Everyone in medical school talks about the importance of "doing Anki" to succeed. But when I started, I never knew what it meant to just "do Anki."
When I first downloaded it, it looked super old and scary, and I had no idea what to do with it, so I just didn’t use it. I eventually tried looking up videos, but they told me to download all these add-ons and adjust so many settings that it just became overwhelming and even more intimidating.
Eventually, I figured it out on my own, but in the back of my mind, I wished there was a straightforward explanation of Anki that made studying as easy as pressing the spacebar.
That’s why I created this video and blog: to give you all the straightforward foundations and steps you need to succeed with Anki. No add-ons, no weird settings, no video game-style distractions—just what you need to succeed.
A bit of background: Anki is a flashcard software where you can create your own cards or download pre-made decks to learn various subjects, from languages to medical school content.
Anki uses spaced repetition, a scientifically proven method to improve long-term retention by scheduling reviews at increasing intervals based on how well you know the material.
Spaced repetition is based on the spacing effect, a phenomenon discovered by psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus. It involves reviewing information at intervals that gradually increase over time, which enhances memory retention compared to massed practice (cramming).
When you review a flashcard, Anki will prompt you to rate your confidence in the material, and the software will schedule the next review accordingly. If you mark a card as "easy," you'll see it less frequently, while marking it as "hard" will prompt more frequent reviews.
In this way, you are “forced” to actually review specific material that you might not feel confident with instead of letting it sit forgotten in a notebook.
Download our free Anatomy Anki deck for MS1s with 4,000+ flashcards. Learn body structures with main, labeled, and quiz cards. Created by the nation's leading USMLE tutor, Dr. Jeanie Gribben.
Setting up Anki might seem daunting at first, but it’s actually quite straightforward. Here’s a step-by-step guide to get you started:
Once you have Anki installed, you’re ready to start creating your flashcards. There are two main types of flashcards that are particularly useful: basic Front-and-Back cards and Image Occlusion cards
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When it comes to studying with Anki, there are many types of flashcards you can create. However, to set yourself up for success in medical school, you really just need to focus on two essential flashcard types: Basic Front-and-Back cards and Image Occlusion cards.
These two types will cover 95% of your needs, from memorizing straightforward facts to mastering complex diagrams and visual information.
These are the simplest type of flashcards and are great for straightforward question-and-answer formats.
Here’s how to create Basic Front-and-Back cards:
Above is an example of what you can put on a Basic Front-and-Back card:
Once you’ve added a few cards, you can start studying them by clicking "Study Now".
These cards are particularly useful for memorizing diagrams, tables, or any visual information. You can use Anki’s Image Occlusion functionality to quickly create multiple cards from this content, rather than wasting your time rewriting or redrawing it.
Here’s how to create Image Occlusion cards:
Image Occlusion Example:
So you’ve set up Anki and created your first flashcards. That's great! It means you’re on your way to more effective studying. Remember — use Basic Front-and-Back cards for more straightforward memorization and Image Occlusion Cards for memorizing more complex visual information.
Now that you know the basics of these card types, let's discuss how to integrate Anki into your medical school study routine. It turns out that Basic Front-and-Back and Image Occlusion cards are all you need to master your med school lecture materials as quickly as possible.
So let's discuss how to make Anki cards of lecture material and simulate test questions using Anki. These are the two keys to actually learning what you're taught in lecture.
Lecture material is crucial, especially if you go to a school that ranks its students. Here’s how to effectively use Anki to memorize lecture content:
Download our free Anatomy Anki deck for MS1s with 4,000+ flashcards. Learn body structures with main, labeled, and quiz cards. Created by the nation's leading USMLE tutor, Dr. Jeanie Gribben.
Creating your own test questions is one of the best ways to study the content covered in medical school. Not only can it help you memorize the material, the very act of writing the question also helps you understand the information.
Luckily, Anki makes it easy to create and review practice test questions. Here’s an example Anki card that simulates a test question:
As a bonus, you can also paste any relevant slides from lecture on the back of the card. Before answering the card, take a minute to try to recall the information from these slides (e.g. the mechanisms of action of clopidogrel and aspirin). This will help you build mental connections between topics.
Here’s an example below of how you can make practice question Anki cards from medical school lectures:
If you’re low on time, here’s the gist of what you need to know about Anki and how to use it to study anything, including medical school material.
Med school is hard as f$#k, but tools like Anki can make the journey way more manageable. The goal of this guide was to provide you with a solid foundation to start using Anki effectively.
That being said, there's always more to learn and ways to optimize your study habits, and we’re here to help you every step of the way.
If you think you need personalized support to succeed in medical school, check out our 1-on-1 medical school tutoring. All MedSchoolCoach tutors are 90th+ percentile USMLE scorers. They can help you choose the right third-party resources, balance school and studying, and find innovative ways to learn more content faster.