The USMLE review is an essential part in your preparation for the actual USMLE. Most of the contents that will be discussed in the review have been taken up in your earlier years of basic medical education and the review will serve as a big recap of the things you have learned.

Innate to human is the propensity to forget the things we have learned, thus an opportunity to relearn the facts and principles is provided. There may be medical students that will get bored with the review session but this should be avoided as much as possible in order to maximize the USMLE review to its fullest. On the other hand, by simply participating in the review sessions as an active listener, one can achieve the fullest benefits of the USMLE review. To become an active listener, here are some tips you can follow:

Be objective. You need to think, make that deliberate pause and take a deep breath. It is your feelings, your opinions, your prejudices, or your nerves that deny effective listening. You need to be proactive, not reactive.

Suspend judgment. If you judge, you don't really listen. If you judge in the act of listening, there are only two possible outcomes: you disagree or you lose interest. If you don't want to express your disagreement, you will be turned off and lapse into passive listening, thus denying an effective transfer of valuable information which is the main purpose of USMLE review.

Check for understanding. Pause to recap. Summarize the key points the lecturer has made and get agreement before moving on. Clarify and confirm your understanding.

Use positive body language. If you are listening effectively, then you will display the right body language. This is why people being trained in good telephone techniques are told to smile. When they do, their tone of voice becomes warmer, and this is picked up at the other end of the line.

Use your face. Your facial expression should reflect the feelings being expressed. If the speaker is feeling sad, look sad; if happy, look happy; and if angry, look angry. If there are no emotions being expressed, as the speaker is in logical mode, then look confident and thoughtful – you are in thinking mode together.

Use words. An effective listener uses words in the right tone to convey the right meaning. There are two aspects: reflection and interest. Your words and tone should reflect the speaker's feelings by paraphrasing the words or reflecting the feeling of the speaker. Show interest by little verbal noises or even words.

Posture. There is not a single right posture, as the posture will vary according to the situation – the logic or emotion being expressed, and the ebb and flow of the USMLE review session. However, in all situations, an assertive posture should be adopted, not an aggressive nor submissive one.

USMLE review sessions are there for a reason – to help you successfully overcome the USMLE. Therefore, it is only right that you take advantage of that opportunity to learn new things and relearn what was taught in medical school.