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Frequently asked questions about learning with

SuperMemo
Do you have a question about memory, learning or SuperMemo? Write to Dr Wozniak
Last modified: 03/24/2017 23:59:24

SuperMemo

You need repetitions to remember for ever

SuperMemo may indeed improve your memory
If you want to devour books ... you will love SuperMemo
Going to a medical school? SuperMemo is a must!
We believe SuperMemo is a must for anyone with serious plans to enter science
SuperMemo can make you more creative!
SuperMemo can lead to learning garbage
Music and incremental reading
You can easily learn 10,000 items per year
SuperMemo accelerates learning 50-fold?
Who memorized most items with SuperMemo?
SuperMemo is vital if you are dealing with large bodies of knowledge
The effectiveness of passive review may be dismal
If you have problems with focusing on repetitions ... you may be getting nowhere
SuperMemo discourages mindless memorization
Does not minimum information principle contradict the need for associative
knowledge
Bahrick's research on Spanish vocabulary retention does not undermine SuperMemo
SuperMemo can also be used for cramming
Why is SuperMemo slow to show its strength?
8-year olds are using SuperMemo with success
SuperMemo contributes to rat race!
Can SuperMemo be used to forget things?
Questions and answers might be enough for effective learning
Does SuperMemo use short-term memory or long-term memory?
SuperMemo can help you remember things that you do not even store in SuperMemo!
Delayed repetitions in SuperMemo
Trust SuperMemo to save time
Can SuperMemo help patients with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder)?
SuperMemo and Alzheimer's
SuperMemo and low self-esteem
Could SuperMemo become an unhealthy addiction?
SuperMemo will not help you bring things to mind without a trigger
I don't buy memory overload hypothesis in Alzheimer's
It is possible to roughly estimate the amount of time needed for learning a portion of
material
Vacation may feel like "improving memory"
 Is repetition the best way to remember?
Minimum information principle v.s. the length of "20 rules" article
There is no harm in "memorizing" things you already know
Users of SuperMemo 2 can be irritated!
No other software can match SuperMemo
Intervals are measured in circadian cycles
Advanced repetitions and the spacing effect
Learning to do calculations in memory
One of 1985 experiments was inconclusive
Spaced Application & Semantic Networks
Use Simulation to figure out the expected speed of learning
Memorizing instances of abstract cases is not a waste of time
Limited Postpone will not damage your learning process
First meaningful split into difficulty categories occurs at first repetition
The optimum number of repetitions will depend on numerous factors
SuperMemo should not be viewed as a cramming tool
SuperMemo does not use microspacing of repetitions
Forgetting curve for ill-formulated items is flattened
Flatter forgetting curve does not increase optimum interval
There is no remedy to interference
20 rules of formulating knowledge and SuperMemo Decalog are springboards for
learning with SuperMemo
Tackling contextual dependency during repetitions
No specialist knowledge is needed to prepare simple material collection in
SuperMemo
Forgetting index vs. retention
Breaking one long repetition session into a few smaller ones is generally beneficial
Five-day exposure is not enough to retain 65% of knowledge for 15 years to life
Your repetition schedule in SuperMemo will never become overbooked
SuperMemo will likely help you strengthen your mnemonic skills
Postpone is a tool for those unable to spend time on learning on certain days
How can I review my material on the same day I add it to SuperMemo?
Medical knowledge: too much!
The term "staggered learning" may sometimes be used to describe "spaced learning"

See also: FAQ: Learning with SuperMemo

See also:

FAQ: Memory
FAQ: SuperMemo Algorithm
Speed-learning techniques

(Constantin Ilieu, Bulgaria, 1993)

Question:
In your materials I found a contradiction. On one hand you claim that once learned knowledge
is constantly maintained in the student's memory, on the other you say that after ceasing
repetitions, I will gradually forget what I have learnt. Which is true?
Answer:
Both facts are true. The term maintained is understood as kept in memory by means of
repetitions, not as remains in memory for ever

(Elena and Rachel, US, Dec 12, 1997)

Question:
How is SuperMemo supposed to improve someone's memory?
Answer:
We do not claim that SuperMemo improves memory. We say that it allows you to learn fast
with high retention of knowledge. The fact is that improving your memory will be a nice side
effect, but this will happen not by virtue of the SuperMemo method but by virtue of intense
learning. SuperMemo makes it possible to learn fast by organizing your learning process. For
more see: General principles of SuperMemo

(Crizeldo G. Cariaso, MD, Philippines, Dec 17, 1997)

Question:
I am a medical doctor who is into resident training as of this moment. Do you advice me to
use your product if I read about 100 pages of documents and books a day and have to
remember it?
Answer:
Absolutely! Read Devouring knowledge to see how you can read thousands of independent
articles at the same time. If you learn from paper books, your job will be much harder. You
will only be able to remember a fraction of the material. An exemplary algorithm would be:

1. divide your time to: 70% reading, 30% SuperMemo

2. in SuperMemo time slot formulate questions in reference to the most important facts
and rules you have learned from the books. Memorize those facts. Those shall stick to
your memory for ever (if you regularly run repetitions as scheduled by the program)

The sad fact is that reading 100 pages daily is really a feat, and even the mere typing in the
material to SuperMemo will limit you to 20-100 questions per day (depending on time
available and the speed of typing). Even this small proportion will still provide you with
amazing build-up of knowledge! It is very important that you intelligently select what must
and what does not have to be memorized

(Scot Prohaska, USA, Oct 29, 1998)

Question:
I am going back to medical school after a 10-year break. I look for tools to improve my brain
skills. Is SuperMemo a product for me?
Answer:
That's your lucky day! SuperMemo is ideally suited for enhancing your ability to learn new
stuff and make sure it stays in your memory for good. Learning medical sciences with
SuperMemo comes second in popularity to learning English! Recommended reading: Six
steps to excellent memory
We believe SuperMemo is a must for anyone with serious plans to enter science
(Garry Gross, Saturday, August 25, 2001 12:24 AM)
Question:
I am presently studying to be a behaviorist. I am working from text books that I find difficult.
Please let me know how SuperMemo would be useful in this adventure. How do I get the
material from the text into the program?
Answer:
This article is probably the best summary of the role SuperMemo could play in your work:
Devouring knowledge. Please pay a special attention to the part devoted to incremental
reading. We believe that incremental reading is a must for anyone with serious plans of
working in science. The most painful limitation in your context is that incremental reading
requires your texts to be available in electronic form (e.g. if you rely on paper books, you
would need an OCR scanner or you would need to type in the most essential study points into
the computer)

(Vit Usela, Czech Republic, Nov 2, 1999)

Question:
You advise to merge all SuperMemo collections in one. Does it not contradict the principle of
avoiding knowledge interference?
Answer:
No. The same items are not likely to interfere more with each other once they are put in the
same collection and repeated one after the other. Indeed, this may even help resolve the
interference by means of techniques described in 20 rules of formulating knowledge. For
those who learn material related to various branches of knowledge, an interdisciplinary
mixture of repetitions often generates unexpected associations that can be a goldmine of ideas
in your professional field. This is the simplest illustration of the fact that SuperMemo can
make you more creative!

SuperMemo can lead to learning garbage

(anonymous, Jan 20, 2007, 04:59:15)
Question:
If you learn garbage with SuperMemo, you will waste time on reviewing garbage, and
possibly retain garbage in your memory for many years
Answer:
It is true that persistence of memories formed by SuperMemo carries a risk. It is then your
sole responsibility to make sure you keep meticulous notes on sources and their reliability
wherever your mission-critical information is concerned.

Learning garbage may seem like an anti-thesis of good learning. However, rarely do we face
neat textbook information that can serve as model knowledge requiring no verification. In real
life, we often face chaos of contradictory information coming from different sources. For
example, when working in a fast-growing field of research, you will constantly meet new
findings that do not fit old models. Reconciling the chaos of new information may then
become your primary preoccupation. Cognitive research shows that our predictive capabilities
quickly become saturated with the inflow of additional information. For example, a
handicapper may need good information on horses and jockeys to set the odds. However, his
accuracy does not improve much once his cognitive capacity becomes saturated. The same
extends to other fields where human judgment is involved.

SuperMemo can help you shift the saturation point by making it easier to resolve
contradiction. In conditions of low retention, an individual facing contradictory propositions
A and B will often oscillate between A and B points. Such an oscillation is a function of
exposure over time. However, if you memorize the proposition A, encounter with the
proposition B is unlikely to produce such an oscillation. Instead, a red flag will be raised
signaling the contradiction. You can then rephrase the question on proposition A to include
proposition B with sources and other considerations predicating on validity of A and B.

By resolving contradictions, SuperMemo helps you built coherent models of reality. These in
turn improve your judgment and your problem solving powers.

Still, you need to remain vigilant. When trying to understand the world, you are bound to face
information garbage. Paradoxically, learning garbage can lead to the emergence of improved
models of reality. On the way towards the ultimate model though you may need to face false
information that is often more costly than ignorance. You cannot let your guard down.

Music and incremental reading

(Mohammed Asad Khan, Pakistan, Thursday, May 02, 2002 1:01 AM)
Question:
Can I read articles in SuperMemo with the help of my favorite music?
Answer:
Optimally, you should have your favorite music turned off when learning. However much it
invigorates your brain, it will ALWAYS decrease your focus and take away some mental
processing power. Invariably, background music reduces the efficiency of working with
SuperMemo. If your learning is boring, you must diagnose the reasons. Most often, user
knowledge is not properly formulated for active recall. Incremental reading may require a few
months of practice to develop good learning habits. You cannot resolve the "boredom" of
learning with background entertainment. Learning must be entertaining on its own!

