Shamim's Guide - Intro To ANKI

7/26/2019 Shamim's Guide to Medical School Using Anki (USMLE Step 1 and Class) — SHAMIM AHMED
MED SCHOOL ART RESOURCES ABOUT
Shamim's Guide to Medical School Using Anki

(USMLE Step 1 and Class)
January 24, 2019
Article Contents
1. Downloading Anki and Add-ons
2. Setting up Anki
3. What to do every day
4. Important Tips
5. Faster Alternate Scheduling Method
6. Further Reading
All updated sections are marked with § (Updated Jan 24, 2019).
I’ve been using Anki since day one of medical school with great success. It has allowed me to have
a life outside of studying by freeing up time for leisure, basketball, gymming, hanging out,
tutoring, research, school club events, and more on top of all the material we have to study for
classes. I never crammed for a single exam in medical school using this method. I constantly get
asked about how to use Anki. Most people start using Anki and give it up shortly afterwards
because of the steep learning curve in trying to figure out the software and mobile apps. For that
reason, I am going to lay out how to use Anki for the first two years of medical school. I won’t go
into why Anki works and how great it is, there are hundreds of articles on the internet detailing
that (check the bottom of this article). For now, you should to do as I say and trust the process,
but those of you who are curious I recommend reading the official Anki manual. These will be a
series of posts about how to use Anki in different areas of studying such as for boards and for
https://medshamim.com/med/anki-step-one 1/22
class. I tried to keep this tutorial as concise as possible without compromising anything. Stick
with it and I promise you huge payoffs. If you have any questions, just reach out to me.
Downloading Anki and Add-ons

Before you can follow along in setting up Anki, you will need to download the following. You can
download Anki 2.0 or 2.1, whichever you prefer.
Anki for Mac/Windows
Once you’ve installed Anki, you should download a few add-ons to optimize your experience.
Read more about recommended Add-ons for Anki
Downloading Decks
After installing all of the above, restart Anki and all the addons should fire up. Now that you
have the scaffolding, it’s time to download decks and start using them. One of the best decks out
there is the Zanki deck created by an anonymous medical student and edited/updated constantly
by the Reddit community. This deck has detailed cards from all of First Aid plus Pathoma, BRS
Physio, Sketchy Medical, and Kaplan Lecture Notes. There are other popular decks so pick one
you like. My system will work with any deck as long as the cards are organized by tags. If you
wish to use a deck which is not organized by hierarchical tags, you have to tag the cards yourself
or download an auto tagger add-on. These decks can be found in the sidebar of the Medical
School Anki Subreddit. I do not take credit for creating any of these decks and all copyrighted
information/images belong to their respectful owners.
To install a deck, download it and double click on the .apkg file.
Setting Up Anki
Now that you have all that you need in your hands, it’s time to
set up the cards. Your main screen of Anki should look like this
You need to do a few more things before you can continue.

