Study guide
How to make good flashcards: a prompt you can answer and check
A good flashcard names what to recall, has a checkable answer and keeps its context. Start from what you want to learn.
Decide what the card should test
Definitions, distinctions, conditions and relationships can all become prompts, each testing something different. Choose the task and how you will check the answer.
Dunlosky and colleagues' 2013 review supports practice testing, not every flashcard format. [D] The criteria below are editorial suggestions, not a validated formula or a guarantee of memorization.
From source passage to revised card
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Understand the passage first
Read the context and qualifications; one extracted sentence can lose the condition that makes it correct.
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Write a clear front
Say what to answer and in which context, without cues to the back.
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Prepare a checkable back
The answer, its essential conditions and a reference. Too short a back can drop a key qualification.
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Try it and edit
Answer from the front alone. If several answers seem valid, refine the prompt.
Before and after: improve the task
A broad topic becomes a specific connection
“Explain photosynthesis” becomes “How do ATP and NADPH connect the light reactions to the Calvin cycle?” The back explains their role using the source.
A formula gains context
“What is the velocity formula?” becomes “Under constant acceleration, how do v, v₀, a and t relate?” Back: v = v₀ + at, in consistent units.
A list becomes prompts plus an overview
“List every step” becomes one question per prerequisite plus one on the overall order. The full procedure stays in your notes.
When a card is not enough
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Interpreting a passage or case
Use a written question with justification; cards only prepare the concepts.
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Performing a procedure
Practice doing it: recalling a step's name does not show you can perform it.
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The source or version changed
Review affected cards: without the version or exception, the same back can look right where it is not.
AI-generated cards: check task and answer
Supernapse generates cards from PDFs, slides, photos, YouTube videos and notes, which you can edit. Verify everything against the source and try a few before making more; volume does not replace review.
Sources and limits of the evidence
Published by the Supernapse team. References support the research claims marked in the text; workflows and examples are practical suggestions, not validated protocols or tests of the app's effectiveness.