Essential Anki Settings I Wish I Changed Sooner

The speaker introduces the video, sponsored by Skillshare, and promotes his Anki class available for free. Anki is presented as an effective memorization tool, and the speaker questions viewers about their familiarity with Anki's features like the forget function, learning intervals, and add-ons. The video's goal is to teach seven advanced tips for using Anki. The speaker, Zach, a fourth-year medical student, emphasizes that Anki is not for learning new information but for revising and reinforcing already understood concepts. He recommends using the Feynman Technique to ensure understanding before memorization and discusses his Anki settings, including the use of the V3 Scheduler and learning ahead limit, to optimize the memorization process.

Zach discusses the importance of focusing on understanding rather than memorization when using Anki. He explains his preference for randomizing card reviews to ensure a comprehensive grasp of the material. Settings like new deck gather order, new card sort order, and new/review order are detailed, with an emphasis on reviewing cards in a mixed and random order to enhance understanding. The concept of 'burying' is introduced to prevent immediate repetition of similar cards, which could lead to memorization rather than understanding. The speaker also talks about linking missed questions to Anki flashcards to fill gaps in knowledge and the use of the forget function to reset difficult cards, treating them as new for better retention.

The paragraph delves into the customization of Anki cards for more effective learning. It highlights the benefits of adding bolding, underlining, and extra information to cards to make studying more enjoyable and focused. The speaker also introduces the concept of adding extra questions or connections to cards to create neuronal connections in the brain, aiding in longer retention of information. An example is given where the speaker adds a question about antibiotic resistance to a card about antibiotic sensitivity, showing how to connect related topics within Anki.

Zach explains the concept of the interval modifier in Anki, which adjusts the frequency of card reviews. He discusses how modifying this setting can influence retention rates, aiming for a high percentage of correct answers on mature cards. The speaker uses the True Retention app to monitor his retention statistics and decides whether to increase or decrease the interval modifier based on his performance. He warns against making drastic changes to the interval modifier, suggesting a gradual approach to finding the optimal setting for individual learning goals.

The speaker introduces the Advanced Browser add-on for Anki, which allows users to see the time spent on each card. He demonstrates how to identify cards that consume a significant amount of study time and suggests strategies for dealing with them. Options include relearning the information and resetting the card or suspending it if it's deemed not important enough. The speaker also discusses the use of flags and tags to categorize cards based on their importance and study requirements, helping to manage the study load more effectively.

Zach emphasizes the importance of simplicity in Anki cards, suggesting that complex cards with multiple cloze deletions or long paragraphs can hinder the learning process. He provides an example of a complicated card and shows how to simplify it by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable parts. The speaker argues that this approach leads to better long-term retention and makes studying more efficient.

In the final paragraph, the speaker stresses the importance of understanding Anki's settings to maximize its potential. He mentions his extensive experience and knowledge of Anki, which has been crucial for his success in medical school. The speaker promotes his Ultimate Guide to Anki class on Skillshare, which covers in-depth information on Anki's algorithm, add-ons, and setup. He invites viewers to join the class for free with a provided link, highlighting the benefits of Skillshare's learning community and the wide range of skills it offers.