To perform well on the MCAT, you must find the best materials. You want to be sure that you are comprehending, internalizing, and remembering the material you have studied when you are tackling the enormous work of MCAT subject review.
Making your own MCAT flashcards can take a lot of work, but they can be an excellent MCAT study tool for checking your retention of key concepts. This could be made possible with the use of Anki cards.
If you want to know the best Anki cards for the MCAT; or if they, at all, are suitable for the MCAT, please continue reading.
What is Anki: A Powerful Tool for the MCAT
Anki is not just a simple online flashcard tool. Anki is an effective tool for memorizing a wide range of information. It is a well-liked MCAT preparation application because of its self-testing and spaced repetition features, particularly for reviewing science material for the MCAT.
Flashcards have a built-in self-testing tool where you ask yourself if you can recall information based on a question, phrase, or definition. The theory behind spaced repetition is the spacing effect, which contends that learning takes place most effectively when spread out over time.
The basis of the Anki flashcard platform is the spaced repetition function, but Anki also contains other features that make making and using flashcards simple.
These include the ability to sync across numerous devices, extensive customization, the capacity to insert material such as audio clips, photographs, and videos into your flashcards, and a sizable assortment of add-ons that can help make studying even easier.
Is Anki Good for the MCAT?
The quantity of information that must be grasped to study for the MCAT can occasionally seem daunting.
Anki flashcards are an excellent approach to emphasizing long-term material retention in your study for the MCAT and beyond, regardless of the tools you decide to utilize.
Anki can assist you in memorizing important exam informational topics as a digital flashcard tool.
But three factors will determine how effective the card format is:
However, there are a few drawbacks when using Anki for the MCAT. Therefore, before you decide to utilize this app, we advise that you consider the disadvantages Anki brings.
Steep Learning Curve
You must first learn how to use Anki before you can use it to prepare for the MCAT.
To set up plugins, you need technical skills.
After completing that, you must research pre-made decks and select the one that would work best for you.
You must make your own flashcards if none of the pre-made decks work, which takes time and is incredibly challenging to do while studying.
Pre-Made Decks
Pre-made Anki decks are created by MCAT test-takers just like you; thus, at the time they created the cards, they were also preparing for the MCAT. They could not have mastered all the knowledge included in the cards because they were still in school.
Making a remarkable card is just not doable without mastery. Unfortunately, this means that you'll frequently see low-quality cards that lack the required scope of information, fail to test the correct material, have too much or too little information, and forget to follow best practices for making flashcards.
Self-Made Decks
You must first have a solid comprehension of the idea to create flashcards of the highest caliber. You will not be able to create an accurate and thorough card if you are still studying the subject while you prepare for the MCAT.
Understanding a concept's relationship to other ideas, whether high-yield or low-yield and how the concept will be assessed on the MCAT are necessary for expert mastery of the issue. As a result, it is challenging for you to create thorough and excellent cards if you are taking the MCAT and are therefore studying for it.
Keep in mind that despite these drawbacks, a lot of test-takers still find Anki an excellent tool for the MCAT. For them, it sounds like a brilliant idea to utilize the software when they learn that others who have used Anki have achieved very high MCAT scores.
How to Use Anki for the MCAT?
You must be cautious when using new study tools like Anki if you are unsure or inexperienced with them. That is why we advise you to start early in familiarizing yourself with Anki early. In addition, here are a few pieces of advice you need to keep in mind when using Anki for the MCAT.
Create Custom Anki Decks
Even though Anki allows you to make your own flashcards, many students believe that the procedure takes too long.
The good news is that pre-made decks are always an option. They can be downloaded and added to your Anki app.
Carry Anki Cards with You Wherever You Go
Anki's ability to utilize your free time is one of its many advantages as a tool for MCAT preparation.
You can review the material on the go using the Anki phone app, whether you're waiting for your coffee, riding the bus, or in a subway station. These brief intervals of time can be used to review your flashcards quickly.
Be Consistent
The spaced repetition technique will be effective when you follow the timetable and check your cards each day.
You can do it anytime, anywhere, which is fantastic news. It may seem like a waste of time at first because learning new cards takes so much time, but the pros assure you that it is worthwhile and will require less time as you advance.