You can easily learn 10,000 items per year

(Robyn Harte-Bunting , Monday, October 06, 2003 4:39 PM)
Question:
In the website you state that it is difficult to maintain a schedule of more than 100 daily
repetitions or 1 hour per day on SuperMemo for lengthy periods. Can you say more about this
number?
Answer:
Those rather arbitrary numbers depend on many factors. Beginners should take far lesser
loads. Advanced users may go well beyond that, esp. with incremental reading and related
skills. Nothing will serve as a better guidance as your own experiments probing the difficulty
of knowledge you plan to master, your skills in formulating knowledge and the degree to
which your personality or the type of acquired knowledge will make the whole process
enjoyable as opposed tiresome. Some anecdotal facts may help you in measuring your
maximum load:

advanced users report that acquiring 10,000 new items per year seems rather
effortless
some determined users are able to sustain 1000 repetitions per day for a week or so
(that is a full-time job though)
one user reported memorizing the whole Advanced English (40,000 items) in less than
6 months
very few users report reaching more than 400 repetitions per day for longer than a few
months
incremental reading, where topics are mixed with items, is by far more enjoyable than
pure repetitions, and can lead to far longer hours spent with SuperMemo

As for incremental reading, advanced users report little or no fatigue even in 3-5 hour non-
stop runs (assuming a fresh unstressed mind). This may partly come from the material variety
(randomized presentation of topics has a "TV channel zapping" reward effect). Also, the
passive nature of topic processing may contribute to resolving short-term memory overloads
that quickly result in homeostatic fatigue in traditional SuperMemo.

All in all, if you master all skills related to incremental reading and knowledge formulation, if
you test your personal persistence and self-discipline, you may be able to commit yourself to
100 items per day plus 100-400 topics per day. However, as this may take 2-4 hours of
learning, it is highly recommended you split those high loads into portions. If you give up on
retention (say down to 85-90%), you can maximize the learning speed and reach 30,000-
50,000 new elements per year. Of these, depending on the strategy, 30-60% will be items (still
rather less than 15,000-20,000).

Remember, that you will need to use your best creative hours to sustain this process in the
long run. Assuming you sleep in accordance with you natural circadian rhythm, those hours
would be early in the morning (after breakfast) and perhaps in the evening peak (if you
experience one). If you happen to learn at sub-optimum time (e.g. after work), you may find it
hard to do a quarter of the suggested load

Question:
On what basis do you ground your claim that SuperMemo increases the speed of learning
from 10-50 times?
Answer:
For knowledge retention of 95%, it can be computed that the number of repetitions in an
average learning lifetime (i.e. about 55 years) is roughly 50 times greater for equally spaced
repetitions than for progressive repetitions (as used in SuperMemo). For repetitions with no
regular spacing scheme, this number may even be greater. Moreover, the greater the required
knowledge retention, the greater the increase in the knowledge acquisition rate (classical
forms of learning almost never reach knowledge retention above 10%!!!). In practice, users of
SuperMemo claim that it increases their speed of learning from 50% to 2000%. These values
are, however, highly subjective, as they do not account for so-called intractable items, which
are practically not memorizable without SuperMemo. In other words, students tend to
underestimate the fact that they reach knowledge retention from 90-99%, which would hardly
be achievable using any other method.

(Shaun Hoffland, UK, Oct 22, 1998)

Question:
Do you have statistics on what is the average number of items an average user has to repeat
per day? What is the greatest number of memorized items?
Answer:
The best results oscillate around 60,000 items memorized overall, and 10,000 memorized
within 4-5 months. Most users memorize 1000-10,000 items per year. Please read
SuperMemo User Survey (esp. section Using SuperMemo)

(Jason Roos, USA, Mar 27, 2001)

Question:
When I need to memorize a bunch information, I make flashcards. My gut is usually a good
indicator of when I need to go through them again. It's surprising to me there seems to be so
much scientific study behind SuperMemo. (full text below)
Answer:
If you try SuperMemo for some time, you will notice that it is quite liberating to let the
computer do the guessing for you. If you later go into thousands of memorized elements, your
"gut" will fail you at some point. After all, it is not easy to guess which of your 100,000 items
is closest to being forgotten

Jason Roos: When I need to memorize a bunch information, I make flashcards:

1. I write a question on one side and an answer on the other

2. I gather all the cards up, and go through them one at a time
3. Those cards I get wrong, I set aside in a "don't know yet" pile. Those I get right, I set aside in a
"know it" pile
4. After I've passed through the stack once, I pick up the "don't know yet" pile and repeat this
sorting process until they've all been memorized

My gut is usually a good indicator of when I need to go through them again. If I feel confident, I know I'm ready
to take the test. Intervals are not that accurately determinable, and 4 days for the first one, in my experience, is
waaaay too long [in SuperMemo, the first interval will depend on the user and the learning material]. I need to
pass through them every 30 minutes to an hour for at least a day, before they're reasonably secure in my head.
Of course, it all depends on the type of material and how many days I slept in class.
This method [SuperMemo] is hardly unique-- that's how many people study. And the effect is identical to your
unnecessarily complex and rather tedious, I think, worksheets and software. It's surprising to me there seems to
be so much scientific study behind it. I find it fairly simple and obvious

The effectiveness of passive review may be dismal

(Janusz Jezierski, Jul 18, 2002)
Question:
If active recall is so important, what is the purpose of topics in SuperMemo? How efficient
would learning be if I never used items?
Answer:
The main purpose of topics is to collect learning material that will be processed to formulate
questions and answers. With topics you do your reading. With items you do your learning.
Learning based on topics would be dismal in quality. Experiments show that you may review
a sentence passively 20 times, and after the interval of just forty days you may be unable
to recall you have ever read or seen the sentence! The more material your process in
learning, the more likely you are to see this scary weakness of human memory. The power of
SuperMemo is in simplicity of questions, active recall of items, and reviewing the material
regularly as demanded by SuperMemo

(M.Z., Poland, Apr 15, 2001)

Question:
While I make my repetitions, I often have problems with focusing on questions. My brain
simply wanders off to other subjects. Do you think this is normal?
Answer:
This is a clear indication that your material is either badly structured or poorly selected.
Unfortunately, this situation affects quite a number of users. Repetitions affected by
concentration problems are dramatically less efficient. A wild guess is that you might be
losing 50-95% of your efficiency. If you formulate your material poorly, you may suffer from
recall problems (answers are too complex) or comprehension problems (questions are too
wordy). Repetitions immediately become less enjoyable or even painful. This will quickly
trigger natural defense mechanism. Your brain will search for more productive mental effort
such as pondering over the movie you had seen a day before. Poorly selected material will
produce exactly the same result. Optimally, you should only store top-importance material in
SuperMemo. This comes from the fact that usually you hardly have time to master top-
importance items, let alone anything else. If your material does not meet this criterion, it will
seem less relevant and simply boring. If you cram for uninteresting exams, the result will be
the same. Poorly selected or structured material is the chief cause of showing little progress
with SuperMemo. Problems with attention are a clear indication that you need to review your
learning process carefully. Probably you will need to do lots of deleting and reformulating.
In addition, be sure you get enough sleep, avoid stress (e.g. make repetitions before school or
work), do not let anyone disrupt you, turn off the radio and TV, turn off your music (even
those pieces you love will compete with your items for your brain power). Please read:
SuperMemo Decalog, esp. the section entitled Concentration

SuperMemo discourages mindless memorization

(Stephen R. Diamond, Jul 21, 2004, 17:55:23)
Question:
Does SuperMemo encourage excessive reliance on memory, on using memory where
reasoning would be more productive? Since there is no real way to determine how much
memorization is beneficial, there is the risk that SuperMemo will dictate what is learned.
There might be little material that most people must memorize, with learning the vocabulary
of a new language the most obvious exception. The student enamored of memorization
technology will be spending his time learning details, not acquiring the ability to determine
which details are worth attending to.
Answer:
There is much to remember: There may be little material that people must memorize, but
there is a world of material were memorizing things brings benefits that outweigh the cost of
memorizing. If the cost of indefinitely retaining a piece of knowledge in memory is 1-4
minutes, the number of pieces of information that could return this investment is greater than
lifetime of memorization. Those pieces may range from a useful mathematical formula,
through a location of a country on the map, through the name of a carcinogenic dish, to
seeming trivia such as facts about your mother-in-law (Outlook Calendar entry won't let
you sneak a compliment at the family table)

Deductive reasoning feeds on knowledge: We have not yet developed a theory of everything
or a super-brain that could use it to derive all truths via deduction. Reasoning requires
knowledge. Einstein also needed facts and rules developed by his predecessors to arrive at his
theories. Even a genius mathematician working in the attic in detachment from reality will
need a few things in his memory to start with (such as a problem to solve in the first place, or
a few formulas or theories that will shorten his path to the goal). A physician at the scene of
an accident must instantly retrieve seemingly mindless facts from his or her memory such as
the name of the drug and the dosage. Relying on deductive reasoning and smarts will not do

SuperMemo provides usability feedback: The central power of SuperMemo is in providing

you with full control over what you decide to remember. In addition, incremental reading can
serve as a storage of things you care about but not necessarily remember. These storages of
things remembered and things that are important provide for immediate associative memory
for problem solving on one hand, and a tool for "brainstorming with yourself" and extending
knowledge via incremental reading on the other. SuperMemo provides you with a feedback
on how knowledge impacts your life. With time, it helps you understand what is worth
memorizing and what facts are time wasters. Ignorance may initially tempt you to abuse
SuperMemo, but SuperMemo will soon demonstrate which efforts are futile and which bring
a palpable benefit. This self-correcting feedback mechanism is a priceless added benefit of
getting enamored with SuperMemo.

Not only geniuses use SuperMemo: SuperMemo is used by a special lot of people. Primarily
they are a strong-willed and self-disciplined group. Weaker souls drop out very soon. Some
may show obsessive and compulsive attitudes and these will backfire. Some may persist for
months in a strong belief SuperMemo is the right way to go and still make little progress in
areas other than word-pair learning. Like in any group, there are stronger and weaker students.
There are crammers and high-fliers. In other words, the uncritical trust in SuperMemo can
have negative side effects, but the feedback mechanism mentioned earlier acts as a
countermeasure. All in all, with its tangibility and measurability, SuperMemo helps bad
students understand their errors. With time, users of SuperMemo show remarkable progress in
understanding how their memory works and what the role of knowledge in life is. Bad
students will either improve or drop out.

