Flashcards are one of the most popular learning tools for route memorization. Unfortunately, most people use them wrong.
AnkiApp is a straightforward Mac app that enables you to create your own flashcard sets, or download collections from online sources. The app provides tools for reviewing the information, and even. Anki Universal is a completely free flashcard app (no forced ads, paid models, etc.) that will help you memorize whatever you want with minimal efforts. You can add text, image, audio, and video to your cards and sync between your Windows 10 devices through OneDrive.
In my free speed studying course, I share many different tools for learning faster. One of the things we cover is the mistakes students often make when using flashcards. Here are some of the more common mistakes:
Mistake #1: Not Making your Own Cards
The actual process of creating flashcards is important.
Your deck of flashcards should not just be 'dictionary definitions.' Turning knowledge into cards is valuable for the same reasons it's important to not take word-for-word notes: when you try to express information in your own words, you process the information. When you process it, you have to recreate the ideas in a way that makes sense to you. The process of retrieving and reorganizing the information actually strengthens the memory.
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When you study flashcards which you created, you'll remember the context in which you created them. If you're studying a word in a foreign language, for example, you can include an example of a sentence that gives you trouble or some hint at the subtleties of the words which you'd miss by just writing a dictionary definition. In short, you can customize the card in a way that captures the exact challenges you face with that bit of information.
Mistake #2: Studying in One Big Session
If you sit down for one massive 'cram session' with your cards, you're hurting your learning.
The best way to use flashcards is as a quick impromptu study session. 15 minutes at the bus stop and a 30 minutes between classes is better than hours and hours of continuous study at the end of the day, thanks to the rules of perfect practice. If you graph your progress, like I love to do, you'll quickly discover that most of your progress seems to happen in between study sessions.
Here's a surprising truth:
The goal of flashcards isn't to get them right.
It's to remind yourself of knowledge you've forgotten.
Researchers who have studied memorization developed a technique called 'spaced repetition' for this reason. The major insight that they had, as a result of analyzing thousands of hours of study, is that you want to prompt recall just as something is about to be forgotten. This is where flashcards really excel, and why tools like Anki have popped up (see the bonus section, below, for more about Anki).
Mistake #3: Practicing Mindlessly
Do you know every fact in your deck equally well?
Certainly not. So you shouldn't be lumping them all together into one big pile.
If you're 'zoning out' or going into a 'robotic' mode when you use your flashcards, you're wasting time. You should think about each card. Use the word in a sentence, remember some places you've heard it, say it aloud to yourself, etc. Engage with the content, don't just say 'yes, I know it' or 'no, I don't.' In fact, the spaced repetition concept from above would even suggest that you rate how well you know the card on a scale of 1-4. Then you sort the cards based upon how well you know them and study the ones you struggle with the most first before coming back to the ones you know better.
If all of this sounds hard to manage, there's a better way.
Bonus: Not Using Flashcard Software
Some people like to study flashcards by hand, but flashcard software has some major advantages.
Anki is the gold standard of flashcard software, available for Mac, PC, mobile devices, etc.
What makes Anki so special is not just that it syncs your studies with different decks across different devices. What really sets it apart is that it uses the 'spaced repetition' algorithms (above) to maintain your decks for you. In other words:
Anki will ensure you're studying the best things for you to be studying at any point in time.
As you get better with some knowledge, it will stop appearing as frequently. The items you struggle with will appear more often. All of this is based upon the spaced repetition algorithms, so the app is not just 'guessing' at when to show you the information. It's using real scientific research to make the decisions.
The Best Way to Use Flashcards
So if you really want to improve your learning with flashcards:
- Create your own deck in Anki (or if using real cards, then mimic it with your own SRS organizational system)
- Study it whenever you have a few minutes to kill. Embrace the small minutes of downtime you'd normally use to check social media.
- Engage in the content. Say the words to yourself, use them in an example, and don't rush through the cards.
I create video tutorials, articles and other resources for learning skills. Check out my book, The Joy of Craft, and free online courses.
