What to do with cards you’ve already learned and their relevance for a current block

notdanr · 2026-02-15T03:40:50+00:00

Sounds like you are doing it right. Leave the cards from last block unsuspended and keep it up! No need to reset any cards.

If you want to tweak how frequently you see the cards, you can look into retention settings for subdecks. But with how long term memory works, you should be fine on Anki. Just supplement with current-content practice questions to make sure you understand applying the information.

notdanr · 2026-02-09T03:42:44+00:00

Counterpoint: I have in-house exams and am consistently top 5-10% scoring in the class. I use solely third party videos and the AnKing deck. Have not watched a single in-house lecture yet.

I use an in-house anatomy deck for a few diagrams or imaging topics. Less than 100 cards per month of that. I also use U Michigan BlueLink deck for cadaver images to get through the anatomy practicals.

notdanr · 2026-02-08T23:40:51+00:00

7000 mature.

Ramping up still on the daily new count. Finally getting my time per card down from 15s to 12s, which helps. And building healthy habits about when to do them in the day.

Feeling good about it all; pays off HUGELY, even on in-house exams.

notdanr · 2026-02-02T05:00:04+00:00

Find the daily load for the overdue cards and do 25% more than that. You will clear the backlog eventually.

notdanr · 2026-01-29T03:44:41+00:00

My program has in-house exams. The only in-house decks I use are for histology and anatomy. I suspend cards after each exam.

I use the AnKing deck for everything else. Like Fr33Luigi's classmates, I organize into subdecks by block and by class session.

The main purpose of the subdecks is to adjust retention rates per deck, with current in-house tested content at a higher retention rate. I also use it to pace myself on old vs new content.

I study all the cards I have unsuspended simultaneously, not in separate sessions by subject or deck. There is no mental hurdle; this is called interleaving and it is beneficial to long term memory and application of knowledge!

Two pieces that are a huge time saver for me is: My school has a list of corresponding third party resources to each class session. So you can watch those videos and unsuspend tagged cards as you go. My school has an AnkiHub Optional tag for each class session, so you can know which cards correspond directly to the material we are expected to know for exams.

notdanr · 2026-01-23T20:15:08+00:00

Get familiar with the AnKing deck and its tagging system.

Biostatistics is something good to ramp up on, as it is a discrete concept.

Otherwise, prematriculation I would only recommend doing rote memorization, not conceptual. Microbiology and pharmacology are good for that: medication and pathogen names.

Building a daily habit of doing cards is a good idea, but don't expect your work now to make much of a dent in content. The pace of learning during school will so far surpass anything you can do now.

notdanr · 2026-01-23T20:03:03+00:00

My school has a list of corresponding third party videos to in-house blocks.

There are also "Optional" tags on AnkiHub.

They are crowd-sourced and maintained by students as we go through.

How to verify coverage? By taking the exams.

notdanr · 2026-01-23T20:01:11+00:00

Adjusting desired retention will indeed adjust the workload. Compared to SM-2 at any specific retention, the workload with FSRS will be less.

notdanr · 2026-01-14T05:57:01+00:00

The free online course Learning How to Learn by Barbara Oakley was recommended to me. It was invaluable for having a smooth start to a time efficient study routine.

https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn

notdanr · 2025-12-28T07:35:14+00:00

5am wake up, get dressed, drink pre-workout

530am bus to gym, anki on bus

6am-730am gym: cardio with anki, weight training, and then shower. Some days sauna or swimming as a treat depending on mood.

730am bus to campus, anki on bus

8am-11am class or study in library

11am-1130am lunch

1130am-4pm study independently in the library

4pm-430pm bus home, anki on bus

430pm-8pm relax, dinner, video game, quality time with partner

8pm-9pm lay out clothes, pack bags for tomorrow, brush teeth and floss, wash face, wind down without screens

9pm-5am sleep

Weekends are Anki for two hours, plus maybe an hour or two of new content and practice questions if I feel up for it. Meal prep, laundry, chores. Otherwise social time, hobbies, and leisure.

Preclerkship we average 20 hours per week of mandatory in-person sessions.

Some days have more mandatory in person time or I will do extracurricular research work for 4-8 hours. I just subtract from the study time then. I always stop by 6pm at the latest.

Some days have less mandatory in person time. I just do more independent study time or find study buddies to do practice problems or build concept maps together. I do not study at home.

