Anki - 14/03/2025

Post 1: I find rotating my Mac screen to 90° greatly enhances Anki experience!
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j2ken6/i_find_rotating_my_mac_screen_to_90_greatly/
03/03/2025, 11:53:57
30 comments
Specially, when paired with this remote.

I make my mac stand on a table and walk around doing reviews with the remote. The potrait layout shows more content without having to scroll a lot. Though make sure you set the image sizes to 100% in the card styling setting. 

• Burn extra calories while learning. Give it a try!
  Comments:

  • User:Psychopath type shit right here. Im calling the FBI

  • User:dimorphic

    • User:Butterfly 🦋

  • User:You can actually modify your notetype template to display the content in two columns, like a book, so if it runs out of vertical space it divides it all in half and displays it side by side. It will show the same amount of content as portrait mode but without needing to turn your mac sideways. You can write your own formatting code if you know HTML/CSS, but I just described what I wanted and asked ChatGPT to write it.

    • User:Wait can you show us a pic of this? I can’t seem to imagine it lol

    • User:Can you share this please!!

      • User:Sorry, I haven't actually got around to making a perfectly fleshed way of doing this and the ChatGPT generated version isn't perfect. I had added the following code to some of my cards (click the <> icon or ctrl+shift+x to see the raw HTML/CSS): `<style>` `#extra {` `column-count: 2;`      `column-gap: 2rem;` `column-rule: 1px solid #ccc;` `column-fill: auto;` `height: 85vh;` `overflow-y: auto;` `}` `</style>` Replace "#extra" with the name of whatever field you want it to apply to and put the code in that field. It should also work by pasting it into the card template code, but since there are limitations with this method I don't want it to apply to all of them. You can try it yourself to see what those limitations are, it can get pretty janky. Since cards in Anki display what is essentially a webpage (i.e. support HTML/CSS/javascript), you CAN have it be formatted however you want, but I haven't gotten around to writing that code yet. I was planning on doing it next month on a vacation block lol. I'll post it on r/anki or r/medicalschoolanki when I finally get around to it. Sorry for not having it!

    • User:This would be game changing! Can I DM you?

  • User:Deeply chaotic

    • User:Function over form 💪🏻

  • User:I am disturbed, but I respect your tenacity

  • User:need a extension to play minecraft parkour videos in the bottom half to keep my adhd lookin ass from clicking out of anki to surf reddit

    • User:For a bit i put in a tiny window playing family guy videos to try to extend my sessions. Sort of worked

  • User:MORE POWER TO YOU! HOW ABOUT ADDING CARDIO TO IT AS WELL?

    • User:Can't compromise blood flow to my brain. Jk! Although I know many can do this but I just can't concentrate on my cards while doing cardio.

      • User:Honestly, more power to you👑👑

  • User:What about using an external monitor on vertical orientation?

    • User:I will give you my address. Please send me one.

  • User:How did you switch the layout to portrait?

    • User:While holding the option key on the keyboard -> [Go to system settings -> Display] -> Screen Rotation

  • User:Bruh. Change the window size to a long way like that. That’s what I do. Then get an app that blacks out everything that isn’t the app you’re on to focus on just the window. But I agree doing a long thin screen is best. Reads card faster than people in long landscape more where I got to move my eye all the way across the damn screen

  • User:Anki brainrot final boss

  • User:Is the answer Dimorphic Fungus

  • User:Whats that you're holding?

  • User:Wait til he learns about iPads

    • User:Getting an ipad is a no brainier because they are distributing it for free these days, right?

  • User:I could see this being helpful for the non-disciplined people like myself. Forces you to only do Anki haha!

  • User:This is so Ana coded I’ve been doing it too

  • User:Well, if you like it. I found it ok to use in my phone.

  • User:I thought I was the only one who did this. 😝

• Post 2: Losing so much knowledge ms4
  https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j5xdcc/losing_so_much_knowledge_ms4/
  07/03/2025, 16:15:45
  12 comments
  Stopped anking after step 2, now pre match realizing how much knowledge I am losing without it. Where should I start to do well in residency and step 3? Matching IM. Is step 3 tags enough or just repeat step 2?
  Comments:

  • User:I’m really curious if anyone has advice for you. I am an M3 and have been using Anki since day 1, but I’ve wondered about whether to keep going with it after Step 2.

    • User:I mean I was fucking torched after step 2 so I don’t regret it but not sure how to get back on the wagon

      • User:lmao i just posted a similar question. i should have done more searching before writing my essay. hopefully people have advice for you cuz SAME BRO and boy am i scared

        • User:I’m hoping our savior Anking will see this

  • User:Honestly feel the same way but the advice I have explicitly gotten from residents is NOT to study because this is one of the last truly free times we’ll have for a while. Enjoy yourself.

    • User:1. Did i forget a lot of information MS4? Yes. 2. Do I regret allowing myself to consistently enjoy my life for the last time in my 20's? Absolutely not. 3. Do I wish i had done maybeeeeeeee some light review every few weeks now that I'm takig Step 3? I guess we'll find out when i take it in 2 weeks. Hope this helps, OP

      • User:You'll be fine! I'm a DO; if step 3 is anything like comlex, it'll be a breeze

  • User:I’m in same boat but applying gas. I kept up with it for the first 2 months post step 2. Then, applications and central app wrecked me. I thought I would filter out relevant step 2 tags like IM no dupes, OBGYN no dupes, family med No dupes etc. this backfired cause something with new FSRS scheduler or the filtered deck I made would pull cards I had just done days prior when I would rebuild deck ( yes I had the is:due modifier on) so at this point I had to restore a previous backup from my Anki app on my phone. Still have 4000 due haha

  • User:As an intern who graduated 3 years before residency, it’ll be okay. Residency is a really steep learning curve and not only does your knowledge come back to you but you’re always double checking and looking up new information. I was super freaked out before residency thinking about what to study and everyone told me not to. I didn’t. I don’t regret it. If you’re able to take time off, do it. You probably won’t ever get that time again.

  • User:Im not in medical school yet but my good friend just matched into derm down in Texas. She highly recommended taking step 3 as early as possible cause it put her so far ahead of her peers in residency and their studying.

  • User:So little of your job as a resident relies on medical knowledge. Much of intern year is learning how to function in a team and what buttons you need to press in the computer to or who you have to call and bug to advance patient care. What makes a resident do well is showing up early, doing what you’re told, and communicating well with your seniors. Bonus points if you don’t have to be shown how to do something multiple times. Write everything down and constantly go over your to do list to. If you’re caught up then see what you can do to help out your coresidents or get ahead for tomorrow.

  • User:During my fourth year, I only used Anki for away rotations and dropped it soon after. I didn’t touch it over the summer or during intern year, except for a few months before Step 3, when I made cards for missed questions. I was skeptical at first, but I ended up learning just fine through clinical practice. For anesthesia, Step 3 is basically pass/fail and doesn’t really matter. I kept myself from overstudying, did the bare minimum, and had no issues. If I were in your shoes, I might go through some high-yield cards from a residency medicine deck, but not until about a month before intern year. In medicine, where the details matter more, making cards on key points from lectures or attending discussions could be useful—but that’s something to do once you’re already in residency.

Post 3: Mehlman Medical Premium Anki Cards
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j1w3wu/mehlman_medical_premium_anki_cards/
02/03/2025, 14:25:01
33 comments
I’ve recently been reading his free pdfs and they’re very well done. I also happen to retain information a lot better with anki as a format. I’m fully aware that anking is people’s preference but I’m seeking people’s opinion that have already purchased his premium anki decks in the past (especially his new released ones that cost $300). I tend to like his long explanations even if that’s how his ankis are like. 

I’m seriously considering buying them, but they’re expensive. 

Have any of you that purchased them think it’s worth paying for them? I’m not asking to justify that big price tag, just if purchasing them gave you the expected result you were seeking. 

• Thanks in advance for any of you that takes your time in responding.
  Comments:

  • User:Why would you pay $300 when Anking is $6 a month…

    • User:Why would you pay 6 dollars a month when you can pay 6 bucks once and download all the cards you need and then cancel the subscription

      • User:Why would you pay 6 bucks when you can have a friend export it for free ☠️

        • User:This is the way🏴‍☠️

        • User:Why would you ask your friend to export it when you can ☠️ him and steal his laptop

      • User:Yea but then you'll miss clostridium difficile being renamed to clostridioides difficile 😩

    • User:You have to pay anking now? Glad I was there when it was free lol

      • User:Well now it is v12 that’s updated monthly. Yeah.

        • User:Interesting.

  • User:I believe there is already a free Mehlman deck that is essentially copy/paste of his PDF. I’d do a quick search on here. I don’t know what “premium” info these new cards would hold.

  • User:Anking is better and cheaper 

  • User:It's silly, tbh

  • User:What do the cards look like? Also 300 for some flash cards is a scam

  • User:https://preview.redd.it/gtdybgkc0cme1.jpeg?width=201&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6d88279550ae4060bac0c3a45c4bc29324af1add Is this the kind of face that would overcharge you for mediocre Anki decks? Definitely not.

    • User:I knew I recognized the name. Guy needs some help

  • User:How can a deck be premium ?

    • User:That's what came to my mind. I mean, it's definitely a thing, you can polish them... but if you have to *call* a polished deck 'premium,' rather than relying on word of mouth or something...

      • User:I bought a pharmacy deck from him. He definitely didn't polish them. Even the card styling is default. 

  • User:Scam

  • User:Not worth, just get AnKing

    • User:Can you say it one more time

  • User:Just a reminder that Mehlman is a creep who sexually assaulted female students he’s tutored and if you are to use his materials it’s prob more ethical to 🏴‍☠️than to give him money

  • User:If you have to call it premium... hahah

  • User:Now why would you purchase this

  • User:Not worth, just get AnKing

  • User:Sounds like a massive rip-off when AnKing is regularly updated by a team checking it for errors or poor grammar

  • User:I got them a few days ago—no idea what got into me to drop $300 like that. Bad day for financial decisions, I guess. That said, considering how much we already pour into med school, it's easy for creators, educators, and those with good people skills to take advantage of medical students' eagerness. But let's be real—no one's forcing us. Each of us has our own reasons for wanting to be a doctor, and not all of us are chasing the title of "best doctor." As for the cards, curiosity got the best of me. He “fooled” me, but I don’t regret it. People influence our thinking every day, and we don’t always realize it. The USMLE journey is already brutal on its own, so if spending an extra $300 gives me even a slight edge or a boost in motivation, so be it. I just started reviewing them—they’re based on the PDFs. I can’t compare them to the ones floating around Reddit yet. You won’t hear me recommending them (at least not yet). Anking? Too much. Too many cards, too much content, too overwhelming. With my exam a month away, I need to stay as focused as possible, and Anking just doesn’t give me that. That’s just me, though. Good luck to us all! May money always be a tool in our hands, not the driving force behind us.

  • User:[deleted]

    • User:Thank you. I really appreciate it. I just sent you a DM

    • User:i DM'ed you too.

    • User:pls me too 

    • User:meee too please :) ill DM you

  • User:I wanna ask you are you heavily relying on Mahiman pdfs for all subjects and systems ?

  • User:Honestly, pay if you want. How much have you already paid for your education or will pay in the future? If you enjoy it and you find learning from it easy, then do it.

