Lack of accommodative attitude can lead to loss of
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 129
tolerance to others. This will cause disharmony in
one's relationship with other people.
 Compassionate
 A compassionate person is one who has a lot of
empathy, not only sympathy, for others. He or she
is able to feel for other people and as a result,
behave in a very caring and gentle manner to
them. Imagine a doctor who is not compassionate.
He will be very insensitive to the emotion of the
patient to whom he has to break some bad news.
Medicine is not only about facts and figures, but
also about having good human relationship.
A grandson walked in and complained that his 90 year old grandmother
was unable to see in both eyes and unable to recognise faces. The
grandmother had come from 400 km away. A compassionate doctor
immediately saw the patient without prior appointment and had the
patient admitted and operated the next day. The patient was
discharged after two days and was very happy that she was now able to
lead a normal life again. Her facial expression also changed - from a
stressful to a cheerful one.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 130
 Perseverance
 For centuries, it is known that medicine is a field
which is equivalent to running a marathon where
you have to preserve your stamina throughout the
years of studying. Not forgetting the possible
hitches one may have in the exam. One has to
persevere whatever the consequences of the exam
is.
 Losing six months of one's
lifetime to repeat an
exam can be a daunting
task for all students. Looking at the positive aspect,
actually one will have the opportunity to study
more of the subject which will make him or her
better. In medicine, no knowledge is a waste. It will
always be useful in one's future practice.
 Hence, medical students need to persevere to
ensure that they get through the academic hurdle
every year. Without this, they will give up easily
and later, ten years down the road, they will regret
not persevering just for that short moment, which
results in them losing the opportunity to be a
doctor forever.
Failing an examination is not a
failure but a delayed success.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 131
 Efficient
 This means that whatever input that is put in will
result in a good output. This is obtained by
studying smart and not just studying hard. (Refer
to study methods)
 High self esteem
 Feeling inferior can be quite usual for a student
who is faced with many unfamiliar subjects
delivered by lecturers who are highly qualified
academically including consultant clinicians. A high
self-esteem will influence how one talks, asks and
answers questions. It will influence the marks one
obtains in the oral examination.
A postgraduate student in her Masters of Ophthalmology training wanted
to give up her studies after failing one exam, which requires her to repeat
the subject in six months time. I persuaded her to persevere and asked her
to grit her teeth and study for the next exam. Thankfully, she passed all
her subsequent exams without any problem. Currently, she is heading one
of the eye departments in the country serving the nation. It is her
perseverance that leads to this well sought-after position.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 132
 All medical students will acquire high self-esteem if
they have confidence in themselves, which can be
obtained by knowing that they have worked hard,
acquired all the necessary academic knowledge
and done all their assignments. There is no room
for feeling inferior. (Refer to Question 24)
 Dedicated
 This will be obtained by having clear visions and
missions of one's life. It is a sense of leaving
something in this world that will be useful to
mankind once one is no longer on this earth.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 133
 Commitment to life-long learning
 Continuous medical education is part of a program
in hospital setting. It emphasises that all doctors
should continuously improve their skills. Hence, it
is this attitude that needs to be nurtured in all
medical students.
As lecturers teach medical students, they are not just serving one person.
For every doctor that they train they are actually giving service to seven
thousand Malaysians (the doctor to Malaysian population ratio. This
mindset provides many lecturers with the dedication to stay on in the
government service and teach to ensure that the medical students
acquire adequate knowledge to be safe doctors. Similarly training an
ophthalmologist is not about training one ophthalmologist, but it is about
serving ninety thousand Malaysians which is represented by, an
ophthalmologist in Malaysia.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 134
II. Knowledge
 This will vary according to the medical curriculum in the
various medical schools. Some amount of core
knowledge needs to be acquired to become a safe
doctor.
III. Important Skills
There are additional skills apart from medical skills. As
medicine is about human management, therefore
communication skills are essential.
 Communication skills
o Communication skills
 Verbal: in the clinical years, students have to
present their cases in both long and short
cases. A student with a good command of
language and ability to speak will definitely
impress the examiner and is more likely to get
better marks.
