How to Create Note Cards

Find a suitable location. Choose a well-lit area free from distractions and ensure you have all the tools you need. You need to focus entirely on your note cards. Some people enjoy watching TV or listening to music while working. If you prefer this, feel free to indulge your auditory senses, just make sure it doesn’t distract you.

Gather your materials. This means having note cards and a textbook ready. A good pen, markers, highlighters, and any other writing tools you prefer to use.

• At this stage, you’ll also need to decide on the method you want to use for creating your note cards. Will you choose paper and pen, or will you create digital note cards? Ultimately, it’s a matter of personal preference. Research shows that most students retain information better when writing by hand. However, the convenience of having digital note cards on your phone might outweigh other considerations.

Highlight the most important information. Identify the key points in your notes and textbook. Organize them into significant sections that can be easily transferred to your note cards — whether physical or digital. Use highlighters to emphasize important notes or textbook sections. If you can’t write in the book, jot them down on a separate sheet or create a dedicated text file on your computer.

• Ultimately, you’ll develop a system that makes creating note cards easier. Some of the simplest methods include highlighting or underlining key points emphasized by your teacher. Others use asterisks (*), dashes (bullets), or other symbols to distinguish critical content from the rest.

Write the main term or concept on one side of the note card. Use large, clear handwriting for easy reading. Avoid including any key details on this side. The purpose of the note card is to see a basic concept and then recall the precise information about it. If your teacher provides questions for reflection, write only the question on this side. Keep this side of the card as simple as possible.

Write concise, brief notes on the other side of the card. The goal is to include only the most essential information on this side. For example, don’t rewrite the entire lecture on the Mongol land reforms or bicameralism. Focus on the key points emphasized by your professor and use bullet points.

• Use pencil or light ink to prevent smudging on the other side of the card.
• Draw diagrams if needed. Don’t hesitate to add supplementary information on the back of the card, as long as it’s necessary for your studies.

Ensure your writing is large, clear, and well-spaced. If the text is too small, it will be hard to read, and if the spacing is too tight, the card will be difficult to understand at a glance. Clear writing makes it easier to review your notes.

• If you feel you’ve written too much detail on a card, try to extract or split it into multiple note cards. In this case, the keyword on the front should be accompanied by a qualifier in parentheses. For example, if you want to remember the causes of the French Revolution and can’t condense it into a single card, create multiple cards instead. “Causes of the French Revolution (Political),” “Causes of the French Revolution (Social),” and “Causes of the French Revolution (Economic)” would be ideal for this topic.

Use bright colors for writing. Treat colors as your allies. Feel free to color-code specific information. For example, if you’re studying for a French vocabulary test, write the infinitive verb on one side of the card, then write the definition in black ink and the conjugated form in a different color on the other side. Be creative. Colors can help organize the most important information on your note cards. Just make sure it’s readable. Yellow ink won’t work well on a yellow card.

Use shorthand to save space. Sometimes, you have too much information to fit on a single note card. In such cases, consider using shorthand. Most people develop their own shorthand system that works for them. Generally, shorthand is used to highlight essential information and reduce the importance of unnecessary words. Replace “and” with “&” and “for example” with “e.g.”.

Open Microsoft Word and start a new document. Regardless of the version, you’ll first need to launch the program. Then, click the “New” button, which is located in the toolbar at the top.

Choose a design template for your note cards. You can approach this in two ways. Use the built-in search bar. Type “flash card” into the search bar, and design templates will appear. Alternatively, browse through the various templates available in MS Word to find one that suits your needs. Typically, there are numerous flash card templates to choose from. Some are more colorful than others, while others are simple and plain. Some even include decorative elements. Pick the one that appeals to you most, but remember that note cards should be easy to read. Avoid templates with distracting decorations or colors that make them hard to use.

Input the necessary information. Each template will indicate where to place the key term, concept, or question and where to write the supporting details.

• Use color to organize your note cards better. Simply highlight the text you want to color and click the text color bar at the top of the application. Choose colors that are easy to read but distinct from one another. For example, use black for the main information and green, blue, red, purple, or brown for additional details on the same card.

Print and cut out the note cards. Note cards won’t be helpful if they remain on your computer’s hard drive. Print them on cardstock and cut them out.

• You can punch a hole in one corner and bind the cards together with a ring. This way, you can easily flip through them when needed.

Choose an online note card creation tool. There are many applications to choose from. Some allow downloads for offline use. Websites like cram.com, http://www.flashcardmachine.com, http://www.kitzkikz.com/flashcards/, and https://www.studyblue.com offer free access.

Create an account when required. Many online flashcard creation programs require you to create an account. Be cautious to avoid sharing unnecessary personal information. Once you’ve set up an account, you can access your flashcards from any device with an internet connection. This means you can view them on desktops, laptops, and smartphones.

Enter all relevant information. Each platform will have a specific area for the key term, concept, or question and another for the supporting details. Some websites, like cram.com, allow you to customize the design of your flashcards — adding colors or patterns. Others, such as http://www.kitzkikz.com/flashcards/, only provide space for inputting information.

Complete your flashcards. Every website will have a button labeled “create flashcard” or “process flashcard.” Click that button to finalize and start using your cards.

Choose a mobile app for creating flashcards. The biggest advantage of mobile apps is that you can carry your flashcards with you anywhere. There are numerous apps available for creating flashcards, some tailored to specific subjects like Math or Vocabulary.

• Most apps are free, so try experimenting with two or more to see which one best suits your needs.

Dedicate time to creating flashcards. This might seem like the most straightforward step, as you only need to write useful information on the cards. Treat flashcard creation as an integral part of your study process, not just a task to force yourself to study. Often, it’s your initial approach to learning. Pay close attention to the material and try to add your own perspective as you create the notes. This will help you remember the information more effectively later.

• Some researchers argue that handwritten flashcards are more effective than those created using MS Word, software programs, or online tools. Psychologists from Princeton and UCLA found that information retention improves when students write by hand. The brain processes new information differently compared to simply typing it verbatim.

Test yourself regularly. Don’t just create flashcards and glance at them before a test. Review them frequently. Use spare moments to study. Go through the cards carefully. Keep them with you throughout the day and review a couple while watching TV commercials, riding the bus, or waiting in line at a store. The goal is to recognize all the cards in sequence and shuffle them. This is only possible if you test yourself often.

Ask someone to quiz you. This could be a classmate or someone else. All they need to do is read what’s written on the cards. Have them show you one side of the card, then explain the information on the other side, making sure to use key phrases.

• If you’re still unfamiliar with the information, ask your study partner to let you see the side with the details first, then recall the keyword.

Keep your flashcards until you’ve fully mastered the material. One of the biggest mistakes students make is discarding their flashcards after a test or exam. Remember that course material often builds across semesters and from one class to the next. If you’re taking a multi-part course, consider creating a larger “bank” of flashcards for future reference.