No matter what your major, you're bound to take a class that requires you to memorize large amounts of information. Whether it's historical dates, medical terms, equations, or quotes from your professor's favorite TV show, memorizing information can be a challenge.
To make memorization easier, people have come up with all kinds of systems and techniques. And one of the most powerful systems is flashcards.
You probably made paper flashcards in school, but the right digital apps can make flashcards an even more powerful tool. Plus, they're a lot easier to manage than a bunch of pieces of paper.
Since the app stores and internet are flooded with flashcard apps that all claim to be the best, it can be difficult to find the app that's right for your needs. To save you time, we tested over a dozen flashcard apps and narrowed them down to our six favorites.
Whether you're studying for a final exam or a standardized test like the GRE, there's an app on this list that will make your studies easier and more effective.
1. Anki
Overview: A powerful flashcard app that uses spaced repetition to make your studies more efficient and effective.
Even after testing many other flashcard apps, Anki remains my top recommendation. While some of the other apps on this list have slicker interfaces and more features, Anki remains superior for helping you learn, retain, and review information.
To use Anki, you first create a flashcard in the way you're used to (a term on one side and a definition on the other, for example). You then organize these cards into 'Decks' based on whatever information you're trying to learn.
Once you're ready to study, Anki will show you one side of each card. When you think you have the answer (or if you can't remember), you flip the card over to reveal it.
After you've revealed the answer, Anki will ask you to rate how difficult it was for you to recall it. Based on this difficulty rating, Anki will decide when to show you the card again. This could be as soon as a few minutes from now or as long as a month.
The idea behind this is to review information only when you're about to forget it. This way, you spend the most time studying the concepts that are difficult for you and don't waste time reviewing information you already know.
If you're curious to learn more about the principles that Anki is based on, check out our guide to spaced repetition.
Pricing: Free (except for the iOS app, which is $24.99)
Platforms: Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Windows, Web
2. Brainscape
Overview: A flashcard app that uses spaced repetition, though you'll need to upgrade to the Pro version to add images and sounds to cards.
Brainscape seems like a fairly simple flashcard app on the surface, but it includes some advanced features that are helpful for tracking your progress and ensuring that you've learned information thoroughly.
To get started with Brainscape, you'll need to create a class. This could be a real class you're taking, or just a general subject you're learning. Within each class, you can then create decks of flashcards on more specific topics.
Creating flashcards in Brainscape is quite easy, with each card's question in one column and the answer in another. Be aware that the free version only allows you to add text; you'll need to upgrade to the Pro version to add images and sounds (the Pro version starts at $9.99 per month).
After you've created your deck, you can start studying it. When you reveal the answer to a question, Brainscape will ask you to rate how well you knew the answer on a scale of 1 ('Not At All') to 5 ('Perfectly').
Based on your ratings, the app assigns you a 'Mastery' score ranging from 0% to 100%, and it will continue to quiz you until you've reached a 100% Mastery. This is more or less the same as the spaced repetition system that Anki uses.
Pricing: Free (with a Pro version that lets you add images/sounds and study other users' flashcard decks)
Platforms: Android, iOS, Web
3. Quizlet
Overview: A simple flashcard app that emulates the experience of studying paper flashcards.
Are you looking for an app that mimics paper flashcards without a lot of added bells and whistles? Then Quizlet is a great choice.
Once you sign up, the app makes it simple to start creating cards on the topic of your choice. In addition to text, you can also add images from your computer or Quizlet's library.
When it's time to study your cards, Quizlet gives you a variety of options. You can 'flip' the cards over to mimic studying paper cards, but you can also study the cards using games or fill-in-the-blank tests.
If you're trying to learn how to spell words (such as with a foreign language or technical vocabulary), there's also an option to listen to a computer-generated recording and type what you hear.
My only criticism of Quizlet is how it suggests answers/definitions for your cards. For instance, if you type 'function' on one side of a card, Quizlet will suggest definitions like 'a relation in which each element of the domain is paired with exactly one element of the range.'
