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Create cards

A card has a front side and a back side. The front side should ask for active recall. The back side should contain the answer, explanation, or correction that helps you improve the card after review.

Create one clear prompt​

Good cards are easy to judge during review. Prefer one clear question over a card that asks for several unrelated facts at once.

Useful card patterns include:

  • a definition on the front and the explanation on the back;
  • a term on the front and the meaning, example, or translation on the back;
  • an image prompt on the front and the hidden label or structure on the back;
  • a short scenario on the front and the decision or reasoning on the back.

Build the front side​

The front side should contain only the information needed to answer the card. Remove background text that gives away the answer or makes the prompt hard to scan.

Build the back side​

The back side should help you correct yourself quickly. Put the direct answer near the top and add short context only when it helps the next review.

Add tags while editing​

Tags help you find, filter, and study cards later. Add tags that match a real future use case, such as topic, chapter, difficulty, exam relevance, or cards that need follow-up work.

A card about the first person to publish an algorithm could use tags such as:

  • history;
  • computer science;
  • people;
  • exam.

Good card habits​

  • Ask one clear question per card.
  • Put the most important answer near the top.
  • Add explanations only when they help future review.
  • Use images and formulas when they make the idea clearer than text.
  • Mark unclear cards for follow-up instead of leaving them half-finished.

Next, use content blocks when a text-only card is not enough.