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How to Fix Your Bad Study Habits as a Pre-Med Student
Articles
October 17, 2025
Key Takeaways
- It’s common for pre-med students to find that their high school study habits don’t cut it anymore in college—or for them to feel so overwhelmed that they procrastinate or cram.
- Struggling to study effectively isn’t a sign that you shouldn’t be a doctor; it’s a normal part of the process of growing academically.
- Pre-meds can fix their bad study habits by identifying their issues, building systematic review habits, and collaborating with others.
Find yourself struggling to keep up with coursework as a pre-med? It’s unlikely it means that you’re not cut out for medicine—or that you’re unmotivated. You’re navigating one of the most demanding undergraduate academic paths, and it’s likely you’ve not had much guidance on how to study effectively.
Bad study habits are incredibly common among pre-meds, especially during the first year or so of college. The good news? Your study habit flaws are fixable. Here’s some advice for improving your approach to studying that doesn’t require 12-hour cramming sessions or sacrificing your mental health.
Identify the Type of Bad Study Habit You Have
Before you can fix a problem, you need to name it. Some common pre-med study traps include:
- Passive studying: Rereading notes, highlighting everything, or watching lectures on 1.5x without engaging.
- Cramming: Waiting until a few days before the exam and hoping adrenaline will save you.
- False productivity: Studying for long hours but retaining very little.
- Avoidance: Putting off difficult subjects (hello, physics or orgo) until it’s too late.
Most of us fall into more than one category. Be honest with yourself about which ones are the biggest issue for you, and you’re already well on the way to a solution.
Understand Why Your Current Habits Aren’t Working
Many pre-meds studied successfully in high school with minimal effort. College-level science courses are different. They require integration across topics, application of concepts to situtations, and long-term retention—not just memorization of isolated facts.
Ask yourself:
- Can I explain this concept without my notes?
- Can I apply it to a new problem?
- Can I connect it to previous material?
If the answer is no, you need to take a new approach to studying.
This isn’t to say that you will never to memorize and master a lot of equations and other material—as this study guide from Johns Hopkins University makes clear, you absolutely will need to do that. However, if your study method doesn’t force your brain to make connections between concepts, you won’t be equipped to perform in exams or group projects—or on the MCAT later.
Replace and Rebuild Your Habits
Telling yourself to “stop procrastinating” rarely works. Procrastination usually comes from a fear of failure or mistakes. If you start building a study system with a consistent structure, you can head off procrastination:
- Trade marathon study days for scheduled daily blocks of 60 to 90 minutes, plus a longer weekly review session of about three to four hours
- Swap rereading for active recall (completing practice questions, using flashcards)
- Study with a partner or in a group at least once or twice a month for accountability—and to give yourself the opportunity to teach concepts to each other
- Schedule at least one half-day per week without any study at all—go for a walk, see friends, and relax
Taking a systematic approach to study helps break down the overwhelming amount of material you need to learn into manageable tasks and steps. If you feel less overwhelmed, you’ll be less likely to procrastinate.
Accept That Effective Studying Feels Uncomfortable Sometimes
You were most likely a good student in high school, and studying may have felt effortless to you. At higher levels of expertise, this effortlessness is harder to come by, which can cause distress for new pre-meds. However, college should feel harder than high school! Doing progressively harder things leads to growth and mastery.
If you’re confused, struggling, or getting practice questions wrong, that’s not always a sign of failure. Very often, it’s where the best type of learning begins.
Asking for help can be another area of discomfort for high-achieving pre-meds. You may think you need to do everything yourself, and that reaching out to others is a sign that you’re failing. However, collaboration is how medical practice works—you may as well start while you’re a student, too. Reach out to professors. Form study groups. Don’t go it alone.
Avoid Comparing Yourself to Other Pre-Meds
It can be difficult to feel like you’re struggling when others seem to be gliding along with their studies, or if others seem to be doing more than you. Whether your fellow students are claiming to have crammed for three days straight or “barely studied” to earn their A, ignore it.
You don’t know what other students’ prior academic background is like—or whether they’ve actually retained what they studied. More importantly, you can’t control what other people do. Focus on improving your habits in a way that’s sustainable for you, rather than worrying about what other people will think, or whether they’re “better” than you.
Give Yourself Grace (But Not Excuses)
You will mess up. You’ll fall back into old, bad habits during busy weeks. That doesn’t erase your progress. What matters is getting back on track faster each time (and staying on task a little longer once you do).
Being pre-med is hard because being a physician is hard. Adjusting your bad study habits is part of the process of growing, not a sign that you’re not good enough to become a doctor. Focusing on your own progress, being willing to feel uncomfortable, and building better habits slowly will help you level up academically—and personally, too.
Further Reading and Resources
- Study Techniques for Premedical Students – Johns Hopkins University
- Study Habits of Highly Effective Medical Students – Advanced Medical Education Practice
- Think Like a Doctor to Avoid Procrastinating in Medical School – U.S. News & World Report
- Advanced Study Habits You’ll Need in Medical School – Post-Bacc Program Guide
Key Takeaways
- It’s common for pre-med students to find that their high school study habits don’t cut it anymore in college—or for them to feel so overwhelmed that they procrastinate or cram.
