There are various ways to memorize information, and Anki is one of them. Anki is basically a software created for computers that is also available for smartphones; it is used to assist in retaining information in the long term.
By doing so, even someone who thinks they have a poor memory can remember well what they learned in their studies, giving those who use it above-average results in tests.
In this article, we will cover what you need to know about this amazing tool that can certainly help you memorize the Japanese, Korean, English language, or anything else you are learning.
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Table of Content
Anki - 暗記
The word Anki comes from Japanese and means memorization. Have you ever wondered how the Japanese achieve such incredible results in exams?
In addition to their strong dedication to studies, the Japanese have always paid a lot of attention to Flash Cards.
These are simply a way to repeat the same information that was previously learned. An example of its use is:
You learn a piece of information, then put a clue or question on the front of this paper card and the answer to that clue on the back; your goal is to get it right.
For instance, on the front you put "House" in English and on the back "Casa," which is the meaning. Although it seems simple, it is an ultra-effective method that gives the practitioner the chance to move information from short-term memory to long-term memory.
It is important to remember that our brain is very rigid about what it will or will not store in its consciousness; if it suspects that something is not important, it will gradually remove it from your memory until it disappears. To support this scientifically, there is a theory known as the Forgetting Curve theory.
This theory uses a graph to exemplify this concept, showing that we retain information for a certain period. Within this concept, we forget almost 80% of this information within 24 hours, and as days go by, we almost completely forget what we later learned.
How to overcome the forgetting curve?
The study approach using Flash cards is widely recommended with the goal of reducing the forgetting curve; however, if you need to memorize that information for a longer period, it will require you to organize, separate the papers or notes in the correct order, on the right day, on the shelf or list that you have determined as your study location.
However, if we observe practically, not everyone has that time or patience, and many who do would certainly prefer something that reduces that path.
With this, Anki emerges, the SRS program, which stands for: spaced repetition system.
That's why the name. It is a system that will repeat what you added to it in spaced intervals of time. It will automatically show you on the right day and moment when you need to review what you learned.
Let’s suppose you added the word House today, which means; casa.
The next day it will show you again, why? Because we forget almost 80% of information in 24 hours, so you need to see it again the next day, and that's how Anki works,
The program will show you before you forget 80%.
Anki buttons
In this case, the next day you review, what will he do? Anki has 4 response options.
Wrong, Hard, Good, and Easy.
Depending on your answer, he will space out, show this card on a different day. It is recommended that you always click between Good and Wrong.
But why? The reason for this is that we often forget the card, but we want to get rid of it, so we end up clicking on hard, thus making it take too long to appear, the same when pressing easy, it takes a long time to appear, thus causing you often forget to click on Hard or Too Easy, so it is recommended to choose only between the buttons: Wrong and Good.
Why use Anki?
Anki is ideal for anyone who wants to deeply remember what they study. Regardless of age, it is also a great way for you to improve your memory, I am an example.
After I started using Anki, I realized I could remember things more easily.
Why is that? This is because our memory, the more it is developed, the better it becomes; the things you used to forget, you start to forget more rarely.
Is Anki Free?
Anki is free for Android, Windows, Mac and Linux users, however for IOS users it is paid, around $24.99.
This is because Android developers are not the same as iOS developers. Fortunately there are free alternatives that connect to Anki for iOS.
How to Install Anki on Mobile or Computer
If you go to the link below, you will find the official website, going down the bar you will see the download options available, when you click on the format you want, if you are on your cell phone it will direct you to the application, if you are on your computer the download will start.
What not to do when using Anki
What generates a lot of frustration among various Anki users, causing many to give up as well, is the misuse; if you don't know, Anki in theory should be done every single day.
Why? Because what you added, for example, last month could appear that day along with other cards. And if you don't see it that day and decide to look at them the next day, they will add up with the ones for that day.
Many, lacking motivation, end up giving up. However, some people don't know, but it is possible to add days off from Anki through extensions that you add to Anki. One of them is, for example, the one linked below; before adding any extension to Anki, search for it. This extension was created by Migaku; we will leave the link below the site.