All good things can be used in a bad way: Apart from the side effects of misconstrued
memorization, SuperMemo might also be used by a bad lot for their purposes. Hopefully,
Osama is too contemptuous of "western" technology to make his Pocket PC repetitions in the
cave to extend his knowledge of the best ways of harming his hate targets. But even here we
might hope that a dose of extra learning would bring him closer to seeing that what we share
is more important than what divides us.
All innovations and inventions can be put to bad use. Cars kill and pollute. Airplanes can be
flown into buildings. TV is numbing our knowledge selection skills. Web was branded "a
garbage bin of human knowledge". Even books encourage passive review as opposed to
active processing. SuperMemo does encourage memorization and even the most proficient
user will memorize some ballast of junk knowledge. What matters is the balance of costs and
benefits. The value of knowledge is hard to measure. The lifetime impact of SuperMemo is
hard to measure. To ultimately answer the above question we would need an equivalent of the
longitudinal Terman Study. Will those kids who contracted the bug of SuperMemo in the
early 1990s get bogged down with lifetime of time-wasting repetitions? Or will they become
presidents, Noble winners, and great inventors? Time will tell

(Prof. Witold Abramowicz, Poland, Feb 1993)

Question:
Does the minimum information principle not stand in conflict with the ages old rule that the
learned knowledge should be highly associative in nature?
Answer:
No. The minimum information principle concerns the representation of knowledge in
SuperMemo databases, not in the student's memory, and it does not prevent great advantages
coming from proper structuring of the learned material. In the optimum situation, the student
should first construct a cohesive model of the learned subject, and only then, apply
SuperMemo to make sure that the learned knowledge is sustained in memory as a whole. The
knowledge may be highly associative, but strictly targeted neural stimulation, achieved by
means of granular representation of knowledge in SuperMemo, is necessary to effectively
induce molecular processes responsible for memory formation. Indeed SuperMemo has been
conceived in such a was so as to make it easier to formulate knowledge in a structured way
(topics) and later learn it in a way typical for SuperMemo (items). See also: Topics vs items

Bahrick's research on Spanish vocabulary retention does not undermine SuperMemo

(Desmond Connor, Jan 28, 2005, 9:38:48)
Question:
Isn't the whole concept of SuperMemo a bit shaky in the light of Bahrick's research on
Spanish vocabulary (spanning 50 years!). For example: "The analysis yields memory curves
which decline exponentially for the first 3-6 years of the retention interval. After that retention
remains unchanged for periods of up to 30 years before showing a final decline"
Answer:
Bahrick's research is invaluable as it is quite unique in the field otherwise dominated by
research with short-term goals. His results are consistent with the two-component model of
memory underlying SuperMemo. What may be confusing at first is that the purely
exponential nature of forgetting comes from a model of unitary traces of memory. In real life,
memories are always composed of more complex engrams. Moreover, bodies of knowledge
are composed of memories that are heterogeneous in that individual engrams differ in their
difficulty, stability, and retrievability. Finally, Bahrick's methodology, for obvious difficulty
with long-term research (incl. the size of the sample), inevitably carries a substantial margin
of error. What may appear as a kinked forgetting curve can well be approximated with a
continuous power function that is a result of the superposition of exponential forgetting curves
in full agreement with the two-component model of memory.
The forgetting of a language can best be illustrated with the observation that after a course, we
usually quickly forget a large body of knowledge. Usually the most difficult and the least
rehearsed knowledge goes first. Once this body is eliminated, the cumulative forgetting curve
flattens. Now those easier pieces of knowledge and those that have been best rehearsed
decline at slower rate. Their individual forgetting curves are much flatter. Overall forgetting is
slower. Finally, many years later, only the most stable memories survive. Those may be
entirely resistant to forgetting. This does not mean that these are permanent memories. Most
often, these are memories that can be refreshed by association: a face of a friend from school,
thoughts of youth, an old movie, or a daily ritual. After all, it is quite hard to forget Hasta la
vista baby

Question:
I have an exam for a driver's license in 2 weeks. How can I best memorize the Traffic
Regulations collection for SuperMemo? How can I increase the frequency of repetitions?
Answer:
Although SuperMemo is not a cramming tool, and it would be much safer to start 2-3 months
before the exam, the following shall work pretty well:

1. Set Tools : Options : Learning : Forgetting index at 3%,

2. When memorizing difficult items, choose Ctrl+M and provide the first interval value
equal to one day
3. Memorize the collection in equal portions in the period spanning from today to 2-4
days before the exam. Use Tools : Random review intensely over the last 2-4 days.

Why is SuperMemo slow to show its strength?

(Nathan Crow, WedJun18,2003 4:14 pm)
Question:
Why do you say one cannot see any difference between SuperMemo and other flashcard
systems until a week has passed? Odd, if true.
Answer:

SuperMemo uses spaced repetition. Inter-repetition intervals increase gradually in the learning
process. The more you grow your intervals, the less time you spend on repetitions, and the
more time you have to enjoy stable knowledge.

If you compare SuperMemo with reading a book, you will see little difference in retention in
the first week (first intervals in SuperMemo are usually shorter than a week). If you compare
results after a month, an average book reader will have already forgotten a large part of the
learned material, while the user of SuperMemo will stabilize around the programmed level of
retention.

The more time passes, the greater the difference between traditional learning and
SuperMemo.
If you compare SuperMemo with other methods approximating spaced repetition (e.g. priority
system, Leitner system, etc.), it may take even longer to demonstrate the difference in
retention.

The statement "give it a week before you give up" is to alert a new user to the fact that return
on investment in the first week is little. There is a point in time (say several days) before
which using SuperMemo may take more time than learning in a traditional way.

Considering the complexity of SuperMemo, difficulty in efficiently formulating knowledge,

and the skills needed to master techniques such as "incremental reading", it is important for
new users to realize they will need lots of patience before collecting their first ripe fruits of
wisdom

(Jerzy Duda, Poland, Oct 1, 1997)

Question:
What is the lowest age at which a child can start using SuperMemo?
Answer:
The younger the child the more difficult the entry into the learning process. However, with a
dose of parental guidance, even first-graders can cope with SuperMemo. The learning process
itself is simple and repetitive and the child can quickly enter regular repetitions. Definitely,
SuperMemo 98 (and later) at the beginner level is much less daunting than SuperMemo 7 for
the initial entry. As a documented example, 9-year-old Agata Czaplinska from Gliwice,
Poland, memorized 150 new English words in 2 months working nearly on her own. In
another case, 8-year-old Annalynn Clary from Monroe, Louisiana (USA) memorized Cross
Country material (1673 items) in 100 days working 30 minutes per day (5 days per week)

SuperMemo contributes to rat race!

(Beata, Nov 11, 2006, 16:59:16)
Question:
Your article about Tools : Plan is scary! Don't we get enough of rat race and speed. Your
tasklists and incremental reading are not any better. I can see there "more, more, more". And
where is the place for our humanity? Did you hear of the Slow movement?
Answer:
Paradoxically, Tools : Plan can help you slow down. It is up to you how much you pack into
the schedule. The main problem with "living slow" is that you may neglect vital matters that
will, in time, cause you more stress and hurry than necessary. If you produce a "slow"
schedule with a few minutes for handling vital issues on a regular basis, you are less likely to
suffer manic "catch up" due to being "slow". Tools : Plan can be abused, but it can also help
you reduce stress levels, slow down and yet ... move on at a steady speed.

The same refers to incremental reading. Although it may encourage you to import more and
more material, it will painlessly remove the excess import from your view. You can proceed
at your favorite healthy speed without ever worrying that you missed anything important. You
can import everything, and then optimally read and learn only as much as you got time or
patience. The entire process is painless.
Finally, tasklists might belong to the greatest de-stressors of all. Instead of rushing through
your to-do list that always grows longer, you can safely focus on top-priority tasks and live
with the conviction: "I did not do everything, but at least I did my best".

All in all, tools offered by SuperMemo can be abused and multiply your stress level; however,
when used as designed they are supposed to achieve the exact opposite: maximum efficiency
at your chosen speed at minimum stress

(William McGhee, Jun 22, 1998)

Question:
Could SuperMemo be used to extinguish behaviours as well as reinforce them?
Answer:
Forgetting is a molecular process that cannot easily be induced by natural methods. The more
so, there are no sensitive methods to induce selective forgetting, though lesion to some parts
of the cerebral cortex may produce roughly localized amnesia. However, there is a component
of forgetting that may be influenced. This component is interference. Whenever we learn new
things, they always interfere with previously learned material. The interference may enhance
some of memories while obliterating others. This fact can be used to employ SuperMemo in
forgetting, by formulating and memorizing a large number of contradictory items that strongly
interfere with remembered facts that are to be forgotten. For example, if you learn the
meaning of the word "indict" and you want to later forget it, you might try to learn words like
"indite" or some meaningless like "dictin", "incid", "endict", etc. However, you should not
expect the effectiveness of such a procedure to be anything but disappointing.

Question:
Which learning method is more effective: traditional SuperMemo with questions and answers,
or the new hypermedia SuperMemo with videos, games, puzzles, and tests?
Answer:
Simple questions and answers are extremely effective and easy to create; however, some users
find classic SuperMemo too boring. If the psychological factor plays a part, the variety
provided by SuperMemo 8 or later may substantially add to the effectiveness of learning. The
answer to the question will depend on the application domain and the mentality of the student.

