Kaplan Flashcards Tips: The Best Guide
Kaplan flashcards tips focus on active recall and spaced repetition. Use Flashrecall for instant flashcard creation and timely study reminders to boost.
How Flashrecall app helps you remember faster. It's free
Kaplan Flashcards Are Good… But You Can Do Way Better
Ever notice how sometimes you just can’t seem to remember the stuff you study? That’s where kaplan flashcards tips come in handy. They're a lifesaver when you're trying to get a grip on tricky subjects or cram for those big exams. The secret sauce is all about using them right—with things like active recall and spaced repetition. Just doing a little bit consistently can make a huge difference. And if you’re like me, juggling a million things, Flashrecall can be your go-to buddy. It takes your notes and magically turns them into flashcards, reminding you to review them just when you start to forget. Seriously, if you're tired of wasting time and want to actually remember what you study, you should totally check out our guide for some awesome Kaplan flashcards tips. Trust me, your brain will thank you!
If you're looking for information about kaplan flashcards: smarter alternatives, proven study hacks & the one app most students don’t know about yet – stop wasting time and start actually remembering what you study, read our complete guide to kaplan flashcards.
- Instant flashcard creation from images, PDFs, text, YouTube, audio, or typed prompts
- Built‑in spaced repetition and active recall
- Study reminders so you don’t forget to review
- Works offline on iPhone and iPad
- Free to start, fast, and actually nice to use
Let’s break down where Kaplan flashcards shine, where they fall short, and how to use something like Flashrecall to fix the gaps.
Kaplan Flashcards: What They’re Great For
To be fair, Kaplan flashcards do have some strong points:
1. Curated, Exam-Focused Content
Kaplan’s decks are usually:
- Written by subject experts
- Aligned with specific exams (MCAT, LSAT, NCLEX, etc.)
- Focused on high-yield topics
If you don’t want to think about what to study, Kaplan gives you a ready-made path.
2. Physical Cards Can Be Nice (Sometimes)
Physical Kaplan flashcards:
- Are easy to flip through
- Feel “real” and less distracting than a phone
- Are decent for quick sessions at a desk or library
But that’s also where the problems start.
The Hidden Downsides of Kaplan Flashcards
Here’s what most people don’t tell you.
1. You’re Stuck With Their Content
Kaplan’s cards are:
- Static
- Hard to customize
- Not personalized to your weak areas
If you find a confusing explanation or want to add your own notes, it’s not exactly smooth. You end up scribbling all over the cards or juggling extra notebooks.
With Flashrecall, you can:
- Make your own cards in seconds
- Turn your class notes, PDFs, or lecture slides into flashcards instantly
- Add your own examples, mnemonics, or clarifications
You’re not locked into someone else’s wording — you build the deck around how you think.
2. No Real Spaced Repetition System
Kaplan flashcards don’t have a built-in algorithm that tells you when to review which card. You’re just:
- Shuffling cards
- Hoping you’re reviewing often enough
- Wasting time on stuff you already know
That’s not efficient, especially for big exams with huge content loads.
- Hard cards show up more often
- Easy cards get spaced out
- You get auto reminders to study so you don’t forget
- The app handles the schedule — you just show up and tap “Study”
That’s how you actually remember things long-term instead of cramming and forgetting.
3. Physical Cards Are a Pain for Real Life
Kaplan decks are:
- Bulky to carry
- Easy to lose or damage
- Annoying to organize if you have multiple subjects
Compare that to Flashrecall:
- All your decks live in your phone
- Works offline, so you can study on the train, plane, or in a dead Wi‑Fi zone
- Perfect for quick 5–10 minute sessions between classes, on lunch breaks, or before bed
You’re way more likely to review consistently when your cards are always with you.
4. One-Size-Fits-All vs. Personalized Learning
Kaplan flashcards are the same for everyone taking the exam.
But:
- Your weak topics are different from someone else’s
- Your background knowledge might be stronger in some areas
- You might need more examples, diagrams, or context
Flashrecall automatically keeps track and reminds you of the cards you don't remember well so you remember faster. Like this :
In Flashrecall, you can:
- Add your own cards for concepts you keep missing
- Import snippets from your textbook, slides, or question banks
- Even chat with your flashcards if you’re unsure about something
That last one is wild: if a card confuses you, you can literally ask the app to explain it more, break it down simply, or give extra examples.
Kaplan vs. Flashrecall: How They Compare (In Real Life)
Let’s say you’re studying for the MCAT with Kaplan flashcards.
With Just Kaplan Flashcards:
- You flip through 500+ cards
- You keep seeing stuff you already know
- You’re not sure which topics are your weak points
- You forget to review regularly because life happens
With Kaplan + Flashrecall (Best Combo):
You can:
1. Take photos of Kaplan cards and let Flashrecall turn them into digital flashcards
2. Add extra cards for things Kaplan didn’t explain well
3. Let spaced repetition handle the “when to review” problem
4. Use study reminders so you don’t fall off schedule
Flashrecall basically becomes your smart upgrade to any pre-made resource:
👉 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085
Why Flashrecall Is a Better Long-Term Solution Than Just Kaplan
Even if you love Kaplan’s content, you still need a tool that can handle everything else you study — not just one exam brand.
Flashrecall works great for:
- Languages (vocab, grammar rules, phrases)
- School & university (bio, chem, physics, history, math)
- Medical school (pharm, pathology, anatomy, clinical facts)
- Business & finance (formulas, definitions, case frameworks)
- Certifications (CFA, CPA, IT certs, etc.)