 Writing: this is a skill that is important as
medical students and as doctors later because
one has to write well for case write-up and
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 135
theory examinations. Once qualified, doctors
have to be able to write well on cases or
research as part of their publication.
o Intra-personal
 Knowing self-limitation: a wise person is one
who knows his or her limitations. As a student
learning to be a doctor, some maturity is
required to identify one's limitation and the
steps to take to overcome it. After becoming a
doctor, it is important for one to know one's
limits and know when to ask for help or refer
cases to the specialist in that field.
 Interpersonal skill is important as you have to
make sure that your relationship with
patients, colleagues and subordinates is a
healthy one and you do not offend anybody in
your daily interactions.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 136
To be effective students, time management and study skills
are mandatory.
 Study skills (Refer to Question 13)
 Managerial skills
o Time management (Refer to Question 6)
o Human management: this is important as medicine
involves dealing with people all the time. How do
you get a patient to co-operate with you during
the exam and clinical work? (Refer to Question 30)
o Financial management: this is a very crucial skill to
be acquired as medical students usually have
limited financial resources.
Other important skills for medical students are:
 Clinical Skills
o Clerking
 Clerking of cases requires a good approach -
refer to clerking scheme - Question 28.
o Presentation
 This is an art that will be learned over the
years. This is when ability to speak is so
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 137
important. Practice makes perfect. Many
students will try to avoid presenting and this is
not a clever move as they get no practice and
in the end in the final year examinations they
will face problems to express themselves
leading to poor marks.
o Documentation
 Appears not important but crucial in many
medical records which later become medico
legal documents.
o Clinical skills and procedures
 This is again obtained by practice and getting
adequate supervision during the procedures.
Hence a good relationship with the senior
medical students and junior doctors will
increase the chance of getting opportunities
to try new procedures.
o Bedside manners
 This is an often forgotten aspect by students
but much assessed during clinical
examinations. Having the attitude that one
will only practice good bedside manners
during the examination only is futile as it is
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 138
very obvious if one is doing it as
`showmanship' in the exam.
o Bedside tests
 These are simple tests such as urine test that
will be required to be done during
examination. It is important that it is practised
well.
o Clinical reasoning- Problem Based Learning
 This is an approach to stimulate critical
thinking among medical students and is
increasingly used by many medical schools.
 Life Skills
o ICT skills
o Social skills
o Stress management skills
o Personal management
o Time management
 Public Education Skills
o Ability to express medical facts in layman's term
o Ability to do public health education
o Communication skill
 Academic Skills
o Listening skills
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 139
o Effective note-taking skill
o Summarising skill, compare and contrast
o Schema drawing (e.g. i. Two minute approach to
unilateral visual loss and ii. Approach to optic disc
swelling)
o Examination skills
o Critical appraisal skills
Assets of successful medical school
graduates:
 Innovative
 Pioneering
 Open-minded
 Critical
 Professionalism
 Self-audit
 Sense of pride in work
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 140
APPENDIX 1
Effective Note Taking
Record * Reduce * Recite * Reflect * Review
You can develop your own system based on a few elementary strategies:
 Get a good loose-leaf notebook.
o This will enable you to add, delete, and re-sequence pages and
materials.
 Develop an organizational system; include
o Headings such as the system you are learning e.g. CVS, the date,
the lecturer even the number of the class (e.g. 3/34)
o A system of "sections" to organise your notes
o Leave plenty of white space for additions. (This is especially
important in the clinical years where the relevant revision of
the basic anatomy and physiology of the system studied need
to be revised.)
Think in terms of three main sections:
 A central space for identifying the main points capturing the main
ideas not quoting the lecturer (if you want to quote someone, bring a
tape recorder if it is permitted).
 A marginal space for editing or annotating what you have written,
linking information from the text or other sources and adding
definitions - identifying grey areas or facts that you do not
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 141
understand. This will serve as a guideline for you to read further on
the lecture.
 A "condensing" or summary section. (Try to draw a mind map, flow
chart or tree diagram for lectures that describe many things at one
time such as pharmacology. A tree diagram will help to differentiate
between the various types of autonomic drugs.)
Taken from http://www.iss.stthomas.edu/studyguides/
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 142
APPENDIX 2
Paying attention in the classroom
If you attend lectures and have difficulty paying attention to what is
being said:
 Before lectures, look over the notes of the previous lecture and read
the course material pertaining to the lecture.
