USMLE Blog
How to Use Anki Effectively
To Study for the USMLE Step Exams
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Anki is one of the most powerful study tools available for the USMLE, but only when it’s used intentionally. Too many students burn out by treating Anki as their entire study plan or by letting a massive deck dictate what they learn each day.
Used correctly, Anki helps you retain high-yield facts over months of preparation. Used incorrectly, it becomes a time-consuming chore that crowds out practice questions and gives a false sense of mastery.
This guide walks through how to use Anki strategically so it actually improves your USMLE performance.
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Table of Contents
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1. Choose the Right Decks and Set Them Up Properly
Use High-Quality, Purpose-Built Pre-Made Decks
For most USMLE students, creating thousands of Anki cards from scratch is inefficient and extremely time-consuming. Because time is limited, many students end up abandoning the process or using Anki poorly. This is why pre-made decks are often the better option. They save time, are more comprehensive, and allow students to focus on reviewing high-yield material rather than spending hours creating cards. For efficiency, especially when balancing question banks and content review, pre-made decks tend to make the most sense if you decide to use Anki at all.
That said, some students do benefit from making their own cards, but only if it can be done very efficiently. Creating personalized cards is most useful for repeatedly missed concepts or incorrect questions, not for rebuilding an entire deck from scratch. If you have a streamlined system that allows you to create concise, high-yield cards quickly, then making a small, targeted deck can be effective. Otherwise, given the time constraints of USMLE prep and the fact that Anki is not ideal for everyone, we generally recommend relying on pre-made decks and selectively adding cards only where they truly add value.
The two most commonly recommended options are:
- AnKing Overhaul Deck for comprehensive Step 1 and Step 2 content
- Duke Pathoma Deck for pathology fundamentals tied closely to Pathoma
These decks cover far more material than any individual student could realistically create on their own.
At The Match Guy, we provide a premade Anki deck completely free to students who enroll in our 7-Day USMLE Crash Course. This deck is built from the ground up to include:
- Only high-yield, test-relevant information
- Clear, concise cards designed for retention
- No unnecessary details or time-wasting cards
The goal of this deck is not volume, but efficiency. It’s designed to reinforce what matters most without overwhelming you with low-yield facts. It is an excellent addition to existing resources.
Watch this video for the BEST Step 1 Resources (2026).
Learn to Use Tags
Tags are what make large decks manageable. Instead of studying randomly, you can filter cards by:
- Organ system (renal, psych, cardio)
- Resource (Pathoma, Sketchy, First Aid)
- Topic or subtopic
Using the Browse tab and tag filters allows you to align Anki with whatever you are currently studying, rather than letting the deck dictate your day.
Prioritize High-Yield Content
If you are short on time, you do not need to do every card. AnKing’s tags allow you to focus on higher-yield material and temporarily ignore lower-yield details. The Match Guy Anki deck focuses only on high-yield topics. This is especially helpful late in dedicated or during clinical rotations.
What if I don’t understand the cards’ content?
If you have difficulty understanding the content of certain cards, working with a tutor can help clarify concepts and ensure you’re studying efficiently.
✅ Get Full Access to All High-Yield NOTES – For FREE!
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2. The Golden Workflow: Suspend All, Then Unsuspend
One of the biggest mistakes students make with large pre-made decks like AnKing is treating them like a traditional deck of flashcards—starting at card 1 and hoping to eventually reach card 30,000.
This almost always leads to learning random, disconnected facts that have nothing to do with what you are studying that day.
The Strategy
A more effective approach is to suspend everything first, then unsuspend selectively. This applies whether you are using AnKing, a custom deck, or any large premade deck.
Step 1: Suspend the Entire Deck
When you first download a large deck:
- Go to the Browse tab
- Select all cards in the deck
- Toggle Suspend
At this point, every card should be inactive.
🎥 Watch this video: “USMLE STEP 1 Study Plan: How to Pass in 2 Months” a roadmap covering the best resources and strategy for your Step 1 prep.
Step 2: Study Your Primary Content First
Before touching Anki, do your actual learning first. Flashcards should come after understanding, not before. Ideally, unsuspending and reviewing cards happens the same day you study the topic.
This might look like:
- Attending Day 1 of The Match Guy USMLE Crash Course, for example a live renal systems session
- Completing a targeted question block on that same topic
- Reviewing core concepts through structured, guided instruction
For example, if Day 1 of the Crash Course focuses on renal physiology and pathology, you would:
- Attend the live renal session and learn the concepts in context
- Then go into Anki and unsuspend only the renal-related cards
- Use those cards to solidify key facts, associations, and mechanisms through repetition
This workflow ensures that memorization reinforces understanding rather than replacing it.
Step 3: Unsuspend by Tag
After studying:
- Go to the Anki Browser
- Find the tag that corresponds to what you just studied
- Select only those cards and toggle Unsuspend
When to Stop Adding New Cards?
As you approach your exam (last 4–6 weeks for Step 1, last 3–4 weeks for Step 2), the focus should shift from adding new cards to maintaining reviews and doing practice questions. Continuing to add large numbers of new cards late in preparation often increases anxiety without improving scores.
Why This Works
This approach keeps Anki in its proper role:
- You only review cards after learning the concept
- Anki reinforces understanding instead of trying to create it
- Flashcards become a retention tool, not a teaching tool
This single workflow change prevents random memorization, reduces burnout, and makes reviews far more meaningful.