(Elena and Rachel, US, Dec 12, 1997)

Question:
Does SuperMemo improve short-term memory or long-term memory?
Answer:
SuperMemo builds up long-term memory but helps you increase your mnemonic skills that
will result in the impression that your short-term memory works better.
You can also look at this like that: SuperMemo loads knowledge to short-term memory and
this is transferred to long-term memory. The effect on long-term memory is stable but the
speed of putting things into short-term memory may increase due to training. Short-term
memory improvement comes slowly with training, but long-term memory build-up comes
immediately upon employing SuperMemo!
Question:
Can SuperMemo help remember things that are not stored in SuperMemo?
Answer:
Yes. To a limited degree. There are three ways in which this is or may be happening:

1. knowledge which is closely associated with facts and rules you keep in SuperMemo
will often be reinforced even if it is not actually stored in the program. For example, if
you memorize a few items about John D. Rockefeller without including his
photograph and later see his face on TV, it may happen that you will indefinitely be
able to recognize his face. You will notice that Rockefeller's face will subconsciously
be brought to your imagination at each repetition related to his life
2. SuperMemo will enhance your mnemonic skills and help you improve your short-term
memory. This is the case not only with SuperMemo but also with all other forms of
learning
3. Similarly, learning is likely to have a positive trophic effect on your brain tissue. This
should also enhance your general intellectual performance. The scope of this effect is
difficult to quantify but it has been proved in a number of experiments that rodents
bred in enriched environment grow more neurons, learn faster and live longer

Delayed repetitions in SuperMemo

(Malcolm Macgregor, Saturday, September 21, 2002 12:32 AM)
Question:
What causes delayed repetitions?
Answer:
Delayed repetitions are usually caused by a user's failure to go through the allocated portion
of the learning material. In massive incremental reading, delayed repetitions may also come
by design as a result of material overload. Delayed repetitions will always result in an
increased measured forgetting index (more forgetting) but can, paradoxically, save student's
time by increasing memory consolidation (the speed of learning might be highest for
forgetting index around 20-30%). Using Postpone, the student can choose portions of
material that will be protected from delay in massive incremental reading. This way,
important material takes more time to learn but shows a better recall rate

Trust SuperMemo to save time

(Mike C, Thursday, September 20, 2001 2:46 AM)
Question:
I have a problem with Mercy. On 9/10 I answered an item, which was then scheduled again
on 9/13. Then on 9/17 I ran Mercy. That item ended up getting re-scheduled to 9/19, today.
What I'm seeing is that SuperMemo has assigned it an interval of 9 days rather than 3 days.
The problem is that if I answer this item Good or Bright it is going to get scheduled out to
something like 13 or 15 days, when it really should be only 4 or 5 days
Answer:
Once you get a good grade after a longer interval, SuperMemo will naturally use longer
intervals as it will upgrade your recall chances. Your anxiety is understandable. However, by
shortening intervals you would actually increase time needed for learning. What is worse,
artificial shortening of intervals increases the chances of forgetting due to spacing effect

(Colin Quiney, Canada, Jan 22, 1998)

Question:
Do you think SuperMemo can be beneficial in patients with ADD (Attention Deficit
Disorder)?
Answer:
User's ability to focus on repetitions is one of pre-conditions of success with SuperMemo.
Seemingly, this would make ADD patients poor SuperMemo learners. Perhaps the report
submitted by Maarten Mols from Holland sheds some different light on the issue: SuperMemo
in a school for special education.

SuperMemo and Alzheimer's

(Maria Jonas, South Africa, Dec 2000)
Question:
Can SuperMemo be used in the treatment of Alzheimer's?
Answer:
Except for inconclusive anecdotal data, there has been no study of SuperMemo in
Alzheimer's. See also: Can too much learning lead to Alzherimer's?

SuperMemo and low self-esteem

(B.B., Friday, October 18, 2002 3:57 AM)
Question:
Memory problems? Oh yes! I am sufficiently working at a very low self esteem not only in
English, but also in mathematics. Please tell me in some uncertain way what your software
does and how it is going to help me in these two fields of study
Answer:
SuperMemo makes sure you remember what you decide to remember. As long as you show
patience and persistence, it guarantees the results. As such, it worked great for people's self-
esteem in many cases. However, there are many obstacles on the way. For one, you may
dislike the fact that the program seems complex. You may fail to do your daily quota of
repetitions. You may fail to formulate your material in a prescribed simple way. As far as
English is concerned, you will find it very easy to memorize vocabulary or proverbs or
idioms. It will be far harder to learn more elusive things. For example, to make good
speeches. Or to recite long poems. Or to debate. Those skills require more understanding of
the learning process. As for mathematics, things are even more complex. Without a good
manual matching your skills, SuperMemo may appear to be entirely useless. In learning
mathematics, the memory is not your main limitation. It is the selection of the material and
the way you learn it that will determine your success. In other words, SuperMemo is a sure
remedy for memory problems, but it is not a learning panacea. You will find many articles at
supermemo.com discussing learning skills such as knowledge formulation, mnemonics,
selection of the learning material, etc. See also: Introduction to SuperMemo
Could SuperMemo become an unhealthy addiction?
(smmanic, Thursday, July 07, 2005 12:58 AM)
Question:

It seems my entire life is centered on SuperMemo. In making any decision about my life--my
choice of job, my choice of transportation means, my choice of social activities--almost
invariably I begin with the question, "How will this affect my ability to do repetitions and to
add new items?" Clearly I have an obsession with learning and with SuperMemo. My
concern, and the subject of my post, is over whether or not this obsession is a healthy one.

In the first six months of using SuperMemo, my focus was strictly on the goal of inputting my
total present knowledge (at risk of being forgotten). From a certain perspective, particularly
after completing four successful years of college, I am saddened to think I reached that once
"monstrous" goal in the space of only six months. Now, after only a year and a half, my
collection contains 15,000 memorized items, and my level of knowledge has increased 300%!
(That means I feel like I have gone to college three times!) It is a remarkable feeling knowing
precisely how much you know.

SuperMemo's instruction manual refers to my database of knowledge as my "collection"; I

call it my "brain." My collection is so thorough, it's at least a close replica. With the invention
of the thumbdrive, it is humoring to consider that I sometimes wear my brain around my
neck!

To be clear, it is difficult to determine whether my present lifestyle is the result of

SuperMemo or whether SuperMemo simply fits into a lifestyle I would have chosen for
myself anyway. My uncertainty stems partly from the fact that I am a relatively young adult,
and like many my age, have never really even begun to settle down into a steady lifestyle and
with which I could compare my present "deteriorated" one. (I place that word in quotes
because that is how an outsider would likely view it.) Without giving a complete biography of
myself, suffice it to say I come from a family whose members all like to move frequently,
who tend not to cling too tightly to friends, and whose interests are constantly in flux.

Clearly, SuperMemo is an addiction I cannot shake. The question, again, is whether that
addiction is unhealthy and whether I must learn to temper it more. The clichs we throw about
would suggest not: knowledge is power and learning what life is all about, right? If the clichs
are correct, then anything that helps further my learning is healthy. Perhaps the measure of my
obsession's unhealthiness is the extent to which it jeopardizes personal relationships. No, I am
not married, but to be fair I have always been somewhat averse to the idea of marriage. I have
friends, though my friends have always numbered few. And those relationships I do retain are
enhanced, I think, by the increase in confidence and self-esteem attributable to SuperMemo.
Despite whatever balance I have managed to maintain, however, I think I would give much of
it up if only by doing so could I continue to use SuperMemo. To be sure, knowing now that
the program exists, I think if ever I were to lose access to SuperMemo and my collection, I
would become suicidal. That is no joke. God, family, and SuperMemo: that is the order of my
priorities.

Am I headed for disaster?

Answer:

You might be heading for disaster, but you might also be heading for greatness. It all depends
how well you rationalize your attitude and learn to employ new knowledge in accomplishing
your goals.

First you might want to figure out if you are indeed dealing with an addiction. Some
researchers argue: "No harm, no addiction". However, there might be a neurophysiologic
process that may lead to harm in the future. If you were to, as per your own words, become
suicidal at withdrawal, you would indeed meet a key criterion of addiction, but your
description seems to indicate that you are rather dealing with a variant of a compulsive
behavior. You do not mention tolerance (diminishing satisfaction), lack of control, or desire to
reduce the addictive behavior (i.e. conflicting rewarding and punishing stimuli). Interestingly,
you are definitely not prone to hide your addiction from the world or lie about it. The fact that
you posed the question on a public forum might even indicate that, to a degree, you are proud
of your attitude (e.g. while mentioning "doing college in 6 months").

Few people realize how powerful a role genes play in behavior. Thus you might be surprised
with a claim that your compulsion is quite likely to have a genetic background. You will
certainly notice that none of your friends is prone to acquire a similar habit, and that you will
find it hard to locate the roots of the habit in your childhood or upbringing (except where
personality traits are amplified, e.g. by inspirational tutoring). Compulsive behaviors do run in
families. In this context it would be interesting to study your predisposition to other
addictions (as these often correlate). However, this should not be a reason to worry per se.
Just the opposite. The history of invention and scientific discovery proves that those traits
might be responsible for quite a portion of mankind's progress. In the end, your compulsion
may be injurious to your own life, and, at the same time, bring immense benefits to others.
This has often been the outcome in the life of great inventors or scientists who changed the
world while living in utter misery. Unlike animals, humans seem to have strong anti-entropy
mechanisms imprinted in their brains. In other words, they tend to marvel over art, music,
patterns, structures, models, abstract concepts, beauty of science, etc. Compulsive behaviors
may be a strong expression of these mechanisms. You love the fact of being in control over
what you learn and that must be rooted in the beauty of building a neat structure of
knowledge. The "rage to learn" is one of primary characteristics of gifted children. If you now
employ this compulsion to accomplishing lofty goals, greatness is likely to outrun disaster as
the likely outcome. In other words, you must resolutely plan against learning for art stake.
Instead, your learning, targeted at specific goals, should make up a rational proportion of your
time with the rest filled out largely by creative activities targeted at specific productive goals.
In Stephen Covey's terminology, you should balance your production to production capacity
ratio (P/PC). If you accept well-selected knowledge as valuable you should be able to avoid
conflicting stimuli and an internal battle of conscience.

This is an interesting material for more than just an FAQ. It would be nice if you stayed in
touch to develop this into a case study.

SuperMemo will not help you bring things to mind without a trigger
(D.M., Jan 26, 2006, 06:54:40)
Question:
How can I use SuperMemo to remember to remember something?
Answer:
SuperMemo will not help you much in bringing things to your mind without a behavioral
trigger. It only helps you remember the association between the stimulus and the desired
response. It will not help you generate a response without a stimulus. You cannot use it to
remember to turn off the gas, unless you associate the turning off the gas with a specific
trigger. For example:

Q: What should I always remember about at the time of leaving home?

