Generate Anki flashcard decks from PDF or Markdown study materials. Use only when "Anki flashcard" or "Anki deck" is explicitly mentioned. Do not trigger for generic flashcard requests. Outputs in Anki-importable format (Question | Answer).
Generate study flashcards from PDF or Markdown content in Anki-importable format. Card design follows evidence-based principles to optimize active recall and long-term retention under spaced repetition scheduling.
Question | AnswerThese principles are ordered by impact on retention. Every card must satisfy the first three. The remaining principles should be applied wherever the content allows.
Never create cards for content the learner has not yet studied or that the source does not explain. Cards built on material the learner does not understand become intractable leeches (cards failed 8+ times that consume disproportionate review time). A flashcard consolidates existing understanding into long-term memory; it does not teach new concepts from scratch.
Each card tests exactly one atomic piece of knowledge. This is the single highest-impact design decision.
Target: Each card should be answerable in under 6 seconds during review. If a card regularly takes longer, it likely violates atomicity and should be split.
Cards must require the learner to produce an answer from memory, not merely recognize it. Retrieving information strengthens memory far more than re-reading.
In practice: Avoid yes/no or true/false questions. Frame cards so the answer must be generated, not selected. A card like "Is copper a good conductor? | Yes" is weak. Prefer: "Name a metal that is a good electrical conductor | Copper" or "Why is copper used for electrical wiring? | Copper has low resistivity because its outer electron is weakly bound and moves freely as a delocalised charge carrier."
Wherever possible, frame questions using "why," "how," or "explain" to force elaborative processing rather than rote retrieval. This is especially valuable for exam preparation, where explain/justify questions carry the most marks.
When the source contains diagrams, graphs, or spatial information, extract all factual content from them and convert it into text-based cards. The learner may later attach images to these cards manually in Anki, but the generated output must not include image tags, comments, or any markup beyond the standard Question | Answer format.
Where the content allows, frame cards using concrete, relatable scenarios rather than abstract statements. This is particularly useful for "explain" cards where a real-world application can serve as the prompt.
Why does a metal spoon feel colder than a wooden spoon at the same temperature? | Metal has higher thermal conductivity, so it transfers thermal energy away from your hand faster, producing a greater rate of heat loss
Select the card type that best fits the knowledge being tested. A single source topic will typically use a mix of several types.
For key terms and concepts. Always create both directions to build bidirectional retrieval links, strengthening the association from both term-to-meaning and meaning-to-term. This forces the brain to form two distinct retrieval routes, reducing the chance that the knowledge becomes accessible from only one direction.
What is [term]? | [definition]
[definition] — what term describes this? | [term]
For concepts where understanding the reasoning matters, not just the fact. These target common "explain" and "justify" style exam questions (typically 2-4 marks).
Answers must include the full cause-and-effect chain, not just restate the fact. The goal is to train the learner to reproduce the reasoning under exam conditions. "Because of temperature" is not an acceptable answer. State the mechanism: what happens, why it happens, and what effect it produces. If the chain has multiple steps, include all of them. However, if the chain has more than 3 logical steps, split into multiple cards that each cover a segment of the chain plus one linking card that tests the overall sequence.
Explain why [phenomenon occurs] | [reasoning with cause-and-effect chain]
Why does [X] lead to [Y]? | [mechanism/reasoning]
For facts embedded in context where the surrounding sentence provides a natural retrieval cue. Useful for dense factual material.
Rules for cloze cards:
The SI unit of electrical resistance is the [...] | ohm (Ω)
In a series circuit, the current is [...] at all points | the same
Ohm's law states that V = [...] | IR
For related concepts that are commonly confused or examined together. These cards serve a dual purpose: they test knowledge and they directly combat interference, which is the primary cause of forgetting in mature SRS collections.
Both sides of the comparison must be addressed in the answer so the learner understands the actual distinction. When two concepts share surface similarities but differ in mechanism or outcome, make the card highlight the specific point of divergence.