Click the [Sync] button on the top right hand corner and create
an AnkiWeb account (it’s free and allows you to sync between
all your devices). Then go to [Anki] ⟶ [Preferences] and have
the settings for each tab as follows:
Click the gear icon next to the main decks to open up [Options]. The [Options group:] should be
[Default]. You can create multiple option groups for different decks but I like to keep it simple by
only having two (I’ll explain why in just a bit). For the [Default] options group, change the
settings as shown below:
As you are still on the Options menu, click the gear icon and [Add] an options group called “50N
50R Ordered”. Now for this options group, change the settings as shown below:
Anki allows you to have a different options group for each deck
but you really need just two, the default and the one you
customized. Initially, all decks should be set to Default. To
change the options in bulk, click the gear icon next to the main
decks, click the gear again in the options group ⟶ click [Set
for all subdecks]. The decks titled “Combined Current” and
“Combined Review” should have an Options-group setting of “50N 50R Ordered”.
The “Combined Current” deck will include any cards that you are studying for your current
module.
The “Combined Review” deck will include everything that you’ve already covered minus the
current module stuff.
You are almost ready to start studying. First, go to the Browser and click [Whole Collection].
Highlight all of the cards and click [Suspend]. Suspended cards will be highlighted in yellow.
As you approach a system, open up the browser ⟶ go to the relevant subdeck by clicking on the
tags next to the browser ⟶ un-suspend any card that is relevant to you from that sub-deck.
Optionally, move those cards to the 'Combined Current' deck if you are studying them for a
current module. Having the “Combined Current” deck allows you to prioritize cards for your
current module if you ever fall behind on reviewing old stuff). Once an exam is over, move all the
cards from “Combined Current” back to “Combined Review”, and repeat this process for the next
exam. Using this system, you should be chiseling away at the "Combined Review" deck day by day
until all cards are eventually 'Mature' and are solidly ingrained in your mind.
At the end of a module/class, keep in mind the suspended cards that you never went through for
that module because either your curriculum did not cover them or you just didn't feel like
studying them. These cards are still considered high yield according to First Aid and Pathoma so
I recommend un-suspending them at some point and going through them just like your regular
cards. As for cards that you made for class during a current module, it is up to you if you want to
continue studying them or suspend them indefinitely (never delete them). I like to continue
studying them since the interval keeps getting longer and longer and it takes very little time to
review.
What to do Every Day
If you follow my method, you will have 3

decks to study from each day (Class +
Combined Current + Combined Review).
Ideally, you will almost never have new cards
in the ‘Combined Review’ deck. Click the
[Stats] icon from the main decks and see how
many new cards you have waiting for you.
Now count the number of days you have

before your next exam minus a few days. In
the Combined decks, take the total number
of new cards and divide by the number of
days you have to study. This is how many new
cards you have to complete each day so that
you finish the deck before your exam. You will do the same for the ‘Class’ deck with cards that
you made from your lecture material. Since you will not have the class cards pre-made, estimate
how many you will make for each lecture, add up the total, and divide by the number of days to
see how many new lecture cards you should do per day. Ideally, you won’t have to calculate this
because you should be completing all newly made lecture cards the day they are made. (Ex. If for
the current deck I have 550 cards and I want to complete them in 14 days. 550/14 = about 40 new
cards per day)
You study session should follow this sequence: ⟶ ‘Class’ ⟶ ‘Combined Current’ ⟶ ‘Combined
Review’. Once you finish studying a deck you will see a ‘Congratulations’ screen stating that you
have finished your reviews for the day ("Today's review limit has been reached, but there are still
cards waiting to be reviewed. For optimum memory, consider increasing the daily limit in the
options"). Because the options for these decks are set to 50 New and 50 Review cards, you may
still have cards remaining. Always remember the number of new cards you have to complete for
each deck per day. On the ‘Congratulations’ screen, click [Custom Study] and the first two
option will show you how many total New and Review cards you have remaining in the deck.
Select ‘Increase today’s new card limit’ and add cards on top of the 50 so you can reach your daily
requirement. Do the same for reviews. Ideally, you want to complete ALL due review cards for
each day. The 50N 50R setting allows you to have control over how many reviews you are doing
so to not get overwhelmed on busy days. If you do happen to fall back on reviews, just increase
the number the next day to make up (missed reviews always carry over to the next day).
Faster Alternate Scheduling Method (Optional)
§ If you feel overwhelmed by the daunting task of