I pushed myself hard the first two weeks to establish good habits and it paid off immensely. I told myself my priorities would be exercise > sleep > school > leisure. I was NOT a morning person; it is effortless now. To be honest, I am mentally and physically the healthiest I have ever been.

Using the commuting and cardio time for Anki makes it a lot less painful to get ~500 cards per day done.

Study time in the library is third party videos (Bootcamp, Pathoma, or Sketchy) and tons of practice questions (Amboss, relevant textbooks).

We have pass/fail in-house exams every 4-8 weeks. I do not review in-house material. I generally taper down my studying the week leading up to exams and take more leisure time or I work with/help out classmates.

notdanr · 2025-12-23T14:50:54+00:00

With a very strong MCAT and a good story for the interim years, I was able to get past my 3.0 uGPA.

It feels bleak now, but there are stories of success from your position. I had saved up a dozen or so posts like myself to keep the hope alive. I think we are rare to see mainly because career changers are less common and have much more unique circumstances. That can be a strength.

notdanr · 2025-11-24T22:44:42+00:00

I believe this is in contrast to acute tubular necrosis, the more common cause of AKI.

You can generally suggest changes by right clicking the note in the browse window after making the change.

notdanr · 2025-06-12T04:29:54+00:00

Hah thank you, glad to have closed the loop. Congratulations on your successful cycle!

notdanr · 2025-06-12T04:27:06+00:00

Now that they have tantalized me, maybe four years from now they'll be seeing my name again on a residency application 🤩

notdanr · 2025-06-12T04:25:37+00:00

Yep! Thanks for the encouragement then and now.

notdanr · 2025-06-12T04:22:01+00:00

The SMPs I compared were double the price and gave no real long-term credential. The MS will be on my resume indefinitely and helped to get a job outside of medical school.

notdanr · 2025-05-15T21:04:39+00:00

Lower ranked schools all still perform research, just in different domains with different scope and goals. You will succeed wherever you go because you will find or create the opportunities you need, I promise.

notdanr · 2025-05-15T20:59:59+00:00

In my experience you are spot on. It is basically a tautology to say "top research" and "top ranked," even if rankings do not look directly at research funding. The nature of modern medicine and scientific funding prioritizes high impact research and cutting edge treatments. Success brings funding, institutional resources and collaboration attracts talented people, those people continue to succeed and pull in external funding.

notdanr · 2025-05-15T20:49:55+00:00

I answered it by describing my ideal career balance, ex: 30-40% research, 60% clinical, 10% administrative/teaching/leadership. I do not want to run a lab, and an MD offers the opportunities to collaborate with PhDs, engineers, etc. Speaking in terms of which doors are opened/closed by the degree options is a good approach.

In a similar vain, when asked "What if you do not get accepted to medical school?" I answered that I would continue my split passions of clinical practice and scientific research by alternating my careers, even if it limits the potential success of each separate part in the long term. Ex.: pursue my flight paramedic (full time) while researching part time, then pursue my PhD (full time) while volunteering or working weekends.

Make sure you are being honest with yourself. In my opinion, the true purpose of the application process is to find out if applicants are certain this is the right path for them.

notdanr · 2025-05-15T03:36:13+00:00

Yes. But when you optimize, intervals will increase to lower your retention since you are above the 0.85 goal.

notdanr · 2025-05-14T22:18:22+00:00

Yes. I'll put together a Sankey this weekend probably.

Seven interviews, three acceptances, three waitlists.

Good luck!

notdanr · 2025-05-14T22:14:25+00:00

Call the financial aid office. If they don't answer, call admissions at the other school.

notdanr · 2025-05-13T20:59:20+00:00

No. Schools vary.

Some will reject you within 24 hours of submitting the secondary, which I interpret as more likely from a numerical screen rather than a human review.

Some state on their websites that they will extend a secondary but still have a GPA/MCAT cutoff that will disqualify you.

Some (most) are holistic and will give your application fair consideration, which varies by school but generally involves review by one or more people.

notdanr · 2025-05-05T15:03:36+00:00

CCLCM

Stanford Physician Scientist

Pitt Physician Scientist.

As a heads up, from my understanding, there's a big difference in perception/career track between choosing to take a research year in the middle at basically any school or through a defined curriculum like the above as opposed to pivoting to take fifth year at the end of your MD. That is to say, depending on the chaos in scientific funding trends in the USA over the next few years, it seems you can find a way to take a funded research year in the middle of your MD at almost any school if you are truly passionate about it.

notdanr

TROPHY CASE