How Many Hours a Day Do Medical Students Study?

I am a medical student studying in London, and I don’t work particularly hard.

That may seem like a strange statement to make considering the number of hours other students appear to be studying, but I feel like it is true. Firstly, it must be said that UK exams are easier than US exams. There is no need to be working for 10+ hours a day during exam season.

That’s mainly because, in the UK, all you need to do is get 50% in your exams. If you can do this then you can easily pass your medical school exams and become a fully-fledged doctor.

And so, you may be wondering, how many hours a day do I really work? Well, let’s take my third year of medical school as an example.

On average, I probably studied about 1-1.5 hours a day. This was mainly just going through Anki flashcards, which helped me stay consistent throughout the year (see my post on what Anki is and how to use it).

Interestingly, I actually used to study more in the past when I wasn’t in medical school.

When I was in A-Levels, I used to study for 5+ hours a day.

So what happened?

Well, I used to get a lot of satisfaction out of doing well in exams, which would keep me motivated to study for so long. But when I started University, I realised that it’s a completely different ball game. 

The amount of content together with a complete change of environment resulted in my first year being a real struggle. I had no motivation to study and was having a hard time putting in the hours. Thankfully though, I was still able to scrape through the exams.

Now, I have picked myself up again.

And so because of the hard time I was having, along with the realisation that there is no need to work 5+ hours a day in medical school, resulted in me not focusing on my study material as much as I should have. However, I don’t regret it.

Not doing much university-related work resulted in me starting this website which I can truly say I am proud of. I was able to have a social life and continue to do things that I love like to play football.

I was consistent with the number of hours I put in, meaning I was still able to do the minimum that was required of me. You can see this represented in the graph below.

Hours Spent Studying Per Day

This graph shows an approximation on how many hours I study vs. what a crammer. For something like medicine, it is important to be more consistent as cramming all the time can cause significant mental distress during exam time.

Now let me indulge you further by going into the specifics of how I studied during the first few years of my medical school.

Lectures

I tended not to go to lectures as they would be mostly a waste of time.

I would just sit there and start daydreaming within 10 minutes.

There’s no need to feel guilty about not going to lectures. Some people just work better at home.

That being said, this 2018 study shows that the higher achievers go to more lectures.

Remember though, that correlation does not equal causation, and it could easily be that the hardest workers were more likely to go to lectures. They were more dedicated and committed to doing whatever it took to get a good grade.

In essence, going to more lectures may not cause increased grades, but rather there could be other factors at play. So, in the end, it is more important that you focus on what you feel will improve your grades the most, and if you feel lectures are a waste of time, then don’t go to them.

Exam Study Period

When exams came closer, I did pick up on the amount of work I did.

I did 70-90 minutes a day of Anki. 

On top of this, I did 60-90 minutes of questions per day and, as exams got even closer, this did go up even further. 

These times are how much time I sat with my bum on the chair doing work. It does not include any breaks whatsoever.

Remember that these numbers are an average.

Therefore, there would be days where I would be feeling fresh and motivated to study, while other days where I could barely get my Anki done. 

Interestingly, there was a pattern to my unproductive days.

I tend to have 3 days of productive work for every 1 day of unproductive work. This means I can’t do more than 3 days of work without needing a small break.

You shouldn’t get put down by having an unproductive day.

Realise that everyone has them and you need to recharge your batteries for you to be productive. I always have the mindset that if I was resting, then I was still doing work as I was helping myself recharge. 

Why You Shouldn’t Care

The reason I tell you all of these personal numbers is so that you can get an idea of the variation that an individual medical student experiences.

Everyone is different, yet everyone goes through the same struggles. 

Even when I was studying “a lot” (5+ hours a day), I would still feel insecure about not studying enough.

My friends would talk about how they were studying for 8+ hours a day. 

But then I realised that the number of hours is not important. I was more of a slow and steady sort of person. I started revising early and kept consistent throughout the year.

If you feel that you cannot compete with your friends that are studying so much more than you, just remember that everyone is in the same boat. 

They probably feel the same way towards their other friends. 

Everyone feels that they need to study more, or the need to try and study the “right” amount. 

What I have realised over the last 6+ years of exams is that you shouldn’t worry about what other people are doing. 

The fact that you are even reading about how much medical students study per day shows that you are still focused on the wrong thing. 

Think about what your goals are. 

Are they to do well in exams? To get into University?

If that is the case, it shouldn’t matter the number of hours you study per day. 

That should just be a bi-product of trying to achieve your goals. 

The most successful people don’t try to get to a certain number of hours, they try to achieve their goals.