Make Sure You Comprehend the Information
If you cannot use a random fact or an equation in a relevant context, it will not be of much use to you on the MCAT. Make sure you understand why and how to acquire new knowledge.
Customize Your Anki Cards
To make material simpler to learn and recall, Anki cards should be particular, which means that large pieces of information should be divided into multiple smaller portions.
Making your own flashcards may take longer at first, but it will be time and work well spent. Also, large amounts of information are easier to forget.
Apply the Information You Have Learned
Though Anki is an excellent resource for memorization and recall, the MCAT is more complicated than that.
On the MCAT, you need to use the knowledge you just remembered, analyze passages, and respond to precise questions.
Even while Anki cards are a fantastic addition to MCAT preparation, you still need other forms of practice. So make sure you use real practice questions and examinations if you want to ace the MCAT.
12 Best Anki Decks and Cards for the MCAT
There are a lot of Anki cards and decks available for the MCAT, and the good news is that they are free for desktop and Android users. For IOS users, it only costs USD25. So which among these Anki cards and decks are the best?
We have researched this for you, and below is a list of the best Anki cards and flashcards to help you ace the MCAT.
Ortho528 Anki Deck
This might be the best Anki deck for MCAT prep students who are just starting out. This deck was made by an MCAT prepper (who reportedly used it to score a 526 on their own MCAT). The fact that this Anki deck has a scattering of reliable prep resources is one advantage for MCAT beginners.
Additionally, this deck may be helpful if you struggle with rote memory, but remember that it doesn't really assess your comprehension of critical ideas.
When deciding whether to employ the Ortho528 deck as an MCAT study tool, you must strike a balance. One thing to note is that some of the cards on this deck lack images and explanations.
MileDown Anki Deck
Miledown may be one of the oldest decks on this list, but it is as effective and reliable as the others. Students liked this deck since there were so many pictures and images to go with the cards.
According to social science studies, an estimated 65 percent of Americans learn best through visual stimulation. Therefore, the MileDown deck could be good for you.
Additionally, these cards are organized by theme. Therefore, you may easily sort the cards to reflect the material you are having trouble understanding if you are having problems with a more specific topic area.
Unlike the JackSparrow2048 deck or Ortho528 deck, which are arranged by the MCAT section, this one is not.
If you enjoy the MileDown deck as much as we do, you might also want to think about trying out the 90-page PDF review sheets from the same creator.JackSparrow2048 Anki Deck
JackSparrow2048 Anki deck is the most comprehensive and contains many AAMC spoilers, joining dozens of other online users who favor this set. In addition, each card is beautifully detailed.
You can tell that the creator put a lot of effort into creating these content-driven cards. The creator reportedly used their own deck to prepare for the MCAT and received an excellent 527 score.
The cards in this deck aren't just for basic recall; some of them are challenging and call for critical thought, and others provide practice problems. To ensure you are thoroughly covering crucial content, use this deck about five months before your scheduled MCAT test date.
However, please take note that this deck contains some spelling errors since it was not initially intended for public use. Otherwise, JackSparrow2048 is still one of the best premade Anki decks for you.
Cubene Anki Deck
You should look at the Cubene deck if you are having trouble with the MCAT's psychological and sociology (Psych/Soc) section.
It emphasizes less on the more difficult disciplines but has many excellent practice questions for the MCAT's social science sections.
Because of this, you might consider utilizing Cubene in addition to one or more of the other Anki decks we have on this list.
MCAT for Victory offers a comprehensive course for MCAT preppers that competes with Kaplan, Princeton, and all other well-known programs.
This deck, created to accompany their video lectures and explainers, is thorough enough to cover the essential material for the MCAT without requiring you to spend hours memorizing pointless flashcards.
This deck's clever division into Chemistry and Physics (1,100 cards), Biology and Biochemistry (1,600+ cards), and Psychology and Sociology (1,000+ cards) is one of its strongest features (1,000 cards). Additionally, there is a tag for important equations and constants (170 cards).
Additionally, it ensures you can apply important material that you understand "forwards and backward" without being overly dependent on context (something you will not receive much of on the exam).