A: Check if the gas is off

With some training, checking the gas will become a habit. SuperMemo will only ensure that
you do not forget about forming the habit

I don't buy memory overload hypothesis in Alzheimer's

(Mike, Tue, May 28, 2002 5:01)
Question:
I'm sure the basic premise of the "memory overload hypothesis" is flawed. The effect of
SuperMemo is really no different, at the basic biochemical level, than any other repetitive
learning activity (although certainly more efficient). If I dial my mother's phone number 100
times over the next few years, does that also contribute to Alzheimer's?
Answer:
It is important to differentiate between recalling/reusing old memories, and forming new
memories. When you redial the same phone number, you are not likely to form new long-term
memories. Nor does the overall storage change when you make repetitions of outstanding
items in SuperMemo. However, the power of SuperMemo is in that the efficient rehearsal of
the old material provides more time for learning new material. Consequently, you will be
forming far more new memories than an average non-SuperMemo student. This would be
exactly what Robin P. Clarke worries about: too much new stuff in your head. However, the
evidence leaves little room for truly harmful overload (e.g. as in cramming in stressful
conditions). If the hypothesis was right for the subset of cases violating the principles of
mental hygiene, well-employed SuperMemo would not classify

It is possible to roughly estimate the amount of time needed for learning a portion of
material
(Patrik Nilsson, Tuesday, December 18, 2001 11:53 AM)
Question:
Can Tools : Statistics : Simulation help me figure out the date when it is expected that I
manage my learning material?
Answer:
Once you introduce an item into the learning process and execute all outstanding repetitions,
it is SuperMemo's responsibility to ensure the desired level of retention. For that reason, you
can assume that you "managed" your material as soon as it has been introduced into the
learning process. Consequently, you do not need to run Simulation. If you want to memorize
1000 items and you decide to introduce 10 items per day into the learning process, you will
"manage" the material in 1000/10=100 days. Now you can use Simulation to try to estimate
how much work this will require. A rule of thumb is that you need 10x more effort for
repetitions than for learning new material. This could indicate that if you memorize 10 items
per day, you may expect 100 repetitions per day (at least in the initial period). This number
may vary greatly depending on the difficulty of the material and your learning skills and
techniques. Use Simulation to get a better estimate. With rescheduling tools (e.g. Postpone),
you can also reduce the daily load of repetitions; however, you will then suffer some loss in
retention. Another rule of thumb is that to increase your forgetting index from 10% to 20%
you would need to either (1) massively overload the learning process (e.g. by increasing the
inflow of material 10-fold), or (2) dramatically cut down on the learning effort (e.g. by 90%).
For more see: Theoretical aspects of SuperMemo

Vacation may feel like "improving memory"

(p.b., Thu, Apr 11, 2002 18:02)
Question:
When I came back from vacation, where I did not do my daily SuperMemo, some 1,500 items
awaited me. I found out with surprise that I recall the items better after this 10-day break then
on usual days with daily repetitions. Maybe my mind had so good rest that it worked
noticeably better?
Answer:
If the vacation took away some stressload or gave you a chance to catch up with sleep, your
fresher mind might partly explain a higher recall rate. However, you should also be aware of
the placebo effect enhanced by the surprise that you remember so much. If your forgetting is
usually 10%, you might have expected 30% after the vacation (as most people do expect).
When you had noticed or sensed it is 12% (the more likely value), you could have felt as if it
was 8%. It would "feel" as if your scores improved even though they were worse in
proportion to the length of the delay

Is repetition the best way to remember?

(BruceTrek, Sunday, March 10, 2002 7:20 AM)
Question:
Can you send me some links to independent research that shows repetition is the best way to
remember?
Answer:
There isn't much research being done currently to show that repetition is the best way to
remember. This fact is just taken as true. Similarly there isn't much research done to prove
that the brain is the organ where thoughts are born. In the latter case, nearly all neuroscience
lives by the brain-mind connection. This does not prevent others (beyond science) to look for
mystical explanations to the thought process, emotion, consciousness, soul, etc. As for the
repetition, no reputable textbook on the learning methods will deny that "repetitio mater
studiorum est". Some researchers in the field looked to confirm the concept of permastore (i.e.
lifelong memories), but that effort has not been successful. Some "accelerated learning"
companies will try to sell you learning materials and insist that "it is all in mnemonic
representation", i.e. you can learn it once (the "right way") and remember it for ever. The best
way to disprove that claim is to learn mnemonic techniques, buy those "optimally formulated"
materials and learn it with SuperMemo. SuperMemo will measure and prove that well
formulated material is indeed remembered much better. But it is still subject to the same old
negatively exponential forgetting process that affects all acquired memories (as opposed to
innate memories wired into the brain at birth). Today, supermemo.com is probably the only
website so heavily focused on the concept of repetition. You will find links to many sites
throughout but there isn't one that would particularly attempt to prove that repetition is the
key to lasting memories. For every user of SuperMemo, the question on the importance of
repetition becomes irrelevant after a few weeks with the program. SuperMemo measures the
forgetting rates and graphically illustrates what happens with memories once they are not
taken care of

Minimum information principle v.s. the length of "20 rules" article

(NF Lynch (Isr), Israel, Wednesday, January 15, 2003 9:29 AM)
Question:
Your list of The 20 rules of formulating knowledge in learning flies in the face of your own
learning principles. The list is too long and without any hierarchical basis or mnemonic hooks
Answer:
The minimum information principle refers only to active knowledge. Passive knowledge can
be processed incrementally. In incremental reading, there is no upper limit on the length of
texts that can be processed efficiently. Once the individual rules listed in the article are
memorized using, for example, cloze deletions, they need to meticulously adhere to the
minimum information principle. In other words, articles you read can be outrageously long. It
is the answers to questions you want to remember that must be short

There is no harm in "memorizing" things you already know

(Comcast Mail , Saturday, December 20, 2003 7:11 AM)
Question:
How do I add to SuperMemo knowledge that I previously acquired (i.e., facts that I already
know or that I only recently forgot but initially learned without the aid of SuperMemo)? I
want to add this knowledge to avoid forgetting it again
Answer:
You can add this knowledge in the same way as facts that you do not know. There is little
harm to the overall learning process as this material will quickly be classified as "easy". To
save time on needless repetition, you could additionally set the first interval on individual
items (or topics) to an appropriately longer value (Ctrl+J). For example, if you believe you
are not likely to forget an item for 3 months, you could set the first interval to 99 days or so.

Question:
I used SuperMemo 2 shareware, and was accustomed to repeating forgotten items on the next
day. It is very irritating that in SuperMemo for Windows I do not have this possibility
Answer:
SuperMemo will schedule forgotten items in intervals that are determined by the forgetting
index. The greatest increase in the speed of learning in newer versions of SuperMemo as
compared with SuperMemo 2 resulted from substantially increasing the length of the first
interval. The student may be left with the feeling that he is likely to forget the item again if it
is not repeated on the next day. Statistically, however, he will forget no more than the
proportion defined by the forgetting index (specified in Tools : Options : Learning :
Forgetting index). By reducing the forgetting index to less than 5%, the length of the first
interval is likely to drop to 1-2 days in most cases. Moreover, if you are particular about
repeating a given item on the next day, you can choose Ctrl+M to commit or recommit an
item with a selected first interval

(Pawel Dzierwa, Poland, June 3, 1997)

Question:
Personal question to Dr Wozniak: If you did not have SuperMemo at hand, which competitive
product would you use?
Answer:
I would probably pick one of the programs that most closely follow the SuperMemo
paradigm, e.g. Edukom or PowerMemo. Only later would I choose from better known
products that are less focused on spaced repetition such as Langmaster or YDP's Collins
Dictionary. However, as a software developer involved in the design and implementation of
SuperMemo since 1987, I would rather opt for implementing the program from scratch. Back
in 1987, the first version was written in 16 evenings. I would have to give up all the bells and
whistles, but it is the core that matters most. And it would be most difficult to give up the
control over what new options might yet be implemented

Intervals are measured in circadian cycles

(Michael M., United Kingdom, Friday, March 04, 2005 10:47 AM)
Question:
It would be a nice option to have intervals calculated in minutes, so that if one first learns an
item at say 08:30, it might be re-presented at say 12:15, then 19:45, then the next day at 10:45
etc.
Answer:
Due to the spacing effect, measuring intervals in minutes might be counterproductive. Not
only would extra necessary repetitions be needed, but also the spacing effect might be evoked
with the resultant decrease in memory stability. The main reason for rounding intervals to
days is the memory consolidation cycle measured by waking-sleep rhythms. Although it is
recommended to make repetitions at times of peak mental performance, there is little long-
term difference between making repetitions in the morning and making them in the evening.
In particular, this difference is negligible if you choose one of the two mental peaks of the
day: early morning and early evening (the terms "morning" and "evening" are relative and an
owl's peak may come at 2 am). If you believe that your items require repetitions that are more
frequent than 24 hours, be sure they comply with the rules of formulating knowledge

Advanced repetitions and the spacing effect

(Malcolm Macgregor, Saturday, September 21, 2002 12:32 AM)
Question:
Could you explain how repetitions advanced in time relate to the spacing effect?
Answer:
Before an important exam, the student may decide to review a portion of material even though
individual items may be scheduled for repetition months or years into the future. The spacing
effect prevents memory consolidation when inter-repetition intervals are far shorter than the
chosen optimum. For that reason, formulas used in earlier versions of SuperMemo cannot be
used to compute a new interval after the forced premature repetition. Instead, a heuristic
formula is used to shorten the interval accordingly. For example, if the optimum interval was
1000 days and the next optimum interval was to be, say, 1300 days, SuperMemo will use the
interval range from 1000 days to 1300 days for premature repetitions. If the repetition takes
place 10 days after the last review (instead of 1000 days), it will have nearly no effect on
memory consolidation and SuperMemo will choose 1000 (or 1001) as the next interval.
However, if the repetition takes place on 900th day, SuperMemo will assume it is nearly as
effective as the optimally scheduled repetition and schedule the next repetition in, say, 1297
days. The formula for "interval attenuation" is not based on hard science but is good enough
for practical applications where advanced review is an exception rather than a norm

Learning to do calculations in memory

(Dragan Vidovic, Netherlands, Wednesday, March 10, 2004 9:25 AM)
Question:
I am trying to learn to calculate quickly in mind. I am a mathematician, and this is a hard
problem form me, because I use a calculator since I was ten. The main problem with
calculating in mind is memory
Answer:
You are right. The amazing feats of Rudiger Gamm are based on memory and the right
techniques. You should begin with learning mnemonic techniques relevant to mathemetical
calculations (e.g. peg system). Then you could try to learn a couple of rudimentary
SuperMemo collections (e.g. Multiplication 20x20, Division 20:20, Division 1/20, etc.).
While working with basic collections you will hone your own mnemonic techniques useful in
basic calculations. Then you can gradually expand the difficulty of the material used in your
practise. Ultimately, if you aim high, untold hours of practice are sine qua non of success
(Gamm used to spend whole days practising).

