Kind and Effective Study Techniques for Vet and Vet Nursing Students (Backed by Science)

Let’s be real for a second. Studying in vet school or vet nursing school can feel like trying to drink from a firehose. Whether you’re memorising endless anatomical structures, revising pharmacology tables, or trying to prepare for your next OSCE or practical placement, the pressure can be intense.

But here’s the good news: you don’t have to just power through with all-nighters and last-minute cramming.

There are kind, science-backed ways to make your revision more effective - and less stressful. In this post, we’ll walk you through some of the most evidence-based strategies for revising smarter, not harder. These are especially helpful for vet and vet nursing students, and we’ll share practical ways to use them (along with links to helpful tools).

You deserve to feel confident, capable, and supported in your studies. So grab a cuppa, take a deep breath, and let’s explore how you can study in a way that works with your brain, not against it. We've piled in the references too.

Once you've got the techniques, building a study routine that actually works is a lovely next step.

These aren't hard, fast rules. You're all different. Most of this research comes from general education and psychology studies rather than vet students specifically, so read through and see what you might like to try to mix things up a little.

What it is: Spaced repetition means reviewing information at spread-out intervals over time, rather than all at once. It’s one of the best-supported learning techniques we have (Dunlosky et al., 2013), which is why so many flashcard apps are built around it.

Why it works: The brain naturally forgets things unless they’re reinforced. By spacing out reviews, you catch that forgetting just in time and strengthen your memory each time.

How to use it:

• Use flashcard apps like Anki or Brainscape that automatically space your reviews.
• Schedule short review sessions over several days instead of one long cram.
• Even 10-15 minutes a day of review can make a big difference over time.

What it is: Active recall means retrieving information from memory - for example, by answering a question without looking at your notes.

Why it works: It’s one of the most powerful ways to make learning stick (Roediger & Butler, 2011). How often have you been there, saying "yes, I know that" having read it and then not be able to recall it a few minutes later?

How to use it:

• Quiz yourself regularly using past papers, flashcards, or study groups.
• Try brain dumps: write down everything you remember about a topic, then check what you missed.
• Teach a concept to a friend (or even your pet!)
• Ask ChatGPT to quiz you on some content, gamechanger. Always remember it has the ability to hallucinate, so keep double-checking your source content.

What it is: Interleaving is the fancy term for switching between topics or types of question during a study session rather than focusing on one for a long time.

Why it works: It might feel less efficient, but studies suggest that mixing up examples of related categories can help you tell similar things apart (Kornell & Bjork, 2008). The research has mostly looked at similar, easily confused material (like different artists' paintings), so it may be most useful for things you tend to mix up, such as similar drug classes or look-alike conditions.

How to use it:

• Instead of spending an hour only on anatomy, mix in 20 minutes of anatomy, then 20 minutes of pharmacology, then 20 minutes of pathology.
• Alternate types of questions (e.g., case studies, flashcards, diagrams) within a session.
• Mix up similar-but-different topics in the same session (e.g., different antibiotic classes) so you practise telling them apart.

What it is: Dual coding means learning with both words and visuals. This might be diagrams, flowcharts, videos, or even drawing things out yourself.

Why it works: Pairing words with relevant visuals gives you more than one route back to the information later, and people generally learn better from words and pictures together than from words alone (Paivio, 1986; Mayer, 2005).

How to use it:

• Create mind maps or sketch quick diagrams to go with your notes.
• Watch videos that explain concepts with visuals (e.g. for human medical students, accounts like Armando Hasudungan’s YouTube channel are super popular).
• Use labelled images and diagrams for anatomy. Colour can make things clearer, but highlighting or colour-coding on its own doesn't do much for memory (Dunlosky et al., 2013), so pair it with testing yourself.

What it is: Elaboration is all about making connections. Instead of memorising facts in isolation, you ask deeper questions to build understanding. Remember, you can always ask your tutor for help too!

Why it works: Explaining why something is true or how it works helps you make sense of it and remember it better (Pressley et al., 1987). It tends to work best when you already have some background knowledge to connect new facts to.

How to use it:

• Ask yourself: "Why does this matter?", "How does this relate to what I already know?" Perhaps link it back to cases you've seen in practice.
• Try explaining a concept as if you’re talking to a pet owner.
• Use analogies: "This hormone is like a message that...”

Why it helps: Learning with others can help you see different perspectives, keep you motivated, and make studying more fun. Peer teaching is also a great way to reinforce your own knowledge.

(Pssst... this was how co-founder Katie got through her vetmed finals)

How to use it:

• Form a small, focused study group with classmates.
• Take turns teaching topics or quizzing each other.
• Work through case studies or practice OSCE scenarios together.
• Even studying at the same time and 'body doubling' can be super helpful.

Pssst... on the topic of group study, this is a great extra bit to be aware of:

What it is: Research suggests that when you prepare to teach something to someone else, you tend to learn it more deeply. You process information more actively, organise your thoughts better, and notice the gaps (Fiorella & Mayer, 2013). A related finding, where people put in more effort to learn something for someone else than for themselves, is known as the Protégé Effect (Chase et al., 2009).