RebopBebop Anki Deck
The RebopBebop deck is still applicable and incredibly well-organized despite being a little older than the other Anki decks mentioned here. It is perfect if you are utilizing Kaplan's study materials.
It is really simple to identify the study materials in the deck that correlate to each chapter in the book because, as you will see when you download the deck, the cards are ordered by chapter.
The deck, which is another one based on the Kaplan MCAT book series, is well-known for its bio and biochem cards. This deck's uploading method makes it immensely helpful. Select the chapter you wish to study, then upload it to Anki.
NextLevelColor Anki Deck
NextLevelColor is one of the more substantial Anki decks, with about 5,900 cards. In addition, a thorough study scheduling and planning manual has also been uploaded by the creator, a Canadian who self-reports a 519 score, to go along with their Anki deck.
This can be the perfect deck for you if you need structure and discipline in your study schedule. The organization of this deck is its most significant advantage. It works perfectly with the hierarchical tags plugin, and you can lock and unlock items as you go.
In addition, the decks are broken down following the chapters of Kaplan, so if you use Kaplan MCAT resources, NextLevelColor is the best match for you.
Another wonderful touch is the AA tag. Using this, you may design your own study sessions and dive right into learning complex amino acid structures and names.
Vixxyn Anki Deck
This deck is a modification of other well-known decks. According to the creator, Vixxyn, she attributes some of her extraordinary 528 exam scores to this flashcard deck (in addition to hard work).
There are more than 3,000 cards on this deck, and what users love how the cards are arranged and organized the most.
Detailed illustrations and explanations are also included. Overall, this deck is far less thorough than the JackSparrow deck but still quite remarkable.
The Bouras deck is a treasure mine of the top decks from a few other authors mentioned here and study guides from Khan Academy, Science Simplified, and other sources, all combined into one.
There is everything you could possibly need on this enormous deck. In addition, most cards are in cloze (fill-in-the-gap) format, so you can play through it a little quicker than decks that rely more heavily on the standard card format.
The main drawback is the excessive number of flashcards you will have to work through at 13,333 total. However, the cards are organized neatly, making it simple to focus on the subject of your choice.
Mitochondrialdna24 Anki Deck
Another more recent Anki deck is the Mitochondrialdna24 deck, which was published online in 2020. It combines Kaplan's study guides with the top-notch RebobBebop Anki deck.
The topic and source material divide, which facilitates simple organizing and preparation for particular test sections, is the outstanding aspect of this Anki deck that users found to be most helpful.
With more than 3,500 cards on this deck, covering the major subjects required in the MCAT, this deck can help you improve your score in 3 months.
Nyc_penguin Anki Deck
Due to its simplicity, this collection of Anki decks from Nyc_penguin made this list. They are available as several different decks that you can select from. There is no need for an add-on, so you may focus on whatever you want while getting right to the point.
This Anki deck focuses on the high-yield topics needed for the MCAT and will save you time. However, since using flashcards is a drill you must do regularly, you will finish this deck in no time. In that case, we advise that you use the Nyc_penguin Anki deck along with the other Anki decks on this list.
Tiramiwho Anki Deck
Tiramiwho offers one of the most limited decks on this list. This practical Anki deck of cards concentrates just on the physics equations you must know to ace the MCAT.
But the importance and effectiveness of this deck cannot be ignored.
Users of the Tiramiwho deck claimed that it has helped them memorize the different physics equations needed for the MCAT.
As Tiramiwho only has 103 cards, you can also use the other decks on this list while you study for the MCAT.
Additional FAQs – Best ANKI Cards for MCAT
Are Anki Cards Good for the MCAT?
However, take note that aside from memorizing the concepts Anki offers, the more important thing is for you to apply them to the relevant context. Remember that the MCAT is not all about memorization.
What Anki Deck is Best for the MCAT?
Nevertheless, your preference may vary depending on what you need for the MCAT. For instance, the Tiramiwho Anki deck only offers physics equations and, thus, is not for those who might already be excelling in this subject.
Are Anki Flashcards Worth It?
But other than that, it is a small price to pay for something that will help you review and prepare for the MCAT.
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