 If you have questions about materials from the previous class or text,
ask the lecturer before the class about them.
 Resist distractions by sitting in front of the room and by focusing on
the lecturer through listening and note taking.
 Show outward interest during lectures (attentive expression and
posture) to self-motivate internal ' interest.
 Take good notes!
 When appropriate: ask a question, ask for more clarity, or engage the
lecturer and the class in a dialogue.
 Schedule time to go over lecture material immediately after class.
Remember: Forgetting is greatest within 24 hours without review.
 Schedule a weekly review for each course.
Taken from http://www.iss.stthomas.edu/studyguides/
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 143
APPENDIX 3
"MURDER": A Study System
 Mood:
o Set a positive mood for yourself to study in;
o Select the appropriate time, environment, and attitude;
 Understand:
o Mark any information you don't understand in a particular unit;
o Keep a focus on one unit or a manageable group of exercises;
 Recall:
o After studying the unit, stop and put what you have learned
into your own words;
 Digest:
o Go back to what you did not understand and reconsider the
information;
o Contact external expert sources (e.g., other books or an
instructor) if you still cannot understand it;
 Expand:
o In this step, ask three kinds of questions concerning the studied
material:
1. If I could speak to the author, what questions would I ask
or what criticism would I offer?
2. How could I apply this material to what I'm interested in?
3. How could I make this information interesting and
understandable to other students?
 Review:
o Go over the material you've covered,
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 144
o Remember what strategies helped you understand and/or
retain information;
o Apply these strategies to your future studying.
Adapted by Bob Nelson from the Complete Problem Solver,
John R. Hayes, Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers, Hillsdale, NJ: 1989.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 145
APPENDIX 4
Speed Reading & Comprehension
 Reading rates
o Each chapter or system of the human body has to be read at a
different rate. For example, the biochemical pathway is more
difficult to read compared to the anatomy of a muscle.
o Textbooks also vary in how well they are written, and as a
consequence some are more difficult to read.
o Each semester, time yourself while reading a chapter in each of
your textbooks. See how many pages an hour you can read.
Once you have an accurate estimate of your reading rate, you
can better plan your reading and studying time.
 Comprehension
o Scan the chapter first. Identify the sections to which the author
devotes the most amount of space. If there are lots of diagrams
for a particular concept, then that must also be an important
concept. If you're really pressed for time, skip the sections to
which the least amount of space is devoted.
o Read the first sentence of every paragraph more carefully than
the rest of the paragraph.
o Take notes on headings and first sentence of each paragraph
before reading the chapter itself. Then, close your book and ask
yourself what you now know about the subject that you did not
know before you started.
Adapted from "Being a Flexible Reader" by Gail Kluepfel, Rutgers University
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 146
APPENDIX 5
Effective Reading and comprehension
The SQ3R Reading Method
Survey! Question! Read! Recite! Review!
Before you
read, Survey
the chapter:
the title, headings, and subheadings
captions under pictures, charts, graphs or maps
review questions or teacher-made study guides
introductory and concluding paragraphs summary
Question while
you are
surveying:
Turn the title, headings, and/or subheadings into questions
Read questions at the end of the chapters or after each
subheading
Ask yourself, "What did my lecturer say about this chapter
or subject when it was assigned?"
Ask yourself, "What do I already know about this subject?"
Note: If it is helpful to you, write out these questions for
consideration. This variation is called SQW3R.
When you
begin to Read:
Look for answers to the questions you first raised
Answer questions at the beginning or end of chapters or
study guides
Reread captions under pictures, graphs, etc.
Note all the underlined, italicised, bold printed words or
phrases
Study graphic aids
Reduce your speed for difficult passages
Stop and reread parts that are not clear
Read only a section at a time and recite after each section
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 147
Recite after
you've read a
section:
Orally ask yourself questions about what you have just
read and/or summarise in your own words, what you have
read
Take notes from the text but write the information in your
own words
Underline/highlight important points you've just read
Use the method of recitation which best suits your
particular learning style but remember, the more senses
you use the more likely you are to remember what you
read - i.e., TRIPLE STRENGTH LEARNING: Seeing, saying,
hearing.
