Make Cards

Good cards are easy to answer and easy to grade. The scheduler receives better feedback when each card tests one clear recall target.

One Recall Target Per Card

Avoid cards that ask for several facts at once. If you cannot decide whether an answer was right, split the card.

Weak card:

Explain the skull bones, sutures, and clinical significance.

Better cards:

• Which two bones meet at the coronal suture?
• What does the coronal suture separate?
• In which view is the coronal suture easiest to identify?

Card Content You Can Use

Cardary cards can include:

• rich text for emphasis and structure;
• images for anatomy, diagrams, locations, and visual recognition;
• audio for pronunciation, listening, and recorded explanations;
• formulas for math, science, and technical material;
• categories for chapters or units;
• tags for mistakes, favorites, exam scope, or temporary filters;
• notes for learner-specific annotations;
• resources and files when a card depends on external media.

Use media only when it changes recall quality. Decoration makes cards slower without improving memory.

AI Assistance

AI can help explain an existing card or draft new cards from a prompt. Use it for:

• turning a paragraph into smaller recall prompts;
• generating first-pass vocabulary or concept cards;
• explaining why an answer is correct;
• rewriting unclear prompts;
• creating examples that you will verify.

AI output can be wrong, incomplete, or unsuitable. Treat it as a draft. Review the facts, wording, fields, and answer boundaries before saving, studying, publishing, or sharing.

OCR Assistance

OCR can recognize text, questions, formulas, and basic front/back card content from images. It works best when:

• the image is sharp and well lit;
• the useful area is cropped;
• handwriting is clear;
• tables are simple;
• the source uses consistent layout.

OCR can misread symbols, answer choices, formulas, punctuation, and line breaks. Always check the generated card before saving.

Formulas, Images, and Audio

For formulas, keep the surrounding prompt explicit. The learner should know what to compute, prove, or identify.

For images, crop to the minimum useful area and add labels only when labels are part of the learning target. If the image is the answer, avoid showing it on the front.

For audio, keep clips short. Use separate cards for recognition, production, and meaning when those skills differ.

Design Rules

• Keep prompts short.
• Put context on the front only when it helps recall.
• Avoid hidden multi-answer traps.
• Use examples to disambiguate vocabulary.
• Use one naming convention for categories and tags.
• Review a sample before duplicating a pattern across a full deck.
• Improve confusing cards instead of only repeating them.

Publishing Checklist

Before sharing a deck, check:

• no private notes or personal screenshots remain;
• media files are present and legally shareable;
• generated AI/OCR content has been reviewed;
• card titles and categories make sense to other learners;
• the deck description explains who the deck is for.

Related: Share Decks, AI & OCR, and Third-Party Services.