Spaced repetition flashcards (Leitner system)

1. 1Day 1: new card in box 1 (reviewed daily). Correct, so it moves to box 2 and is due 2 days later, on day 3.
2. 2Day 3: correct, moves to box 3, due 4 days later on day 7.
3. 3Day 7: correct, moves to box 4, due 8 days later on day 15.
4. 4Day 15: correct, moves to box 5, due 16 days later on day 31. A wrong answer at any point sends it back to box 1, due the next day.

A card you keep getting right is reviewed 5 times in a month instead of 30, freeing time for the cards you miss.

Cards start in box 1. Each box has a review interval: 1 day for box 1, then 2, 4, 8 and 16 days. When a card is due, try to recall the answer before flipping it. If you got it right, it moves up one box and waits longer before it returns; if you got it wrong, it goes back to box 1. Over time, easy cards drift to the high boxes and difficult ones stay in front of you.

Two well-established findings from learning science work together here. Spacing reviews out over time leads to better long-term retention than cramming the same amount of practice into one session, and actively retrieving an answer strengthens memory more than rereading it. Flashcards reviewed on an expanding schedule combine both, which is why the approach is widely recommended for vocabulary, formulas, definitions and dates.

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