Post 4: Which resources best map to the Anking deck?
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j2y8h6/which_resources_best_map_to_the_anking_deck/
03/03/2025, 21:39:10
13 comments
For Step 1

I was planning on using Physeo but have seen and heard that the cards don't map too well to the Anking cards.

I plan on using Sketchy for Pharma/Micro, Pixorise for Biochem and Pathoma for Pathology - I've heard these map well to the anking deck.

My question is - primarily for Physiology and Anatomy - for everything else which resources (mainly videos) best map to the anking deck?

• BnB?
  Comments:

  • User:Pathoma and Sketchy tags are perfect IMO. The BnB are good, but a little overboard. Feel like I almost never 'needed' BnB for pathology, especially since pathoma was so vivid in my mind. FA maps onto everything, technically, but not everyone is using it as a text resource.

    • User:So you reckon I should use Pathoma for pathology, Sketchy for Micro/Pharm and then Boards and Beyond for everything else?

      • User:That's my personal bias, yeah. Some of this depends on if BnB is even necessary. One of the first things I try to hash out with people is 'Did you actually LEARN physiology/anatomy/etc during the first few couple years?' As in, have you retained it sufficient for it to be at a 'recognition' stage rather than actually LEARNING it for the first time. If you've already 'learned' it, then you might not even need BnB. You could potentially just recognize the content as it appears in questions and go from there. But that's a case by case thing.

  • User:The deck was actually made based on pathoma, sketchy, and costanzo physiology so those will naturally line up the best. But the other stuff works fine. I used boards and beyond and it worked well

    • User:Any thoughts on the bootcamp AnKing tags? Was one of their selling points and I prefer their teaching style to BnB

      • User:They do it all themselves and feedback has generally been really good

        • User:Do you think Bootcamp or BnB maps better to the cards - specifically for Physiology + Anatomy/Embryology? Since Anki repetition will be the cornerstone of my revision just wanna make sure I use the resource that correlates the best.

          • User:No clue honestly. They’re both probably similar

  • User:Pathoma, sketchy, and boards and beyond

    • User:May sound like a daft question but if I'm using Pathoma should I skip the Boards and Beyond pathology videos and just watch the Pathoma ones?

      • User:Some information is not on Pathoma its best to watch B&B for complete coverage !

  • User:My plan is to complete all of anking, I think pathoma covers 95% of all FA tags in anking in the pathology section, regarding physiology section I think BnB (Of course apart from micro + pharma I used sketchy).

  • User:same question but for step 2. anyone know which ones map well?

• Post 5: Don’t keep up with anki in dedicated and now have 10k reviews
  https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j2pmz8/dont_keep_up_with_anki_in_dedicated_and_now_have/
  03/03/2025, 15:30:52
  22 comments
  What do I do now? I stopped anki during dedicated and now was wondering if I should start again for step2, but backlog is insane
  Comments:

  • User:Do 9000 today and 1000 tomorrow and you can finish in 2 days

    • User:

  • User:I would sort by descending retrievability and look at the Anki manual for tips on working through a backlog.

    • User:I do decending and by topic, good way to find trouble material

  • User:First thing I would do is suspend all your Step 1 only tagged cards. If you haven't done that yet you should be able to remove a large chunk of your due reviews (roughly a third I would estimate). At this point in time, I would imagine that the amount of reviews you have due each day is very small, so simply making sure you are doing more reviews than you have due each day should allow you to get back on track. The amount of reviews that you can get through each day will determine how quickly you can catch up. I would advise against rescheduling your cards, as the scheduling algorithm takes into account the amount of time its been since you last reviewed a card. If you are still able to remember some of your cards after not having reviewed for this long, they will be sent much further in the future, lowering your future workload, versus if they were rescheduled and you answered correctly, they would be scheduled much sooner.

  • User:I would reschedule them all to a reasonable timeframe. Instructions from chatGPT: \- You can search for overdue cards by using the search bar at the top. Type: is:due to find all overdue cards. \- Press **Ctrl + A** (or **Cmd + A** on Mac) to select all of them. \- Right-click on the selected cards and choose **“Change Due Date”** from the dropdown menu. \- In the pop-up window, select **“Push back the due date”** and set it to **30 days**

    • User:There is also an addon that lets you postpone cards. (I may have abused it quite heavily.)

    • User:~~ChatGPT is not a good resource for Anki-related things. That would "work" -- but it's a terrible idea -- as bad as the add-on that does the same thing.~~ *Okay, withdrawn!*

      • User:It was my own thought to reschedule the cards for the next month, I just used chatGPT for instructions on how to do it.

    • User:There is a push back due date option?

      • User:Select cards you want in the due portion of the browser. R click -> Reset due date, then it gives space for an, interval. 1000 cards over 10 days (100 a day) is ‘0-30’ in that box Fuck I wish I had ChatGPT to have told me all this few years ago, the Anki instruction site sucks

        • User:Thank you!!!!! Yeah I know what you mean, and the random attacks illiteracy does not help me either XD

        • User:>1000 cards over 10 days (100 a day) is ‘0-30’ in that box It's not. [https://docs.ankiweb.net/browsing.html#cards](https://docs.ankiweb.net/browsing.html#cards) Say what you will about the Anki manual \[and PRs are welcome!\] -- but at least it doesn't fall down at simple arithmetic.

          • User:Ya mistyped. 0-10 would be 100 cards but you get the point — it divides them equally and numbers are the day range like I explained. Trying to by mischaracterizing this as someone being bad at math isnt really a suitable response for someone being critical of the site

            • User:I wasn't suggesting *you* were bad at math -- I was suggesting that *ChatGPT* was giving you a nonsense answer (as it so often and confidently can), and that you should be wary of trusting it too much. I'm sorry if that came across any differently!

        • User:I find chat gpt super helpful for creating custom decks with different props for in house exams. It takes the coding out of Anki then is necessary to know the ins and outs of its usability

  • User:Filtered decks are the way, slowly chug at em. Since you’re not adding new cards you can eventually get rid of them… but prioritize PQs over all else first

  • User:Do more than you have due the next day

  • User:Does everyone keep up with anki in 3rd. Yr? Y’all are beasts

  • User:Reschedule them to 0-10 days, and spam. Or you can rawdog

  • User:This is the catch-up plan I use when I have a backlog -- [https://www.reddit.com/r/Anki/comments/1b40ah5/my\_exams\_are\_in\_two\_months\_im\_currently\_focusing/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Anki/comments/1b40ah5/my_exams_are_in_two_months_im_currently_focusing/)

  • User:You can create a filtered deck for a specific subject and continue studying the material on the side with UW to complement.

• Post 6: Best Anki Med School Advice
  https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j6awr9/best_anki_med_school_advice/
  08/03/2025, 03:14:08
  39 comments
  I am an MS1 half way through the school year w a love hate relationship relationship with Anki. Any advice? Motivation? Tips?
  Comments:

  • User:As an MS2 in dedicated Anki is a complete game changer. I kept up with my reviews once our systems and microbiology class started at the end of MS1. People r scrambling to review stuff in dedicated I already have buried in my subconscious from mature cards. The key is to just do it everyday, no matter what

    • User:How many cards do you usually do per day? I can handle like 500, but when I don’t suspend the old cards it gets up to 900 and that’s too much for me rn

      • User:Rn my review are at like 300-400 ish during schools sometimes my reviews would be like in the 700s. Key for me was consistent effort every single day. It pays off, my gf is MS3 and my anki knowledge is able to get questions right that she even can’t. It’s an investment

        • User:Yeah I’m an M1 and I already feel a difference between myself and my classmates who have kept up with Anki since class started. We have in-house exams so I’m usually at 900+ cards between Anking and our school deck. Spending 2 hours on this everyday makes me miserable but I’ve been told my endurance will get better eventually

          • User:5 seconds per card for 2 hours: your intensity is impressive!

            • User:Lmao what can I say? I guess there’s a reason I retained nothing

      • User:I did 3-400 during M1, 5-700 M2 (sometimes more though), and now I'm doing 200 during M3. FSRS came out during my M2 and greatly reduced my reviews.

    • User:Honest question I would appreciate some advice on: How is it possible to do reviews for old stuff when new stuff is constantly piling up and takes up so much time? Like, there is only so much you can do in a day 😭

      • User:I would say focus first on knocking your reviews out for the day. So for example, I wake up and go to school and do reviews, maybe go to one of our classes if we have one, then go back to doing reviews. I would throw on our in house lectures as basically “background” noise while doing reviews. I usually was able to get all my reviews done before lunch. Then, in the afternoon, i would work on adding new cards and going thru them. I always like to take a break to go to the gym, if you don’t get thru enough new cards, throw on some shitty show in the evening and do some news. The 🔑is focusing on your review and having the grindset to get through then everyday. A lot of Anki skill is just sheer willpower . Hope that helps !

        • User:Do you have any advice for not forgetting your reviews?🥲 this is embarrassing but it takes me forever to get through reviews because I end up pressing again and forgetting them.. lol

          • User:Just do them every single day and don’t overthink having to press again for cards. If you throw out the “embrassing” notion your mindset will improve. Anki ain’t for accuracy, it’s for long term retention. If you forget a card, just be honest and press again, don’t overthink. Key is doing ALL reviews EVERY day

        • User:Thanks for your reply. Do you have any advice on getting through new cards? They just take forever. I see people take like 12 seconds or less for cards and it takes me 30 seconds/card even for reviews it takes me a while to

          • User:I go through new cards in sequential order instead of random, that way I can knock out big chunks of cards right in a row: for example back to back could be a card that's like" 1. {hypertension} is defined as 120/80 2. hypertension is defined as {120/80}. boom, 2 cards sent to the moon. use the anking resources (first aid, sketchy, addn. resources tab) to really understand a new card before you press good. I wouldn't worry as much about your speed for new cards. Go at your pace, and click good when you understand it. I think speed is more important for reviews. 30s per card for reviews isn't terrible, but I'd say most of this sub probs is at the 10-20s range for reviews. When I was first starting Anki "speed focus mode" addon helped a ton. it just takes practice and repetition. Sometimes in a block I'd have a bunch of new cards towards the end and would do like 500 in a day, it's definitely possible, and I am sure there are people who have done more.

            • User:Thank you! Appreciate it

    • User:Is there a way to turn retention down for certain sub decks? I have never used FSRS.

      • User:u/BrainRavens could u help with this ? ^

      • User:You can create a different preset, assign it to a specific deck, and it will both optimize to that specific preset and you can alter the settings. Easy example: * Preset A: contains decks 1, 2, and 3. Desired retention: 85% * Preset B, contains decks 4, and 5. Desired retention: 92% This is usually done when you want to separate content by difficulty, or importance (i.e. in-house versus Step material, or similar).

        • User:I have a side question tying to this. If there’s is a “King” deck containing decks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. And you click on “King” deck, would the FSRS parameters (e.g 85% and 92%) apply to the sub decks still? Or would the algorthim work with the “King” deck parameters. Basically, does it prioritize subdeck FSRs settings ?

          • User:Depends on if the subdecks are on the same preset. Subdecks don’t have to be on the same preset as the parent deck. You can mix-and-match if you want to If the subdecks are on a distinct preset, then even clicking on the parent deck the subdecks will obey their own preset and not that of the parent deck (for retention).

