The problem
You know what the chapter is about, you cannot explain it.
Economic mechanisms read easily and reproduce badly: every link seems obvious until you have to produce it in order. And a paper that skips a link loses the whole argument, even when the vocabulary is right.
The chain, in full
The card asks for the complete mechanism, from cause to effect. That is what the examiner expects, and precisely what rereading never checks.
Indicators, defined precisely
Gross domestic product, unemployment rate, price index: each has an exact definition and known limits. Both fit on a card.
Schools and their authors
Classical, Keynesian, monetarist: placing a thesis within a school beats collecting names you will not know where to put.
From your notes to cards
A chapter of notes, three cards.
A definition to produce, a choice to settle, an exact term to recover.
Uploaded excerpt · inflation and monetary policy
Inflation refers to a sustained, general rise in the price level. A central bank can raise its policy rate to slow demand. Gross domestic product measures the value added produced in a territory over a given period.
gives
Two-sided
What is inflation?
A sustained, general rise in the price level.
Multiple choice
What does a central bank do to slow demand?
It raises its policy rate
It lowers its policy rate
It raises wages
It freezes prices
Fill in the blank
… measures the value added produced in a territory over a given period.
Gross domestic product
The right shapes
The shapes suited to reasoning
Three shapes, from the definition to the mechanism.
Two-sided
It leaves room for a full explanation, the only way to check that a mechanism is understood.
Multiple choice
Inverted options flush out confusions of direction: rise against fall, cause against consequence.
Fill in the blank
For the exact name of an indicator, often used as an acronym without knowing what it covers.
Your sources
What you upload
The textbook, a news article, a report, lecture slides: data tables also make good cards.
PDF
A chapter, a handout, a past paper with answers.
Word
Your own notes, in .doc as well as .docx.
PowerPoint
The lecture deck, exactly as you were given it.
Photo of your notes
The whiteboard or your notebook, as JPG or PNG.
YouTube video
An online lecture, straight from its address.
Pasted text
Three paragraphs are enough to make a deck.
Anki import
Your old deck finds its place again, in its own window.
On exam day
Before the paper
With the date in the calendar, the least solid chapters rise through the recalls of the final weeks. Breaks stay outside the plan. The method, in detail →
Frequently asked questions
How do I revise a multi-step mechanism?
One card per link, then a card for the whole chain. It is the order that is lost in exams, more often than the terms themselves, and order must be questioned separately.
Do data tables turn into cards?
Yes, provided you extract what is retainable: an order of magnitude, a trend, a rank. A whole table copied onto a card is not revised, it is contemplated.
What about graphs?
A graph can be carried by the question as an image: the key is hidden and you say what the curve describes. That is more demanding than looking at it in your notes.
Can I revise from a news article?
Yes, by pasting the text. It is even a good way to tie a syllabus notion to a current event, which examiners reward.
Explore the other subjects
Mathematics
Notation typeset inside the card, and fluency kept up.
Physics
Laws with their units, and orders of magnitude that hold.
Chemistry
Balanced equations intact, nomenclature kept up.
Biology
The diagram inside the question, labels to produce.
History
Dates produced rather than recognised, and causes put back in order.
Geography
The map in the prompt, landmarks to name.
Languages
Vocabulary you hear, conjugation you match.
Literature
Quotations restored word for word, devices named.
Philosophy
Concepts defined, distinctions held, authors attached.
Computer science
Technical vocabulary and complexities, not keyboard practice.
Law
Provisions cited right, conditions stated in full.
These twelve pages are examples, not a list: every other subject works the same way. Every subject →
Naming a mechanism has never amounted to explaining it.
Create a free account →Free, no card required