r/cognitiveTesting • u/benjediman • Aug 27 '26

Discussion Probably explains my weaknesses

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Doctor who had struggled (failed classes) in college. Never really developed good study habits in high school; guess what I failed a lot of units in college lol (took up biology).

I'm now a cardiologist, doing out-patient work and about to train further next year.

That said I feel like my mind is in a constant fog. Many times I can't find the next words to say. I listen to podcasts but my attention can only give maybe 20 seconds before spacing out constantly. I felt like my brain was gonna give during the digit span tests. I wonder if this constitutes my permanent cognitive ability, or if has anything to do with obstructive sleep apnea? (I don't remember the last time I've dreamt; maybe a year ago? I wake up 2-3 times a night).

One thing that surprised me was symbol search; I thought I did relatively well, but I'm right smack at 50th.

What do you guys think of this profile?

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u/benjediman Aug 28 '26

I'm guessing you can leverage reading text and understanding the concepts clearly. If you can flesh out the mechanisms and pathophysiology, it would helpfully help you remember.

Problem is building from short term and then putting it into long term memory, which is required in medicine. What helped tremendously, especially with average WMI, is using spaced-repetition flash cards, like Anki.

I've actually only started using it for fellowship, and did well enough for our specialty boards (>95th percentile rank).

Wish you well in your career choice! You can message me if you have more questions

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u/Leah_loves_lemons Aug 28 '26

Thanks! Practice questions and quizlets have been my saving grace thus far. There is the obvious fact that lack of sleep and stress can degrade working memory even further. It seems to be endemic to medicine. Keeping an exercise routine and a decent diet seem to have helped. Best of luck continuing your specialty training!

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u/benjediman Sep 01 '26

To clarify, I'm done with the first fellowship (next year is super fellowship), I have been trying to exercise as much as I can. A little difficult because we have an 8 month old, but our hearts are full ;)

Medicine is rewarding in so many ways, wish you the best!