Rate based on retrieval effort, not how well you understand it after seeing the answer. Only judge the moment of recall before revealing the card.
TIP
Decide on the difficulty first before revealing the card so you don’t forget your decision.
Rules
- Again — forgot, or recalled wrong
- Hard — recalled but it took significant effort
- Good — recalled correctly with normal effort
- Easy — recalled instantly with zero effort
Good and Easy is a bit vauge, so Pratical rules help with deciding.
Pratical rules
- Most cards should be Good.
- Use Again when you fail.
- Use Hard sparingly when you’re right but it was a genuine struggle.
- Use Easy only when it felt almost insultingly obvious.
Default to Good:
- If you’re stuck between Hard and Good, pick Good.
- If stuck between Good and Easy, pick Good.
TIP
Try not to obsess over the card description. The priority is the quality and speed of recalling the card. Other things are just noise.