How I Use Anki and AI to Study Smarter in Med School

As a sixth-year medical student, I’ve spent thousands of hours trying to absorb complex material — from drug mechanisms and physiology to diagnostic guidelines and treatment protocols. Like many of my peers, I quickly realized that passive learning wasn’t enough. What really saved me was Anki — and later, discovering how AI could make it even more effective.

Active vs Passive Learning

One of the biggest shifts in my approach to studying came when I learned the difference between passive and active learning. Watching a YouTube video or rereading notes feels easy — and that’s exactly the problem. It gives a sense of familiarity without truly challenging your understanding. Active learning, on the other hand, requires more effort. Whether it's testing yourself, summarizing concepts, or using spaced repetition, it demands more energy — but that’s often a sign you're actually learning. Once I embraced that discomfort, my study sessions became far more effective.

Why I Chose Anki Early On

In my early years of medical school, I kept hearing about spaced repetition and how tools like Anki helped students retain challenging material over time. I was skeptical at first. Flashcards sounded slow and repetitive, and I didn’t want to spend hours memorizing isolated facts.

But once I gave it a proper try, the impact was clear.

Over time, Anki became my go-to method for mastering anything I needed to memorize — anatomy, pharmacology, lab values, diagnostic criteria. It helped me stay consistent and made review sessions more focused and measurable. For me, Anki became more than a flashcard app — it became an extension of my memory.

Understanding Comes First

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is this: understanding always comes before memorization. In my second year, I focused on building a strong foundation in physiology, and that investment still pays off today during clinical rotations.

Even so, understanding doesn’t always guarantee recall — especially when details pile up. That’s where spaced repetition and active recall come in.

The Problem With Manual Card Creation

As effective as Anki is, creating flashcards manually was one of the most frustrating parts of my workflow. I’d often spend hours summarizing slides, rewording concepts, or converting notes into Q&A format — time I would’ve rather spent reviewing or reinforcing what I’d just learned.

That led to a simple question: What if AI could handle the time-consuming parts for me?

How I Use Ankify to Save Time

That question led me to build Ankify. — a tool designed to automate flashcard generation from study materials like notes, PDFs, and slides.

Here’s how I use it in practice:

After lectures, I clean up my notes or export the slide deck to PDF. I upload the content to Ankify, and within seconds, I get a complete flashcard deck ready for Anki — no formatting needed. Because I’ve already engaged with the material while taking notes, I usually have a general understanding of the topic. The flashcards help lock in the details. When I briefly review my notes later, things tend to click — I remember more, and the concepts make a lot more sense.

Final Thoughts

Medical school isn’t easy, and no tool will change that. But using the right tools can help you learn smarter, not harder. If you already use Anki but find yourself spending too much time building decks, it might be worth letting AI handle that part of the process. That way, you can spend less time formatting and more time actually learning.

Stay consistent, stay curious — and good luck with your studies. 🧠💪