There are arguably countless ways to study for rigorous, high-stakes tests like your pharmacy board exams, and some are more conducive to one learning style versus another. Yet, across all study methods and techniques, a widely accepted tool that has proven effective to maximize retention is the use of flashcards. This article will explore the benefits of studying with flashcards and how to study with UWorld RxPrep flashcards for your pharmacy licensure exams.
Traditionally, flashcards are handheld notecards students use to study; however, many flashcards have gone virtual in the digital age, including UWorld RxPrep’s digital flashcards. Whether print or digital, flashcards typically include concepts, formulas, calculations, etc., you wish to remember. This is often presented in a prompt-and-response format; eg, one side of a flashcard may say “RxPrep” while the other side says “The #1 trusted resource in pharmacy board exam preparation.”
What are the benefits of using flashcards?
Flashcards are proven to be an effective self-study tool. The simple act of creating a flashcard engages your brain to get creative and focus on the information you want to include. The creation and review of flashcards is a helpful memory-boosting exercise because you document concepts in your own words that you wish to review.
Studying with flashcards also saves you time since you can review your notes throughout your day, even spontaneously on the go, especially if studying using an electronic- or mobile-friendly device.
How to use flashcards effectively.
1. Learn to understand, not memorize.
As you consume information and review practice questions in preparation for your pharmacy board exams, ask yourself why a concept applies in a given scenario or why the answer to a particular question is correct. Use flashcards to make a note of everything you find challenging or are having a hard time grasping for further review.
For example, while studying with the UWorld RxPrep Course Book, Online Course, or QBank, create flashcards and put the concepts you want to master in your own words to facilitate understanding the information instead of just memorizing the answer. Reexamine your flashcards repeatedly until you feel like you have an in-depth understanding of the subject(s) in question.
2. Practice active learning.
As opposed to passive learning, where you sit back and receive the information being disseminated to you (reading textbooks, watching video lectures, etc.), active learning puts you in the driver’s seat. This study method enables you to remember more of what you learn.
Though the RxPrep Course Book and Video Lectures can be studied in a “passive” manner, you will remain actively engaged in learning the material by using flashcards. This active note taking and reviewing of flashcards you create will enable you to regain the element of control over your learning, from pace to mastery.
3. Increase recall with spaced repetition.
Spaced repetition is a learning technique that improves long-term memory formation. When using spaced repetition, learners encounter challenging information more frequently until they have mastered it, then the data appears less often. This pattern challenges your brain to form a more robust, long-term memory that can be retrieved when you need it.
Using spaced repetition with flashcards is an effective brain hack to study smarter, not harder, to help remember things for a test. Learn how to utilize spaced repetition with the UWorld RxPrep flashcards below.
How to study with UWorld RxPrep flashcards.
Whether creating flashcards to study for the NAPLEX or reviewing premade state-specific MPJE flashcards, it’s easy to review UWorld RxPrep flashcards with spaced repetition. As you progress through practice questions, use content within the practice question (text, illustrations, graphs, etc.) to make flashcards on various topics. You can also add your own words to the flashcards and organize them by subject for convenient studying.
A “Study” feature within your Online Course and QBank lets you set the frequency with which you will encounter your flashcards, allowing for spaced repetition. Applying spaced repetition to your pharmacy flashcards lets you retain more information over the long term while studying for your board exams. With our flashcard decks at your disposal, in addition to our other comprehensive study materials, you can prepare for your board exams with the confidence that you will be ready to succeed on test day.
As the #1 trusted resource for pharmacy licensure exam preparation, we constantly innovate our materials to ensure students have the highest-quality tools to succeed. That is why our free online flashcards are integrated within your UWorld RxPrep Online Course and QBank whether studying for the NAPLEX or MPJE.
Prepare for the NAPLEX and MPJE using UWorld RxPrep’s Pharmacy Board Review with electronic flashcards integrated with spaced repetition.