Instead of buying a new boxed set for every topic, you just:
- Create your own deck
- Import from PDFs, lecture slides, or YouTube videos
- Let the app do the heavy lifting with active recall + spaced repetition
How Flashrecall Makes Flashcards Instantly (This Is the Fun Part)
Here’s what makes Flashrecall feel way more modern than traditional flashcards:
You can create cards from:
- Images – Snap a pic of a textbook page, whiteboard, or Kaplan card → Flashrecall extracts the text and turns it into flashcards
- Text – Paste chunks of notes or copy from a website → auto-generated cards
- PDFs – Upload lecture notes, study guides, or practice question PDFs
- YouTube links – Drop in a video link and generate cards from the content
- Audio – Record lectures or explanations and turn them into cards
- Typed prompts – Just tell it what you’re learning and let it help build a deck
You can still make manual flashcards if you like full control, but the point is: you don’t have to spend hours typing.
Built-In Active Recall (So You Actually Learn, Not Just Read)
Kaplan flashcards naturally use active recall because you’re forced to answer from memory.
Flashrecall keeps that same idea, but:
- Presents questions first
- Makes you think before showing the answer
- Lets you grade how well you knew it (Again / Hard / Good / Easy)
That feedback feeds into the spaced repetition system, so your study sessions get more and more tailored to you.
What About Cost?
Kaplan flashcards:
- Can get pricey, especially for big exam sets
- Are limited to that one exam/subject
Flashrecall:
- Is free to start
- Lets you create unlimited decks across any subject
- Replaces the need to keep buying new physical decks over and over
You can still use Kaplan’s content if you like it — just combine it with Flashrecall to make it smarter.
Example: How to Turn Kaplan Into a Supercharged Study System
Let’s walk through a simple workflow.
Step 1: Start With Kaplan (If You Already Have It)
- Go through a small stack of Kaplan flashcards
- Separate out the ones you struggle with
Step 2: Import Into Flashrecall
- Take clear photos of those cards
- Use Flashrecall to turn them into digital flashcards
- Add extra notes, mnemonics, or examples to each one
Step 3: Add Your Own Cards
- After practice questions, add cards for every concept you missed
- Use text, PDFs, or YouTube lectures as sources
- Let Flashrecall generate cards for you to save time
Step 4: Let Spaced Repetition Take Over
- Open Flashrecall daily (even for 10–15 minutes)
- Study the cards due that day
- Let the app schedule reviews automatically
Step 5: Use Chat When You’re Stuck
- If a card doesn’t make sense, chat with the flashcard
- Ask for a simpler explanation, analogy, or more examples
- Keep refining the card until it clicks
That’s how you turn “meh, I hope this is enough” into a system that almost forces you to remember.
So… Should You Use Kaplan Flashcards?
They’re not bad. They’re just not enough on their own.
- You like having expert-written content as a base
- You’re okay with physical cards or static digital decks
- Study smarter with spaced repetition and active recall
- Turn any resource (Kaplan, textbooks, slides, videos) into flashcards
- Get reminders so you stop forgetting to review
- Study offline on iPhone or iPad, anytime
- Build decks for all your subjects, not just one exam
If you’re serious about your exam score, you want tools that work with your brain, not against it.
Try Flashrecall here (free to start):
👉 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085
Build your own “Kaplan-level” flashcards, but smarter, faster, and actually tailored to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the fastest way to create flashcards?
Manually typing cards works but takes time. Many students now use AI generators that turn notes into flashcards instantly. Flashrecall does this automatically from text, images, or PDFs.
Is there a free flashcard app?
Yes. Flashrecall is free and lets you create flashcards from images, text, prompts, audio, PDFs, and YouTube videos.
How do I start spaced repetition?
You can manually schedule your reviews, but most people use apps that automate this. Flashrecall uses built-in spaced repetition so you review cards at the perfect time.
What is active recall and how does it work?
Active recall is the process of actively retrieving information from memory rather than passively reviewing it. Flashrecall forces proper active recall by making you think before revealing answers, then uses spaced repetition to optimize your review schedule.
How can I study more effectively for this test?
Effective exam prep combines active recall, spaced repetition, and regular practice. Flashrecall helps by automatically generating flashcards from your study materials and using spaced repetition to ensure you remember everything when exam day arrives.
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Research References
The information in this article is based on peer-reviewed research and established studies in cognitive psychology and learning science.
Cepeda, N. J., Pashler, H., Vul, E., Wixted, J. T., & Rohrer, D. (2006). Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks: A review and quantitative synthesis. Psychological Bulletin, 132(3), 354-380
Meta-analysis showing spaced repetition significantly improves long-term retention compared to massed practice
Carpenter, S. K., Cepeda, N. J., Rohrer, D., Kang, S. H., & Pashler, H. (2012). Using spacing to enhance diverse forms of learning: Review of recent research and implications for instruction. Educational Psychology Review, 24(3), 369-378
Review showing spacing effects work across different types of learning materials and contexts
Kang, S. H. (2016). Spaced repetition promotes efficient and effective learning: Policy implications for instruction. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 3(1), 12-19
Policy review advocating for spaced repetition in educational settings based on extensive research evidence
Karpicke, J. D., & Roediger, H. L. (2008). The critical importance of retrieval for learning. Science, 319(5865), 966-968
Research demonstrating that active recall (retrieval practice) is more effective than re-reading for long-term learning
Roediger, H. L., & Butler, A. C. (2011). The critical role of retrieval practice in long-term retention. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 15(1), 20-27
Review of research showing retrieval practice (active recall) as one of the most effective learning strategies
Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students' learning with effective learning techniques: Promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4-58
Comprehensive review ranking learning techniques, with practice testing and distributed practice rated as highly effective

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