What are flash cards?

The key term or question goes on one side of the card whilst the answer or description goes on the back. This allows you to both learn and keep a check on how much information you can remember.

How to make flash cards

Buy a fresh set of blank flash cards or create your own by cutting up card or paper. On one side of the card write a key term or question and on the other side write the definition for that key term, or an answer to the question. Stick to one idea or concept per flash card.

Don’t fill the card with a long complex answer. Keep them as simple as possible. You should split bigger answers into smaller sets of questions if necessary. Don’t worry if this means using more cards.

How to use flash cards

• Read the question or key term from the front of the card.
• Try to remember the definition or answer without looking.
• Check your answer by looking at the back of the card.

Don’t spend hours wading through flash cards. Instead, review them for only a small amount of time, but repeat this often within your revision timetable. Spaced repetition is the key to using flash cards.

Using the Leitner method to test yourself

As you work through your flash cards, separate them into different piles:

• I know this
• I’m not sure about this
• I don’t know this at all

Use these piles to revise more effectively.  Prioritise the cards you can’t remember and revisit these the most often.

Make sure you revisit every card at some point, even those you are confident about, in order to keep the information fresh in your mind.

Why should I use flash cards?

• Flash cards are used to test your knowledge and are a quick way to check what you know.
• Flash cards are a great tool to revise vocabulary, keywords and other subject information.
• Using the Leitner method helps you to prioritise remembering things you are not yet confident about.