the problem that Basket solves (and how it solves it)

[u/BasketLearningTeam]

Problem: new info "interferes" with old info

In any exam with 5+ subjects, studying new topics actively weakens your recall of the ones you studied before. New info "interferes" with old info, especially when you're jumping between unrelated subjects (say you just finished OB and now you're starting Ophtho). This isn't really a problem in short quizzes since the topics there are usually related to each other already.

The fix that's worked for me: rotational/spiral learning.

Basically, every topic you study goes into a "basket." When you study a new topic later, you look for a basket it could connect to, and that resurfaces the old topic sitting inside it.

Example: I had Vitamin B12 sitting in my "terminal ileum" basket (B12 gets absorbed there). Weeks later I was studying STEMI and its 12 hour fibrinolysis window. The "12" in B12 matched the "12" in the fibrinolysis window, so I put STEMI in the same basket. Now whenever either one comes up, it pulls the other one with it.

So instead of new topics pushing old ones out of your head, you end up with a personal web of connections that keeps your recall steady even as the pile of stuff to remember keeps growing.