Spaced Repetition Flashcards
Twelve flashcards on how spaced repetition actually works. These are the cards we use to explain the method to someone who has never opened Anki: what the algorithm rewards, why recognition is not recall, and where the whole approach breaks down. Fronts are visible below — try answering before you reveal.
Flashcards
01
What does the spacing effect describe?
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That the same total study time produces stronger long-term retention when it is distributed across sessions than when it is massed into one block.
02
In spaced repetition, when is reviewing a card most efficient?
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Just before you would have forgotten it. Reviewing too early wastes time; reviewing after full forgetting means relearning from scratch.
03
Why is active recall more effective than re-reading for long-term memory?
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Re-reading produces a feeling of familiarity (recognition), while retrieval practice forces the memory to be reconstructed. Only the latter is what an exam actually asks for.
04
What does the 'minimum information principle' mean for flashcard design?
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One card should carry exactly one independently recallable point. If you cannot tell which part of a long answer you failed on, the card is too large.
05
In Anki, what happens to a card's next interval when you press 'Again'?
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The interval is shortened — the card returns soon. Answering 'Again' is the signal that the memory was not there yet.
06
Why does a daily quota of new cards create a much larger daily review load later?
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Each new card returns repeatedly as its interval grows. In steady state, daily reviews typically run five to ten times the daily new-card count.
07
What is a 'leech' in Anki, and what is the recommended response?
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A card repeatedly failed in review. The useful response is to rewrite it smaller or delete it — increasing review frequency on a badly designed card does not help.
08
What is the difference between recognition and recall?
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Recognition is identifying something when it is presented to you. Recall is producing it from nothing. Flashcards with strong prompts tend to train the former while feeling like the latter.
09
Why should a flashcard answer be short?
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Beyond roughly three lines, grading your own answer stops being a judgement of whether you knew it and becomes a reading exercise.
10
What is the difference between .apkg and .colpkg in Anki?
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.apkg exports a single deck and merges into your existing collection on import. .colpkg is a full collection backup and overwrites what is already there.
11
Which content is a poor fit for flashcards?
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Anything that must be constructed on the spot — mathematical derivations, writing code, composing an argument. Flashcards retain facts; they do not build skill.
12
Why does an interrupted review schedule cost more than it appears to?
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Intervals are scheduled in days. Skipping days accumulates overdue cards, and the resulting backlog is the most common reason people abandon their collection.
Take these cards with you
These twelve cards are also packaged as a standard .apkg deck. Import it into Anki and the same questions enter your review queue on a spaced schedule.
They are meant as a starting point rather than study material for an exam: the useful exercise is replacing each answer with one you wrote yourself.
- Download the deck: github.com/langcher752-droid/anki-card-templates/blob/main/decks/spaced-repetition-flashcards.apkg
- Browse all eleven card templates: lanche.website/templates
- Generate your own deck from a document: lanche.website/AI-Anki
支持文本与 Word，自动排版并导出标准 .apkg，导入 Anki 即可开始复习