The answer is simple, but the explanation --- complex. The only way to pass is to study. So the question should have been, "How do I study?" But more aptly, the question should have been, "How do I become a good dentist?" For students who had good training and had established a good study technique, it would be a walk in the park. But for the novice, especially for dental and medical schools, college subjects require more than just memorization. Imagine a very knowledgeable dentist being unable to make a correct diagnosis. He knows all the diseases of the oral cavity but is unable to make a correct diagnosis. The dentist will end up pulling the wrong tooth. Would you want to be that kind of dentist? Would you want to be subjected under the care of such dentist?
If you're one of my students, I've already told you that things that I discuss are not what's coming out in the exam. They are just pieces of the puzzle that you try and fit to arrive at a specific answer. While traditionally most teachers tend to be objective (e.g. identification and enumeration) and give out the same items in their exams with what has been given during the discussion, I'd like to believe that I rely more on the clinical significance and critical thinking. I do this in preparation for the board exams and to produce professionals with higher order thinking skills.
If you're one of my students, I've probably shared these study techniques.
Designated Study Table. If you have a study table, you are on the right track. Research shows that students with a designated study table, not just a dining table or a coffee table, excels more than the others. The rationale points out to the fact that, studying elsewhere will prompt you to do something else. In bed, you'd instantaneously get sleepy and eventually sleep. In a dining table, you'll develop that urge to eat. In a coffee table at a coffee shoppe, you'd be inclined more towards talking rather than studying. The best place to study is at home, with a study table, without noise, without food, and alone.
Less is more. Speed reading and note-taking saves time. If you have been taught how to read fast and make the most out of it during elementary or high school, you can finish studying fast. This can be done by doing multiple readings. The first reading is done to understand the concepts. You read to comprehend the "why" and the "how". The second reading is for note-taking and to know the "what". Note-taking does not equate to copying word-for-word what has been written in the books. Rather, it should be a means to list down keywords and make schematic diagrams of processes.
Choose friends wisely. Great minds think alike. The opposite is also true. If you find yourself among friends who waste a lot of time chatting or loitering or even friends with vices, you are better off without them. The maxim "If you can't beat them, join them" does not apply to this scenario. Be the change in your group. If they truly are your friends they wouldn't want you in harms way, would they? This is also true in losing weight. You lose weight better and faster if you stick with people who have the same aim.
Be prepared. Being prepared is a psychological advantage. Most people pride themselves with knowing things before they happen. If you think you are ahead of your time because you have prepared enough, this mentality is an advantage. An actual advantage stems from it as well. Most students usually read a night before the topics for a quiz. The best students usually study one or two chapters in advance.
Eat well. Nutrition can be life-changing. You are the food you eat. Junk food makes you sluggish, and being sluggish prevents you from being productive. Supplements can give you a temporary boost. Coffee as a natural stimulant can do the trick. Be forewarned that it becomes addictive. There are other CNS stimulants in the form of tablets, capsules, tea, or power drinks, but the use of such supplements are discouraged. Maintaining fitness is really one way to maximize the learning experience.
Efficient Use Of Time. Time wasted by chattering early morning? 10 - 30 minutes. Time wasted by staying with a friend after class? 10 - 30 minutes. Time wasted by talking during lunch time? 30 - 45 minutes. Time wasted by loitering on weekends? 960 - 2880 minutes. The bottom line? You could have been studying during these times. It is a proven fact that various learners require varying time to attain their zest before they can assimilate knowledge. It will depend on physiology and mindset before one can study at peak levels. The rate of learning also varies from one person to another. The slower you learn, the greater your need for time. Time is key.
Mix it up. Boredom, over-saturation of information, and just blatantly being burnt out from studying becomes the primary culprit of not being able to maximize studying. The solution? Try studying with a book, with video, with audio, alone, with a partner, in a group, or with flash cards. Likewise, resting every now and then should also be practiced. The human brain's attention span, and length of time it can receive information successively is only up to an hour at most. Studying alone at optimal conditions is still the best way to study.
Intrinsic Motivation. Most students nowadays study to please their parents or to follow the whims of their parents. Most of these students succumb to the pressure of dentistry. Dentistry requires a hefty amount of dedication, and the only way to truly survive is to love the profession. Pursuing a program you don't love is like foregoing with an arranged marriage. You are just lying to yourself everyday that things are going to be okay. Some could find a way to make things work, but most would get lost in the process and eventually fail. The greatest motivation to study is within you. Do you really want to be a dentist? Can you picture yourself working on the oral cavity for a lifetime? Do you not faint on the first sight of blood? Can you live with the decision your whole life?
If a teacher becomes too strict, that may be because we know that it is tougher once you graduate or once you take the board exam and eventually be a dentist. In preparation for the board exams, you will be asked to study several books and not just several chapters. There are those who surrender to pressure and forfeit the board exams on the day of the examination. There are those dentists who are plagued with lawsuits and ultimately land in jail due to malpractice. You can cheat dental school. You can cheat the board exams. You can cheat everyday. But you can't cheat your whole life. Someone or something will eventually get you.
Hopefully next time a student would ask me, it would be the right question.