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The idea gets more interesting depending on your idea of success. If success just means passing the course, you definitely don't need spaced repetition (but the

The idea gets more interesting depending on your idea of success. If success just means passing the course, you definitely don't need spaced repetition (but then again, you can also maybe get by via cramming two or three days before each test and rushing assignments, though this wouldn't be a good experience). If you define success as doing very well in the course (and remembering what you learn in the long-term), the idea gets more interesting because more people interested in these outcomes use flashcard systems. Anki is especially popular among medical students, so it's a tempting idea to consider that applying spaced repetition to subjects like mathematics or physics can also be useful. To some people studying math or physics, the software can potentially be a nice aide, but in my individual experience, I understood and remembered concepts better by spending more time practicing problems and doing sample tests, versus spending more time using spaced repetition software.

watwut 4y ago
That is the thing ... I don't recall best students doing flashcards all that much in cs, math and physics. I actually associated this more with groups of students who don't understand, so they memorize without understanding. When you understand the concept, it is also much easier to remember the thing.
- nohaydeprobleme 4y ago
  That's a fair observation. My personal experience has a bias because I knew a math and computer science major who was hardworking and seemed bright at academics, and he was really into Anki. Knowing him led to my impression that a decent number of math and physics students might have studied with spaced repetition without talking much about it, as he only mentioned it after he saw me studying with the software once. But in hindsight, I agree that it's more likely that math & physics students stick to the learning habits they developed earlier on—often through lots of practice tests and exercises. Anki seems to be more of a natural progression for people in other fields like biology, where students might develop habits of using flashcards with software like Quizlet, where using software with better study schedules like Anki can be a natural progression.

watwut 4y ago

That is the thing ... I don't recall best students doing flashcards all that much in cs, math and physics. I actually associated this more with groups of students who don't understand, so they memorize without understanding. When you understand the concept, it is also much easier to remember the thing.

nohaydeprobleme 4y ago
That's a fair observation. My personal experience has a bias because I knew a math and computer science major who was hardworking and seemed bright at academics, and he was really into Anki. Knowing him led to my impression that a decent number of math and physics students might have studied with spaced repetition without talking much about it, as he only mentioned it after he saw me studying with the software once. But in hindsight, I agree that it's more likely that math & physics students stick to the learning habits they developed earlier on—often through lots of practice tests and exercises. Anki seems to be more of a natural progression for people in other fields like biology, where students might develop habits of using flashcards with software like Quizlet, where using software with better study schedules like Anki can be a natural progression.