Best Practice Recommendations

Best Practice Recommendations

  • Cramming is a bad idea: 
    • We recommend you start using your TrueLearn SmartBank at least four to six months in advance of your exam. 
    • Studies show that retrieval practice (use of practice questions) produces greater gains than traditional studying. 
      • Start your prep by taking 30 questions three times a week.
      • As your exam date approaches, work up to 25-50 questions daily.
  • Take the time to absorb the information: 
    • As you take practice questions make sure you don’t rush through your results, but rather take the time to review question explanations. These explanations give you insight into why each answer choice was correct, incorrect or insignificant. 
  • Take notes: 
    • We recommend taking notes as you work your way through your SmartBank. Take notes in TrueLearn or by hand and revisit them in the weeks immediately before your exam. This form of active learning helps with further retention of content.
  • Testing modes: 
    • When you are first getting started, take your first 100 questions in either timed or untimed mode. This allows our platform to establish a baseline of overall performance and more accurately identify your strengths and weaknesses. 
    • For more impactful learning, use tutor mode to study explanations, key learning points and references alongside each question. 
    • To get the most accurate prediction of your future exam performance, use timed mode. We recommend using this mode more heavily as your exam date approaches or when you would like to benchmark your performance after rotations or study sessions. Research shows high performers use timed mode more often than lower performers, with high performers taking 77% of questions in timed mode.  Read more about the different test modes and relevant research here.
  • Utilize Tests: 
    • Create and take custom test to test your knowledge after study sessions, before and after rotations and to revisit weaker content areas or missed questions. As your exam date approaches, be sure to take your tests in timed mode to most accurately predict exam performance. 
    • When you first start with TrueLearn, we suggest creating shorter tests made up of 5-10 questions. As your studies progress and your exam approaches, increase the number of questions you include in each test.
  • Use the data: 
    • Make smart decisions regarding your studies by utilizing the analytics in the TrueLearn platform to understand your strengths and weaknesses, category performance, performance relative to your peers and more. By identifying areas where you should be spending more or less time studying, you will maximize your efforts.

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