Most candidates use tutor mode when anxious and timed mode when guilty. That’s backwards. You should periodise your question strategy like training blocks: build skill, then build pressure tolerance, then build exam execution.
The Bottom Line
- Tutor mode is for building rules; timed mode is for exposing failure modes.
- Mixed blocks test transfer and reduce ‘topic silo’ learning.
- Mocks are for execution: pacing, triage, and stamina — not learning new content.
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Phase 1 — Rule building (earlier weeks)
Use tutor mode and narrow topic sets to learn the rules and build prompts. Output: a growing (but controlled) error deck.
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Phase 2 — Signal generation (mid phase)
Introduce timed blocks. Goal: expose misreads, timing issues, and fragile thresholds. Output: miss taxonomy + targeted drills.
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Phase 3 — Transfer (late phase)
Use mixed blocks across systems. Goal: force discrimination and prevent pattern overfitting. Output: shrinking error deck.
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Phase 4 — Execution (final weeks)
Mocks and timed mixed blocks. Goal: pacing, triage, two-pass strategy, and stamina. Output: stable performance under pressure.
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Rule of thumb
If you’re missing because you don’t know: tutor. If you’re missing because you misread or run out of time: timed. If you’re missing because you confuse similar conditions: mixed.
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Practice
Test your knowledge
Apply this concept immediately with a high-yield question block from the iatroX Q-Bank.
SourceDunlosky et al. (2013): Interleaving / practice testing overview (PubMed)
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