  • User:Stop hating start loving

  • User:Turn on FSRS. Do it daily (it’s okay to skip here and there). Profit

    • User:what is FSRS

      • User:An algorithm in the settings that changes how it shows you cars repetitively

  • User:Do it consistently

  • User:I get the love-hate relationship honestly. I get overwhelmed when I add too many cards and then I get inconsistent with Anki. My #1 recommendation is to prioritize reviews over adding new cards. This is something I wish I did in first year. Like for example, if I learned about anemia yesterday, I am going to do my anemia cards today instead of worrying about adding the new cards for today which may be about hemolysis. I will ONLY add the new cards today AFTER I am done with the review cards that are DUE today.

  • User:Consistent anki is like investing. There are some nice benefits short term, but long term it compounds powerfully!!!!!!

    • User:How many hoirs do you spend in answering anki?

      • User:To much time! But there’s nothing better

  • User:"consistently" make it a habit, you starting to dose off in lecture? start doing Anki, you have 20 min until the pizza is cooking in the oven ? start doing Anki ! Also, I do 100 Anki cards and then take a break. Do not try to do 500 cards in one sitting ! https://preview.redd.it/70lspr9loine1.png?width=1528&format=png&auto=webp&s=072f07d687565fff2939abe481512d72ef8005f2

    • User:How do you get the X days until exam

      • User:it is an add on ! Exam reminder I believe

    • User:Whats your course?

      • User:I am in med school ! But I completed nursing before yea that why my streak is sooo long !

  • User:Do your reviews first thing in the morning, use Pomodoro timer. I’ve averaged 1200 cards per day since blocks started 60 days ago.

  • User:Can I ask you how you do the review? I try doing reviews and every time I see a card I try to answer to it. But I spend too much time in doing that. I can’t really do 500 card. Probably 200. Thanks

  • User:Use filtered decks! I use it to do a set amount of cards when I’m not ready to jump into the whole review set. Eg, I have a 150 HY review deck where it just pulls the 150 most due cards. ChatGPT was a big help for setting those up and learning how to use them

  • User:Getting used to the search feature of this sub is a great introduction to the browser feature on Anki

  • User:Set your retention as low as possible and increase it as you approach test day then go back down to keep up with reviews from prior blocks

  • User:Anking + 3rd party vids turns med school into a joke If you aren’t doing it start

Post 7: For those who passed Step 1, is First Aid enough for Step 1?
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j1fjep/for_those_who_passed_step_1_is_first_aid_enough/
01/03/2025, 22:39:01
16 comments
Based on my very limited availability to study everything, I noticed that while studying for the section on hypertension emergencies, I watched the video on hypertension from Bootcamp. Dr. R mentioned that labetalol is one of the drugs for hypertension emergencies and then went on to explain how it affects the alpha and beta receptors. (etc, similar mechanism for the other drugs)

The corresponding high-yield cards on Anking for the hypertension video went into minute details about how the labetalol drug affected the alpha and beta blockers (something that I can force into my brain through these cards, but which I found out is harder to extrapolate/regurgitate back on real exams)

HOWEVER, the corresponding section on hypertension emergency in First Aid DID NOT go into any details about what drugs to use to treat hypertensive emergencies. There was MUCH LESS INFO on First Aid regarding this topic.

I am so tempted to JUST focus on First Aid, and ignore the millions of facts that are additionally on Anking and may be hindering my ability to study all the topics I have to know. 

What should I do? I have FOMO from just focusing on FirstAid , but I really want to.

(Also, I just included one example--hypertensive emergency--to explain my point, but you can multiply disease by a factor of 100 to better understand where I am coming from)  

• [from Bootcamp where he went to explain further details about the drugs](https://preview.redd.it/nnu6itxek6me1.png?width=511&format=png&auto=webp&s=2968f19b2cdcdcd092f6066428897e833e51c946)
  Comments:

  • User:I have not taken step 1 yet, my exam is about a month away. But what I can say from practice exams that I've taken is that first aid alone is not enough. If you read the first few pages of first aid, it will say one of the mistakes that students make is relying solely on one resource (e.g. First Aid). I think what First Aid is good for is just getting a summary and knowing what things were covered in an organ system. But you won't really get as much of the nuances and tiny details that are required to get a question right on step 1 I would say the big thing is to use first aid just as a reference and learn small details from anki and UWorld. I think UWorld should be enough to learn everything you need to know for step 1, especially if supplemented with Anki. If you want to do ONLY First Aid, you are missing out on UWorld practice problems which make the biggest difference in passing step or not.

    • User:Thank you for your answer. I do have access to Amboss and will get access to Uworld next year. So I was thinking of making flashcards of First Aid, and doing practice problems.

      • User:Anking. Anking. Anking. Use the First Aid tagged cards for what you want to cover

  • User:Can’t speak for others, but for me, I never used First Aid per se. I used Anki Anking from the start and if needed more info, read the associated First Aid info from the card. Worked for me, Anki reinforces what you learn. Sitting and reading was too passive.

    • User:Also some added context to this comment ^ anking basically regurgitates first aid verbatim, however in flashcard form and through spaced repetition

      • User:Anking does not really regurgitate First Aid verbatim. Anking goes into further details that are not found in the First Aid textbook

        • User:Yeah! What I meant is that if you do Anking and don’t do FA, its fine because Anking has a lot of word for word FA. But yes you’re right, Anking has extra stuff too, but it still regurgitates FA

  • User:Fifty fifty, only NBMEs score will tell if it was enough for you. Uworld is a must.

  • User:No. First Aid is NOT for learning. It is a collection of facts that should be used as a reference if you want to refresh your memory or see groups of diseases organized into nice tables. You won't understand how to use this information on its own. If you're crunched for time, your energy is best spent just doing UWorld questions and occasionally looking at First Aid if you need to get a quick high yield summary of something.

    • User:Does First Aid list of topics go over everything on Step 1? Debating on using it as my checkbox list when reviewing.

  • User:Need Help with USMLE Prep? Let’s Ace It Together! Struggling with USMLE preparation? Whether it’s Step 1 concepts, UWorld questions, or exam strategy, I’ve got you covered! With experience teaching international students, I focus on breaking down complex topics into simple, high-yield concepts to help you study smarter and improve your performance. From mastering UWorld to strengthening your weak areas, I’ll guide you every step of the way. I offer a free demo session, so you can see how my teaching works before committing. If you’re looking for structured tutoring to boost your USMLE score, feel free to reach out!

  • User:Took it and passed using UWorld, anking, and first aid. Technically you should know the concepts already in FA so when reading over it, you should be able to make connections to topics you’ve seen in uworld. If you’re trying to do other resources it becomes way too much. Everyone is different though.

  • User:I was able to pass Step 1 primarily using uWorld and only used First Aid at the end of my studies (2 days before exam) for the rapid review section in the back. I'd assume First Aid would be enough by itself but the rapid review wasn't all that helpful because the actual exam tests your knowledge at a deeper level lol

  • User:I annotated First Aid when I was learning certain topics the first time, so that when I was in dedicated I would have those additional details I knew First Aid was lacking. If it’s close to your exam, I wouldn’t use First Aid as your only resource. I found it helpful as a supplement to other resources (UWorld, Anki, B&B).

  • User:Never even touched first aid. It is not just enough, it is too much. 

    • User:If you’ve never even touched first aid I don’t think you should be answering in a post about its efficacy lol

Post 8: Which of these is the most high yield selection of cards in Anking for step 1
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j3nuga/which_of_these_is_the_most_high_yield_selection/
04/03/2025, 19:41:56
5 comments
Which of these is the most high yield selection of cards in Anking for step 1

1. Uworld tagged cards only 

2. Sketchy Pharm, Sketch Micro, Pathoma cards only

• 3. Highyield and Relatively Highyield tagged cards only
  Comments:

  • User:I would go with uworld tags - it helps to streamline your anki with your qbank studying

  • User:First aid tags are amazing. But doing uworld tags alongside your studying is the most helpful

  • User:I have those exact tags (+sketchy path) unsuspended and I'm wondering the same thing. I want to prioritize for dedicated.

  • User:How does one match up Anki to UWorld? Just search every question hot words in Anki?

    • User:There's an add on. Google like uworld anki add on or something. You then go to question list when you do questions, copy and paste.

Post 9: How to approach resuspending Anking cards and reviewing these cards for Step 1?
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j4wzmq/how_to_approach_resuspending_anking_cards_and/
06/03/2025, 11:43:10
6 comments
I’m an M1 who has been using a mix of Anking, in house, and my own created decks to study so far. I have been suspending all the cards associated with the block after the final since I did not want to waste time with unnecessary reviews while learning new stuff for quizzes/exams. However I read other posts that say the load eventually goes down, so I am now planning to resuspend only Anking cards from previous blocks cards while on spring break.

 However I may also need to unsuspend new Anking cards from these older blocks since some in house/self created decks covered HY topics, and as a result I never did those Anking cards. Is this something I should consider?

• Regards to reviews, Since there is going to be a huge backlog of cards that I may or may not remember, how should I get through these cards? The intervals are going to be huge and I’m not sure if they will be accurate for my studying purposes since it’s been a while.
  Comments:

  • User:For suspending: keep the cards you think you want/need, suspend the cards you don't. For backlogs: No real trick to backlogs, ultimately, in Anki or in life. Chop it into manageable segments, brute-force it, or make your peace with God. If you're not using FSRS, would recommend

    • User:What’s the main difference between the default vs FSRS? What would it do in regards to the backlogs?

      • User:The very short version is that FSRS is better, more efficient. In most cases, it will lead to a smaller review burden for the same retention rate. That's not going to necessarily be the case *all* the time, as it depends on other factors. You can't predict with total certainty what it will do with your backlog, specifically, though over longer timelines it's inarguably more efficient overall Really, though, at this point there's no reason to be using SM-2 (the old defaut)

      • User:I just recently re-unsuspended some cards from ages ago. FSRS puts very reasonable intervals on them--the default algo is horrendous at deciding what to do with a card that you reviewed several times a year ago and are only just now revisiting

  • User:If you're going to try to re-learn suspended cards, I would say only unsuspend the cards tagged high-yield or relatively high-yield. It's easy to get burned out after biting off more than you can chew on a high motivation day and getting a big back log. I would be wary about your own high yield cards. They \*might\* help. Anking high yield cards will \*definitely\* help in the long run. Just my two cents.

  • User:Damn you get spring break

• Post 10: having a lot of leeches
  https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j3ve3a/having_a_lot_of_leeches/
  05/03/2025, 01:56:37
  3 comments
  Is it okay to have a lot of leeches lol, I really don’t know if I want to know the exact amount but I feel like I’ve seen a significant number of cards auto tag as leeches (using AnKing). I don’t feel like there’s anything wrong with the cards I’m literally just slow af and take a long time to learn/remember stuff. I feel like eventually most of my leeches make it to more normal pacing. Due to manageable scheduling I’m not due excessive reviews or anything either
  Comments:

  • User:What are your settings for leech threshold and action?

    • User:I haven’t looked into this but I just have them on standard settings (which I think it hitting again 8 times?)

