Transitioning from A-levels to medical school can be daunting, but you should not worry. The main change you need to make is to find a study technique that works for you. In the past, you may have been able to revise using methods such as simply reading a textbook and highlighting keywords; however, you need a more active approach to succeed in medical school.
There are plenty of different revision techniques to help with this, but which one is right for you? In this guide, we will examine one such technique – Interleaving.
Written by Sharon Daniel
What is Interleaving?
Interleaving involves mixing different topics within a single revision session. It differs from Blocking, which consists of blocking a day to study a specific topic.
You may have found yourself in a position where you will dedicate a day to revise one topic, such as biology, and another day to revise chemistry. This is known as ‘Blocking’ – where you ‘block’ a day to commit to one particular topic. It’s quite easy when you are planning your revision timetable to do this and it is something which I’m sure we have all done in the past.
Instead of dedicating one day to one subject, interleaving is when you you mix up the subjects and do a bit of both subjects each day. Interleaving is also distinct from spaced learning as it can be used when you have tighter deadlines, so it can help you revise for exams quickly.
To illustrate this in an example, we’ll pretend we have three topics to study and make two different timetables to describe the various methods.
Interleaving Study Timetable
| TIme | Topic |
|---|---|
| 9AM – 10 AM | Topic 1 |
| 10 AM – 11AM | Topic 2 |
| 11AM – 12PM | Topic 3 |
| 12PM – 1PM | Break |
| 1PM – 2PM | Topic 4 |
| 2PM – 3PM | Topic 5 |
| 3PM – 4PM | Topic 6 |
Blocking Study Timetable
| TIme | Topic |
|---|---|
| 9AM – 11 AM | Topic 1 |
| 11 AM – 1PM | Topic 2 |
| 1PM – 3PM | Topic 3 |
Of course, small breaks will be required during this timetable, but this should give you a general idea of what how much you can cover with each technique in a single day.
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Benefits of Interleaving
The interleaving study method has many benefits. The Rohrer study 2012 showed that, in the long term, students who used the interleaving method learnt better than those who used other methods.
Long-term memory is improved by interleaving because it helps improve the brain’s ability to retrieve information following a delay. This allows students to avoid the “blocking” effect, where if you’ve been studying one topic for a long time, you may find it difficult to remember the content you studied earlier when you switch to the next topic.
In the long run, this will benefit you as a student as you won’t need to learn the same topics from scratch each time, as well as being useful when you have a spiral curriculum in medical school as it helps to stop you from forgetting the basics.
Having more variety in your study sessions also increases engagement and prevents students from getting bored with the content. This makes this study technique more sustainable and allows for longer revision sessions over long periods.
Interleaving also helps to find links between the topics you’re studying. Considering the overlap between A-level subjects, such as biology and chemistry, biology and psychology, and chemistry and maths, this can be a beneficial way to tackle your revision.
By making links between subjects, it will also help you discriminate between the different types of problems presented to you and this can aid you in finding a solution for them. This will be useful for studying medical conditions as it can help you identify similarities and differences between conditions and help with clinical diagnosis.
How To Use Interleaving
Interleaving can be used for both solo study sessions and group study sessions. You can rotate through different topics together, which allows you to discuss what you’ve learnt and helps you improve your understanding of the bigger picture when linking the topics.
This study method may be uncomfortable at first as it challenges your brain to work harder to improve long-term memory and connections between topics. However, in the long term, it will benefit you more than the initial challenges you will face in the short term.
You can incorporate other study methods you like into this method. For example, if you enjoy using flashcards, you could review flashcards of conditions that are hard to differentiate. By interleaving, you would be able to see the slight differences that you need to identify in your clinical practice. This is possible with online question banks, too, as you can ask questions on different topics rather than using a blocked approach of only doing one topic at a time.
Using the interleaving method is also very useful when preparing for exams, as it is similar to the format you will find on test day. During exams, the topics are jumbled randomly, so studying in a similar manner, where you switch between topics, can help you be ready to take the exam and ensure that you don’t find it hard to use flexible thinking on exam day.
Interleaving has been proven to benefit learning and you should figure out what learning style works best for you. Interleaving may be difficult at first as it is a challenging way to learn, but ultimately, it will improve to consolidate your learning. This technique is for you if you enjoy variety in your study sessions and want to find a study technique that will help you remember information with your long-term memory.
No matter how you study, any medicine applicant can benefit from effective preparation support. With 6med’s Tutoring Bundles for UCAT, Interviews and Complete Application Support, you will be working with an expert medicine tutor who will help you implement study techniques such as these to maximise your potential for success.
As well as this, you’ll also have access to intensive Crash Courses and a wide variety of materials, all designed to give you a complete understanding of the application process. If you’d like to learn more, discover our bundles on our website or book a free consultation today.
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Not sure where to start with your Medical School application?
Get full, comprehensive support for your medical school application with 6med’s Medicine Mastery Bundle. Access everything you need for success as soon as you sign up.
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