🎥 Watch this video: “USMLE STEP 2 CK in 3 months” a study plan and schedule to ace the Step 2 CK exam in a short timeframe.
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3. Use Anki for the Right Kind of Knowledge
Anki works best for information that does not come easily from logic alone.
“Bugs and Drugs”
Pharmacology and microbiology are where Anki shines. Drug mechanisms, side effects, resistance patterns, and organism-specific details are hard to retain without spaced repetition.
Memorizing Minute Details
Anki is ideal for facts like:
- Gene mutations and inheritance patterns
- Protein types and enzyme deficiencies
- Biochemical pathways and rate-limiting steps
If a detail repeatedly slips through the cracks during practice questions, it is a good candidate for Anki.
✅ Get Full Access to All High-Yield NOTES – For FREE!
To access all the PDFs of the Step 2 CK High-Yield topics, sign up below and we’ll send them to your inbox — completely free.
4. Pair Anki With Practice Questions
Practice Questions Come First
Practice questions are the backbone of USMLE prep. Question banks like UWorld, AMBOSS, and NBME exams teach you how the exam actually tests information, which Anki alone cannot do.
Not sure whether UWorld or AMBOSS is the better Qbank for you? Read our full comparison on our blog UWorld Vs. AMBOSS.
If you ever have to choose between completing question blocks or finishing Anki reviews, prioritize the questions.
Use Question Review to Decide What Belongs in Anki
UWorld already provides integrated tools that allow you to:
- Flag questions you missed
- Create flashcards or notes tied directly to those questions
- Capture why an answer was wrong and what the correct reasoning should have been
For many students, using these built-in tools during question review is enough to reinforce learning without immediately adding more Anki cards.
Watch our video, “How to Study UWorld for USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK” to learn proven strategies for mastering the UWorld question bank.
Use Anki Selectively for Repeated Weaknesses
Anki becomes most valuable when used selectively, not automatically.
Good candidates for Anki include:
- Concepts you have missed multiple times
- Facts that repeatedly slip under time pressure
- Associations or details that do not stick despite repeated exposure
Instead of turning every missed question into a flashcard, focus on patterns, not one-off mistakes.
Remember What Anki Cannot Replace
Anki helps with retention, but it does not teach:
- Clinical reasoning
- Pattern recognition
- How to manage uncertainty on exam day
Those skills come from doing and reviewing large volumes of high-quality practice questions.
5. Build Sustainable Daily Anki Habits
Let Your Studying Dictate Card Volume
Instead of forcing a fixed number of new cards every day, let your primary studying determine how many you add.
Examples:
- Heavy content day: You watch several Pathoma videos and unsuspend around 100–120 cards
- Question bank day: You do 40 UWorld questions and unsuspend 20–30 cards tied to missed concepts
- Busy rotation day: You unsuspend zero new cards and focus only on reviews
Long-Term Recommendation
Over time, aim for an average of 60–90 new cards per day. At that pace, most students can complete the AnKing Step 1 deck comfortably over about nine months without burning out.
Consistency over weeks matters far more than hitting an exact number on any single day.
Use the Heat Map Add-On
The heat map add-on visually tracks daily consistency and reinforces the habit of showing up, even on days when you only do a small number of cards.
Crush the Biostatistics of USMLE STEP 1, STEP 2 CK, and STEP 3 exams
6. Avoid the “Anki Trap”
Do Not Turn Everything Into a Card
Not every detail needs to be memorized forever. Overloading your deck creates an unmanageable review burden and steals time from higher-value studying.
Accept Forgetting as Part of Learning
Forgetting does not mean Anki is failing. The cycle of forgetting and relearning is how long-term memory forms. You do not need perfect recall of every card to be ready for the USMLE.
An Analogy That Helps
Using Anki is like maintaining an engine. Flashcards keep individual parts functioning, but you only find out if the car actually runs by driving it. Practice questions are that test drive.
Watch this video of one of our tutors explaining how they scored a 279 on Step 2 CK.
FAQs
Is Anki mandatory for USMLE success?
No. Many students score well without it. Anki is a tool, not a requirement.
Should I make my own Anki cards?
Pre-made decks save time and are more comprehensive. However, making one’s own cards can help for very specific, repeatedly missed concepts. This is practical if done efficiently, since creating one’s own cards tends to take a lot of time.
How much time should Anki take each day?
Anki should be predictable and limited. If it consistently crowds out practice questions, your card volume or workflow needs adjustment.
Can I use the same deck for Step 1 and Step 2?
Yes. Many students use AnKing for both, suspending and unsuspending cards as priorities shift.
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Summary
Anki works best when it supports your study plan rather than replacing it. Use pre-made decks, suspend everything initially, and unsuspend cards only after studying content or reviewing missed questions. Let your daily workload flex with your schedule, focus on high-yield memorization-heavy topics, and keep practice questions at the center of your preparation.
When used thoughtfully, Anki is an excellent tool that will help you retain what matters.
If you have further questions about the best way for you to use Anki to enhance your retention of important concepts for the USMLE, our tutors are here to help.
Free high-yield notes for USMLE Step 1 and Step 2, covering essential must-know concepts.
You can also bundle these notes with our full course, which explains the notes in-depth and covers additional high-yield concepts. Enroll today for USMLE Step 1, Step 2, or Step 3 prep.
If you have any questions about creating a personalized study schedule that integrates your chosen resources, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team. We’re here to support you every step of the way.
By Grace Eddy
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