completing a giant deck, you can actually double your
pace by tweaking one small setting. I was able to get
through a deck of 29,000 cards in two months using
this method. I will however warn you that you will be
sacrificing some retention for speed. Retention and
speed are opposites by nature whether you’re using
Anki or not. I was willing to risk losing a little bit of
retention in return for saving a LOT of time, and in
hindsight it was absolutely worth it. I was able to focus
on other high yield resources such as question banks
and review books with the time I saved.
To implement this, open up the settings for a deck and enter the number 10 under ‘Steps’. This
setting means that if you answer a card correctly, it will ‘graduate’ to the next interval
immediately, and if you answer it incorrectly, you will see it again within 10 minutes. This
method in a way turns your deck into a giant quiz: simply press ‘good’ if you know the answer or
press ‘again’ if you don’t. I recommend this setting for people who are stressed for time or those
who are starting late.
Important Tips
• Anki is a commitment, for the best results you must study your cards EVERY SINGLE
DAY, no excuses!
• When studying, you should always hit [Good] when seeing a new card for the first time.
When that card comes again, hit [Good] if you remember it or [Again] if you don’t. Same
goes for reviews and old cards. Never hit [Easy] unless you know the card cold and can
recite it in your sleep.
• Study in Pomodoro intervals, otherwise it can get mundane sometimes.
• Don’t seek to be a perfectionist, just make the damn cards however you can and do them!
• Download Anki on your phone and study while you commute, wait on lines, exercise, etc…
• Check out this SubReddit for inspirational music to study to.
Common Questions
[Preferences] Explained
Show new cards after reviews: This setting is preferred because reviews are critically more
important than new cards for the spaced repetition algorithm to work. Always prioritize reviews
over new cards. Having the custom option of "50N 50R Ordered" allows you to be in control just
in case you need to prioritize new cards on a particular day maybe because you are behind or
whatever. On a day like this, do the 50 reviews which will take no more than 15 minutes and then
just complete new cards until you are caught up.
[Options] Explained
Steps: 3 15: This means that when you answer ‘Good’ on a card, it will be shown again within 15
minutes. When shown again and you hit ‘Again’ which means you forgot the card, it will be
shown to you within 3 minutes once again. This continues until the card “Graduates” to the next
interval. This setting alone ensures Anki’s failsafe method for memorizing. It does not allow you
to move on from a fact until you know it.
Maximum interval: The maximum number of days a card can go without you seeing it.
*Refer to the official Anki manual for all the intricate details. The settings I’ve explained are mostly
default with a few exceptions. These settings are backed up by a ton of research by people like Piotr
Wozniak and other geniuses so don’t tinker with them too much.*
Further Reading
• High yield resources for medical school
• 6 Steps to make high yield Anki cards
• 5 Must-have add-ons for Anki
• How to design beautiful Anki cards
• Anki for mobile devices
• Frequently asked questions about Anki and USMLE
• Comment below and recommend what I should write about next!
If you found an error in this article or just want to say hi, message me.
All the best,

Shamim Ahmed <3
Share 36 Likes
How to Hyperspeed Through Anki Reviews

Using a Timer →
Comments (49)
Most Liked Subscribe via e-mail
Preview POST COMMENT…
Michael Shain 7 months ago · 1 Like
So after you finish the first run-through of your class cards, do you then add them to the
combined current deck until the exam? Or do they always stay in the class cards deck?
Thanks!
Balkis Zaitoun 5 days ago · 0 Likes
I have the same question!
Fawkesfire19 A year ago · 1 Like
Hey Shamim! So I want to do the Zanki step 2 CK deck. I've changed my settings to yours
except that I do not have the combined current and combined review deck. I just do a
subdeck in Zanki. Would the settings and preferences that you've recommend be all right?
Also I've changed the max interval to 15 days like Zanki himself did. PL help! Thanks so
much for this guide. Really appreciate it.
Andy Wong A year ago · 1 Like
Absolutely amazing, I'm an incoming year 1 student and I am trying to do as much

