Skip to content

Anki

1. What Anki Is (and What It Is Not)

Anki is a spaced repetition flashcard system.

  • It helps you remember information for years, not days.
  • It is optimized for long-term memory, not short-term cramming.
  • It is used by:
    • Language learners
    • Medical students
    • Programmers
    • Exam candidates (IELTS, GRE, 408, etc.)

❌ Anki is not:

  • A note-taking app
  • A mind map tool
  • A place to dump textbooks

Think of Anki as a memory trainer, not a notebook.

2. The Core Idea: Spaced Repetition

Human memory follows a forgetting curve:

  • You forget most information quickly
  • Unless you review it at the right time

Anki solves this by:

  • Showing you a card just before you forget it
  • Increasing the interval each time you remember it

Example:

Day 1 → Day 3 → Day 8 → Day 25 → Day 90 → …

You don’t choose when to review.

Anki decides for you.

3. Basic Anki Concepts (Very Important)

3.1 Card

A card is one test of memory.

Examples:

  • Front: “What is DHCP?”
  • Back: “Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol…”

One fact → one card.

3.2 Note vs Card (Common Beginner Mistake)

  • Note: raw data you enter
  • Card: questions generated from the note

Example (Language learning):

Note:

Word: abandon
Meaning: give up

Cards generated:

  • English → Chinese
  • Chinese → English
  • Cloze sentence

👉 One note can create multiple cards.

3.3 Deck

A deck is a collection of cards.

Examples:

  • English Vocabulary
  • Computer Networks
  • Operating Systems
  • IELTS Listening

Rule of thumb:

  • Decks = topics
  • Cards = atomic knowledge

4. How Anki Testing Actually Works

When reviewing, Anki asks a question and gives you buttons:

Common Buttons (Default)

  • Again – I forgot
  • Hard – I barely remembered
  • Good – normal recall
  • Easy – too easy

What happens:

  • Again → card comes back soon
  • Good → interval increases
  • Easy → interval increases more

👉 Be honest.

Anki only works if you don’t lie to yourself.

5. The Most Important Rule: Atomic Cards

One card = one idea

Bad card ❌:

Explain TCP, UDP, and their differences

Good cards ✅:

What is TCP?
What is UDP?
One key difference between TCP and UDP?

Why:

  • Your brain recalls small facts better
  • Anki schedules more accurately

6. Common Card Types

6.1 Basic (Front / Back)

Best for:

  • Definitions
  • Concepts
  • Simple facts

Example:

Front: What is NAT?
Back: Network Address Translation

6.2 Cloze Deletion (Very Powerful)

You hide part of a sentence.

Example:

TCP is a {{c1::connection-oriented}} protocol.

Why cloze is powerful:

  • Context is preserved
  • Faster to create
  • Very effective for technical subjects

6.3 Multiple Choice (Use Carefully)

Good for:

  • Exam-style recognition

Bad for:

  • Real understanding (too easy to guess)

If you use MC:

  • Keep options meaningful
  • Avoid obvious distractors

Step 1: Learn outside Anki

  • Book
  • Lecture
  • Video
  • Practice

👉 Anki is not for first exposure.

Step 2: Create Cards

Ask:

  • “What do I want future-me to remember?”
  • “What might I forget?”

Step 3: Daily Review (Non-Negotiable)

  • 10–30 minutes per day
  • Never skip multiple days

Anki rewards consistency, not intensity.

8. Settings You Should Understand (But Not Over-Tweak)

Beginner advice:

Default settings are good enough.

Only adjust:

  • New cards per day (start small: 10–20)
  • Review limit (keep it manageable)

Avoid:

  • Random add-ons
  • Extreme interval changes
  • Copying “ultimate settings” online

9. Anki on Multiple Devices

Typical setup:

  • Desktop: create cards
  • Mobile: review anytime

Sync uses AnkiWeb.

Important rule:

  • Sync before and after each session

10. Common Beginner Mistakes

❌ Making cards too long

❌ Copying slides verbatim

❌ Adding hundreds of cards per day

❌ Skipping reviews

❌ Using Anki as a notebook

If Anki feels painful:

  • Cards are probably too big
  • Or reviews were skipped

11. What Anki Is Best At

Excellent for:

  • Vocabulary
  • Formulas
  • Definitions
  • Laws, rules, commands
  • Key concepts in CS / medicine / exams

Not ideal for:

  • Open-ended essays
  • Creative writing
  • Deep reasoning alone (use practice + Anki)

12. Mental Model to Remember

Learn → distill → test → repeat

Anki is the testing engine of your brain.

If used correctly:

  • You study less
  • You remember more
  • You stop re-learning the same things