QUADRUPLE STRENGTH LEARNING: Seeing, saying,
hearing, and writing!!!
Review: an
ongoing
process
Day One
After you have read and recited the entire chapter, write
questions for those points you have
highlighted/underlined in the margins. If your method of
recitation included note taking in the left hand margins of
your notebook, write questions for the notes you have
taken.
Day Two
Page through the text and/or your notebook to reacquaint
yourself with the important points. Cover the
right hand column of your text/notebook and orally ask
yourself the questions in the left hand margins. Orally
recite or write the answers from memory. Make "flash
cards" for those questions which give you difficulty.
Develop mnemonic devices for material, which need to be
memorised.
Days Three, Four and Five
Alternate between your flash cards and notes and test
yourself (orally or in writing) on the questions you
formulated. Make additional flash cards if necessary.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 148
Weekend
Using the text and notebook, make a Table of Contents -
list all the topics and sub-topics you need to know from
the chapter. From the Table of Contents, make a Study
Sheet/ Spatial Map. Recite the information orally and in
your own words as you put the Study Sheet/Map together.
Now that you have consolidated all the information
you need for that chapter, periodically review the
Sheet/Map so that at test time you will not have to
cram everything.
Taken from http://www.iss.stthomas.edu/studyguides/
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 149
APPENDIX 6
Taking Notes from a Text Book
First: read a section from a chapter of your textbook
Look through the subheading so as to have a bird's eye view of what is to
be covered. Have a small organisation in your mind about what is to be
covered.
It is important to read just enough to achieve an understanding of
the material. Do not take notes, but rather focus on understanding
the material. Avoid the temptation of taking notes while you are
reading the first time. This is not an efficient technique. One is likely
to take down too much information and simply copy without
understanding.
This is important in clinical years where a good understanding of the
definition of diseases is crucial. It has to be followed by a simultaneous
discussion on the subject.
Second: Review the material
Locate the main ideas, as well as important sub-points. Always
make a habit of skimming through the subheadings. It will give an
idea of the coverage and what is expected. In addition, one will
know the important basic science that has to be understood to
further comprehend the subject. This will then trigger a question
and will motivate one to read up the subject.
Set the book aside and try to recall what you have just read.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 150
Rephrasing the information from a textbook in one's own words
helps one to become actively involved with the material. A more
effective way is to talk about it to your friends or try to explain what
you have just read to a friend or to yourself. As a personal
experience I usually talk about the lectures during lunch break after
these lectures.
Third: write the paraphrased ideas as your notes
Do not copy information directly from the textbook
Add only enough details to understand
Review and compare your notes with the text, and ask yourself if you
truly understand them.
Taken from http://www.iss.stthomas.edu/studyguides/
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 151
APPENDIX 7
FLIP CARD TECHNIQUE TO ENHANCE YOUR MEMORY
OF A SUBJECT
Write each question or term on the back of an index card
On the front of each index card, write an answer or an explanation for the question or
term written on the back.
Use your notes and text for reference, but put the answer or explanation in your own
words whenever possible. For an example, in Biochemistry it is good to summarise all
the chemical reactions onto a card with different colours for different metabolism.
This will help one to compare, contrast and not be confused by the different enzymes
in different metabolisms at different locations. For the students in the clinical years it
is very useful to know the definition of disease. The flip card technique is very useful.
Shuffle the index cards (so you cannot figure out any answers based on their location
in the deck)
Look at the card on the top of the deck:
Try to answer the question or explain the term. If you know it, great! Put it on the
bottom of the deck. If you don't know it, look at the answer, and put it a few cards
down in the deck (so you'll come back to it soon)
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 152
Proceed through the deck of cards until you know all of the information.
Some Tips:
Carry your cards with you everywhere.
o Take advantage of little pockets of time. Test yourself while you're
waiting in line, riding the bus, etc.
If you think you know an answer,
o But cannot put it into words, you probably do not know it well enough.
Being able to explain the information is the only way to be sure that you know
it. It is also the best way to prevent test anxiety.
Consider testing yourself someplace where nobody can see you(and think you
are crazy), and reciting the answers out loud. That is the best way to ensure
that you can explain correctly.
