The Bottom Line
- Block early when you’re building basic schema (novice phase).
- Interleave once you can answer ‘easy versions’ reliably.
- Use interleaving to train discrimination under time pressure.
Your signal that it’s time to interleave
If you’re getting most ‘single-topic’ questions right but still fail when options are mixed, you need discrimination training—interleaving is the tool.
Blocking can feel productive because performance rises quickly. Interleaving can feel like you’re regressing. In reality, they train different things. Exams reward the ability to choose between plausible alternatives under time pressure—interleaving is built for that.
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Phase 1 (Block): build the map
Do focused blocks to understand the condition, typical presentation, and management pathway.
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Gate condition
When you can answer ‘straightforward’ questions reliably, stop blocking. The returns drop fast.
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Phase 2 (Interleave): train the choice
Create near-neighbour sets and mix questions. Track discriminators, not scores.
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Phase 3: escalate realism
Increase time pressure, ambiguity, and mixed topics once discrimination is improving.
My block vs interleave decision
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Practice
Test your knowledge
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