How to Use Anki for Studying (Beginner’s Setup Guide)
Anki is the gold standard for spaced repetition. It’s free, powerful, and ugly. Here’s how to get past the learning curve and actually use it.
Quick answer
(1) Download Anki desktop (free) or AnkiMobile ($25 one-time on iOS, free on Android). (2) Create one deck per subject. (3) Make cards as you learn — one fact per card. (4) Review daily, even just 10 minutes. (5) Trust the algorithm.
1. Download and install
Get Anki desktop free at apps.ankiweb.net. AnkiDroid is free on Android. AnkiMobile is $25 one-time on iOS. The price exists to fund development of the free open-source ecosystem.
2. Create your first deck
One deck per subject works best. Example: “Spanish Vocab,” “AP Calc Formulas,” “AP US History Dates.” Use the “+ Add” button to create cards.
3. Card types
- Basic: front asks question, back shows answer. Most common.
- Basic and reversed: creates two cards from one fact (Q → A AND A → Q). Use for vocabulary.
- Cloze deletion: hide one word in a sentence. Use for definitions in context.
4. One fact per card
Bad: “What are the four steps of related rates problems?” (too much). Good: “What’s the first step of a related rates problem?” → “Draw the picture.” Smaller cards = easier to learn.
5. Daily reviews
Anki tells you each day how many cards are due. Do them. The whole system depends on consistency. Even 10 minutes/day works.
Anki settings for students
- New cards/day: 20 (sustainable long-term)
- Maximum reviews/day: 200 (more burns you out)
- Learning steps: 1m 10m (default, works fine)
- Ease bonus: leave default
Pre-made decks vs your own
You can download massive pre-made decks from AnkiWeb. Pre-made decks save time but you remember less because someone else made the cards. Best balance: use pre-made decks for raw vocab (Spanish 1000 most common words), but make your own cards for concepts you’re learning.
Common mistakes
- Making cards too long.
- Reviewing only when in the mood.
- Overwhelming yourself with 100 new cards/day at the start.
- Giving up after 2 weeks (it takes 4-6 weeks to see real retention benefits).