While this is supposed to be a helpful feature, I don't suggest using it. To truly learn information, you need to put it into your own words and make the cards yourself. Only then will you understand what you're learning.
Pricing: Free (with paid, pre-made flashcard decks for specific topics)
Platforms: Android, iOS, Web
4. Chegg Prep
Overview: A solid flashcard app that grades you on each of your study sessions.
Chegg is our top recommendation for saving money on textbooks, so I was interested to see that they also offer a flashcard tool called Chegg Prep.
The flashcard features are fairly standard, letting you create two-sided cards with basic text formatting and the option to add images. Studying the cards is fairly similar to paper cards, with the option to flip the card over to reveal the other side.
After you flip a card, Chegg will ask you if you got the answer right ('Got it') or if you need to review it again ('Note quite'). Based on this information, you'll receive a score at the end of each study session, with the option to study the cards again if you want.
While the scoring system isn't useless, it doesn't affect how often you'll see cards as it would in Anki or Brainscape. This isn't a big deal if you're studying a small amount of information, but it could be problematic if you need to memorize hundreds of terms for an exam like the MCAT or GRE.
Pricing: Free
Platforms: Android, iOS, Web
5. Cram
Overview: A basic flashcard app that offers a variety of ways to study your cards, including games.
Overview: A basic flashcard app that offers a variety of ways to study your cards, including games.
Cram is a fairly straightforward flashcard app with some interesting features for reviewing and studying your cards.
To start, you create a set of flashcards with a title of your choice. From there, you add information to the front and back of the card using text and (optionally) images.
Notably, you can also create a 'Hint' side to the card if you want (which can be a useful way to emulate a real person quizzing you on the cards).
From there, you have many options for studying the cards. There's a fairly standard flashcard mode where you flip the cards, which also lets you tell the app if you got the answer wrong or right.
Cards that you get right won't show up in future study sessions, while cards that you get wrong will appear again. This isn't as sophisticated as the system in Anki or Brainscape, but it's still helpful.
Beyond the basic flashcard mode, you can also choose to study your cards using matching, multiple-choice, true/false, or fill-in-the-blank tests.
There are even two games you can use to study, 'Jewels of Wisdom' and 'Stellar Speller.' While interesting, I'm not sure how much learning value there is in these games (though that could just be my preference).
Pricing: Free (with a paid option that removes ads and gives you additional formatting tools)
Easyobdii. Platforms: Android, iOS, Web
6. IDoRecall
Overview: A flashcard app that integrates with your study materials.
IDoRecall is a spaced repetition flashcard app, similar to Anki. However, it also has some important and exciting differences.
Most notably, IDoRecall is an app designed specifically for studying academic material. Instead of leaving you to create cards on your own, the app lets you upload the material you're studying and create cards directly from it.
These cards then link back to the study material, letting you quickly refresh your memory if you can't remember something when you're reviewing it.
The app supports a variety of media formats, including PDFs, PowerPoints, Word Docs, images, and YouTube videos. And once you've created your cards, IDoRecall uses spaced repetition to ensure you only study the material you're about to forget.
Finally, the app lets you create virtual study groups where you can share files and learning materials with classmates. This is extremely helpful if you're studying with a group for a big exam.
Pricing: A free version is available with a limit of 200 cards and 10 MB of file storage. To get unlimited cards and file uploads, you'll need to subscribe to the paid plan for $96 / year or $16 / month.
Platforms: Web (though the company claims that desktop apps for Windows, Mac, and Linux are in development)
Flashcards Are About Technique (Not Apps)
I hope this guide has helped you find a flashcard app to improve your studies.
But I also want to emphasize that to truly succeed with flashcards, you need to learn how to create them correctly. The best app in the world isn't very useful if you're not writing effective questions.
For more information on how to make and study flashcards (on paper or digitally), check out this guide.
Anki Flashcards For Mac Shortcut
Image Credits: file cabinet