research as I can prior to starting.
This guide has been really helpful, thank you! I'm looking forward to your future posts
especially your workflow for studying, and how to create high yield cards from lecture.
S A year ago · 1 Like
Thanks so much, this helped heaps!!! Can't wait for your other guides, especially the one
on creating cards on lecture material, because that's what I struggle with the most. It
always takes so long!
You're an absolute legend.
Shamim Ahmed A year ago · 0 Likes
Thank you :) Check out the new posts on how to make cards.
Austin A year ago · 1 Like
This is incredible - I just had one quick question. After moving the cards from the Zanki
deck into "combined current" or "combined review", does that mean at the end of this
process my Zanki decks will be totally empty? I like having their hierarchical structure but
I guess this means I'll just have to depend on the tags?
Hey Austin, please read the updates, it should clarify most of your concerns.
Noelle 3 months ago · 0 Likes
Austin - I had the same question - Shamim does explain it in this article but this
video goes into more detail https://youtu.be/KPy16t1d_eQ - I hope this helps you!
Shamim, thank you for your generosity and taking the time to share your work with
us! So helpful! You are on my list of people to thank on this journey of medicine.
fren A year ago · 1 Like
This is so helpful, thank you so much for this post! I'm a heavy Anki user but I love seeing
how other people use it, what settings and deck preferences they have etc. Can't wait to see
your upcoming posts! :D
jess A year ago · 1 Like
This is incredible. I can't thank you enough. It's stuff like this that makes me so grateful to
be a medical student with peers that are such good humans. Take care.
Glad to call you a friend and a future colleague. Thank you so much :)
Balkis Zaitoun 5 days ago · 0 Likes
the option group for the Class deck is "50N 50R" or "default"?
Also, after i'm done with a module/exam, do I move cards from Class deck to Combined
Review or do they stay in Class deck?
And does this studying method involve using anki ONLY? And not referring back to the
lecture slides/books/etc before the exam? if yes, does this mean that i'll never study the
low-yield information since the cards cover only what is high-yield?
Thank you Shamim!
Sandry 4 months ago · 0 Likes
Hello,
Would you be willing to teach a group of students the basics of using Anki?
ell 6 months ago · 0 Likes
does the image say 315 or 3 15 ? first options default setting new cards steps in minutes...?
Med Careers 6 months ago · 0 Likes
Choosing a profession relating to health or medical career is a rewarding job but, also a
tough one. It is important to know where you are passionate and pursue that dream of
yours! Thank you for sharing this helpful information.
Sara 6 months ago · 0 Likes
Hi Shamim : I want to know about Anki Deck for step 1 .

If I have a deck with 1500 cards given by my friend and I want to review it Subject wise.
How do u set it to see all cards of one subject together (eg Biochemistry Cards only)
Thanks in advance
Sara
Jenny 7 months ago · 0 Likes
Hi! So did you have the Zanki deck (or whichever pre-made deck you used) separate from
your Combined Review and Combined Current decks, or did you move cards from the
Zanki deck into your CC and CR ones? If the latter, did moving the cards disrupt the tag
structure of the original deck? I'm trying to figure out if will be moving all the Zanki cards
to my CR deck by the time dedicated comes around or if I should preserve the Zanki deck
structure as it is right now. Thank you!
Basim Ali 7 months ago · 0 Likes
Hi Shamim (and other Anki users). In your opinion and experience, is it advisable to
suspend cards which you think you already know very well (the first time you come across
them) and don't wish to repeat or take to maturation? Thanks!
Jamie 8 months ago · 0 Likes
So if I am using Anki, Lightyear, Pathoma cards, and want to suspend all, and then
unsuspend them according to the subject being covered at that time in my module, how
do I categorize them? Do I start with all of them in class, move them to combined current
during the module before an exam, and then move them to combined review after an
exam?
JS 8 months ago · 0 Likes
Thank you so much!