Study with a friend from your class.
o You can share ideas and help each other out with concepts. Also, you can
use each other to make sure that you are explaining your answers
adequately.
Taken from http://www.iss.stthomas.edu/studyguides/
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 153
APPENDIX 8
TEN TIPS FOR TEST TAKING
1. Come prepared; arrive early for tests
Bring all the materials you will need such as pencils, pens, and a watch. This
will help you focus on the task at hand.
2. Stay relaxed and confident
Remind yourself that you are well prepared and are going to do well.
Do not let yourself become anxious; if you feel anxious before or during a
test, take several slow, deep breaths to relax.
Do not talk to other students before a test; anxiety is contagious.
3. Be comfortable but alert
Choose a good spot to take the test.
Make sure you have enough room to work.
Maintain an upright posture in your seat.
4. Preview the test (if it is not timed)
Spend 10% of your test time reading through the test carefully, marking key
terms and deciding how to budget your time.
Plan to do the easy questions first and the most difficult questions last.
As you read the questions, jot down brief notes indicating ideas you can use
later in your answers.
5. Answer the test questions in a strategic order
Begin by answering the easy questions you know, then those with the highest
point value.
The last questions you answer should be the most difficult. Take the greatest
amount of writing or have the least point value.
6. When taking a multiple-choice test, know when to guess
First, eliminate answers you know are wrong.
Always guess when there is no penalty for guessing or you can eliminate
options.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 154
Don't guess if you have no basis for your choice and if you are penalised for
guessing.
Since your first choice is usually correct, don't change your answers unless
you are sure of the correction.
7. When taking essay tests, think before you write
Create a brief outline for your essay by jotting down a few words to indicate
ideas you want to discuss. Then number the items in your list to indicate the
order in which you will discuss them.
8. When taking an essay test, get right to the point
State your main point in the first sentence.
Use your first paragraph to provide an overview of your essay.
Use the rest of your essay to discuss these points in more detail.
Back up your points with specific information, examples, or quotations from
your readings and notes.
9. Reserve 10% of your test time for review
Review your test; resist the urge to leave as soon as you have completed all
the items.
Make sure you have answered all the questions.
Proofread your writing for spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
10. Analyse your test results
Each test can further prepare you for the next test.
Decide which strategies worked best for you. Identify those that didn't work
well and replace them.
Use your tests to review when studying for final exams.
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 155
APPENDIX 9
Points to Ponder
How to be a good doctor?
Be a good person
How to be a good person?
Develop good relationship with
 God
 Other Human beings
 Other creations of God
o Living
o Non-living
A good relationship with God
 Will lead to good relationship with others
 Accountability and responsibility
 Sincerity
o Expect reward from God
 Striving for excellence
o For the present world
o Life Hereafter
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 156
Good relationship with God
 Doctors should be amongst those who believe in God
o Those who do not believe in God will discover God in their
journey
o Those who have lost God will rediscover God ~ fulfill His rights
 are aware of His greatness
 obedient to His orders
 refraining from His prohibitions
 observing Him in secret and in public
Saying of Islamic Scholars and Confucius
5 steps of learning:
 Read
 Hear
 Discuss
 Do
 Teach
Passing examinations
 Does not depend on studying only
 Depends very much on God's will
 Hence, need to remember God
 Then God will help you when in need
 If you help God's creations, God will help you
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 157
Questions:
Who determine one to understand?
Who determine one to remember?
Who determine one to answer correctly in the exam?
Answer:
Of course God, the Creator of our brain.
Final message:
Everything done in the name of God
Be sincere
Do things to the best of your ability
How to Become a Good & Successful Medical Student
DrMuhaya.com
As Sohwah 158
References:
1. http://www.iss.stthomas.edu/studyguides/
2. Hayes, John R. The Complete Problem Solver. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence
Erlbaum, 1989.
3. Kluepfel, Gail. Being a Flexible Reader. Rutgers University.
4. Covey, Steven. Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.
5. The Practice of Kindness. Canari Press.
6. Pauk, Walter. How to Study in College.
7. Small, Lamon H. Productive Study Techniques.
8. AAC Study Tips. Ohio University, http://studytips.aac.ohiou.edu/