Hey everyone! For some context, I am a med student and before this year I've had no huge issues studying/focusing. Sure, I wasn't perfect, but I managed to get shit done and not get terrible grades. Flashforward to today and I simply cannot retain a single thing from a reading and/or manage to focus for more than an hour. I always end up just blanking out or doing literally anything else when I near the 1.5-2h study session. I have tried pomodoro, or adding more breaks and it doesn't help, I actually find it harder to get back into the flow. I am so frustrated with not being able to cram as much as before I end up getting more distracted and more tired and end up just studying effectively for like 1 or 2 hours a day... which sadly won't cut it for med school. With my current grades I'm passing my courses with not much to spare, so I feel as if any misstep or lazy day will make me fail.

I just... don't know what else to do. I keep using methods of studying that previously worked (I rewrite/summarize/take notes and then have study sessions re reading and memorizing whatever I need for exams) to no avail. I feel like my brain literally ran out of RAM. When I arrive to an exam I feel I barely know around 60% of all stuff they ask and it's all jumbled up and confused. Whenever I calmly rethink the answers I often did have the knowledge in me, I just don't seem to be able to recall stuff quickly and clearly if that makes sense. It doesn't help that exams are never clear (for instance, won't ask you "which of the following is bigger?" but put it in "which of this is not true:" where the answer is "B is bigger than A, because of X and Y" while another option stated "A is smaller than B but bigger than C because of Z"...like I know that B is bigger and why, but the phrasing always throws me off)

Alongside that, I don't really feel motivation for getting good grades (honestly never have wanted to be a straight A's sorta person, I'm just more passionate about learning and rather have a more time to spend with my partner/family/other hobbies) but I want the tranquility of getting 80s as opposed to my 70s (in my country you pass with 67,5) and feel so overwhelmingly exhausted each time I try to actually get motivated and trying to better my grades. I just seem stuck in a negative feedback loop where any attempt to do better ends up in me doing worse and getting more stressed, so I have to try yet again to do better and the cycle goes on...

Is there any tips? Any reassurance? Anything you guys got to help me? I really feel I've hit a massive wall I've never encountered before and I just don't know how to traspass it... I'm open to anything, perhaps it's time to part ways to my old study methods and adapt to this new exhaustion-prone me.