<p>Data dashboards are an increasingly accessible tool in medical education, yet their implementation, use, and impact on students and faculty remain underexplored. This study investigated how medical students use a preclinical exam performance dashboard and how it influenced studying behavior. An exploratory sequential mixed-methods design was employed. First, semi-structured interviews were conducted with second-year medical students who had used the preclinical exam dashboard. Data were analyzed using a constructivist approach and inductive thematic analysis. Qualitative analysis of the eleven interviews identified 19 codes organized in three themes: 1) Engaging with the data, 2) Making meaning from the data and 3) Acting on the data. These results informed the development of a survey administered to the next two classes of students. Of the 335 students surveyed, 36% reported having changed their studying at least once due to dashboard results (“changers”). Chi-square tests of independence and independent-samples t-tests were used to compare survey results from the changers and non-changers. Changers accessed their dashboards more frequently than non-changers and reported more frequent insights from the data. Both groups discussed the dashboard with their coaches at similar rates, but changers found these conversations more helpful than non-changers. The findings highlight that although many students engaged with and made meaning of the dashboard data, only a minority changed their studying. Without additional improvements to the dashboard and increased faculty support, the ability of dashboards to promote self-regulated learning and effective study strategies in our students may be limited.</p>