  • User:Ur fine imo. I have a ton as well but I've done plenty well on shelf exams (80-90th percentiles except neuro was like 50th) just make sure to do lots of practice questions and look at diagrams and stuff to help consolidate things better

• Post 11: Doing only the UWORLD tag cards for Step 2?
  https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j32lwl/doing_only_the_uworld_tag_cards_for_step_2/
  04/03/2025, 01:24:30
  7 comments
  I am currently in dedicated with 4 weeks left until Step 2. I did 80% of UWORLD during rotations, and am finishing the rest and resetting alongside CMS forms. I didn't do Anki during the year but have about 2,000/10,000 of the UWORLD card tags done. Anyone had success just doing these 10k cards? I obviously wouldn't dream of all of Anking, but I've heard that UWORLD is all you need for Step 2 so maybe just doing that and UWORLD cards works?
  Comments:

  • User:Good question, I've also wondered this. Anyone have input?

  • User:!RemindMe 1 week

    • User:I will be messaging you in 7 days on [**2025-03-12 02:35:39 UTC**](http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=2025-03-12%2002:35:39%20UTC%20To%20Local%20Time) to remind you of [**this link**](https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j32lwl/doing_only_the_uworld_tag_cards_for_step_2/mg2vaq5/?context=3) [**CLICK THIS LINK**](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5Bhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2Fmedicalschoolanki%2Fcomments%2F1j32lwl%2Fdoing_only_the_uworld_tag_cards_for_step_2%2Fmg2vaq5%2F%5D%0A%0ARemindMe%21%202025-03-12%2002%3A35%3A39%20UTC) to send a PM to also be reminded and to reduce spam. ^(Parent commenter can ) [^(delete this message to hide from others.)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Delete%20Comment&message=Delete%21%201j32lwl) ***** |[^(Info)](https://www.reddit.com/r/RemindMeBot/comments/e1bko7/remindmebot_info_v21/)|[^(Custom)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5BLink%20or%20message%20inside%20square%20brackets%5D%0A%0ARemindMe%21%20Time%20period%20here)|[^(Your Reminders)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=List%20Of%20Reminders&message=MyReminders%21)|[^(Feedback)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=Watchful1&subject=RemindMeBot%20Feedback)| |-|-|-|-|

  • User:Did this work for anyone with step 1, I was planning to do this

  • User:Did you ever get an answer to this elsewhere?

    • User:Nah I didn't, but I'm just gonna do it anyway. Logic being that people say UWORLD is enough to do decent, so this is just focusing on that.

      • User:Makes sense to me!

Post 12: Is the "Weekends and Holidays" add-on still the best option for having free Sundays if I'm using FSRS?
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j6jnsf/is_the_weekends_and_holidays_addon_still_the_best/
08/03/2025, 12:35:47
4 comments
I used this add-on about three years ago, before FSRS was introduced. Taking Sundays off helped me avoid burnout during my longest study streak so far (901 days). Due to external circumstances, I had to stop studying for a while, and during that time, I fell behind not only on my reviews but also on updates and changes in Anki.

Now, I'm back and currently on a 214-day streak without missing a single day. Since my return, **I switched to FSRS**, which has been amazing because it significantly reduces my daily review load. I'm preparing for my National Medical Residency Exam in September 2025. While I've made great progress, **studying seven days a week without exception is starting to stress me out and burn me out**. I'd really like to have Sundays off again.

• My concern is whether the add-on might interfere with FSRS and affect the efficiency of my reviews. I know there's another add-on called **FSRS Helper**, different from the one created by AnKing. However, I have no idea if it's a better or worse option compared to the "Weekends and Holidays" add-on. I find the AnKing version easier to use, with a more user-friendly interface.
  Comments:

  • User:The newest anki update has "easy days" built in where you can choose certain days of the week to have normal, reduced, or minimum card load within any deck. I've been using the "minimum" option for my Saturdays which has been a good break of only having to do 50 cards or so.

    • User:I wasn't aware of this, thanks, but now I have another issue: After setting Sunday's at "minimum", nothing happened. Am I missing an extra step to apply this configuration on my current due cards?

      • User:There's no "apply now" button. For now, if you have the FSRS Helper add-on, you can run "reschedule all" and that should apply the easy days throughout your collection. If you just want to reschedule a certain grouping of cards to that schedule (like a deck or a preset) you can select those cards in the Browse window, and use "update memory state and reschedule" from there.

      • User:I think itll just slowly start scheduling less overtime for whatever day you set. I don't know if there is a way to reschedule all your currently scheduled cards.

• Post 13: Making Anking Reviews More Manageable in 1 Year Pre-clinical
  https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j5whrh/making_anking_reviews_more_manageable_in_1_year/
  07/03/2025, 15:45:58
  5 comments
  I go to a school with a one year pre-clinical schedule and I feel overwhelmed with the number of reviews I have to do each day?  Is it worth suspending all the low and lower yield cards after I finish a block? I'm worried if any of those cards are truly worth it or not now that Step 1 is p/f but I've heard mixed opinions. Do you guys have any tips/thoughts? Thanks!
  Comments:

  • User:If your daily load is less than 1k, you’re gonna have to suck it up and do it. If it’s over 1500… chances are you’re doing the same card multiple times. For me it’s helpful bc I’m dumb as fuck so I need to see the same thing presented like 10x before I finally get it. I think you can swap to FSRS or remove the duplicate tagged cards

  • User:If it's low-yield and not relevant for Step: suspend. If it's less than low-yield and potentially relevant for Step: do what you gotta do. If you're already overwhelmed, only so many logs you can add to the fire

  • User:Are you using FSRS?

    • User:yes, I have my past blocks set to 0.85

      • User:I’d set them to .73 or .75. It’ll help cut down your daily review load.

Post 14: How do I Restart Anki after stopping for almost 2y?
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j602co/how_do_i_restart_anki_after_stopping_for_almost_2y/
07/03/2025, 17:52:27
5 comments
tl;dr i want to to anki again but my intervals are messed up and want to know if there is a better way than starting from scratch and idk a good way to systematically study and looking for advice. thanks!! :)

I am a 4th year student and used to swear by anki. AnKing was my bible and i had an unbroken streak basically until i took step 2. I then took a year out and made it through 4th year with some minimal slapping of the spacebar. Now that match is coming around I want to get back into it and start to prepare for residency. I applied into anesthesia and am pretty confident I'm going to match so id also like to review the things that would be pertinent for that and learn a few things that might be helpful to me in residency proper while i have the downtime to do it now.  

Here are my problems though: 

1) My intervals have become monstrous to the point where even an "again" card gets a 2 week interval

All the timing on AnKing is all over the place with some cards having an interval of 5 years if I get it right with a hard interval of 1.2y or something ridiculous like that. This doesn't seem super useful but maybe you can argue that if i still remember the card after all this time it should be good for the next 5 years. Is there a way to restart the learning process but not have to reset the entire deck? say I want to make it though the sketchy pharm tag again, I know the general concepts but the details have started to escape me and those will be the important details I'll eventually be responsible for so I want to learn them. if resetting is the best way and i just have to suck it up and bite the bullet, so be it, i dug myself into this hole and now i gotta dig myself out. just wanted to see if any one smarter than i am knows of a better way.

2) My deck has become kinda messed up in terms of tagging

i downloaded a version of the ankisthesia deck a while back and i think it tagged the AnKing cards too. then i upgraded to ankihub and that whole process changed the tagging on the cards again. im looking at master tag on my anki and its only listing \~3000 cards whereas the ankihub page says it has 9000 notes so the math is not mathing here. something fishy is going on and i have no idea how to fix it cuz i feel like ive been out of the game so long and haven't kept up with ankihub and all that. do i delete the whole thing and redownload it all from ankihub? would that fix the tagging issue? im just scared to do it because i dont want to start from scratch unless that is actually the only way to do this without losing my mind.

3) i have no organized way of going through these cards now

honestly this is probably just me feeling sorry for myself and is the least legit problem i have but i used to have a system of going through the cards based on what we were covering preclinically and then going through the topics i got wrong in Uworld for clinical studying. Im done with clerkships and dont have a question bank im using so essentially dont have a systematic way to study anymore. I'm feeling a little lost and am hoping for some advice on how i should tackle all this information in a systematic way for the rotations that i know i'll have to do no matter the program i go to. 

• Thank you in advance for any and all advice! I really appreciate you taking the time to read this and help me with my woes. Happy studying :)
  Comments:

  • User:It doesn’t strike me as super irrational to just go for it as is, even with long intervals. You are reviewing stuff you learned a long time ago, so despite the intervals being bizarre they might be appropriate.

    • User:the problem is partially sibling cards.... in my exquisite joy of finishing step 2 i suspended basically everything and recently starting trying to restart by unsuspending one tag at a time. all the cards are past due so the are all due and well.... even if i forgot one it gives me the answer to the other so kinda cheating the system there. Would the burry sibling option work for this? edit: a few words for specificity's sake

      • User:Yes it should but it’ll only bury until the next day

      • User:I'm dealing with this too. When I see an overdue card that I remember reviewing a sibling for very recently, I reset the due date rather than burying, which only delays until the next day. I reset it for a quite a broad range; if its a card with a pretty long interval I might do 15-30 days. I'm hoping that over time this will disperse the siblings substantially (FSRS helper doesn't seem to do this very well for me).

  • User:Honestly if you're 2 years out and about to start anesthesia residency, I would just download and anesthesia deck and do that:  https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/p135x3/ankisthesia_v1/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf Honestly wouldn't really bother redoing Anking cards or just resetting some relevant ones as it comes up in residency

Post 15: Favourite Anki Add on's?
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j1uueb/favourite_anki_add_ons/
02/03/2025, 13:32:59
8 comments
HI guys, just wanted to know if you have any Anki tips or what your favourite add on's are? 

• Also if anyone knows which is better cloze enhanced vs cloze one-by-one?
  Comments:

  • User:I prefer close one by one :)

    • User:Thank you! Can I ask why?

      • User:I like to remember it all together

  • User:i have the colourful tags; congrats confetti; custom background image and gear icon; mini format pack; puppy reinforcement; review heatmap! my favs are def the third one, the fifth one and the last one! the most useful is definitely the review heatmap lol

    • User:Ooh these all sound interesting, I'll definitely look into them! What does the colourful tags help with?

      • User:to be honest, i have no idea lol. it is one of the first add-ons i imported and i make my own decks so i dont use tags very often. maybe you could look it up in the web.

  • User:I liked custom background a lot, but I had to remove it because it made the home page very laggy, Favourites: Humble pie distinct cards studied today, Highlight search results in the browser, undelete deleted note, color confirmation. Also like: Image Editor (used it a lot for anatomy, drawing arrows and circles on cadaver images, not so much anymore), Contanki (for using a controller), congrats confetti I downloaded recently, but I think I will like them a lot: Symbols as you type, Quick color changing Review Heatmap is nice too, I recently disabled it though, because it wasn't that useful for me personally.

  • User:Bettersearch is a total game changer for me! It makes finding tags for videos so much easier. I also like puppy reinforcement lol.

Post 16: Tell me if this is a bad idea lol
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j46d4n/tell_me_if_this_is_a_bad_idea_lol/
05/03/2025, 13:00:26
1 comment
Current progress:

https://preview.redd.it/cv736j5w7wme1.jpg?width=582&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5be52234b56c641e525c0ea8bc19672b389014de

I arbitrarily decided I want to try and have around 80% of the Anking deck complete by the end of the year. I have noticed my pace has slowed down a bit even with FSRS enabled (started deck August 2024), so not sure if it is realistic as I do more new cards.

