Anki is the gold standard for spaced repetition. It is free. It is evidence-based. And most GP trainees who use it for AKT use it badly.
What to Anki
Wrong answers from Q-bank practice — the specific facts you got wrong and will get wrong again without reinforcement. Drug doses you keep forgetting. Organisational facts (QOF indicators, contract details, screening programme specifics). Statistics formulas. Red-flag features. Rare conditions with high-yield features (the "if you see X, think Y" facts).
What NOT to Anki
Clinical reasoning — use Q-banks for this. Management pathways — use CKS. Consultation skills — use SCA tools. Anything requiring understanding rather than recall.
Card Design
One fact per card. Question on front, shortest possible answer on back. "What is the first-line treatment for newly diagnosed AF with CHA₂DS₂-VASc ≥2?" → "DOAC (apixaban/rivaroxaban/edoxaban/dabigatran)." Not "Describe the comprehensive management of atrial fibrillation including rate control, rhythm control, and anticoagulation."
Workflow
Do Q-bank session → identify wrong answers → make Anki cards from specific facts you got wrong → review Anki daily (10-15 minutes). This creates a personalised review deck from YOUR weak areas.
Common Mistakes
Making too many cards (Anki becomes overwhelming). Cards too detailed (defeats the point of rapid recall). Spending more time making cards than revising. Using pre-made decks that do not target your specific weaknesses.
The Alternative
iatroX's adaptive quiz does spaced repetition automatically without card-creation overhead. It resurfaces topics you are weak on at optimal intervals. If you value Anki's control, use both. If you want the benefit without the maintenance, iatroX alone provides adaptive scheduling.