How to study with flashcards using spaced repetition
Short answer
After each card, grade yourself (Again, Hard, Good, Easy). A card you get right comes back after a growing gap, roughly 1 day, then 3 days, then the previous gap times an ease factor of about 2.5 (8, 20, 50 days). A card you miss goes back to the start and is shown again in the same session. Study only the cards due today, plus a fixed number of new cards (about 20) a day.
Copy-paste code
The schedule (SM-2 style, ease 2.5, all answers Good)
Review Next gap
1st 1 day
2nd 3 days
3rd 3 x 2.5 = 8 days
4th 8 x 2.5 = 20 days
5th 20 x 2.5 = 50 days
Again -> start over, see it again today, ease - 0.2 (never below 1.3)
Hard -> gap x 1.2, ease - 0.15
Easy -> gap x ease x 1.3, ease + 0.15Good to know
Write one fact per card; long answers are hard to grade honestly.
Say the answer out loud or type it before you flip.
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How many new cards a day?
About 10-20; each new card adds reviews over the next weeks.
Paper cards?
Leitner boxes do the same by hand: move a card one box up when right, back to box 1 when wrong.
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