Bonus: use a dry wipe board or draw on your iPad while explaining - it adds dual coding to the mix too.

Why it works: You’re not just passively reviewing - you’re turning information into your own words, creating structure, and spotting gaps in your understanding. It also makes studying more fun and interactive.

Why it matters: Learning hands-on skills like animal handling, injections, or surgery requires practice. These are procedural memories, and they get stronger the more you do them.

How to use it:

• Attend extra skills labs if available.
• Practise knot tying or instrument handling at home (some students use shoelaces, bananas, or suture pads).
• Visualise each step of a procedure in your head (mental rehearsal).
• There are tonnes of YouTube tutorials too

Here are some tools that can support your study techniques:

• Anki: Free flashcard app with spaced repetition.
• Quizlet: Pre-made and custom flashcards.
• Brainscape: Flashcards with confidence-based repetition.
• Notion: Great for organising notes and study plans.
• Pomofocus: Pomodoro timer for focused study blocks.

What it is: Metacognition means thinking about your thinking - being aware of what you know, what you don’t, and how best to bridge the gap.

Why it matters: Approaches that get students to reflect on how they learn have been linked to better results in school-based research (Education Endowment Foundation, 2025). It makes sense why: once you notice a strategy isn't working, you can change it.

How to use it: After a study session, ask:

• What did I understand well?
• What was unclear?
• What strategy helped the most?
• Encourage journaling or a simple study reflection log.
• Maybe you might want to shake it up and try something like the Pomodoro technique (popular with students, though the research on it is still limited), listening to a podcast on a topic whilst on a walk or finding a memorable YouTube explainer, then notice what actually helps.

This might be the most important tip of all. Studying is a marathon, not a sprint. You’re learning a huge amount, and it’s completely normal to feel overwhelmed sometimes.

Gentle reminders:

If exam time pressures feel extra heavy, remember there are always trained listeners at Vetlife for those in the UK profession. helpline.vetlife.org.uk (0303 040 2551)

If you’re neurodivergent - whatever your way of experiencing the world - know that your brain isn’t broken; it’s beautifully wired for different kinds of insight, creativity, and connection.

Some of the strategies above may need adapting, and that’s okay. Tools like visual timers or body-doubling (studying alongside someone else) might help. Do what works for you, not what looks “right” for someone else. And if something’s not clicking, it’s not a personal failure - it just means your brain might need a different route.

You’re not alone, and your way of learning is 100% valid.

Studying in vet or vet nursing school is tough, but you can do hard things - and you're much more capable than you might believe. By using evidence-based techniques like spaced repetition, active recall, and elaboration, you can make your revision more effective and less stressful.

And remember, learning is not just about exams. It’s about learning a process of systems and where to find information. These study habits aren’t just for now - they’re for your future patients, your future self.

We hope this guide helped you feel a little more confident and a little more supported. If you found it helpful, feel free to share it with a friend or on socials. And if you ever need a pep talk, we’re rooting for you. Always.

Keep reading: our resources page has more free support for your studies and beyond.

If you loved this post and want to feel more connected, confident, and calm during your studies, come join our Vet Empowered Student Collective. It’s totally free - and made just for vet and vet nursing students like you.

You'll get kind, real talk about wellbeing, studying, and thriving in vet study - straight to your inbox.

Click here to join the Collective - we’d love to have you.

• Chase, C. C., Chin, D. B., Oppezzo, M. A., & Schwartz, D. L. (2009). Teachable agents and the protégé effect: Increasing the effort towards learning. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 18, 334-352.
• Diekelmann, S., & Born, J. (2010). The memory function of sleep. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 11(2), 114-126. https://www.nature.com/articles/nrn2762
• Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students' learning with effective learning techniques. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4-58. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100612453266
• Education Endowment Foundation (2025). Metacognition and Self-Regulated Learning: Guidance Report. London: Education Endowment Foundation. https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/evidence-reviews/metacognition-and-self-regulation-guidance-report
• Fiorella, L., & Mayer, R. E. (2013). The relative benefits of learning by teaching and teaching expectancy. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 38(4), 281-288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2013.06.001
• Kornell, N., & Bjork, R. A. (2008). Learning concepts and categories: Is spacing the "enemy of induction"? Psychological Science, 19(6), 585-592. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02127.x
• Mayer, R. E. (2005). Cognitive theory of multimedia learning. In R. E. Mayer (Ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511816819.004
• Paivio, A. (1986). Mental Representations: A Dual Coding Approach. Oxford University Press.
• Pressley, M., McDaniel, M. A., Turnure, J. E., Wood, E., & Ahmad, M. (1987). Generation and precision of elaboration: Effects on intentional and incidental learning. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 13(2), 291-300.
• Roediger, H. L., & Butler, A. C. (2011). The critical role of retrieval practice in long-term retention. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 15(1), 20-27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2010.09.003