• Also not sure if it is worthwhile to push hard considering step 1 is pass/fail. I thought maybe it would be helpful for rotations and eventually taking step 2. I am an M1, so a bit to go until all of that.
  Comments:

  • User:Though I’m not sure what my % was, I felt thoroughly prepared for Step 1 by un suspending all cards with a FirstAid tag, as well as those in sketchy micro / pharm tags. I unlocked these as I went through preclinical blocks. Once you get closer to Step 1, search for and unlock any additional cards from missed Uworld questions.

Post 17: I want to use Anking. Please explain it to me.
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j2kih8/i_want_to_use_anking_please_explain_it_to_me/
03/03/2025, 11:58:59
4 comments
Hey there. I’m new to learning about anking. I’ve only heard great things about it so now I’m considering getting it, but I’m a little lost on a few things I’ve heard about it. 

Could anyone be kind enough to leave a detailed step-by-step explanation on the following (or even answer some by leaving a link to a vid): 

1) I heard I can subscribe to it ($6 fee for that month) and just update it the following year. Do I have to download it after subscribing to it? If so, how? 

2) I was also told I need to download the media apart from it? If so, how and where do I do that? 

3) I was told there’s no sub decks and instead people “unsuspend cards?” If so, how do you do this? For example, how do I ONLY study biochem or pharm from this enormous deck? 

4) Add-ons. I was told the amboss add-on is a MUST. How do I add this? Is it an extra cost? Which others are a must I should be aware of? 

• Thanks in advance for taking the time to answer these.
  Comments:

  • User:1. Below. 2. No. 3. Below. 4. It's separate, the add-on is free but access to at least certain parts of the Amboss features requires a subscription. To-do list: * Make sure you have an active membership: [https://app.ankihub.net/memberships/plans/](https://app.ankihub.net/memberships/plans/) * Install the Ankihub addon: [https://ior.ad/a8o5](https://ior.ad/a8o5) * Subscribe to and install a deck: [https://ior.ad/a8mE](https://ior.ad/a8mE) * Start using the deck: [https://ior.ad/a94K](https://ior.ad/a94K) (the example used there is the Step Deck, though the same basic process applies for any deck on Ankihub) There's a lot of additional info, and instructions, on the Ankihub website, FWIW

    • User:It feels insane to know that I saw you study for the mcat, apply, go to med school, and now give med school advice. Feels like I’m ur dad watching you grow up lol. Every thread I check you appear lmao

      • User:I’m doing my level best out here, by golly 😮‍💨

        • User:Hello, I read a lot of your posts and learned lot about med school studying from you. I have read that an issue with Anki is that people simply memorize the facts, without really knowing the material. I developed an AI app that generates challenging MCQ's from med school lectures. I was wondering if you wanted to try it out? I am looking for people who maybe want to partner on this as well. Thank you so much!!

Post 18: study routine leading up to step?
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j28y95/study_routine_leading_up_to_step/
03/03/2025, 00:01:45
3 comments
advice for daily boards routine in the midst of 2nd semester

what did you do while preparing for Step on a daily basis while also still in your Systems blocks? Just daily questions? What was your routine? 

• It’s hard to maintain boards studying on top of regular classes- advice pls that will not lead to burnout before dedicated
  Comments:

  • User:Probably one of the best things to do is to just keep relevant Anki cards in your reviews. I’m assuming this is for step 1? Depending on how comfortable you are that might be enough to pass given that you will have dedicated time later. Many of my classmates didn’t even do that much for step 1, they just went through the systems and prepared for step during dedicated.

  • User:This is my study schedule. For reference I take step 1 and level 1 in May. Weekdays: Left over new Anki cards -> 10-15 AMBOSS untimed boards questions for 1 hr -> add new material (Sketchy micro, Sketchy pharm, then system content ~150 new cards) -> Anki reviews Saturday: Left over new Anki cards -> 40 question timed block from UW or TL, assorted from all blocks -> Anki reviews Sunday: (unless I have a system exam on Monday) Left over new Anki cards -> add new material (non-system content ~100-150 cards) -> Anki reviews - I don’t attend or watch any in-house lecture, just study/cram one of our study guides the weekend before our system exams, our school doesn’t really teach to boards - We have about 12-14 hours of required lectures or labs per week, I try to do my boards questions or Anki reviews during that time - I set Pomodoro timer for 2x 240 minutes blocks or 6-8x 60 minute blocks - When I’m adding new material, I keep going until I’ve unsuspent on average 150 but up to 200 new card max - I use BnB and annotate in FA, sketchy for micro and pharm - I use DirtyMedicine for OMM, ethics, and biochem - Pathoma is amazing but I really struggled with the cards so I’m saving it for my second pass in April once I’ve finished BnB, I noticed it’s much easier to get through once I’ve completed at least the BnB phys - I listen to Daddy Goljan for path I’ve covered while driving, at the gym, shopping, cleaning, or literally doing anything when I have my AirPods in - I use a template to track the progress of my boards resources If at any point I feel burnt out I don’t do anything except my Anki reviews until I can get back to the grind, sometimes it’s a day sometimes it’s 5 days. If I have a busy day or other plans I prioritize my reviews over boards practice questions or adding new material. Let me know if you have any questions.

    • User:^ good points

• Post 19: B&B new endocrine tags
  https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j5123y/bb_new_endocrine_tags/
  06/03/2025, 14:36:28
  11 comments
  Does anyone know if the latest B&B Step 1 endocrine tags are in Anking yet? I saw on the B&B website that they completely revamped the entire Endocrinology section.
  Comments:

  • User:Not yet, they will be tagged soon. We will update this log when they're out: [https://community.ankihub.net/t/anking-step-deck-update-log/166499](https://community.ankihub.net/t/anking-step-deck-update-log/166499)

    • User:thank you!

  • User:They actually have errors in their new endocrine videos and power point slides. I made it clear to them, but McGraw-Hill is a trash company that doesn’t care. For instance, the “Primary Amenorrhea” vid talks about XXX being Klinefelter’s. I never got a chance to watch more because my account expired.

  • User:Hey how different is the content from the old B&B videos? Worth paying the money for?

    • User:You probably would be fine with v11 if you're strictly using B&B. But v12 has removed duplicates, included corrections, and is tagged with the latest FA. v12 is a better all-around experience and I'd say it's worth it.

      • User:Sorry I should’ve been more clear. I meant about the B&B videos (I thought your post meant that B&B updated their video content, which may or may not be correct I’m realizing).

        • User:Oh gotcha, I actually haven't gotten to Endocrine yet so I can't say for sure. But this is from their website: "...we’ve increased from 18 videos and 6.5 hours of content to 30 videos for 11.5 hours. Many of the older, longer videos were split into shorter videos with more focused educational objectives. Topics that were just touched on before like the menstrual cycle, contraception and amenorrhea, now have their own dedicated videos." Seems pretty substantial but maybe somebody else who has gone through the new videos can share their thoughts.

          • User:Thanks!

    • User:Its not worth paying money for imo if you have the old videos. Their website crashes a lot, and there are errors with some of their new videos. Their question bank isn’t that good either.

      • User:Thanks for your input, that’s good to know! I guess now I’m just worried about how this will mess with the Anking tagging. Hopefully they can keep both the old and new tags in place.

        • User:It shouldn’t be that different. The old videos have several topics integrated, while the newer videos are those topics having its own video. So, its the same content just longer and spread out over more vids.

Post 20: Turn your medical topics (and soon, Anki decks!) into trivia quizzes with AI
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j4zxe1/turn_your_medical_topics_and_soon_anki_decks_into/
06/03/2025, 13:49:57
3 comments
I've created Trivian Horse, a free trivia game with:   

1. **Single-player medical category** (pre-made medical questions based on flashcards i manuallly created during med school) - in the future will be subcategories    

2. **Multiplayer mode**: which is the coolest part where you can generate custom questions from any medical topic/notes using AI   

3. **Coming soon**: Ability to import Anki decks and pdf files and turn them into multiplayer trivia games

Its free and requires no registration. Let me know what you think!

• **Play now:** [https://triv.uniquemonic.co](https://triv.uniquemonic.co)
  Comments:

  • User:Hey man, I tried this out and it's awesome!

    • User:Thanks man, did you try multiplayer or single player?

      • User:Single player!

Post 21: anki thinks Sketchy pepper deck cards are all the same? But the previews reveal that they are all separate cards?? Confused
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j4jkcz/anki_thinks_sketchy_pepper_deck_cards_are_all_the/
05/03/2025, 22:12:10
8 comments
https://preview.redd.it/yiiynkjczyme1.png?width=1960&format=png&auto=webp&s=c0316d8a0fce56c6e04941101c1b3309dbbd67a4

https://preview.redd.it/oisc3ljczyme1.png?width=1942&format=png&auto=webp&s=a48749abe733f36f5ca39ed185c0db0d90e27f6f

• So here you can see that anki thinks all these cards at the same... but when i hit "preview" the cards are in fact different. It messes up my new cards and anki thinks I only have 5 new cards in all of pepperpharm.... as if...
  Comments:

  • User:Pepper cards are all on one "note" that makes multiple cards. Scroll down on the right side panel to see the rest of the cards

    • User:thank you! had another q on this + attached a photo in the other comment thread

  • User:Anki doesn't think they're all the same. There are multiple cards for a single note. Is normal

    • User:got it thank you! how do i let anki know they are different so they can show up on my new cards?

      • User:It already knows they’re different, bc they are different cards

        • User:https://preview.redd.it/clts3kmfgzme1.png?width=674&format=png&auto=webp&s=b63042bb4f4d7f732ac306d4eea5f0b30ae7a24b then why does it do this

          • User:Cards made from the name note are "siblings" -- if you have sibling burying turned on, they won't be shown on the same day. [https://docs.ankiweb.net/studying.html#siblings-and-burying](https://docs.ankiweb.net/studying.html#siblings-and-burying) [https://docs.ankiweb.net/studying.html#study-overview](https://docs.ankiweb.net/studying.html#study-overview)

          • User:Turn off this setting https://preview.redd.it/hdksqlzav0ne1.jpeg?width=1484&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b48cc09ed6bf6e4dd6a56a5a8fef5c2f3a793dc9

• Post 22: Scrolling in 8bitdo zero
  https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j3zegj/scrolling_in_8bitdo_zero/
  05/03/2025, 06:36:56
  12 comments
  I am planning to purchase a controller, and since I use Anking deck, I would need to scroll down. Can I do it using the 8bitdo zero controller, or would you recommend another gamepad with a joystick?
  Comments:

  • User:you can make the down arrow as scroll down

    • User:Thank you 🙏

  • User:Ive had both 8bits and the micro is superior imo. the other one took forever to connect to my computer but the micro i just click 1 button and it auto connects! i like how many buttons it has too

  • User:I started off with the 8bitdo and then got the https://www.ankiremote.com/ Anki remote is superior imo

    • User:Thanks! I’ll check that out!

      • User:Op don't bother with that thing. It's a drop shipping scam--same remote can be had on aliexpress for like 25 cents. Besides which, their add on does crazy fucked up shit to the inputs--if you try and use the keyboard while the addon is active, all the buttons end up being wrong. Like anything I pressed 1 on (for Again) got marked as Easy, which I didn't realize for a few days. Really fucked up my deck for a bit there.

