Anki GRE: The Complete Guide To Smarter Prep (And The Better App Most Students Don’t Know About) – Use flashcards the right way and discover a faster, less painful way to crush the GRE.

Anki For GRE: Good Idea… But There’s A Better Way

If you’re looking up “Anki GRE,” you already know flashcards are clutch for vocab and formulas.

And you’re right. Flashcards + spaced repetition = unfair advantage on the GRE.

But here’s the thing nobody tells you:

• Anki is powerful…
• Anki is also clunky, ugly, and kind of a pain to set up on iOS.

If you’ve ever thought:

> “I know flashcards will help, but I don’t have the time or patience to mess with Anki decks…”

Then you’ll probably be a lot happier with something like Flashrecall:

👉 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085

Flashrecall basically gives you the power of Anki without the annoying setup. You get:

• Automatic spaced repetition
• Active recall built-in
• Fast card creation from text, images, PDFs, YouTube, audio, or manual entry
• Works offline on iPhone and iPad
• Free to start

So let’s break this down: how to prep for the GRE like an Anki pro… and why most people end up preferring Flashrecall on iOS.

Why Flashcards Are So OP For The GRE

For GRE prep, you’re battling three things:

1. Huge vocab list (thousands of words, many you’ll never use in real life)

2. Math concepts and formulas you learned years ago and forgot

3. Time pressure – both in the exam and in your schedule

Flashcards solve all three when used right:

• You’re forced to recall (active recall) instead of just rereading a list
• You space out reviews so you don’t forget everything after a week
• You can study in tiny chunks: bus rides, waiting in line, 10 minutes before bed

That’s why tools like Anki became so popular with GRE students in the first place.

Anki For GRE: Pros And Cons (Especially On iOS)

Let’s be fair to Anki for a second.

What Anki Does Well For GRE

• Uses spaced repetition (SR) very effectively
• Tons of shared decks (GRE vocab lists, high-frequency words, etc.)
• Highly customizable if you’re willing to tweak settings

If you’re super technical, don’t mind a dated interface, and love playing with settings, Anki can absolutely work.

But Here’s Why Many GRE Students Drop Anki On iOS

On iOS, Anki can feel like:

• Slow and clunky – not built like a modern iPhone app
• Overwhelming – tons of settings, options, and confusing menus
• Annoying to create cards – especially from PDFs, screenshots, or YouTube explanations
• Not very “friendly” for quick, casual study sessions

And when you’re already stressed about the GRE, the last thing you need is your study app fighting you.

That’s where Flashrecall comes in as an easier, more modern alternative that still gives you all the learning power you want.

Flashrecall vs Anki For GRE: What’s Actually Better?

If you’re deciding between “Anki GRE” and “something that just works,” here’s how Flashrecall stacks up.

👉 Flashrecall link again so you don’t have to scroll:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085

1. Card Creation: The Biggest Time Saver

• Manually type vocab
• Manually type definitions
• Fiddle with formatting
• Copy/paste from PDFs or websites

• Text: Paste a vocab list, and Flashrecall can help turn it into cards
• Images: Screenshot a vocab list or formula sheet → Flashrecall turns it into cards
• PDFs: Import GRE prep PDFs and pull cards from key sections
• YouTube links: Watching a GRE math explanation? Drop the link and create cards from what matters
• Audio: Record yourself explaining a concept, then make cards from it
• Or just type cards manually if you like full control

Result: you spend way less time building decks and more time actually studying them.

2. Spaced Repetition Without Babysitting Settings

Both Anki and Flashrecall use spaced repetition, but:

• In Anki, you’re hit with lots of options and scheduling details
• In Flashrecall, SR is built-in and automatic – it just gives you the right cards at the right time

Flashrecall also has study reminders, so you don’t have to remember to remember.

You get a nudge: “Hey, you’ve got 32 GRE cards due today,” and you’re in and out in 10–15 minutes.

Perfect if you’re balancing:

• A job
• School
• Or just general life chaos

3. Active Recall Built In (The Thing That Actually Makes You Remember)

The whole point of flashcards is active recall: seeing a prompt, forcing your brain to dig up the answer.

Both Anki and Flashrecall do this, but Flashrecall adds one extra super useful thing:

> You can chat with your flashcards.

So if you’re stuck on something like:

• A tricky probability formula
• A weird vocab nuance
• A confusing reading comprehension strategy

You can literally ask the app to explain it more, give examples, or break it down simpler — based on the card content you already made.

It’s like having a tutor living inside your flashcards.