How does [concept A] differ from [concept B]? | [A does X because of mechanism P; B does Y because of mechanism Q]
What is the similarity between [A] and [B]? | [shared properties]
For mathematical relationships. Create the formula card plus at least one application card that requires identifying when and why the formula is used, not just what it is.
What is the equation for kinetic energy? | Ek = ½mv²
When calculating the energy of a moving object, which equation is used? | Ek = ½mv² (kinetic energy equation)
State Ohm's law in equation form | V = IR
A component has a potential difference of 6V and current of 2A. What is its resistance? | R = V/I = 6/2 = 3Ω
Keep calculation cards to single-step applications only. Multi-step numerical problems are not suitable for flashcard review.
When the source contains a set of items (e.g., types of electromagnetic radiation, Newton's three laws), avoid creating a single card that asks the learner to recall the entire list. Instead, use one of these approaches:
Preferred — individual cards per item:
What type of electromagnetic radiation has the longest wavelength? | Radio waves
Which EM radiation is used in thermal imaging? | Infrared
Acceptable — overlapping cloze for short lists (3-5 items):
Newton's three laws: 1) Inertia, 2) [...], 3) Action-reaction | F = ma (force equals mass times acceleration)
Newton's three laws: 1) [...], 2) F = ma, 3) Action-reaction | An object remains at rest or in uniform motion unless acted on by a resultant force (inertia)
Avoid: "List all seven types of EM radiation in order" — this is a multi-fact card that violates atomicity.
Use simple, direct language. Strip unnecessary words. Short answers are easier to self-assess during review. Aim for answers under 25 words for factual cards. Explain cards may be longer but should still be as concise as the reasoning chain allows.
Each question must have exactly one correct answer. If a question could reasonably be answered multiple ways, it will produce inconsistent self-grading that corrupts the SRS scheduling signal. Rephrase to be more specific.
Bad: "What is important about copper?" (ambiguous — conductivity? ductility? colour?) Good: "Why is copper used for electrical wiring?" (targets one specific property)
Always create both forward (term → definition) and reverse (definition → term) cards for key terms. Each direction tests a different retrieval pathway. The forward card tests comprehension; the reverse card tests vocabulary recall. Both are needed for flexible knowledge access.
After generating all cards, scan the set for pairs that are likely to be confused with each other (similar terms, similar mechanisms, similar values). For each confusable pair, ensure at least one dedicated compare/contrast card exists that directly highlights the distinguishing feature. This is the primary defense against interference, which research identifies as the single greatest cause of forgetting in mature SRS collections.
Common high-interference situations:
Do not create:
Aim for thorough coverage of the source material. As a rough guide, a typical A-level topic page should yield 10-25 cards depending on density. Prioritise content by examinability:
Do not pad with trivial or redundant cards. Every card should earn its place in the deck by testing knowledge the learner genuinely needs to retrieve under exam conditions.
One card per line, question and answer separated by a pipe:
Question | Answer
Example output:
What is the unit of electrical resistance? | Ohm (Ω)
A material that allows electric current to flow through it is called what? | A conductor
Define specific heat capacity | The energy required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a substance by 1°C
The energy required to raise 1 kg of a substance by 1°C — what quantity is this? | Specific heat capacity
The SI unit of energy is the [...] | joule (J)
Explain why resistance increases with temperature in a metal | At higher temperatures, metal ions vibrate with greater amplitude, so conduction electrons collide more frequently with ions, transferring less charge per unit time
How does electrical conduction differ between metals and semiconductors? | In metals, resistance increases with temperature (more ion vibrations impede electron flow). In semiconductors, resistance decreases with temperature (more electrons gain enough energy to enter the conduction band, increasing the number of charge carriers)
What is the equation for kinetic energy? | Ek = ½mv²
When calculating the energy of a moving object, which equation is used? | Ek = ½mv² (kinetic energy equation)
Why does a metal spoon feel colder than a wooden spoon at the same temperature? | Metal has higher thermal conductivity, so it transfers thermal energy away from your hand at a greater rate, producing faster heat loss