One of 1985 experiments was inconclusive

(Tomasz P. Szynalski, Saturday, August 04, 2001 1:33 PM)
Question:
I see that one of early experiments showed that constant 18-day intervals were better than
increasing intervals. So how does this prove the validity of SuperMemo?
Answer:
This 1985 experiment does not prove validity of SuperMemo. Nor does it disprove it. In that
respect, it is simply inconclusive. The experiment was an attempt to "guess" optimum
increase in intervals and the guess appeared wrong. If the underlying hypothesis was that
increasing intervals are always better than equally distributed intervals, then this experiment
proved that hypothesis wrong. Obviously, if equal intervals are short enough or the increase in
the length of intervals is too fast, equal-interval schedule may appear superior. This is why, in
the long run, we need to use a computer to optimally adjust the repetition schedule to the
defined level of knowledge retention
Spaced Application & Semantic Networks
(Mark G. P., Thu, Jun 21, 2001 6:24)
Question:
I read a question in Medical Biology:
Q: mem: What is the impact of blocking phospholipase A2 on inducing LTP?
A: Suppression
Uhhhhhhhh but if I don't have a clue what phospholipase A2 is then this item becomes
meaningless. Sure, if I pound away at recalling fuzzy, shallow memories of meaningless
items, eventually I may encounter the information I need and the lights will come on, but is
this the most efficient way to learn?
Answer:
Rule #1 in selecting and formulating your learning materials is: Do not learn what you do
not understand! (see: 20 rules...).
The correct action upon encountering such an item is one of the following:

1. for low-priority material, Forget the item and place it at the selected location of the
pending queue (Ctrl+R)
2. for more important material, postpone the item until the time you believe you are
likely to understand it (Ctrl+J)
3. for vital material, review your collection for the "missing link" (Search and Review)
or import new articles discussing the subject

Ideally, you should create your collections on your own; however, ready-made material may
also be useful if it belongs to a well-defined and well-targeted subset, or if it is used as a
complementary inspiration rather than a supplement for wider study. Medical Biology is
sorted by difficulty but it is unlikely to be fully understood even by students of medicine. For
that reason, complementary research and incremental reading will always make a vital
addition to studying this material

Use Simulation to figure out the expected speed of learning

(Robyn, Sep 23, 2004, 12:47:42)
Question:
If an individual can commit to exactly 100 repetitions per day, how large will his collection
eventually become?
Answer:
You can use Tools : Statistics : Simulation to answer similar questions. For 100 repetitions
per day, you will on average arrive at 75,000 items in 15 years. However, this number will
vary greatly depending on the difficulty of your material, your mnemonic skills, forgetting
index, the use of postpones, etc. If you do not have SuperMemo, you can roughly estimate the
number of items by assuming that you can learn 1 new item per 7-10 items repeated per day.
Using this method you will expect 55,000-78,000 items memorized in 15 years. Remember,
however, that the learning speed is not exactly linear and you will get better results for shorter
periods and slightly worse results for longer periods. For more see: Theory

Memorizing instances of abstract cases is not a waste of time

(SuperMemo R&D, Wed, Aug 01, 2001 21:47)
Question:
In SuperMemo you propose to introduce several examples of the same rule. For example,
13*10=130, 24*10=240 and 69*10=690. One could get dozens of different possible
appearances of one principle. Does this make sense?
Answer:
Yes. This is instance training. Problems you solve are instances of a certain abstraction. A
single rule-based item requires a very smart mind to produce a strongly applicable abstraction.
Several instance items help you make use of the natural properties of neural networks to
enforce the abstraction. In many cases, you will achieve better results by memorizing a rule
and several instances of its application than by just the rule alone. In SuperMemo, the cost of
such a redundancy is negligible. Remember that in SuperMemo you spend most of your time
on repetitions of difficult material. Redundancy improves retention by optimizing
representation. Paradoxically, by adding redundant instance items, you can often reduce
overall workload. And even if the workload were to increase, the applicability of thus-
strengthed abstraction is a highly welcome side effect

Limited Postpone will not damage your learning process

(Mariusz, Jun 17, 2002)
Question:
How much does my retention drop when I use Postpone?
Answer:
For an ideally exponential forgetting curve we can show that:

Rd=e(ln(1-FI/100)*dp)

where:

Rd - retention after the delay caused by Postpone

FI - forgetting index (in percent)
d - delay factor in Postpone (i.e. the number by which the length of the interval is
multiplied)
p - the number of postpones (dp is here the cumulative postpone factor)

The table below shows that even a large number of postpones is insignificant as long as the
delay factor d is low (you can choose this number in the postpone dialog box). However, the
default delay factor of 1.1 will increase the forgetting index from 10% to 20% if postpone is
executed successfully seven times in succession.

Table: Increase in the measured forgetting index as a result of using Postpone among items
with the requested forgetting index equal to 10%. Grey column headers: delay factor. Yellow
row headers: number of postpones. Table body: measured forgetting index. Blue area:
measured forgetting index above 20%

p/d 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.05 1.1 1.2 1.3

1 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.5 10.9 11.9 12.8
2 10.2 10.4 10.6 11.0 12.0 14.1 16.3
3 10.3 10.6 10.9 11.5 13.1 16.6 20.7
 4 10.4 10.8 11.2 12.0 14.3 19.6 26.0
5 10.5 11.0 11.5 12.6 15.6 23.1 32.4
6 10.6 11.2 11.8 13.2 17.0 27.0 39.9
7 10.7 11.4 12.2 13.8 18.6 31.4 48.4
8 10.8 11.6 12.5 14.4 20.2 36.4 57.7
9 10.9 11.8 12.8 15.1 22.0 41.9 67.3
10 11.0 12.1 13.2 15.8 23.9 47.9 76.6
11 11.1 12.3 13.6 16.5 26.0 54.3 84.9
12 11.2 12.5 13.9 17.2 28.2 60.9 91.4
13 11.3 12.7 14.3 18.0 30.5 67.6 95.9
14 11.4 13.0 14.7 18.8 33.0 74.1 98.4
15 11.5 13.2 15.1 19.7 35.6 80.3 99.5

First meaningful split into difficulty categories occurs at first repetition

(Aaron Koller, USA Educational, Thu, Jun 13, 2002 5:25)
Question:
Ten days ago I had a collection with about 200 items in it. I reset the collection and learned all
200 items that day. Starting the next day, I added about 20-25 more items each day. My
problem is: SuperMemo is scheduling the next repetition for the newly added items up to 5
weeks in the future, seemingly without regard what score I give it. It seems I will certainly
forget an item I didn't know today if I won't seen it again until next month
Answer:
It takes time for SuperMemo to be highly accurate with ensuring the requested retention of
knowledge. Your poor grades next month will help it improve its performance. The first
interval of all new items is computed with the same forgetting curve. This means that both
difficult and easy items will be scheduled at the same time. The first grade given after this
uniform interval is the first tool SuperMemo uses to estimate item difficulty. It cannot use
grades provided while memorizing because these can pertain to completely unknown material
as well as to material that has just been introduced manually. If you scored excellent on those
first 200 items, all following items will be first scheduled at a much longer interval (i.e. the
optimum interval for new items whose difficulty is not known). In simple terms, SuperMemo
has no way of knowing that you have already worked with the first 200 items and your grades
are exceedingly good. Nor can it know that the follow-up items are far more difficult. The
only hint of irregularity will come with grades received in repetitions. For that reason you will
need to wait as long as the first interval (up to 20 days) and you will need to process
comparably many difficult items (i.e. around 200) to proportionally shorten the first interval.
The average first interval may reach 20 days, but rarely, due to interval dispersion you might
see items scheduled in over four weeks (i.e. 20 days plus the dispersion interval which follows
a normal distribution).

