Learn Anything With Flashcards – The Ultimate Guide To Anki
Finding the right tools and techniques for learning is difficult. We’ve all spent time at some point searching the internet for the answer to questions like “How can we revise effectively”, “Best methods for studying”, “How to ace my exams” – but often we end up reverting back to what we know and the techniques that we’ve always used or simply get bored with searching and so revert back to procrastinating on Instagram.
This class provides an extensive walkthrough of the flashcard app Anki – a tool which has made studying more effective, more efficient and less stressful for thousands of students around the world. The aim of the class is to show that Anki is an immensely powerful tool and by using it, you can start to leverage the benefits of active recall and spaced repetition to improve your own work – whether that be studying for exams or learning new content of any sort. Whether you are a beginner to Anki or you’ve had experience using the app in the past, I hope you can draw some helpful tips, advice and value from these lessons.
Section One
In the first section, we’ll introduce the theory and power of flashcards before guiding you through the basics of Anki – from initial installation to an explanation of the different card types as well as how you can use the app across multiple devices to make sure you keep up with your flashcard reviews. Even if you’ve used Anki in the past, you’ll hopefully still find value in these videos because it’s important to get a solid foundational understanding of the mechanics of Anki before moving further into the app.
Section Two
The second chapter is walkthrough-based and features a series of examples where I’ll share how I would make a flashcard from a lecture, a video as well as how I made flashcards for an essay-based exam during my third year at Medical School. The section finishes with a discussion about the importance of using the Extra section of your flashcards to enhance your understanding and improve your flashcards.
Section Three
Section three is structured around frequently asked questions that I’ve received in relation to Anki – not only in terms of the mechanics of the app but also questions around how to maintain motivation, discipline and consistency to avoid becoming overwhelmed with cards to review. There are also a series of videos where I’ll discuss Anki in relation to other apps that people sometimes use for similar learning techniques – including Quizlet, Notion and Google Sheets.
Section Four
The final chapter is more advanced and aimed at the optimisation of Anki through the use of tags, premade decks and a handful of recommended add-ons that will enhance your experience, efficacy and efficiency when using Anki.
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Throughout this class, there’ll be segments from interviews that I recorded with students from around the world and I’d like to thank David, Prerak, Clara, Sanjush, Carter, Kaddor and Liam for offering their time to talk through their own experiences with Anki and how they’ve used it for their own studies.
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Who am I?
My name is Ali – I’m a doctor working in the UK, and on the side I make YouTube videos about medicine, tech and productivity. I discovered Anki in my second year at university whilst studying medicine at Cambridge and the app not only had a measurable positive impact on my studies but also helped revolutionise the way that I studied as well.
For me, Anki has probably been the most useful and valuable app that I’ve used over the past few years and I want others to be able to get the same benefits that I achieved by discovering it. I often get questions on my videos asking for advice on using Anki as it can be quite a daunting app for beginners, that’s why I’ve decided to put together an extensive Skillshare class which takes you right through from setting yourself up on the app to the more advanced ways that you can optimise it to suit your own needs and get the most from your work.
Other Useful Links:
- My website / blog –
- My weekly podcast –
- Weekly email newsletter –
- Instagram –
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- Facebook –
My Equipment:
- Camera Gear –
- Keyboard – Wireless Coral mechanical keyboard (Cherry Blue) –
- Favourite iPad Screen Protector – Paperlike –