        • User:anki remote stopped working after a month for me

      • User:I bought that shit and it broke within exactly 2 months (just stopped working) and those fuckers said too bad warranty is over. I’ve had the 8bit for 2 years no problems. Fuck anki remote don’t waste your money

    • User:Is it as easy to set up and connect as it says? No special software? I feel like the Karabiner software I had to download for the 8bitdo is messing with some of my computer functionality, it's been doing some odd things ever since I downloaded it and I'd love to get rid of it.

      • User:Yes it’s as easy as it says. Same thing happened to me. I deleted karabiner and now my computer is running better. You customize the remote in the actual anki app. 100/10 recommend. https://preview.redd.it/zzlun0vz73ne1.png?width=3250&format=png&auto=webp&s=d1161261c174f88f5e7f2fd2b6466e0c0dc3db5a

        • User:Alright, I'm sold, thanks for the response! Plus it's on sale rn lol

          • User:Amazing! Goodluck to you 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼

• Post 23: Resetting But Not Erasing Previous Review History
  https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j1e8fb/resetting_but_not_erasing_previous_review_history/
  01/03/2025, 21:33:06
  3 comments
  Yo, hope you're all doing well. I made a deck months ago that was useful in clinicals when I needed them but suspended the cards for a couple months. I've just started re-reviewing them but the intervals are too long right now- meaning >1-2 years. I simply would not be seeing the cards again. Is there a way to reset them *without* resetting the review history or hitting *again*? I only use the *again* or *good* buttons only. Appreciate the help!
  Comments:

  • User:Nope. If you remember it after that break, that interval is the right interval, and you don't need to see it again sooner than that. If you don't, grade it Again. This explains how SM-2 factors that break in -- [https://faqs.ankiweb.net/due-times-after-a-break.html](https://faqs.ankiweb.net/due-times-after-a-break.html) . FSRS does something similar, but with a different formula.

  • User:hey m2 here, hope you get some help soon! dope playlist tho :P

  • User:Just create a filtered deck where the answers don't affect your regular scheduling

• Post 24: Advice on if my studying is effective
  https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j6bzn1/advice_on_if_my_studying_is_effective/
  08/03/2025, 04:28:00
  5 comments
  So my roommate and I started doing anki together about five months ago and our grades improved significantly and we retain the information so much better than before. We have been doing cards together every day, minus when we're out of town or busy, and then I'll just do the reviews on my own. As time goes on now tho I don't know if this is as effective, It is inconvenient because we have to do the cards together and I find that takes longer to do cards together than just answering in my head plus he is someone who is easily distracted. Now as we need to go back and add more cards from previously covered topics I don't know if this will be best to do with the new increase in cards and it means I have to wait to add cards until we both cover the content. Studying together is nice because we can hold each other accountable and we always quiz each other and explain concepts, but idk anymore. Does anyone have any advice or has been in a similar situation?
  Comments:

  • User:I’ve never heard of people doing Anki as a pair before. How do you rate your answers? What if one person gets it right but the other wrong? Do you use FSRS and optimise parameters? I would not have expected this to work long term, and it sounds like it’s heading that way now. How about trying to keep the best aspects of this team study approach while also maximising your gains as individuals? Make a shared study plan for what new stuff you both want to cover and when. Watch those videos together and explain the concepts to each other. Then keep Anki as an individual task that you do when suits your day. The time burden is likely to become too great to coordinate schedules on a daily basis. When possible you could still do Anki “together” in parallel - each with their own account, own screen, own pace. If you get stumped by a Q by all means chat about it with your study partner. Do whatever else is encouraging or motivational to you both - compare streaks, number of new cards added per day etc.

    • User:We were not using FSRS and we would just do the card again if one of us got it wrong, this is part of the reason reviews would take longer, but in the beginning, we didn't mind that much because It would help solidify the information even better. Thanks for the great advice though, I think you're right we will still study together but just do anki separately

  • User:Self studying is the best. Do your cards and add new cards as you do them. Tell your friend to catch up with you.

  • User:Maybe you can review them separately but anytime there’s a card that either of you really don’t understand you flag the card in your own time and get the other person to explain it when they’re free

  • User:Are you guys planning on taking your exams together too ? Lol 😆

Post 25: Anatomy premade flashcards
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j4vpwj/anatomy_premade_flashcards/
06/03/2025, 10:42:35
2 comments
Hi, I’m a first-year medical student planning to take Step 1 in about 1.5 years. Currently, I integrate my current block with the material I’m studying for Step 1. I’m looking for a pre-made anatomy deck that is thorough. I tried AnKing, but it is clearly tailored specifically for the Step 1 exam

• Comments:

  • User:There are a few anatomy decks out there. Netter, Comprehensive Cadaver, UMich, etc. Might have to see which one suits your needs best

  • User:So my school makes us take subject anatomy NBME, I used 100 concepts of anatomy and I scored well. ! Please check it out. Also check out the NBME website when u r studying [https://www.nbme.org/subject-exams/basic-science/gross-anatomy-embryology](https://www.nbme.org/subject-exams/basic-science/gross-anatomy-embryology)

Post 26: Ensuring newly unsuspended cards are reviewed first in new deck? Anking
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j1j87a/ensuring_newly_unsuspended_cards_are_reviewed/
02/03/2025, 02:04:25
3 comments
I am currently using Anking V12 and I have been recently having a problem where I unsuspend a new subsection of cards (under the bootcamp Step 1 deck) but do not get to see them all. I have a backlog of cards I never go to in my past class blocks but I keep them unsuspended so that when I have time to do extra cards on top of new content review, I can chip away at them. When I started using this deck, I would unsuspend a new section of cards, and it will add on to the existing new cards and I can review ALL of the newly unsuspended before getting to the older cards from previous blocks still in the new deck.

Now, I have noticed that they end up mixing. I can do say 50 out of 100 of the newly unsuspended cards but then Anki will make me go through 100 or so old cards (still in new deck, just unsuspened months earlier) before I end up seeing another newly unsuspended card. I would rather get through the cards I recently unsuspended first before older cards that have not been viewed in the new deck. Is there any way I can change my settings to always show the most recently unsuspended cards first?

• I have looked everywhere and just cannot seem to pinpoint a problem here. I am pretty sure I follow the default setting that was on Anking itself. Thank you in advance for any suggestions!
  Comments:

  • User:In display order, make sure you have new/review order set to show before reviews. I also disable bury new siblings, so I can see all new cards when I unsuspend them.

  • User:This has to do with the order of the cards in the New queue and your [New card gather order](https://docs.ankiweb.net/deck-options.html#new-card-gather-order). Assuming you have gather set to "Deck" or "Ascending" -- you're getting those New cards based on their position in the New queue, but it has nothing to do with when they were unsuspended (it's more likely related to when they were created). Take a look at the "Due" column -- which has the "New #" for New cards (because they don't have a due date yet). If you search up your pool of New cards \[`is:new -is:suspended` \], sort by the Due column, and you'll see how the cards are arranged. To move certain cards to the "front" of the New queue-- select them -- Cards > [Reposition](https://docs.ankiweb.net/browsing.html#cards) \-- start 0, step 1 -- *uncheck* "Shift", "Randomize" is up to you. Position only matters relative to other cards, so they don't need to be consecutive with the older cards.

    • User:Tysm! This worked!

Post 27: Step 2 prep anki question
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j4h3ag/step_2_prep_anki_question/
05/03/2025, 20:12:38
2 comments
Hey everyone!

I’m taking Step 2 on April 28th and just started dedicated after resetting UWorld (first pass 67% with 95% of the bank completed). My school does NBME shelfs at my school and I’ve been scoring slightly average/above average on most, and have 90th+ percentiles on a two of them. 

My plan for dedicated is 120 UWorld + 80 AMBOSS questions daily with thorough review.

I’ve used Anki religiously for clinicals, but IM (my last rotation) wrecked my workflow. I ended up with 900 reviews/day, which became unsustainable. So, I suspended everything except IM shelf-tagged cards a couple of week ago.

With less than two months left, would it be reasonable to only unsuspend Anki cards for questions I get wrong on UWorld/AMBOSS? I don’t think I can manage my full deck plus daily QBank reviews, but I also don’t want to miss out by skipping correct cards.

Any insight helps from those who already took step 2, thank you!  

• Comments:

  • User:How do people do and review that many questions a day, I feel stupid

    • User:You’re not stupid. So for Uworld we spent the entire year doing it for the shelfs and this is technically my second time doing it so it’s faster to go through the explanations. Amboss is my first time and it takes me longer to review them which is why I’m doing less.

• Post 28: I don't understand this option. If I'm setting my maximum reviews per day to let's say 50, how would enabling that option affect this?
  https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j1sjkq/i_dont_understand_this_option_if_im_setting_my/
  02/03/2025, 11:52:24
  21 comments
  No content found.
  Comments:

  • User:50 reviews per day aint gonna cut it bro. Just letting u know in advance

    • User:That's just for one subdeck

  • User:Like it says. By default new cards are included in your review limit. Ex. You have 50 reviews and 10 new cards in your deck…you will only get a combo of like 40 reviews and 10 news. With that setting enabled it will give u your 10 new cards or however many u have and your 50 reviews. Personally I always have that setting enabled.

    • User:But how will it give me 10 new cards by its own volition? I am the one who chooses which and how many new cards to suspend per day.

      • User:There has to be an amount of unsuspended new cards in the deck already. If u have 100 new cards and 50 review cards in a deck and u ask it to give u 10 new cards a day and 50 reviews max that’s what it will do.

        • User:Are you talking about the buried sibling cards? I plan on suspending more than 50 cards per day for a certain subdeck but I want the reviews to only be limited to 50. I say 50 as an example it doesn't have to be this number necessarily.

          • User:Do u means unsuspending? If that’s the case you should enable that setting, set your new card limit to 9999 and your review limit to 50 (or whatever you want). I will say depending on your learning retention. It will be hard to only have 50 reviews a day without lapsing intervals if you’re unsuspending more than a couple cards a day. Especially if you’re adding new cards every day.

            • User:And what would happen if these intervals did infact, lapse?

              • User:Your retention would drop which is the whole point of spaced repetition. If your interval says you should see a card in 3 days but 3 days later you’ve already hit that 50 card review limit and don’t see that card for example 5 days then obviously the learning algorithm won’t be accurate

  • User:It says in the header: it would mean that new cards would ignore that limit

    • User:Yeah but I'm setting the limit only to reviews anyway, new cards are still without limit which shows mean that they'd only depend on how many cards I decide to unsuspend per day right?

      • User:I'm not sure I follow that sentence, tbh, I'm sorry If you enable it, new cards ignore the limit. If you don't enable it, they don't ignore the limit

        • User:I don't really understand that sentence man. What limit are they ignoring? I'm putting a limit of 9999 for new cards And a limit of 50 for reviews Why would new cards have to ignore the limit I've set for the reviews?

          • User:Brother read the bottom of the image attached to your post. “By default new cards are included in the review limit” no matter how many new cards u add if your review limit is set at 50. You’re not getting more than 50 cards total including new cards.

            • User:I read it man I promise you. Maybe there's something I don't understand. Just to be clear, reviews are the cards which have green numbers and new cards are the cards that have blue numbers right? 😅

              • User:Yes. Just enable the setting. I would also strongly recommend setting your reviews to 9999 and changing your retention rate as opposed to review limit to manage your reviews per day.

                • User:Alright. What should I change my retention rate to if I want around 50 cards a day in a particular subdeck?

                • User:It depends on how many cards are in the deck and how many news cards you’re adding. You should watching Anking’s FSRS video.

