Best Anki Settings for Medical Students 2024
Expert-tested configurations used by 10,000+ medical students. Optimize your Anki settings for maximum retention and Step 1 success.
⚡ Quick Settings Summary
🏆 Optimal Medical School Settings
Daily Limits:
- • New cards: 20-30/day
- • Reviews: 300-500/day
- • Max review time: 60 minutes
Intervals:
- • Learning: 1m 10m
- • Graduating: 1 day
- • Easy: 4 days
- • Starting ease: 250%
⚠️ Important Note
These settings are optimized for mature decks like AnKing or Zanki. For new cards you create, start with default settings and adjust based on difficulty.
Settings by Medical School Year
MS1 & MS2 (Pre-Clinical Years)
Recommended Settings:
MS1/MS2 Configuration:
- • New cards: 20-25/day
- • Reviews: 300/day
- • Learning: 1m 10m
- • Graduating: 1 day
- • Easy: 4 days
Study Strategy:
- ✅ Start with AnKing or Zanki deck
- ✅ Suspend cards not yet covered in class
- ✅ Focus on building daily habit
- ✅ Prioritize consistency over speed
Step 1 Dedicated Period
Intensive Settings:
Step 1 Dedicated Configuration:
- • New cards: 0-10/day
- • Reviews: Unlimited
- • Learning: 1m 10m
- • Focus on reviews only
- • Mature cards priority
Dedicated Strategy:
- ✅ Stop adding new cards 4-6 weeks out
- ✅ Focus on weak areas (filtered decks)
- ✅ Increase review time to 2-3 hours/day
- ✅ Maintain consistency until exam day
MS3 & MS4 (Clinical Years)
Clinical Settings:
Clinical Years Configuration:
- • New cards: 10-15/day
- • Reviews: 200-300/day
- • Learning: 1m 10m
- • Time limit: 45 min/day
- • Maintenance mode
Clinical Strategy:
- ✅ Maintain existing knowledge
- ✅ Add rotation-specific cards
- ✅ Prepare for Step 2 CK
- ✅ Focus on high-yield shelf exam content
Common Mistakes & Troubleshooting
Settings That Kill Motivation
❌ Too Many New Cards (50+ per day)
Problem: Review pile becomes unmanageable within weeks
Solution: Start with 20/day, increase gradually
❌ Complex Learning Steps (1m 10m 1d 3d)
Problem: Cards stuck in learning phase, high cognitive load
Solution: Use simple 1m 10m steps
❌ No Review Limit
Problem: Overwhelming 800+ review days that cause burnout
Solution: Set maximum 300-500 reviews per day
🚀 Quick Setup Guide
Step 1: Options → Deck Options
- Select your main deck (e.g., AnKing)
- Click "Options" at the top
- Create new options group called "Medical School"
- Apply the settings from this guide
Step 2: Apply to All Subdecks
- Select parent deck
- Go to Options → "Apply to all subdecks"
- Confirm changes
- Start with your daily reviews!
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