Know the difference between ACTIVE and PASSIVE activities. Studying must be ACTIVE in order to be of any benefit: "Reading over" and "highlighting" lecture notes or the text is a passive exercise and should not be considered ACTIVE studying.
See below for hints on ACTIVE studying
Read in Advance
You bought an expensive textbook; so use it to study with.
Make your own notes on a chapter and anticipate the topics you have difficulties with.
Come to Class and STAY focused
There is no substitute for being present in lecture and comparing your notes or adding to your notes.
Being prepared allows you to follow what is going on and ask questions about what you don't understand.
It takes less time to study and retain information when you prepared yourself. If you come to class and do not pay attention, you will have lost valuable time !
Study the Lecture the same day after Class
Actively reading your notes for 15 - 30 minutes a day, will improve your retention and increase the chances to do better on your exam ( simply because you won't have to cram it all in the night before the exam.)
It keeps you familiar with your notes and allows you to discover early on what topics require additional help before the exam.
Re-organize your notes
Make sure you keep a NoteBook devoted to Anatomy/Physiology alone ( no other class information should be in there).
Re-write your previous notes into this NoteBook and incorporate information from the textbook to supplement those taken in lecture. Only use the right side for your notes. Use the left side for vocabulary definition, questions, ideas, and comments. The idea is to spend as much time as possible with the material. Repetition simply works!
A picture is a thousand words and so are the diagrams and figures in your textbook. Don’t just stare at the diagrams and illustrations in your text or handouts; draw them on your own...and label them! Be ready to explain them to your study partner.