- Struggling to study effectively isn’t a sign that you shouldn’t be a doctor; it’s a normal part of the process of growing academically.
- Pre-meds can fix their bad study habits by identifying their issues, building systematic review habits, and collaborating with others.
Find yourself struggling to keep up with coursework as a pre-med? It’s unlikely it means that you’re not cut out for medicine—or that you’re unmotivated. You’re navigating one of the most demanding undergraduate academic paths, and it’s likely you’ve not had much guidance on how to study effectively.
Bad study habits are incredibly common among pre-meds, especially during the first year or so of college. The good news? Your study habit flaws are fixable. Here’s some advice for improving your approach to studying that doesn’t require 12-hour cramming sessions or sacrificing your mental health.
Identify the Type of Bad Study Habit You Have
Before you can fix a problem, you need to name it. Some common pre-med study traps include:
- Passive studying: Rereading notes, highlighting everything, or watching lectures on 1.5x without engaging.
- Cramming: Waiting until a few days before the exam and hoping adrenaline will save you.
- False productivity: Studying for long hours but retaining very little.
- Avoidance: Putting off difficult subjects (hello, physics or orgo) until it’s too late.
Most of us fall into more than one category. Be honest with yourself about which ones are the biggest issue for you, and you’re already well on the way to a solution.
Understand Why Your Current Habits Aren’t Working
Many pre-meds studied successfully in high school with minimal effort. College-level science courses are different. They require integration across topics, application of concepts to situtations, and long-term retention—not just memorization of isolated facts.
Ask yourself:
- Can I explain this concept without my notes?
- Can I apply it to a new problem?
- Can I connect it to previous material?
If the answer is no, you need to take a new approach to studying.
This isn’t to say that you will never to memorize and master a lot of equations and other material—as this study guide from Johns Hopkins University makes clear, you absolutely will need to do that. However, if your study method doesn’t force your brain to make connections between concepts, you won’t be equipped to perform in exams or group projects—or on the MCAT later.
Replace and Rebuild Your Habits
Telling yourself to “stop procrastinating” rarely works. Procrastination usually comes from a fear of failure or mistakes. If you start building a study system with a consistent structure, you can head off procrastination:
- Trade marathon study days for scheduled daily blocks of 60 to 90 minutes, plus a longer weekly review session of about three to four hours
- Swap rereading for active recall (completing practice questions, using flashcards)
- Study with a partner or in a group at least once or twice a month for accountability—and to give yourself the opportunity to teach concepts to each other
- Schedule at least one half-day per week without any study at all—go for a walk, see friends, and relax
Taking a systematic approach to study helps break down the overwhelming amount of material you need to learn into manageable tasks and steps. If you feel less overwhelmed, you’ll be less likely to procrastinate.
Accept That Effective Studying Feels Uncomfortable Sometimes
You were most likely a good student in high school, and studying may have felt effortless to you. At higher levels of expertise, this effortlessness is harder to come by, which can cause distress for new pre-meds. However, college should feel harder than high school! Doing progressively harder things leads to growth and mastery.
If you’re confused, struggling, or getting practice questions wrong, that’s not always a sign of failure. Very often, it’s where the best type of learning begins.
Asking for help can be another area of discomfort for high-achieving pre-meds. You may think you need to do everything yourself, and that reaching out to others is a sign that you’re failing. However, collaboration is how medical practice works—you may as well start while you’re a student, too. Reach out to professors. Form study groups. Don’t go it alone.
Avoid Comparing Yourself to Other Pre-Meds
It can be difficult to feel like you’re struggling when others seem to be gliding along with their studies, or if others seem to be doing more than you. Whether your fellow students are claiming to have crammed for three days straight or “barely studied” to earn their A, ignore it.
You don’t know what other students’ prior academic background is like—or whether they’ve actually retained what they studied. More importantly, you can’t control what other people do. Focus on improving your habits in a way that’s sustainable for you, rather than worrying about what other people will think, or whether they’re “better” than you.
Give Yourself Grace (But Not Excuses)
You will mess up. You’ll fall back into old, bad habits during busy weeks. That doesn’t erase your progress. What matters is getting back on track faster each time (and staying on task a little longer once you do).
Being pre-med is hard because being a physician is hard. Adjusting your bad study habits is part of the process of growing, not a sign that you’re not good enough to become a doctor. Focusing on your own progress, being willing to feel uncomfortable, and building better habits slowly will help you level up academically—and personally, too.
Further Reading and Resources
- Study Techniques for Premedical Students – Johns Hopkins University
- Study Habits of Highly Effective Medical Students – Advanced Medical Education Practice
- Think Like a Doctor to Avoid Procrastinating in Medical School – U.S. News & World Report
- Advanced Study Habits You’ll Need in Medical School – Post-Bacc Program Guide