                • User:I did that before and I don't know if my calculations were right, but basically if I want to unsuspend around 200 new cards a day and review around 50 a day then my desired retention should be ~60% or so

          • User:They ignore the review limit, just like it says: https://preview.redd.it/jxa87kcprame1.png?width=427&format=png&auto=webp&s=cf9a63275bafbdef53222e4ff0aa9dbef9822a40 They don't *have* to ignore it, that's why it's an option

Post 29: Should i purchase this deck?
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j4d8s2/should_i_purchase_this_deck/
05/03/2025, 17:36:58
10 comments

Hello, I live in Turkey and there are 2 decks suitable for the specialization exam here.

The first one is a deck of 10,000 cards made by the first place winner of the exam. It took him about 6 months to make it. Selling for $220

The second one consists of 13,000 cards. It is a deck that was made over 2 years. The owner got 217th in the exam. I noticed he used cloze a lot from preview cards (like atleast 3 in a single note). Selling for $165.

Although being 217th is not as good as coming in first, it is still a good achievement. 20,000 people take the exam.

It would be easier for me to decide if I could see the cards, but they show around 20 cards as an example. There has to be 20 good cards anyway, I don't find it meaningful. 

I am currently working with the AnKing deck. 

When there are 2 years left for the exam, I was thinking of gradually adding cards that are not in the AnKing deck. 

I think it makes sense to buy one of these decks and continue using AnKing, adding the missing cards myself

• What do you think I should do?
  Comments:

  • User:Is the first one not in cloze format? Because the ‘basic’ format is extremely brutal to go through

    • User:They are both cloze

  • User:[deleted]

    • User:Anking kullanıyorum zaten de 2 tus destesi buldum onları soruyorum

  • User:obviously the winners deck, results are everything

    • User:do you know what statistically insignificant means?

  • User:If you have the means, buy the deck and make it available to everyone for free.

    • User:That's not a great idea. The authors of excellent decks deserve more respect than that.

    • User:They said they gave each deck a unique password for every single person and if it spreads they will take legal action. Could this be possible?

      • User:Decks can't have unique passwords, once its on your Anki you can export the deck from there and just share it.

Post 30: how to use Xbox controller on anki?
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j2exo8/how_to_use_xbox_controller_on_anki/
03/03/2025, 06:30:34
1 comment
hey i always wanted to use some controller for anki, but didnt want to spend extra money on those flimsy controllers.

I have an xbox controller with usb plug, how can i use it for my anki?

• Comments:

  • User:Contanki addon

Post 31: Edit Anking Cards font size?
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j4nlmh/edit_anking_cards_font_size/
06/03/2025, 01:42:07
1 comment
Really dumb question - I know you can add your own notes to "Lecture Notes" field and it is a protected field (unaffected by Maintainers' edits), but is there a way to permanently edit the font size of the cards? I prefer 20-24px but when I edit the cards from 28px, it keeps reverting back.

Is there a field in the card styling that I can put the code into so that the cards stay 20-20px?

EDIT: I found out how - I added the code:

/\* Desktop \*/

html {

  font-size: 20px;

}

to the very bottom of the Styling tab in edit cards. There is a protected space for edits.

• Comments:

  • User:I thought the AnKing notetypes addon had a font size setting. If not, you could always just zoom in on Anki. View button at the top of the window --> increase zoom. Or ctrl+mouse scroll wheel (might be command on mac).

Post 32: AnKing v12 upgrade, any help would be greatly appreciated!
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j2zcz8/anking_v12_upgrade_any_help_would_be_greatly/
03/03/2025, 22:35:39
5 comments
Hello,

I want to know if there is some way I can confirm I have the right number of cards after upgrading from v11 to v12 of AnKing. I recently completed STEP 1. On v11, I deleted all cards tagged with STEP 1 and not STEP 2. 

Today, I decided to try upgrading to v12. I did the same thing with v12 (removing v12 cards tagged with STEP 1 but not STEP 2). I'm left with 29,025 cards total. Does this seem about right?

STEP 1 card count (which likely includes STEP 1 content that also appears on STEP 2) went down to 8,297 cards. I'm a little surprised at seeing the count go down so much (especially for bugs n drugs). 

• TLDR: I  wanted to carry over progress for cards I've matured on STEP 1 that are also tagged with STEP 2. After taking steps to delete v11 STEP 1 only cards, I updated to v12 and deleted v12 STEP 1 only cards. I'm unsure of the final result.
  Comments:

  • User:I'm curious why to delete not just suspend them?

    • User:There were way too many cards for my reviews to be doable while continuing to add on cards I haven't completed. Basically, I needed to skim my reviews to be more focused. I had completed some entire subdecks, but some I hadn't even started.

    • User:Also, my general strategy is to suspend everything and unsuspend questions as I complete them. (I keep my reviews from previous completed subdecks unsuspended as well). Deleting them prevents those less relevant cards from getting unsuspended.

  • User:So you upgraded, and then deleted a bunch of cards? Not super clear as to what you're hoping to do, tbh

    • User:I should clarify that I've avoided the AnKing v12 update because I had already sunk a good deal of time into v11 and was worried about compatibility issues or restarting. After STEP 1, I eliminated STEP 1 only tagged cards. Later learned that I could find a way to update without eliminating my current progress and did the same thing with the v12 cards. To my understanding, Microbiology and Pharmacology are still big on the shelf exams and STEP 2. The amount those decks slimmed down by make me feel like my process (or the tagging) may not be accurate, leading to the elimination of cards that should probably still be in there. Ideally, I would have updated to v12 first and done it with just the v12 tagged STEP 1 (and not on STEP 2) cards.

Post 33: Anking V11 media file
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j2t0f6/anking_v11_media_file/
03/03/2025, 17:48:22
1 comment
Can someone please send me the anking v11 media. I don’t see any images on my deck other than sketchy.

• Comments:

  • User:Me too please !

• Post 34: anatomy decks for an exam
  https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j2j2i9/anatomy_decks_for_an_exam/
  03/03/2025, 10:50:11
  10 comments
  i study in italy so we have exams quite different, we have an anatomy exam which only contains purely anatomy, not clinical case etc. can someone share a deck which only contains anatomy? it is driving me crazy because all the decks i find contain some clinic in them. thank a lot to you all
  Comments:

  • User:The Michigan BlueLink deck might have what you’re looking for. Simple labeled cadaver pictures with tags separating each of the different systems. This helped me a lot for our schools anatomy exams.

    • User:do you have a link to download it?

      • User:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fzCvetpNyQH5VxBfqejoRkl0Eq6is_c3/view

        • User:thank you a lot

          • User:is there a way to sort the cards by system? for example muscolar-scheletrical system? sorry for the stupid questions but i am new to anki

    • User:Second this

  • User:Similar situation, not in italy; ended up making my own deck with image occlusion, closet, and a few clozes here and there.

  • User:Not from Italy, but also Europe, with different exam structure from the US - I used Michigan Blue Link and Ranatomy, and made my own cards. (If I was doing it now though, I should spend way less time focusing on making my own cards and stick with existing decks though.) There was also one, made from Netter Flashcards, I can't remember the exact name of the deck now.

    • User:can you share a link to download both? i already have seen a lot of recommendations for the umich one but i cant find the download

Post 35: Is it better to review 1 day or 2 days after learning? (Spaced Repetition for Medical Studies)
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j2e3oz/is_it_better_to_review_1_day_or_2_days_after/
03/03/2025, 05:27:47
3 comments
Hey everyone,

I’m currently preparing for my Step 1/Physikum using a structured 60-day study plan. The plan suggests reviewing topics 2 days after initially learning them, instead of the usual 1-day interval recommended by Spaced Repetition research. The reasoning behind this is that waiting a bit longer makes recall more difficult, which supposedly strengthens memory ("Desirable Difficulty" principle).

However, from what I know about Spaced Repetition (Anki, Ebbinghaus, etc.), the first review is usually recommended after 1 day, since forgetting happens rapidly at first. That’s why many other study plans recommend reviewing the next day.

That being said, these aren’t completely *new* topics for me—I’ve already studied them over the last 1–2 years. So I’m wondering:

1. For topics I’ve already learned before, does a 2-day delay improve long-term retention compared to a 1-day review? 

2.  Has anyone experimented with both approaches? What worked better for you?

• Thanks a lot for your answers!
  Comments:

  • User:>waiting a bit longer makes recall more difficult, which supposedly strengthens memory ("Desirable Difficulty" principle). That piece is accurate -- and pretty well supported in memory research. But everything is variable. >from what I know about Spaced Repetition (Anki, Ebbinghaus, etc.), the first review is usually recommended after 1 day, since forgetting happens rapidly at first. There's no magic to a 1-day or 2-day delay. The right delay depends on you and your material. We've done well for a lot of years with fairly rudimentary SRSs \[since even a rudimentary SRS blows other studying methods out of the water\], but we don't have to anymore. We live in the future where we have FSRS -- [https://docs.ankiweb.net/deck-options.html#a-short-guide](https://docs.ankiweb.net/deck-options.html#a-short-guide) . Enable FSRS, optimize your parameters, and stop worrying about things like this that take time away from your more important studying.

    • User:always manss with the specific backed up data 🔥🔥

  • User:Duplicate post: [https://www.reddit.com/r/Anki/comments/1j2e322/is\_it\_better\_to\_review\_1\_day\_or\_2\_days\_after/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Anki/comments/1j2e322/is_it_better_to_review_1_day_or_2_days_after/)

Post 36: Anking step 2 ( what tags you use)
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j6iprw/anking_step_2_what_tags_you_use/
08/03/2025, 11:49:51
5 comments
Hi every one I have been struggling to understand how to use anki for years and till this moment I don’t know how to use the anking for step 2 and rotation there is a lot of tags to use and I am starting Internal medicine rotation tomorrow 

I tried using filtered deck and it worked for 2 days and didn’t know how to bring new cards 

Could you please tell me how to arrange and what tags for step 2  you are using

Or should I just use zanki for step2

•  Comments:

  • User:AnKing for sure over Zanki, that’s a no-brainer AnKing should have a whole tag tree dedicated to Step2, subdivided by resource and topic. If you’re using FirstAid, for example, you can follow along with the FA tags. If BnB, then those tags, etc. Some of that will just depend on your resource of preference Filtered decks aren’t right or wrong, they’re one way to go (though not the only) Example of what the flow looks like: https://www.iorad.com/player/2418170/How-to-Get-Started-Studying?#mobilequick-1 I’m on mobile so the link may be fussy. Can fix here in a few when I’m back on desktop if need be

    • User:Just curious based on your knowledge of med school resources, are you pre-studying prior to matriculation?

