How to use flashcards properly

Flashcards are one of the simplest study tools, and one of the easiest to use badly. Flicking through a stack and nodding "yes, I know that" is not revision. Used properly, flashcards turn ten minutes a day into steady progress.

One idea per card. Put a single question on the front and a short answer on the back. "What is osmosis?" works. "Everything about cells" does not.

Say the answer before you flip. Answer aloud or write it down. If you only think "I know this", you can fool yourself.

Sort into piles. After each answer, put the card on a "got it" pile or a "not yet" pile. Review the "not yet" pile again at the end of the session.

Space your reviews. Cards you know well can wait a few days. Cards you get wrong should come back tomorrow. This spacing is what moves facts into long-term memory.

Mix the order. Shuffle your cards so you can't rely on remembering what comes next. In the exam, questions don't arrive in the order you studied them.

Keep sessions short. Ten to fifteen minutes is enough. Flashcards are perfect for the bus, the queue or the time before dinner.

Make some of your own. Writing your own cards for topics you find hard is itself a form of revision.

Study with a partner. Take turns quizzing each other. Explaining an answer helps both of you remember it.

Our Integrated Science Flashcards are organised by topic and come with a spaced-repetition schedule.