Is Anki really as time-efficient as I tell people it is?
The principle of Anki (and other software that utilize spaced repetition) is that reviewing content at spaced intervals will increase retention of that material over time as compared to not doing so. Unfortunately, the time commitment required to remain consistent in doing daily reviews is often prohibitive for not only new users who don’t completely understand how Anki works, but also for Anki veterans who have other priorities or constraints on their time (i.e. 3rd and 4th-year med students in clinical rotations).
Most people have heard of the Pareto principle, which essentially states that 80% of results come from 20% of work. Conversely, 20% of results come from 80% of work. The target retention rate for Anki is about 80-90%, which I assume maximizes the Pareto principle in that we willingly take a 10-20% hit to our overall retention in order to avoid excessive time used for reviews (someone please correct me if I’m wrong here). Even so, the time required to complete reviews that maximizes 80% retention deters users from keeping up with content, especially when they complete board exams for which they were primarily only using Anki to study. In fact, I oftentimes feel like I’m actually doing 80% of the work for only 20% of the results on particularly long days with excessive (i.e. 800+) reviews.
Given evidence-based study methods, to my knowledge, it seems that the only two that actually have been shown to be the most tried-and-true across disciplines and a wide breadth of content are spaced repetition and active recall (usually through practice questions and somewhat through Anki). The main difference between these two methods is the time investment required. In theory, my gross time spent on Anki every day is around 1-2.5 hours, but with distractions and just “life happening,” it takes more like 5-6 hours, in reality, to completely finish reviews and new cards. Doing practice questions is “easy,” there is no daily requirement to do a specific amount of questions, they help with retention, and they just overall require much less time than doing Anki reviews every day. They are also immediately relevant to whatever you are currently learning. Usually, if you are doing practice questions, it’s because the exam you are taking is in close proximity to when you are doing the practice questions. This is not true at all for Anki reviews, especially those that are mature or reviewed extensively (i.e. 15+ repetitions).
In an ideal world, one would do both Anki and practice questions. However, from what I’ve seen, most people eventually end up neglecting the hell out of their reviews and end up solely relying on practice questions, especially in 3rd and 4th year (and beyond). It is common practice to just ditch Anki after boards are over, as if the whole point of Anki weren’t to retain material for long-term knowledge but rather to pass an exam. Personally, I never really see myself ever stopping Anki because I'm using it to retain knowledge that I find valuable as well as for retaining my Spanish vocabulary, and as such will be continuing to use it even in residency and thereafter.
So the question is: if Anki is really as time-efficient as we say it is, why is it ostensibly so unsustainable for so many? Is it the monotony of going through flashcards for multiple hours every day? Is it the subconscious thought that it’s a waste of time to be reviewing content that is not immediately relevant (i.e. reviewing material from old blocks just for the sake of retaining it and not having to relearn it)? <— I don’t know if this last sentence is just me, but it’s one of the reasons why I don’t enjoy doing my reviews.
The obvious answer is just that it has to do with your priorities and what you value. If you care about the intrinsic value of knowledge and retaining it, Anki is a no-brainer. However, if the main objective is just to score well on boards, practice questions may end up being more efficient, right? Of course, not doing Anki at all means retaining very little content, but whatever you do retain from practice questions is usually sufficient for scoring well on exams, from what I’ve seen from people who only do practice questions.
As always, all perspectives are welcomed and encouraged. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be going back to my daily reviews... (this whole post is probably just a way for my lazy mind trying to get out of doing the bare minimum of Anki LOL...perfectionism sucks)
Posted Jun 12, 2021, 8:16 PM UTC · edited
In my eyes, Anki itself isn't the time-saving device. Anki is a means to develop and protect long term memory via spaced rep and active recall. The time-saving component of the anki workflow is primarily in the resources and decks underlying. With a good pre-made deck there is almost no need to write notes across years of medical school. If the deck is based on high quality resources, knowledge acquisition is easier and faster too. Time is also saved in that, if information is protected successfully, content is recalled outside of that block/rotation, less need to 'go back over' content.
I've ponded your question for years. I think most people just don't want to study every day. Anki is also a massive deviation from traditional/safe methods - it's a risk, counterintuitive to many.
Which makes absolutely no sense. If the point of learning something isn't just to pass a test or pass time... isn't it to retain what you've learned? If it truly is the latter, what better way is there to do so than Anki/SRS? I just don't understand how something we've known from the late 1900s is still so unorthodox in 2021. How do modern-day lectures not come with Anki/SRS decks made by the lecturers themselves if they truly want their students to remember what they teach? I'm thinking of making a whole other post on this topic and posting it on r/Anki
Shpuld we really remember all of this after graduating? Isn't that what primary care physicians do? Isn't the reason why we have PCPs and specialists the large volume of knowledge that can not be maintained by just one individual?
That question is one of practicality. Once you are a practicing physician, spending time on cards from med school probably isn't worth it since they will be marginally if at all relevant to daily practice. I'm talking about learning in med school mostly and how to maximize time spent on studying in terms of Anki vs. practiced questions.