You have two choices:

1. wait until SuperMemo discovers the fact that your first 200 items were unusually easy
 2. use Tools : Statistics : Reset parameters : Optimization matrices to begin building
your memory model anew

A good practice is to keep all your knowledge in one collection to avoid similar deviant
behavior. All forms of intermittent learning (e.g. relearning the material, breaks in learning,
etc.) make it difficult for SuperMemo to build a good memory model

The optimum number of repetitions will depend on numerous factors

(BruceTrek, Sunday, March 10, 2002 7:20 AM)
Question:
Is there any research or general knowledge about the ideal number of repetitions to use when
you learn something new?
Answer:
There is no ideal number of repetitions. Depending on the student and the complexity of
knowledge, the optimum number of repetitions may vary from a few to dozens in lifetime. For
ill-structured knowledge, achieving retention of 90% may be practically impossible. The best
research tool here is SuperMemo. Its algorithm will attempt to predict how a single piece of
knowledge in your collection will fare. You can peek at Future repetitions field to see how
many repetitions are statistically expected within the next 30 years for the selected level of
knowledge retention for that particular piece of knowledge

SuperMemo should not be viewed as a cramming tool

(Gundam Fool, Monday, February 18, 2002 1:00 AM)
Question:
What about applicability? For example, I memorize a math formula with SuperMemo, should
I also add an item that makes me use this math formula so I also remember how to apply this
math formula to a problem? Or is the associative thinking part separate from SuperMemo and
I should only memorize facts and formulas?
Answer:
You can use SuperMemo to boost creative thinking as well. The optimum approach to
formulas will depend on your particular needs. Simple formulas may be self-containing and
applicable in many contexts without additional clues. The connection between others and
relevant models may be less clear. Then, depending on your needs and the priority of the
formula, you can add examples, anecdotes, loose associations, mutated formulas, formula
derivation, instances to solve, etc. If you do not have much experience with SuperMemo, start
with raw formulas and see how they work in practice. If a formula becomes "dry" and
unassociative, you can support it with additional material. You can, for example, think over
the formula and its known association and describe it in prose in your own words. Then you
can dismantle that prose in incremental reading and gradually build a better understanding of
the formula's applicability. Using prose and incremental reading will be equivalent to
perpetuating your today's understanding of the formula and, as a bonus, deepening
associations with individual components of the model

SuperMemo does not use microspacing of repetitions

(mgpatterson, Thursday, August 23, 2001 5:16 AM)
Question:
While I have complete confidence in SuperMemo scheduling algorithms, I needed to modify
the operation of the final drill. From my research I've concluded that it is critical during initial
encoding (when a student is first learning an item) that they are required to recall it at least 3
times during a 30-minute window--even though they may fully "know" the item each time.
This repeated micro-spaced active recall (overlearning) leads to a neurochemical cascade that
shifts the association into Intermediate-Term memory (lasting up to 3 days)
Answer:
Unfortunately, we cannot agree that microspacing is an effective way of using student's time.
We are not aware of neurochemical variables needed to consolidate long-term memory other
than those described in the SuperMemo model. In this light, final drill is only needed as a tool
for coping with negligent/imperfect repetitions. Ideally, a single repetition and activation of
short-term memory is all that is needed to begin the long-term consolidation phase. We are
open to discussing your research in detail though

Forgetting curve for ill-formulated items is flattened

(anonymous, Wednesday, July 25, 2001 2:54 PM)
Question:
I had a 5-months break in using SuperMemo. I resumed my repetitions and noticed that I still
remembered many items. Initially, SuperMemo asked me to repeat difficult items (e.g.
enumerations). To my surprise, I remembered many of these items. SuperMemo required a 15
days interval, while I made my repetitions after 150 days and still succeeded. I no longer
believe in the optimality of the SuperMemo algorithm. Probably it is 10 times worse than
optimal
Answer:
Your results are in full compliance with theoretical expectations. It is no surprise that
SuperMemo initially tossed the most difficult items at you, and it is no surprise that you
showed remarkable recall on these items. Those items clearly belong to those that have not
been formulated in compliance with representation rules (e.g. enumerations are notoriously
difficult). If you imagine memories as sets of apples (you can see an apple as a single synapse
in the brain), good memories are like small collections of well-polished apples. Bad memories
(e.g. enumerations, complex items, ambiguous items, etc.) are like large collections of apples
of which few are spoilt. Naturally, spoilt apples rot fast and make recall difficult. After just 15
days, all spoilt apples might have been rotten. During the remaining 150 days, the remaining
apples rot very slowly. Hence the typical departure of wrongly formulated items from the
shape of the classical forgetting curve. For bad items, the curve is flattened (as an expected
superposition of several Ebbinghausian curves). SuperMemo blindly obeys your recall
criteria. If it takes 15 days to ensure 98% recall, SuperMemo will take no consideration of the
fact that at 150 days you may still show 95% recall. This is why SuperMemo 2000 or later
includes leech management. It makes it easy to identify bad items and use auto-postpone or
auto-forget options. Auto-postpone will do exactly what you expect, i.e. delay bad items with
little impact on overall retention. Auto-forget will help you rebuild memories from scratch.
Occasionally, the newly established memory representation will click and your recall will
improve. Naturally, the best method against bad items is the use of appropriate representation
(see: 20 rules of formulating knowledge for learning). Interestingly, SuperMemo can never
predict the moment of forgetting of a single item. Forgetting is a stochastic process and can
only operate on averages. A frequently propagated fallacy about SuperMemo is that it predicts
the exact moment of forgetting: this is not true, and this is not possible. What SuperMemo
does is a search for intervals at which items of given difficulty are likely to show a given
probability of forgetting (e.g. 5%). If you look for a numerical measure of the algorithm's
inaccuracy, instead of comparing intervals you should rather compare retention levels as the
retention is the optimization criterion here. Even for a pure negatively exponential forgetting
curve, a 10-fold deviation in interval estimation will result in R2=exp(10*ln(R1)) difference in
retention. This is equivalent to a drop from 98% to 81%. For a flattened forgetting curve
typical of badly-formulated items, this drop may be as little as 98%->95%

Flatter forgetting curve does not increase optimum interval

(Tomasz P. Szynalski, Saturday, August 04, 2001 5:53 AM)
Question:
If the forgetting curve is flatter for difficult items, I will remember them for a longer time,
right? Does that suggest that ill-formulated items are remembered better?
Answer:
No. Flattened forgetting curve will increase retention measurements in intervals that are a
multiple of the optimum interval as compared with the typical negatively exponential curve
for well-structured material. However, the optimum intervals for ill-formulated items will
expectedly be shorter as can be observed on the first interval graph in Tools : Statistics :
Analysis : Graphs : First Interval. The smoothness of this graph depends on the number of
repetitions recorded. In the picture below, over 90,000 repetitions have been recorded
There is no remedy to interference
(Justin, Wed, Nov 07, 2001 23:58)
Question:
What should I do when I get two successive elements that are identical but flipped (i.e. the
question goes in the place of the answer)? The first card obviously "refreshes" my memory --
so the "testing" of the second item is inaccurate. I usually just click Fail ('D'), which is bad for
the learning process
Answer:
Your only remedy is introspection and an honest attempt to estimate how you would have
scored had the refreshing item not been presented. Otherwise, scoring Bad or Fail should not
do much damage to the learning process. In the long run (i.e. when intervals increase) and
with a high volume of the learning material, this is usually not a problem to worry about.
Successive occurrence of similar items is rare in such circumstances
20 rules of formulating knowledge and SuperMemo Decalog are springboards for
learning with SuperMemo
(Spud Science, USA, Feb 14, 1998)
Question:
What is the best (most effective) way to set up a new series of question and answer pairs in
SuperMemo?
Answer:
See: 20 rules of formulating knowledge. See also: SuperMemo Decalog. For a more academic
reading in the subject you can have a look at Knowledge Structuring and Representation...

Tackling contextual dependency during repetitions

(Jake White, USA, May 14, 1997)
Question:
Should not final drill continue keeping a queue of no less than 10 newly learned words in
order to make sure that when repeated again and again they will really be imprinted well in
short-term memory.
Answer:
This solution may indeed eliminate contextual dependency in final drill (remembering items
only because of having them in a given context); however, this would involve lots of extra
repetitions that would contradict the principle of SuperMemo: maximum effect at minimum
time. Additionally, the learner would risk activating the spacing effect, i.e. reducing the
probability of recall as a result of excessive repetition! The best solution to contextual
dependency is:

1. random shuffling of final drill queue with Tools : Randomize : Drill, and
2. concentration (not grading well items that were remembered only due to appearing in
a given context).

For example, import your mind map as graphics to an image component and check Answer
on the image component menu. Add a text component, e.g. "What is the structure of mind
map X?".
During repetitions grade yourself less than Pass (3) each time your forget any part of the mind
map! Do not forget that you should reinforce "weak links" in the mind map with separately
formulated items of simple question-answer or question-picture form. Each time you forget
part of the mind map, see if you have reinforced the forgotten links in separate items!

No specialist knowledge is needed to prepare simple material collection in SuperMemo

(Anatolyi Lipatov, Ukraine, Jul 12, 1998)
Question:
I am using Advanced English to enhance my English and business English. Now I am
registering for CFA examination (that is Chartered Financial Analyst program of Association
of Investment Management and Research). There are several organizations developing and
distributing methodological stuff for preparing to the exam. A lot of things should be
memorized for passing the exam. What do you think the best way to fit SuperMemo for
memorization is and what approach should I use to prepare my own knowledge base for
memorizing the material. Is special programming knowledge needed for it?
Answer:
No specialist knowledge is needed to prepare simple learning material collection in
SuperMemo. With Alt+A (i.e. Add new) you get the core functionality! All advanced editing
options can be worked around by an appropriate questions-and-answer approach. Perhaps it
would be useful yet to learn how to add images to your items (see help for details). To learn
more about effectively structuring knowledge in SuperMemo you might want to read 20 Rules
of Formulating Knowledge and Knowledge Structuring and Representation; however, nothing
works better as learning on one's own mistakes in formulating knowledge for learning with
SuperMemo

Forgetting index vs. retention

(Tomasz Szynalski, Poland, Oct 18, 1998)
Question:
What value of the forgetting index ensures the optimum ratio of (retention)/(time spent per
day)?
Answer:
Paradoxically, the highest speed of learning can be accomplished ... without SuperMemo! In
our daily life we pick up lots of facts that stay in our memory for long with few repetitions in
lifetime! The problem is that these are usually not exactly the facts or rules that are critical to
our goals. In other words, not the speed of acquiring new items counts but the speed of
acquiring new items bearing a given content.