There are other extensions within Anki to make your life easier when using it, but we won't go into too much detail here.
Stepping a little away from this technical part, if you want to have rest days without needing to use these extensions, you just need to have: limits for new cards in Anki.
In Anki, it's possible to see in your statistics how many cards will appear for you the next day.
So you set your own limit; if, for example, more than 100 cards are going to appear the next day, then today you won't see any new cards. If you want to see only 50, or 30, or even 20 every day, then you take some time without adding to Anki and just review what you already have until you reach that number.
In terms of time, the more accustomed you become to Anki, the less time you need; in other words, it's very possible and easy to spend between 5 to 10 minutes daily on Anki.
So I ask you, what are 5 to 10 minutes of your day in exchange for the results you will achieve?!
Therefore, you should remember that overloading Anki when you already have many cards to review is a mistake.
Also, avoid adding things you haven't learned before; in other words, only add what you have learned and understood in your studies, because if you haven't learned it, Anki will serve as a means of learning and memorizing, making it even harder. It's a possibility, but avoid it until you really understand Anki more deeply.
Not researching or studying about Anki is another mistake; it's always important to seek to understand more and more about it to get the most results with the least effort. Even today, considering myself an Anki expert, I continue to look for ways to make it more efficient every day.
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Results when using Anki the right way
If you use Anki to perform well in your exams, you will notice a striking difference between your results before and after; you will be able to internalize more, and what you usually get wrong will tend to be perceived more and corrected better over time.
If you are a medical student and know you need to remember huge names and concepts that tend to slip your mind, you will notice that these ideas were not that difficult; they just needed a little repetition.
If you are a language student like me, and you know that to learn any language it is important to review an expression, word, or phrase many times, you will realize that when you go to watch or read something in that language, what you studied is appearing, and you can remember it.
Myths and Lies about Anki
The first myth about Anki is that if you use it and only it, you will become a master in the area you are exercising.
That is not true. Something important about memory that I haven't mentioned is that it works with contexts; the more different situations you see something in, the better it will stick in your memory.
Anki serves to enhance that.
In other words, if you use it for English, you should: see it on Anki, see it being used by a native, see it explained in your class, you should be involved in all the activities that involve that information you just learned.
Whether you are a medical student or a language learner, it is always important to know how to separate theory from practice; what you learn needs to circulate around you, you need to live learning, and for that you will need to execute, read, listen, speak, write about it, and do everything you can to make your mind specialize in that.
Another myth about Anki is that if we're going to see it elsewhere, why use Anki. Anki is not meant to replace; it is meant to enhance something you already know and do.
Imagine a scenario where you use cheap fuel and in another you use more expensive fuel for your car; both will take you where you want, but you know that good fuel will make a huge difference, as it will ensure better performance for your vehicle.
A common myth is also to say that Anki is useless, because if you lose everything you've written in it so far, you'll forget.
This is not true, as if you use Anki and also other resources that provide you learning and exposure to what you study, such as books, classes, podcasts, consequently you will see again what you put in Anki, further reinforcing the memory you had from having done it in Anki several times; an example of this is me.
I once lost a deck within Anki that contained 3,000 sentences in the language I study, but much of what I had learned there remained, and whenever I saw it in reality, I remembered.
They also say that Anki is a lot of work; it's easier to consume things all at once and review in the traditional way. It's an option, but part of this idea of work created in people's minds is precisely because they don't know all the ways to use it in depth, using it in a way that makes it laborious.
But in the end, even with all of this, I still don't feel good using Anki, and then? It happens. Anki is for everyone; it is adaptable for all, but the desire, will, motivation, and discipline do not come from it; they come from the user.
Although, when studying, discipline is important, it is also important how we feel about the approach we adopt when studying something. If we hate the way, the method we use, we can indeed think of different ways to fill that space with other techniques.
But it's always good to think whether the problem is the thing or us, as we criticize the efficiency of something or the method just because we don't like it.
Thanks for reading this far, I hope this text will help you in the first steps of using Anki, which is becoming more and more popular among students all over the world in different fields of study, until next time.