      • User:You’ll get pretty much universal advice not to pre-study

        • User:Oh totally! Very familiar with that haha. Was more so curious how you knew so much info about med school resources prior to matriculation if not pre-studying

          • User:The only good substitute for talent I’ve ever found is obsession :-)

Post 37: I aquired pirate Zanki and now Im considering to buy ankihub subscription, could i update that into my zanki deck w/o duplicates?
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j614nw/i_aquired_pirate_zanki_and_now_im_considering_to/
07/03/2025, 18:42:48
1 comment
Hi guys! Im a MS2 that started using anki with a version that a friend shared to me. After that, I noticed there where some subjects that I was missing, so another friend passed me his Zanki Deck. I definetly had to start over and im not happy about it. Few months later, im noticing again im missing some decks from sketchy. This was it, and now im considering to actually pay for the subscription and leave all this caos behind. My concern are various:

1. Could i update the new version from ankihub to my zanki without creating duplicates?

2. Would i need to keep using only "zanki deck"? Not the anking one?

3. Could i clash a zanki with a Anking?

• 4. Did i effed up and maybe i should stick with the deck that i have? Considering Im taking the step this summer, and im really trying to open the most cards i can before dedicated, i do not want to start all over again, its a lot. Please help
  Comments:

  • User:1. You can upgrade without duplicates, yeah. 2. Any cards in common will be updated and overwritten (though review history will be preserved). 3. Not 'clash' per se, but because they share a lineage they will likely be overwritten and updated by the AnKing deck. 4. Nah, folks upgrade from older decks all the time. Totally normal. :-)

Post 38: Help :( I think I messed up trying to update my deck from anki hub
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j46bjc/help_i_think_i_messed_up_trying_to_update_my_deck/
05/03/2025, 12:58:37
4 comments
Im new to ankihub. I followed the tutorial on the webpage but I think I got something wrong, I don't have the media and I now have 4 tags instead of 2. Im lost, can someone help me plz?

https://preview.redd.it/70i51nx98wme1.png?width=486&format=png&auto=webp&s=a941968eaa95e47a6b600c41ae2117c8c322c57e

• Comments:

  • User:If you upgraded from v11, this is normal. To remove the v11 tags → [https://www.iorad.com/player/2419943/How-to-remove-v11-tags-when-upgrading-to-v12](https://www.iorad.com/player/2419943/How-to-remove-v11-tags-when-upgrading-to-v12) To delete the v11 cards (recommended) → [https://www.iorad.com/player/2419951/How-to-delete-old-v11-cards](https://www.iorad.com/player/2419951/How-to-delete-old-v11-cards) Your media is most likely installing, you can check the progress by going to the AnkiHub add-on → media sync → does it say idle or installing? If it says idle and you still cannot see the media, then reset local changes → [https://www.iorad.com/player/2413168/Resetting-Local-Changes](https://www.iorad.com/player/2413168/Resetting-Local-Changes)

    • User:Wow thank you !! Hope im not bothering but one more question, why do I have 2 Anking decks? https://preview.redd.it/6an7kba5b0ne1.png?width=1150&format=png&auto=webp&s=d351238d7fb1fa9c1f8a36931963ee464530193a

      • User:Here's how to fix it: [https://community.ankihub.net/t/why-do-i-have-two-anking-decks/167317](https://community.ankihub.net/t/why-do-i-have-two-anking-decks/167317) Basically one is the AnkiHub version (AnKing Step Deck) and the other is your v11 version, you will just have to choose which one you'd like to keep and then move the cards to your chosen deck and set new card destination in the settings (the post above goes through it)

        • User:Thanks, you are the best!!

• Post 39: New video sketchy anki help
  https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j3cp7t/new_video_sketchy_anki_help/
  04/03/2025, 12:01:23
  4 comments
  Hi, I currently have Anki V11, and a lot of the "newer" sketchy videos (some anticancer, hormones, PCSK9 inhibitors) now have videos on sketchy med but do not have associated cards. I have been looking all over the internet and Reddit for a deck that has all of the updated sketchy cards but I haven't been able to find one. does anyone have one?
  Comments:

  • User:I’m not sure if v12 has them all or not yet but I’d start there. V11 is quite outdated at this point

  • User:The latest version of anking on ankihub. Only 6 bucks

    • User:thank you! follow up question: do you know if that will mess up all of the anking cards I've already done? i am studying for step and I am scared of my progress resetting

      • User:Mmmm I think it should merge the decks and keep your progress, but anking would know better than me

Post 40: Technical Assistance
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j1u5km/technical_assistance/
02/03/2025, 13:04:04
5 comments
Hey Guys, I have been doing ANKING deck for a long time and used it mainly to pass Step 1. 

Now i want to suspend all cards which are only step 1 tagged and keep the cards which are step 1 + step 2 tagged.

I dont know what i can search in the browse section to select only step 1 tagged cards and suspend them all at once. 

• Thank you in advance!
  Comments:

  • User:[https://docs.ankiweb.net/searching.html](https://docs.ankiweb.net/searching.html) `"tag:step 1" -"tag:step 2"` \[Obviously, you'll use the exact names of your tags.\]

    • User:Piggybacking off of this, if you're using AnKing v12, this will be: ```(tag:#AK\_Step1\_v12 -tag:#AK\_Step2\_v12)```

      • User:Yea, i am using AnKing v12. I think this would work perfectly. So i just have to suspend the cards which will show up for these tags and i will be left with my required cards right?

        • User:Yup! Suspend these and you will be left with all your non-step 1 tagged cards

• Post 41: AnKing Sketchy fields (Micro and Pharm)
  https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j6tepc/anking_sketchy_fields_micro_and_pharm/
  08/03/2025, 19:58:34
  7 comments
  What is going on with the Sketchy field in AnKing, images are all over the place in terms of quality and effort. New Sketchy mixed with 2017 Sketchy images, video notes sometimes missing, image sizes all over the place, sometimes not including relevant Sketchy images from relevant videos. This is not good enough quality to be charging money for.
  Comments:

  • User:The **new deck** flair automatically 'stickies' a post. This is so all users have a better chance of noticing new or updated Anki decks. In keeping with our /r/medicalschoolanki mission, please remove your post and resubmit it if you have chosen this flair incorrectly. Users can also report this post to the moderators if it is not a new or updated Anki deck. Thank you, everyone. We truly appreciate all new Anki deck contributions. Together this subreddit will continue to revolutionize medical education for the better. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/medicalschoolanki) if you have any questions or concerns.*

  • User:Specific examples are helpful and we’d love help :)

    • User:Hey there, I just got the deck like 3 days ago and it’s really amazing what you guys have been able to do. Regarding this post, the step 1 Sketchy Heparin and Warfarin don’t seem to have any pictures? Or that may just be me as I’m still new to this

      • User:The images are there in this tag: (tag:#AK\\\_Step1\\\_v12::#SketchyPharm::03\\\_Blood\\\_&\\\_Inflammation::01\\\_Anticoagulants\\\_&\\\_Thrombolytics::02\\\_Warfarin) If you can't see them, try resetting your local changes: [https://www.iorad.com/player/2413168/Resetting-Local-Changes](https://www.iorad.com/player/2413168/Resetting-Local-Changes) If you still cannot see them, DM your AnkiHub username and I'll look into it for you https://preview.redd.it/r892qobcrmne1.jpeg?width=1202&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cd36a34189ad8522d94c7db398c093a7e48cd2fd

    • User:Noticing it with the Sketchy viruses, particularly the longer videos with more cards. VZV, CMV, HepB, HepC, all have a few cards that either have images that are not the same size (example 1485570235040) or have images that are missing the summary/explanations (examples 1581345562818). Actually, this brings up another question which I'm sure has been asked before. A lot of these tags will include cards that the videos do not cover/mention. Are these cards that have been added in later and are thought to fill in gaps or expand on the videos?

  • User:$6 for all the work in the deck is more than worth it, tbh

    • User:Sure but it used to be free, so now that it's a recurring subscription I want the formatting to be a little nicer. Agree that it is amazing value compared to all the other wildly overpriced and frankly predatory resources for med students.

Post 42: First Aid tags are missing?
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j1zaeb/first_aid_tags_are_missing/
02/03/2025, 16:35:30
3 comments
I want to use First Aid + AnKing, but I noticed after reading First Aid and finding the associated AnKing that some tags were missing? For example, under Respiratory, then Embryology, it goes "01" then to "03" and the topic in between is missing.

• Are the tags just not completed for First Aid? I have to manually find the missing information.
  Comments:

  • User:The missing portion is a single paragraph on choanal atresia, from the looks of it. About 2-3 sentences in total

    • User:Yeah, so my worry is that there’s more of these missing tags. Not a big deal but I hope it doesn’t happen often.

      • User:Tagging is always an ongoing process. Takes a lot of time, and effort, no doubt Just as a reference, though: it took me about 3 minutes to suggest tags for the subject you listed above. If you notice something that's missing, it's pretty easy to suggest the tags. Helps contribute to the same resource we all benefit from. :-)

Post 43: How do I get this AnKing?? I am so confused.
https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j5qby4/how_do_i_get_this_anking_i_am_so_confused/
07/03/2025, 12:07:40
15 comments
I am a 2nd year medicine student (med school lasts 6 years). Heard about AnKing a year ago but I didnt need it because I had to learn wayyy more information for my exams, so I made my own cards.

Anyway. Now I am finally studying with international books and as I dont have a lot of time, I decided to get AnKing. But its so confusing to get it.

• Whats the latest version? Is it free or paid (not that it matters much)? Where can I download it?
  Comments:

  • User:There's a link in the sidebar: 1. Make sure you have an active membership: [https://app.ankihub.net/memberships/plans/](https://app.ankihub.net/memberships/plans/) 2. Install the Ankihub addon: [https://ior.ad/a8o5](https://ior.ad/a8o5) 3. Subscribe to and install a deck: [https://ior.ad/a8mE](https://ior.ad/a8mE) 4. Start using the deck: [https://ior.ad/a94K](https://ior.ad/a94K) (the example used there is the Step Deck, though the same basic process applies for any deck on Ankihub)

  • User:Google Ankihub, you have to pay $6. Go to Anking’s YouTube channel to learn Anki 101

    • User:Thanks for the help. I did it.

  • User:Anking is used to prepare for US Medical Licensing exams . If you aren’t studying for USMLE, which it sounds like you aren’t, im not sure if Anking is the resource you should use.

    • User:Do you have any recommendation on what deck to use for studying? Like the most dense information decks there are, because the requirements just to pass are extremly high.

      • User:I think you would be best served by asking upperclassmen in your cohort and get advice on how they studied. Anki is a great tool but I don’t think you should study for your country’s medical school exams with resources geared for USMLE. They probably test different things. AKA what’s high yield and important to know for USMLE won’t always match up with your exams that you need to take

        • User:Thanks. Most colleagues have very basic study methods: highlighting, note taking, reciting out loud etc. And it works. But it takes a lot of focus time, which I cant do because of severe adhd. Which is why Im trying to find ways to learn as much as I can in the short amount of time I can afford. I guess my next step is looking for anki decks specific to particular books that I use.

          • User:Anki isn’t for you if highlighting is hard. It takes a lot of work and time.

  • User:in italy it lasts 6 years too. are you from italy?

    • User:From balkan. But planning to continue my studies in Italy with Erasmus if the opportunity presents.

  • User:https://medshamim.com/med/anki-step-one. Do Follow this one

  • User:[deleted]

    • User:No sorry. Balkan

      • User:https://medshamim.com/med/anki-step-one. Do Follow this one

  • User:Ei yo bro, Bangladeshi by any chance? If so, hmu

    • User:No sorry. Balkan

• Post 44: Free osmosis prime check it out
  https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolanki/comments/1j41fc8/free_osmosis_prime_check_it_out/
  05/03/2025, 08:58:27
  2 comments
  No content found.
  Comments:

  • User:This is awesome, I only had to give my SSN but now I have free osmosis

    • User:What a deal. Unrelated but, what’s your mother’s maiden name?