The FlashCardz blog
Study smarter: flashcards, memory and exams, from the research up
Practical guides for university students on making flashcards, remembering more, and walking into exams ready. Every method here is one the research supports, and every article lists its sources.
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- Study methods · 10 min readThe best study techniques, ranked by the researchTen popular study techniques rated by the evidence, from practice testing and spacing to highlighting and rereading, and how to use the ones that work.
- Spaced repetition · 7 min readThe forgetting curve: what it is, and how to beat itWhat Ebbinghaus's forgetting curve shows, why we forget so fast, what a modern replication found, and how to flatten the curve before your exams.
- Spaced repetition · 8 min readHow many flashcards a day? The review math, simulatedHow many new flashcards to add a day, and how many reviews each pace costs: a year of FSRS spaced repetition simulated, with tables for 10 to 50 cards.
Study methods
- Study methods · 6 min readThe Feynman technique: learn it by explaining itWhat the Feynman technique is, its four steps, why explaining a topic in plain words shows you what you don't know yet, and how to use it before exams.
- Study methods · 5 min readInterleaving: why mixing topics helps you learnWhat interleaved practice is, what studies of maths problems and paintings found, when mixing topics helps, when it doesn't, and how to use it in revision.
- Study methods · 4 min readHow to remember what you readWhy you forget most of what you read, and how to remember more: read-recite-review, questions before you read, recall instead of rereading, and spacing.
- Study methods · 5 min readHow to take lecture notes that help you studyHow to take lecture notes you'll actually use: laptop or pen, what to write down, the Cornell method, and how to turn your notes into questions after class.
- Study methods · 10 min readThe best study techniques, ranked by the researchTen popular study techniques rated by the evidence, from practice testing and spacing to highlighting and rereading, and how to use the ones that work.
- Study methods · 2 min readActive recall: the study method that beats rereadingWhat active recall is, why testing yourself beats rereading and highlighting, and five ways to use it for university exams, with or without flashcards.
- Study methods · 7 min readHow to memorize things fast, and keep themPractical, research-backed ways to memorize faster for exams: recall over rereading, spacing, chunking, images, mnemonics, sleep, and what to avoid.
Spaced repetition
- Spaced repetition · 7 min readThe forgetting curve: what it is, and how to beat itWhat Ebbinghaus's forgetting curve shows, why we forget so fast, what a modern replication found, and how to flatten the curve before your exams.
- Spaced repetition · 8 min readHow many flashcards a day? The review math, simulatedHow many new flashcards to add a day, and how many reviews each pace costs: a year of FSRS spaced repetition simulated, with tables for 10 to 50 cards.
- Spaced repetition · 8 min readFSRS explained: how the modern spaced repetition algorithm worksWhat FSRS is, how it models difficulty, stability and retrievability, how it differs from SM-2, and how to choose your desired retention, with worked examples.
- Spaced repetition · 8 min readCramming vs spaced repetition: what actually worksWhy cramming works for tomorrow and fails for next month, how spaced repetition keeps what you learn, and what to do if your exam is next week.
Flashcards
- Flashcards · 3 min readHow to make flashcards that actually workHow to make flashcards that stick: one idea per card, questions that make you think, several angles, and a schedule. With examples for medicine, law and languages.
- Flashcards · 7 min readThe Leitner system: flashcard boxes, explainedHow the Leitner system works with paper flashcards and boxes, how to set one up, where it falls short, and how modern spaced repetition improves on it.
- Flashcards · 7 min readDigital vs paper flashcards: which is better for you?Paper or app? An honest comparison of digital and paper flashcards for university: memory, speed, scheduling, images, and when each one wins.
Exams
- Exams · 5 min readHow to study the night before an examA plan for the night before an exam: what to review, what to skip, why sleep beats an all-nighter, and what to do on the morning of the test.
- Exams · 2 min readHow to study for exams: a four-week plan with flashcardsA week-by-week plan to study for university exams with flashcards: what to do four weeks out, two weeks out, the last week and the night before.
Medicine
Law
Languages
AI
- AI · 4 min readAI flashcards: how to make flashcards with AI you can trustHow to make flashcards with AI from your own PDFs, slides and notes: what good AI flashcards look like, how to check them, and how to study them.
- AI · 3 min readHow to study with AI without learning its mistakesHow university students can use AI to study well: what it's good at, where it invents facts, and a routine that saves time without risking your grade.