Choosing What to Memorize
How do you make Anki cards out of a 7Sage core curriculum page, a textbook, or whatever other text (spoiler, this can apply to things outside of the LSAT)? First, determine what content you actually need to memorize. This is highly individualized; if a concept is incredibly intuitive or obvious to you, skip it. If you know a rule like the back of your hand and can apply it flawlessly without hesitation, do not waste time making a flashcard.
Breaking Down the Content
Break each concept down into its smallest, most manageable parts—often called "atomic flashcards." The longer the front or back of a card is, the more likely you are to get a tiny piece wrong, which forces you to hit the "Again" button in Anki.
Example: For indicator words, the front of the card might say "Consequently (indicates)". The back should simply say "Conclusion". Do not add unnecessary filler.
Handling Ambiguity: Avoid using a single stimulus for multiple concepts. For instance, the word "must" is both a necessary condition indicator and a certainty indicator (meaning it 100% will happen). "Might" is a possibility indicator. Since "must" can serve different roles depending on the question context, use parentheses on the front of the card to specify. You might create two separate cards:
Front: Must (conditional) | Back: Necessary condition
Front: Must (probability) | Back: 100% will happen if sufficient condition triggered
Setting Up the Anki Ecosystem
The Applications
Desktop App (free): Download the Anki desktop application. You can use plugins like Onigiri (an add-on that modernizes and customizes the Anki dashboard) to make the interface much prettier. Note: Plugins can sometimes make Anki glitch out, so take that with a grain of salt.
Syncing Across Devices: Log into AnkiWeb on the desktop app so your decks sync to the cloud. I also use the Anki mobile app and sync it to my ankiweb account. The iOS app is $25, so if you don't want to buy it, that's fine, but it allows you to go back and forth and study whenever you have downtime, like when you're bored on a train or a bus. There is a free android app.
Organizing Your Decks Create a main deck titled "LSAT Prep." You can break this down into sub-decks based on the curriculum, such as LSAT Logical Reasoning or LSAT Reading Comprehension. (My personal RC deck is basically empty because I figured out a strategy that worked for me and just stuck to doing that instead of memorizing).
Using Tags As you extract information from your curriculum, tag your cards by category. Helpful tags might include:
Conditional indicators
Argument part indicators
Causal indicators
Common flaws
Question type stems
Best Practices for Card Creation & Studying
Keep Card Types Simple You are not trying to build a Ferrari of an Anki deck; you just need a usable tool for you and only you. Stick to the Basic card type. You do not need Cloze deletion or automatic reverse cards, as reversed concepts in the LSAT usually require slightly different wording on the stimulus side anyway.
Configure FSRS Settings In your deck settings, ensure that FSRS (Free Spaced Repetition Scheduler) is turned on. This is an algorithm that adjusts review intervals based on your personal memory history.
Set your retention target high for the LSAT (95% or higher).
While a higher retention rate will cause cards to appear slightly more often initially, it significantly reduces your long-term review load. Once you are in maintenance mode, the workload is really light.
Aside from enabling FSRS and setting the retention target, you do not need to change anything else in the default Anki settings.
For Optimal Memorization: Do not study new cards on the exact same day you create them. You just typed the information, so it is artificially fresh in your short-term memory. Let the cards sit for a day. Complete your scheduled daily reviews, but save the brand-new cards for the following day to truly test your recall.
Please note: while I do have a M.Ed., this is just what I do to study and is mostly based on my experience as an educator and learner. I can't guarantee Anki will work for everyone.
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