4. Perfect For GRE Vocab, Math, And More

Flashrecall isn’t just for vocab (though it’s amazing at it). It’s great for basically everything on the GRE:

• One side: word
• Other side: definition, example sentence, synonyms, common trap usages
• Add an image if it helps you remember the word better
• Use the chat to get more example sentences or simpler explanations

• One side: “What’s the formula for compound interest?”
• Other side: the formula + a worked example
• Screenshot tricky questions from your prep book and turn them into cards
• Use the chat to walk through the logic again if you forget

• One side: “Steps for text completion questions”
• Other side: your 3–5 step process
• Same for reading comprehension strategies and common wrong-answer patterns

You’re basically building your personal GRE brain inside the app.

5. Works Offline, On The Go, And Feels Modern

Flashrecall is built for iPhone and iPad from the ground up, so it’s:

• Fast
• Clean
• Easy to use
• Not ugly (sorry, Anki)

You can study offline, so:

• On the train
• On a plane
• In a café with bad Wi-Fi

You can still rip through your due cards and keep your streak going.

How To Use Flashrecall For GRE Prep (Step-By-Step)

Let’s say you want to replace or supplement “Anki GRE” with something smoother. Here’s a simple plan.

Step 1: Download Flashrecall

Grab it here (free to start):

👉 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085

Open it up on your iPhone or iPad.

Step 2: Start With Vocab (Your Highest ROI)

Pick one solid GRE vocab source:

• A well-known prep book
• A high-frequency GRE word list PDF
• A course you’re already using

Then:

• Screenshot or import the vocab pages into Flashrecall
• Turn them into flashcards (word on one side, definition + example on the other)
• Or paste a list of words and build cards from there

Don’t try to make 2000 cards in one day.

Start with 50–100 words, then add more as you go.

Step 3: Add Math + Concepts Gradually

As you do practice questions, anytime you think:

> “Ugh, I keep forgetting this formula / rule / trick…”

Make a card.

Examples:

• “Difference between permutation and combination?”
• “Standard deviation: what it actually measures”
• “Steps to compare two fractions quickly”

This way, your deck becomes 100% tailored to your weak spots.

Step 4: Let Spaced Repetition Do Its Thing

Every day:

1. Open Flashrecall

2. Do your due cards (the app schedules them for you)

3. Add a few new cards from whatever you studied that day

10–20 minutes a day is enough to:

• Keep vocab fresh
• Lock in math formulas
• Reinforce strategies

You’ll be shocked how much sticks after a few weeks.

Step 5: Use Chat When You’re Confused

If a card isn’t clicking:

• Open the card
• Use the chat with your flashcard feature
• Ask things like:
• “Explain this like I’m 12”
• “Give me three more example sentences”
• “Walk me through this formula step by step”

This is the kind of thing Anki just doesn’t do. It’s not just storage — it’s active learning.

Should You Still Use Anki For GRE?

You can. Many people do.

But here’s the realistic breakdown:

Use Anki if:

• You’re already deep into the Anki ecosystem
• You like tweaking settings and don’t mind the older UI
• You’re okay with more manual work to create and manage decks

Use Flashrecall if:

• You want something that feels modern and fast on iOS
• You want to create cards from screenshots, PDFs, YouTube, etc. with minimal effort
• You like the idea of built-in chat, reminders, and automatic spaced repetition
• You just want to focus on learning, not on managing an app

You can even mix both if you want:

• Use Anki on desktop
• Use Flashrecall on your phone for quick, on-the-go GRE sessions

But if you’re starting fresh on iPhone or iPad, Flashrecall is simply the smoother option.

Final Thoughts: Learn Like An Anki Pro, Without The Anki Pain

If you searched “Anki GRE,” what you’re really looking for is:

• A way to remember vocab long-term
• A way to lock in math concepts
• A system that runs in the background so you don’t have to constantly think about what to review

You don’t actually need Anki specifically.

You need spaced repetition + active recall + low-friction card creation.

That’s exactly what Flashrecall gives you, but in a way that feels built for how you actually study today.

Try it while you’re reading this — make a tiny 20-card GRE deck and see how it feels:

👉 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085

If you stick with it for even two weeks, you’ll feel the difference every time you see a “hard” word or tricky formula on a practice test.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Anki good for studying?

Anki is powerful but requires manual card creation and has a steep learning curve. Flashrecall offers AI-powered card generation from your notes, images, PDFs, and videos, making it faster and easier to create effective flashcards.

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.

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.

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