How to make flashcards that are easy to remember

One fact per card

A card should have one answer you can check yourself against. “What are the causes, events and results of the war?” is three cards. When a card has several parts, you tend to remember some and grade the whole card generously.

Splitting feels slower when writing but is faster when reviewing, because each simple card gets its own schedule.

Put enough context on the front

“What is the capital?” is ambiguous. “What is the capital of Canada?” is not. Add the subject or topic so the question has only one correct answer.

For words, include a short example sentence on the front with the word left blank, or the part of speech, so similar words are not confused.

Use your own words and examples

Copying a definition from the textbook often produces a card you recognise but cannot use. Rephrase it and add an example: “Opportunity cost: what you give up by choosing an option. Example: an hour of study instead of an hour of paid work.”

Images help where the idea is visual, such as anatomy, maps or diagrams. Image occlusion cards hide one label at a time.

Pick the right card type

Basic cards suit questions with a short answer. Reversed cards suit vocabulary when you need both directions. Cloze cards suit facts inside a sentence. Typed-answer cards suit spelling.

Keep each deck focused on a subject, and use tags to group topics. That makes it easier to review a single topic before a test.

Try it yourself

Improve this card: “Front: Photosynthesis. Back: Plants use light, water and carbon dioxide to make glucose and oxygen.”

References

• Anki Manual: adding notes and cloze deletions