Making your own flashcards can be tedious, but they’re such a great study tool that it would be a shame to let that stop you from using them. Although there are major retention benefits to writing information down by hand, busy learners don’t always have time—so here are some great online options for making and using flashcards.
The benefits of flashcards for studying
First, it's important to understand why you want to use flashcards to study, let alone why some apps and services are better suited to this task than others. Repeatedly quizzing yourself can really entrench the content of the flashcards into your memory, since you have to actively retrieve the information from your short- or long-term memory when you see a prompt. The best way to make your material really stick is to use the Leitner method, also known as spaced repetition, and flashcards are what make that possible. With this technique, you sort your flashcards into about five piles as you review them, moving them up a pile or down a pile depending on whether you get an answer right or wrong. Over time, you'll be able to review the cards in the higher-up piles less frequently, since you really grasp their contents, and you'll review cards in the lower-down piles more often, since you're struggling with them. Not only will you waste less time drilling material you know, you'll force your brain to etch it into your long-term memory so you can retrieve it on the rare instances you do go over those cards. A lot of the apps below actually use the Leitner method or a version of spaced repetition to automatically show you cards you're struggling with more often, which is what makes them so useful.
