“Determination of Study Habits Prevalent Among Medical Students and Factors Affecting Their Choices”

Abstract

Students in a medical college exhibit a spectrum of academic performances. While a few consistently perform excellently, a few others struggle to obtain passing marks. We designed this study to recognise the prevalent study habits among undergraduate medical students, identify the factors that may influence their behaviour and evaluate whether there is a relationship between the study habits and their academic performance. A cross-sectional study was conducted over six months on MBBS students in a tertiary care medical college in North Karnataka, India. A validated, self-administered questionnaire was distributed, covering demographics, study habits, academic environment, motivational factors, and academic performance. A total of 364 students participated. Data was analyzed using SPSS v20.0. Associations were tested with chi-square/Fisher’s exact tests, and p-values ≤0.05 were considered significant. More than half (56%) of our participants were in the age group 21-25 years, with a male predominance (60.7%). Nearly half (48.9%) achieved good academic performance (65-74%), while 5.2% scored above 75%. Academic performance showed significant association with age, gender and year of study (p<0.001). Preference of students to study in the evening and utilisation of faculty guidance by the students also showed to be significantly linked to better performance (p<0.05). While, their residence, access to study resources, and study with companions showed no significant influence. The study underlines that consistent study timings, utilisation of faculty support and keeping a structured study habits significantly influence medical students’ academic performance.