Would it be possible to have an entry of Anki jargon? I'm not sure what "maturing" a card
is. An M2 also told me that there is a difference between "making" an Anki card and
"doing" an Anki card. I am not sure what anything means in the Anki Cult haha.
Katy 10 months ago · 0 Likes
I’m a bit confused on how you utilize the 3 decks (class, combined current and combined
review) when using a pre-built deck like Zanki. Do you just migrate the cards? What’s the
best way to make sure you are getting a full view of the material?
dan 10 months ago · 0 Likes
thanks!
furqan 11 months ago · 0 Likes
Hi! I reached half way through and i'm having a lot of trouble seeing the screenshots
clearly. they are all really blurry and i cant make out the numbers set in the options. is it
just me or do other people have this problem as well?
furqan 11 months ago · 0 Likes
just to clarify, this is only for the pictures when you click on the gear icon to set up
the default and create another option group
Daniel Mo 11 months ago · 0 Likes
Shamim, Thank you so much for your help on putting this guide together and for the
tutorial. I was wondering if you could let me know which deck was the base used to create
the deck that you created. Was this the pepper deck and zanki?
Michelle 11 months ago · 0 Likes
Can you explain when/why to use the 50N 50R setting? I'm not sure I understand the
difference between that and the default.
sooma 11 months ago · 0 Likes
Please help me!! I downloaded a deck from the link and realized it's the add on. I just
installed anki, I'm not sure I downloaded the right link,should I start all over again? there's
no decks called combined and current combined?!
Nadia 11 months ago · 0 Likes
Thank you so much! I'm first year and have been struggling to find the best way to study
via Anki. This seems like an amazing help! I was wondering how you would recommend
studying lecture material throughout the week, when to create the cards and how you'd
review them. Any help would be great :) thank you again!
David A year ago · 0 Likes
Hi, I'm not from medical school but I'd like to understand the difference between the deck
Class and Combined Current. I thought that Combined Current will be the current classes
you're taking in, but then the deck Class is for what? Can you explain it a little further for
me? (I'm going to use this approach for law school).
magnust A year ago · 0 Likes
how do you find the relevant cards to study for each topic? for example anatomy? do you
just go to "browse" and then go into "whole Collection" and in there type in a keyword, like
"Biochemistry" and unsuspend it? when i search in the "whole collection" for biochemistry,
nothing comes up, so i'm confused! any help greatly appreciated :)
Alejandro A year ago · 0 Likes
Hello, excellent post and very informative!
One question though, how can I properly use the combined current deck since I may have
not covered the material yet on some of the cards that show up? Or am I supposed to
review the new material from the cards as I go even if I have not yet seen them in class?
Thank you so much for this awesome and complete guide.
Katelyn A year ago · 0 Likes
Hello-
Thank you so much for the great review! Just wondering if I'm doing something wrong
because when I click on psychiatry, for example, no cards come up yet it's shown as a tag.
Is there a different way of finding all the cards for my psychiatry/GI/CV systems? Thanks
again!
DMedStudent A year ago · 0 Likes
Many thanks for your work. However, as a long term Anki-user I find also many useful
informations here. But please one question: Can you please copy the front template /
styling / back template as a content and explain these useful function? I'd never worked
with these options and I've no idea how this works. Thanks a lot!
Adam A year ago · 0 Likes
This is awesome man. From med school in Texas~!
Howdy! Best of luck on this journey man :)
Someone A year ago · 0 Likes
Shamin, thank you for putting this guide together. I've been wanting to get into Anki for
the longest time, but have always been putting it off because of the steep learning curve.
hmd A year ago · 0 Likes
Thank you so much! I had no idea on how to use Anki so I've just been winging it and I
see I haven't been using it correctly at all... You're awesome!
anki_lr A year ago · 0 Likes
Any thoughts on the new Lightyear deck over at medschoolankI?
Austin A year ago · 0 Likes
what is the class deck for if all current material for an exam is in the combined current?
'Combined Current' and 'Combined Review' will have only premade cards. The
Class deck will have cards that you made. I personally don't like to mix them in the
same deck.
Austin A year ago · 0 Likes
okay, so if you do not mix premade and self made cards then what to do with
the self made class cards after the exam? delete, suspend, what?
Danny A year ago · 0 Likes
I was wondering the same thing--what do you do with the "class" cards
after you've finished that block?
Hey, you can read the update that I just made. Basically you can suspend them or
continue to study them, it's all up to the amount of time you have and the work
you're willing to do.
Rob A year ago · 0 Likes
Great! Great! Stuff..
For Clarification:
Class Deck = Material I covered in Lecture/Lab etc and want to make immediate cards for
Combined Current = Previous material that I've studied and want to keep fresh
Combined Review = Class Deck + Combined Current + Anything else that may not have
been covered
^^^ Is this correct?
Class deck will always have cards that you made from lecture material. The
'Combined Review' is your other main deck. The 'Combined Current' deck will have
only current-module cards which you will move to 'Combined Review' after you're
done with those cards.
matt S 11 months ago · 0 Likes
So do you make entirely new decks for you lecture material? or do you simply
make cards for topics you can't find in the premade decks? Is there a fast and
easy way to ensure I'm not doing too much unnecessary overlapping? I don't
want to spend a ton of time making new cards if most the cards I need have
already been made
B A year ago · 0 Likes
THANK YOU so much for this! This was so clear and useful. I love Anki but I don't know
how to use all the features yet and it's overwhelming trying to find everything online so
having one place to go to that's clear like what you just wrote is so helpful. And having the
link to download the decks! I've browsed through the Reddit thread that has all the Anki
info but so overwhelming. THANK YOU AGAIN!!!
Thank you so much! <3
Continue Reading…
Shamim's Guide to Medical School How to Hyperspeed Through Anki 5 Must-Have Anki Addons for
Using Anki (USMLE Step 1 and Reviews Using a Timer Medical Students (Anki 2.0 and
Class) 2.1)
6 Steps to Make High Yield Anki How to Design Beautiful Anki How to Use Anki Mobile for
Cards for Medical School Cards Medical School
Get on the list!

