Flashcards and spaced repetition: how to use them to really remember

Why reviewing at intervals works

We forget fast right after learning, and more slowly when we revisit the information. Spaced repetition uses this: you review something just when you are about to forget it, and every successful review lengthens the next interval.

How to write a good flashcard

• One question, one answer: if the answer has three parts, make three cards.
• Questions that require recalling, not recognising: “When did the Bastille fall?” beats “The Bastille fell in…”.
• Few words: the answer should fit on one line.
• In your own words: a card you understand is worth more than a copied one.

How to organise sessions

• A little every day: ten minutes beat an hour the night before the exam.
• Answer before you flip the card: if you look without trying, you are not reviewing.
• Hard cards come back soon, easy ones later: that is the point of the interval.

In Vesta

Vesta generates flashcards from your material and sorts them into boxes: if you mark “I knew it” the card comes back after 1, 3 and 7 days and beyond; if you mark “Review” it comes back after a few cards. A session always ends: a card missed twice is set aside for next time, so you do not get stuck. At the end you see how many you knew at the first try, how many you recovered and how many were postponed.