How to retain information while studying for the INBDE

Move beyond the first exposure

Finishing a lesson is not the same as being able to use it later. In his coaching video on retaining information, Dr. Ryan describes the challenge of moving through many dental topics while worrying that earlier material is slipping away. He encourages students to work with information in different ways instead of watching once and immediately moving on.

The practical aim is to build a repeatable learning loop: understand something, try to recall it, apply it and revisit what remains unclear. The steps below are study suggestions, not a promise of complete recall or an official preparation requirement. Use current JCNDE resources to understand the examination and keep your own practice results in perspective.

Give each lesson an output

Before you start a video, decide what you will produce afterward. It might be a labeled sketch, a comparison chart or a brief explanation of the main idea. Dr. Ryan specifically discusses notes, drawings, diagrams and flashcards as ways to spend time with material. The quality of the artwork is not the point; the useful part is deciding how ideas connect.

After watching, close the lesson and attempt the output without copying. Then compare it with the source. Mark missing links or uncertain terms and correct them. This gives you a more useful record than pages of transcription because it shows what you could reconstruct independently and what still needed support.

Change the task, not just the colors

Different formats are useful when they require different kinds of thinking. A diagram can show a relationship; a table can contrast similar conditions; a question can require a decision. Simply rewriting the same sentence in a new color may make notes attractive without revealing whether you understand the concept.

For an illustrative session, choose a topic you recently reviewed and list the findings that would help distinguish two related possibilities. Explain what each finding changes in your reasoning. Check the explanation against trusted teaching material rather than creating an unsupported clinical rule. If the distinction is unclear, return to that part of the lesson before adding more notes.

Use questions as a retrieval check

Attempt relevant practice questions without looking at your notes. Before reading the explanation, state why your answer fits the information provided. Then identify the clue that makes the closest alternative less suitable. A correct letter alone does not tell you whether you understood the decision or recognized wording you had seen before.

Keep an error log short enough to revisit. Record the concept, the reason for the mistake and a useful next action. If you knew the fact but missed the patient detail, another hour of memorization may not address the problem. If the underlying concept was unfamiliar, targeted review is a better starting point than repeating the same question until the answer feels obvious.

Return to older topics on purpose

Include earlier material in later sessions rather than allowing each new subject to replace the last one completely. You could begin a session by explaining yesterday’s concept or use a mixed question set to notice which ideas have become less accessible. Choose an interval you can actually maintain; this article does not prescribe a universal review calendar.

At the end of a study week, ask which outputs helped you think and which became busywork. Keep the useful ones and simplify the rest. You do not need a separate notebook, card deck and diagram for every detail. The goal is an honest check of recall and understanding, followed by focused correction—not an ever-growing collection of study materials that leaves no time to use them.

A useful next step

Before your next session, choose one action from this guide and write down when you will do it. Keep the task small enough to finish, then note what you learned and what still needs clarification. Use that record to guide the following session rather than changing your entire routine at once.