I have a similar issue. I create cards for the subject I need to study, then I study it all at once in a custom study session.
I then go to the exams but how do I continue afterwards? Like what are the best settings to retain all the information after that? And how do I make sure that I'm not destroying those settings when I need to study before an exam again?
You can use filtered decks and set them up so they don't alter the schedule of the cards when they're "returned" to their actual regular deck. Useful for a cram session before an exam where you don't want to actually alter the regular study schedule.
Thank you! Exactly what I was looking for. I was in such a cramming mode at the time that i didn't finish the docs but pretty much stopped after I understood notes and cards.
Can you recommend any settings for a good schedule to retain information?
Sorry, I just use the defaults. I've found they're effective for me. The most I tune it is to raise or lower the number of cards per day (number of review, number of new) for specific circumstances. Like when I've fallen behind I may lower the number of new cards per day and raise reviews a bit to clear a backlog.
I have tried adjusting it more in the past and found it did nothing to help me overall and I was just turning knobs to turn knobs.
The real answer to this is to regularly create good cards during your semester.
This drastically reduces the amount of cards you need to create a week before your exam which in turn reduces the amount of cramming you have to do.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm perfectly well aware that the knowledge required for exams isn't representative of the knowledge required to be well versed in a topic outside of exams, and Anki can still help you learn stuff that you specifically want to remember for exams, but you can remove those cards afterwards. You don't actually need (and probably don't want) to remember much of the stuff that instructors want you to remember for exams. So after the exam you just keep reviewing as normal, but radically delete/suspend cards that were exam specific.
This way you start learning a lot of the things that you actually want to remember longterm during the semester, while also avoiding a lot of clutter from exam specific cards.
But the point of SRS is that it prompts you to review the cards when there's a high chance of memory decay.
Say you learned your cards and did a custom study to review them before your exam. Now you "know" these cards to some extent. Anki knows how many times you reviewed them and if you provided an accurate assessment of how well you retained these cards, Anki will know when to show 'em next, so you don't forget. You don't have to do anything.
I then go to the exams but how do I continue afterwards? Like what are the best settings to retain all the information after that? And how do I make sure that I'm not destroying those settings when I need to study before an exam again?