It is difficult to determine exactly what forgetting index brings the highest acquisition rate.
Simulation experiments have consistently pointed to the value of 25-30%. You can even plot
speed-vs.-forgetting graph using your own actual learning material in SuperMemo using
Tools : Statistics : Simulation. You will probably also arrive to similar results

As you perhaps know, SuperMemo disallows of the forgetting index above 20%. This comes
from the fact that you should aim at achieving high speed of learning combined with high
retention of the learned material. Setting the forgetting index above 20% would be like giving
up SuperMemo altogether and coming back to remembering only that what is easy to
remember. In highly interlinked material where new knowledge depends on the previously
acquired knowledge, high forgetting rate can even be more harmful

Nevertheless, if you want to maximize the speed of learning with little control over what
actually stays in your memory, set the forgetting index to 20%

Breaking one long repetition session into a few smaller ones is generally beneficial
(Robert Szumilo, Poland, Jan 3, 1999)
Question:
What is the optimum approach to making repetitions with SuperMemo: one long session or a
few smaller sessions (e.g. main repetitions in the morning and the final drill in the evening)?
Answer:
For psychological reasons, the quality of learning should increase substantially when working
in separate sessions, esp. if the number of repetitions surpasses 100 per day. Additionally, a
break before final drill is useful due to the spacing effect. The danger of this approach is ...
you can easily drive yourself into a situation in which you will spend excessive proportion of
your day on repetitions (in the future when your schedule changes you might have problems
with keeping up with your present pace)

Five-day exposure is not enough to retain 65% of knowledge for 15 years to life
(Tony D'Angelo, USA, Feb 3, 1999)
Question:
I am a management consultant who uses professional development programs from a company
called Resource Associates Corporation. These programs are based upon spaced repetition
learning. In their literature they cite an unnamed study that suggests that people will generally
only retain 2% of information they are exposed to in a one time event after 2 weeks. In
contrast they suggest that at least 65% of information delivered over 5 consecutive days may
be retained for 15 years to life. Can you confirm those claims?
Answer:
If you look at the graphs generated by SuperMemo during the learning process, you will
notice that the 2% figure might be true depending on how the material has been presented and
its difficulty. However, the claim that 65% of knowledge can be retained for 15 years as a
result of five-day exposure must be false in the same light. Even if we consider perfectly
formulated knowledge (i.e. knowledge characterized by the highest possible A-Factor), you
might need to space the quoted five exposures in the period of 2-3 years to make the 65%
figure realistic. If the quoted figures were accurate, you would probably never need to use
SuperMemo! For more details on the speed of learning, see Theoretical aspects of
SuperMemo

Your repetition schedule in SuperMemo will never become overbooked

(Lawrence A. MacDonald, USA, Feb 16, 1999)
Question:
What is the result on scheduling in the future when you add a question every day? At what
point does your future schedule become vastly over booked?
Answer:
The beautiful thing about SuperMemo is that overbooking never happens! Your question and
worry is typical for those who begin their work with SuperMemo. Please have a look at
simulation experiments that show that the learning curve, in the long perspective, is nearly
linear, i.e. it does not bend as a result of "overbooking"! In practice, you will be able to notice
the decline in the speed of learning for no more than a year. Later the slowdown is minimum
and entirely imperceptible! The mathematical explanation of this is quite complex. The
measurements show that you spend 50% of time on just 2.5% of the material! Imagine then
that the memorized material quickly reaches high intervals and disappears from view. You
just constantly struggle with newly memorized items and items that you find difficult to
remember

SuperMemo will likely help you strengthen your mnemonic skills

(Tomasz Szkopek, Poland, Feb 25, 1999)
Question:
Does using SuperMemo increase the capacity of the human brain for learning with traditional
methods?
Answer:
SuperMemo is likely to strengthen your mnemonic capacity. It is does not include any
specific options for that purpose, it simply acts as a training tool via repetition. Your
mnemonic techniques will develop subconsciously as a result of training the same way like
muscles grow as a result of lifting weights. However, this should not be treated as a substitute
for a course in mnemonic techniques.
Secondly, recent research shows that the brain continues growing new neurons and new
synapses even at a very advanced age. This process is dramatically enhanced by rich
environment and intellectual stimulation. It is possible that a 40-minute session with
SuperMemo also acts as a good stimulant of these growth and development processes (as
much as any challenging intellectual activity)

Postpone is a tool for those unable to spend time on learning on certain days
(M.R.W., Poland, March 24, 2000)
Question:
SuperMemo does not seem to provide enough support for those who cannot afford to spend
their time daily on regular repetitions. The daily regimen may discourage a large number of
potential users. Sometimes one would like to double the effort. On other occasions, one might
not feel like working with the program at all. For example, I could never convince my father
to use SuperMemo. When he comes back from work, he is often too tired to watch TV, let
alone make repetitions. Do you plan to include special tools that would make it possible to
learn only on weekends or exclude certain days of the week?
Answer:
Weekly calendar of repetitions is in consideration; however, this option adds complexity
without actually providing much learning benefit. It may actually appear harmful:

1. daily repetition regimen comes from the properties of human memory, not from the
design of SuperMemo. All delays in making repetitions are unwelcome and should be
discouraged
2. we have documented dozens of cases in which users regularly abused Tools : Mercy
and ultimately concluded that SuperMemo does not work! Those users blamed
SuperMemo, not their own lack of regularity! We have even removed an infamous
tool from SuperMemo 7 called Wipe that made it possible to reduce workload by
removing the most difficult items. This tool, despite warnings, have ruined the
learning process of many users who used it as the shortest way to spending less time
on repetitions
3. most of users who prefer SuperMemo for Palm Pilot as opposed to SuperMemo for
Windows list its simplicity as an advantage second only to portability. Despite its high
satisfaction ratings, the main complaint about SuperMemo for Windows is its
complexity and featuritis (i.e. too many features)
4. there is a very simple way towards freeing the user from the daily regimen of
repetitions: hiding the statistics. With statistics hidden, the student can delay
repetitions without the sense of guilt. He or she can also triple the workload on good
days. However, experiments show that in such cases, users add much more learning
material that they are able to repeat. This results in significant repetition delays, and a
 dramatic increase in forgetting. Consequently, the learning process becomes similar to
traditional learning, learning results unimpressive and a drop-out rate very high
5. users who are truly unable to spend their time on learning on certain days are
encouraged to use Postpone

How can I review my material on the same day I add it to SuperMemo?

(NamJongmin, , Monday, October 12, 2009 2:35 PM)
Question:
Why is that I can't review the material right away, but have to wait a couple of days. I know
that's to achieve the benefit of spacing effect. Yet, is there a way to review the material right
away?
Answer:
We do not review the material on the same day because of the spacing effect that will make
the review ineffective or even counterproductive. We also do not do it to have more time for
learning new material, or for doing other things. If you add learning material to SuperMemo
today, and you do it with deliberation, reviewing it right away is tantamount to cramming, and
you should restort to it only in emergencies (e.g. if your exam comes tomorrow). To review
your new items on the next day, open the item set in the browser and choose Learning :
Review All. To review your items yet today, choose Tools : Random Test instead. Note that
Random Test will leave no trace of the review in your learning process. This means that
SuperMemo will not take a correction for whatever memory effect you will manage to
produce with instant review.

Medical knowledge: too much!

(German Salazar Pareja, Dec 29, 2009)
Question:
You write that "the demands of a medical school go well beyond the human capacity to learn.
That's a norm for most schools. Even SuperMemo is powerless here". This is a fallacy, more
than one million physicians in the world are your proof. Human capacity to learn is huge. Not
infinite, but huge. I don't have the numbers about this capacity, but I could search it if
necessary. However, I've also struggled during my med school years, probably because I was
concerned with learning the most I could. I believe medical school curricula is designed with
other purposes in mind, through you career you'll always have time constrains, the ones who
survive this selective process are not only those who study most, but those who learn how to
deal the the problem of time constraints and still can do the most of the learning in med
school
Answer:
You need to interpret the quoted sentence in the context of SuperMemo. Basically, in the
context of SuperMemo, cramming is not considered a form of learning. Consequently, the
capacity to learn, should be understood as the lifetime capacity of the long-term memory
storage rather than the ability to store a large volume of information in memory in a short
period of time (e.g. before an exam). Similarly, demands of a medical school, should be
interpreted as the student-perceived demands on what material is absolutely necessary to
know. Those demands are quite different from what material is actually known at graduation
(let alone a few years after the graduation). Using this interpretation, if you raise the bar for
what you consider "learned", and raise the bar for what you think you need to know, you
arrive at the point where it is not possible to learn all that you think you should know as a
medical graduate. There are indeed millions of active physicians today, however, each would
fail some basic medical knowlege questions when tested today. This is not to say that all
physicials are bad physicians. This is only to say that each and every human being, however
smart, has his or her own patches of ignorance, even within his or her own field of expertise.

Two methods can be used to easily illustrate how university knowledge exceeds human
capacity to learn:

5 years after graduation, nearly all students would fail nearly all exams they have
passed previously (with exceptions for those who specialize in given areas, or for
exams that cover the foundations of other branches of knowledge). This is true for
other types of schools as well. It can be demonstrated in an even more dramatic
manner when top graduates may have problems with pointing to a single fact or rule
they have learned in a given course as soon as a decade later (even though they may
still retain a great deal of passive knowledge in the subject)
It is pretty hard to sustain the rate of 30 new items/day in SuperMemo during the
whole college or university period. And yet a student with 50,000 well-remembered,
well-structured and well-understood items will easily meet the criteria of a stellar
graduate (using knowledge as the sole criterion). 30 items/day cover only a tiny
fraction of what students get fed daily with a teacher's emphasis: this is the knowledge
that is absolutely necessary (implying: your graduation, your honor, and people's lives
will depend on it)

Teachers may be right when placing the emphasis on the value of knowledge. Yet students, to
avoid frustration, must also understand the limitations of the human mind. Anyone who hopes
to cover the entire material required in medical school exams in SuperMemo will face a
breaking point sooner or later. This breakdown should not be interpreted as a failure, but as an
incentive to make a reasonable selection in what is absolutely necessary to know, and what
can be left to the unreliable traditional way of learning. And yes, the traditionall learning
carries the benefits that include the basis for the selective survival of the fittest students. The
present message is not targeted at schools to de-emphasize the value of knowledge, but to
students to plan early for material overflow and for the resulting need to prioritize.

The term "staggered learning" may sometimes be used to describe "spaced learning"
(SKlein, Holland, Tuesday, December 05, 2000 7:32 AM)
Question:
What is the difference between staggered learning and learning based on spaced repetition?
Answer:
The term "staggered learning" is not used often. It may refer to intermittent learning or
learning based on repetition and review. It is used in reference to the curriculum rather than
the method of learning. Probably, its association with spaced repetition comes from the fact
that it was used in the context of the Leitner method which is a very old form of spaced
repetition