How to Make Flashcards From Your Notes and PDFs
Flashcards work because they force you to pull the answer out of memory, and if you review them at growing intervals, to keep it there. A good card asks one question, in your own words, and suits definitions, formulas and concepts, not proofs or multi-step problems. Ten minutes a day is enough. You can make them on paper, in Anki or Quizlet, or get them automatically from your lecture slides. There's a comparison with prices further down.
Why flashcards work
A flashcard combines the only two techniques rated "high utility" in the review by Dunlosky et al. (2013): retrieval (trying to remember before you look) and spaced practice (reviewing across several days). A meta-analysis of 159 results from 61 studies found retrieval clearly beats re-reading the same material (Rowland, 2014).
So reading the card isn't enough. Stop, try to remember, and only then flip it.
What goes on a card, and what doesn't
| Good for flashcards | Not for flashcards |
|---|---|
| Definitions and concepts | Long proofs |
| Formulas, and when to use each | Multi-step problems (solve those) |
| The difference between two similar ideas | Paragraph-long explanations |
| Names, dates, researchers and studies | Lists of ten items on one card |
In quantitative subjects, flashcards add to solving questions; they don't replace it. Practise the problems themselves with past exam papers.
6 rules for a good flashcard
- One question per card. "What is expected value?", not "expected value, variance and standard deviation".
- Your own words. Text copied from a slide fades faster than your own phrasing.
- Ask both ways. "What is X?" and "What's the term for...?".
- An example on the answer side. A definition with an example sticks better than a definition alone.
- Fill in the blank. A sentence from the material with one word missing works well for terms.
- Ask "when", not just "what". "When do you use the t distribution?" is more useful in an exam than "What is t?".
FrontWhen do you use the t distribution instead of the normal distribution?
BackWhen the population standard deviation is unknown and you estimate it from the sample. Example: 15 students, mean 78, sample standard deviation 6.
Front___ bias is the tendency to look for information that supports what you already believe.
BackConfirmation bias
Spaced repetition in 10 minutes a day
The simple rule: a card you didn't know comes back tomorrow. A card you knew comes back in a few days, and each time you know it, the gap grows. On paper, use three boxes: "every day", "every three days" and "once a week". A card you know moves up a box; a card you forget goes back to the first. Research on review gaps found the best gap grows the further away the exam is (Cepeda et al., 2008), so start your cards a few weeks out, not in the final week.
Which tool: paper, Anki, Quizlet, Knowt or cards from your slides
| Tool | Best at | Automatic cards from a file | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper | Writing them helps you remember | No | Free |
| Anki | The most precise spaced repetition | No, only with add-ons | Free on computer and Android; $24.99 one-off on iPhone (US) |
| Quizlet | A huge library of ready-made sets | Yes (Smart Assist) | Free with limits; Plus is an annual plan, price varies by country |
| Knowt | Free learn mode and spaced repetition | Yes; the PDF summarizer is in Ultra | Free; Ultra $149.99 a year or $24.99 a month |
| Focusity | Cards from your own course slides, inside your study plan | Yes | Try free; up to 10 sets a month on Premium |
Prices as listed on 2026-10-27: Anki, Knowt plans, Quizlet plans.
Is Quizlet still worth it?
Quizlet's strength is its library: millions of sets other students made. Three things worth knowing before you pay:
- The full Learn mode is for subscribers; free accounts get a trial session.
- AI practice tests are for Plus subscribers whose account language is English (per Quizlet's help centre).
- Read-aloud in some languages, Hebrew among them, is for Plus subscribers only (per the help centre).
Someone else's set saves time, but it isn't necessarily built on your lecturer's material. Cards made from your own course slides stay close to what will be examined.
Automatic cards: what to check
An AI tool can turn a 40-slide deck into 30 cards in a minute, which saves hours. Check two things: that each card is based on what's actually in the material, not the model's general knowledge, and that you can see which page it came from. And still rewrite a card or two you find hard in your own words, because the rewriting itself helps you remember.
Flashcards from your material in Focusity
In any course in Focusity you can upload lecture slides, a summary or a photo of a page, and Pokey, the smart assistant, writes flashcards and quiz questions using only what's in the material. Each card shows the page it came from. You practise a few minutes a day: what you didn't know comes back tomorrow, what you knew comes back in a few days, a little later each time. You can try it free; Focusity Premium (₪29.90 a month or ₪149.90 a year in Israel, local prices elsewhere, first week free) makes up to 10 sets a month.
Got the slides from your last lecture? Upload them to the course in Focusity and get flashcards and a quiz from the material, with spaced repetition.
Make cards from my slidesFrequently asked questions
How do you make good flashcards?
One question per card, in your own words, with an example on the answer side. Ask both ways, and ask when a concept or formula is used, not just what it is. Flashcards suit definitions, formulas and concepts, not proofs or long problems.
How long should I review flashcards each day?
Usually 10 to 15 minutes a day is enough with spaced repetition: a card you didn't know comes back tomorrow, and a card you knew comes back in a few days. Start a few weeks before the exam, not in the final week.
Can I make flashcards from a PDF automatically?
Yes. Quizlet, Knowt and Focusity can create cards from a file. Check that the cards are based only on what's in the material and that you can see which page each one came from. In Focusity you can try it free, and Premium makes up to 10 sets a month.
What's a good Quizlet alternative?
Anki is free on computer and Android and has the most precise spaced repetition, but you build everything yourself. Knowt has a free learn mode and imports Quizlet sets. If you want cards made from your own course slides inside your study plan, Focusity does that.
Flashcards from your slides, inside your study plan
Focusity makes flashcards and quizzes from your course material and books time to review them before the exam. On iPhone, Android and the web.
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