Sign up to receive exclusive content and updates on new articles.
Email Address SIGN UP
Your email address will never be shared.
SHOP MY MED SCHOOL ESSENTIALS
Copyright © 2019 Shamim Ahmed

Shamim's Guide - Intro To ANKI

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Shamim's Guide - Intro To ANKI

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

7/26/2019 Shamim's Guide to Medical School Using Anki (USMLE Step 1 and Class) — SHAMIM AHMED

MED SCHOOL ART RESOURCES ABOUT

Shamim's Guide to Medical School Using Anki

3. What to do every day

5. Faster Alternate Scheduling Method

Downloading Anki and Add-ons

Anki for Mac/Windows

Read more about recommended Add-ons for Anki

To install a deck, download it and double click on the .apkg file.

You need to do a few more things before you can continue.

What to do Every Day

If you follow my method, you will have 3

Now count the number of days you have

Faster Alternate Scheduling Method (Optional)

§ If you feel overwhelmed by the daunting task of

• Study in Pomodoro intervals, otherwise it can get mundane sometimes.

• Check out this SubReddit for inspirational music to study to.

• High yield resources for medical school

• 6 Steps to make high yield Anki cards

• 5 Must-have add-ons for Anki

• How to design beautiful Anki cards

• Anki for mobile devices

• Frequently asked questions about Anki and USMLE

• Comment below and recommend what I should write about next!

All the best,

How to Hyperspeed Through Anki Reviews

Preview POST COMMENT…

Michael Shain 7 months ago · 1 Like

Balkis Zaitoun 5 days ago · 0 Likes

I have the same question!

Fawkesfire19 A year ago · 1 Like

Andy Wong A year ago · 1 Like

Absolutely amazing, I'm an incoming year 1 student and I am trying to do as much

S A year ago · 1 Like

You're an absolute legend.

Shamim Ahmed A year ago · 0 Likes

Austin A year ago · 1 Like

Shamim Ahmed A year ago · 0 Likes

Noelle 3 months ago · 0 Likes

fren A year ago · 1 Like

jess A year ago · 1 Like

Shamim Ahmed A year ago · 0 Likes

Balkis Zaitoun 5 days ago · 0 Likes

Thank you Shamim!

Sandry 4 months ago · 0 Likes

ell 6 months ago · 0 Likes

Med Careers 6 months ago · 0 Likes

Sara 6 months ago · 0 Likes

Hi Shamim : I want to know about Anki Deck for step 1 .

Jenny 7 months ago · 0 Likes

Basim Ali 7 months ago · 0 Likes

Jamie 8 months ago · 0 Likes

JS 8 months ago · 0 Likes

Thank you so much!

Katy 10 months ago · 0 Likes

dan 10 months ago · 0 Likes

furqan 11 months ago · 0 Likes

furqan 11 months ago · 0 Likes

Daniel Mo 11 months ago · 0 Likes

Michelle 11 months ago · 0 Likes

sooma 11 months ago · 0 Likes

Nadia 11 months ago · 0 Likes