Academic and Wellness Outcomes Associated with use of Anki Spaced Repetition Software in Medical School

Abstract

OBJECTIVES Medical students are increasingly using a spaced repetition software called Anki to study. There are limited studies evaluating the relationship between Anki and learner outcomes. In this study, we describe the history of Anki use in medical school and assess the potential relationships between use of Anki and medical student academic, extracurricular, and wellness outcomes. METHODS We used cross-sectional data from a 50-item online survey and retrospective academic performance data from our institution's outcomes database. Participants were medical students. The survey assessed the frequency and timing of Anki use, student perceived stress, sleep quality, burnout risk, and involvement in extracurricular activities. Academic success was measured by USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 scores. RESULTS 165 students responded survey. 92 (56%) identified as daily Anki users. Daily Anki use was correlated with increased Step 1 score ( P = .039), but not Step 2 scores. There was an association between Anki use and increased sleep quality ( P = .01), but no difference for other measurements of wellness or extracurricular involvement. CONCLUSION The study demonstrates potential benefits of daily use of Anki but also confirms that a variety of study methods can be used to achieve similar medical school outcomes.

Academic Surgery in the Era of Large Language Models

“…25,26 Now, many students have traded textbooks for third-party resources and spaced-repetition flashcards. 27,28 With the rising popularity of LLMs, medical students andresidentsnowhaveanewtooltoaddtotheirstudyarsenalassome learners have been asking chatbots to simplify complex concepts for them. 29 Surgeonsinvolvedinmedicaleducation,whetherworkingwith medical students or residents, can use LLMs to assist in generating learning objectives and cases for didactic learning purposes.…”

“…Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, technologic improvements created a shift in the delivery of medical education . Now, many students have traded textbooks for third-party resources and spaced-repetition flashcards . With the rising popularity of LLMs, medical students and residents now have a new tool to add to their study arsenal as some learners have been asking chatbots to simplify complex concepts for them .…”

A Cohort Study Assessing the Impact of Anki as a Spaced Repetition Tool on Academic Performance in Medical School

“…More recently, Wothe et al demonstrated in 165 students surveyed, daily Anki use was correlated with increased Step 1 scores, but not Step 2 scores. Interestingly, they found an association between Anki use and increased sleep quality [ 20 ] Sun et al, however, did not find benefit of flashcard use in a medical student psychiatry course, but this may have been due to the short 1-month interval of the study [ 16 ]. Within residency education, both medicine and surgery subspecialty residents are using Anki for preparation for in-service exams, and studies have demonstrated strong positive correlation with examination scores [ 21 , 22 ].…”

Anki Tagger: A Generative AI Tool for Aligning Third-Party Resources to Preclinical Curriculum

“…Medical students complete much of their preclinical didactic learning outside of the classroom, with the assistance of third-party resources such as Anki flashcard decks, instead of traditional lectures [ 3 ]. Anki flashcard decks use the principle of spaced repetition to improve memorization [ 4 , 5 ]. Medical students found Anki flashcards produced for their specific curriculum helpful and believed that these flashcards reduced anxiety.…”

“…Use of crowdsourced flashcard decks eliminates the investment of time required upfront to produce flashcards for each lecture, but these flashcards are not specific to the user’s medical school curriculum [ 4 ]. A mechanism to match existing flashcards, created and vetted by medical students within the Reddit and AnkiHub communities, to the learning goals of didactic lectures delivered by medical school faculty members would be less time-intensive for faculty and students.…”