How Derrick Aced IB and Med School (While Studying Less Than Ever)

Before iCanStudy: “It just wasn’t sustainable.”

“I got to the point where I realised that even though I was the top in the class, the system that I was using just wasn’t sustainable.”

Derrick’s old study system looked good on paper, but it was draining him.

“I was getting by just grinding through with flashcards… putting in hours and hours a day, probably like six to eight hours… just pure memorisation.”

He knew he wasn’t learning effectively.

“I could tell that I was putting in a lot of effort, but it just wasn’t efficient… I would have to keep going back and keep revising and revising and revising. But it just wasn’t sticking in my head.”

And it was hurting his health.

“I had no time to go outside. I had no time to see friends. I was cutting corners with sleep, and it just wasn’t sustainable.”

Discovering iCanStudy: “It wasn’t just another band-aid solution.”

Like many high-performing students, Derrick had already tried the usual suspects: flashcards, time blocking, productivity hacks.

“I had tried spaced repetition. I had tried active recall. I had tried different schedules. I’d watched productivity YouTubers. I’d tried everything.”

But iCanStudy offered something deeper.

“The moment I found iCanStudy, I could tell this was different. It wasn’t just another band-aid solution… It was more fundamental.”

What resonated most was the system-level thinking.

“It just made sense. Everything that was being taught aligned with how I felt learning should be. I’d just never been taught it that way before.”

The Turning Point: “I went from grinding to actually learning.”

At first, Derrick struggled to let go of his old strategies.

“It was actually hard for me to not go back to flashcards. It was scary… But the more I leaned into the system, the more I could see how much more effective it was.”

He began using diagrams and verbal elaboration instead of rote methods.

“It was the first time I could look at a topic and feel like I actually understood it. Not just recognised it from a card, but could explain it in my own words.”

His efficiency skyrocketed.

“Instead of eight hours a day, I was doing maybe three to four. And I was remembering more. I wasn’t stressed. I was sleeping.”

The Results: “I was so confident going into exams, it felt weird.”

“I was the calmest I’d ever been going into an exam period.”

“People around me were panicking, revising till 2 a.m., and I was doing light revision and feeling completely fine.”

He scored a perfect 45 in the IB.

“It was just complete confidence. And I got the 45, which was great, but more than that, I wasn’t burned out. I still had energy.”

And he wasn’t just maintaining performance—he was thriving.

“I had more time for friends. I was exercising again. I had a life.”

After IB: “I’m now using the same system in med school.”

“I’m now in medical school, and I still use the exact same system.”

“The workload is insane—people are falling behind in the first semester. But I’m still sleeping 8 hours a night and ranking in the top 5 to 10 percent.”

He’s also working part-time and staying involved in community life.

“Before, I thought I had to give things up to succeed. Now I know I can actually do more—because I’m using my time properly.”

Final Advice: “It’s not just a study system—it’s a life system.”

“I used to think studying was about grinding. But that’s just surviving. This system is about learning—and once you really learn how to learn, everything else changes.”

“If you’re on the fence, I’d say this—if you’re already trying your hardest, and it still feels like it’s not enough, then it’s not you. You just don’t have the right system yet.”