FlashRecall

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Exam Prepby FlashRecall Team

Barbri Flashcards: The Complete Guide To Smarter Bar Prep (And The Powerful App Most Students Don’t Know About) – Pass faster, stress less, and turn every rule, case, and outline into actually-memorizable flashcards.

Barbri flashcards are fine but limited. See how pairing them with spaced repetition in Flashrecall lets you target weak spots and actually remember black-let...

How Flashrecall app helps you remember faster. It's free

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Barbri Flashcards Are Good – But You Can Do Way Better

If you’re grinding for the bar, you’re probably buried in Barbri books, videos, and yes… their flashcards.

They’re fine. They work.

But they’re also:

  • Limited to Barbri’s content
  • Not customizable enough for your weak spots
  • Kind of clunky to review consistently
  • Easy to ignore when you’re tired and overwhelmed

That’s where using your own flashcards + spaced repetition becomes a game changer. And honestly, that’s exactly why an app like Flashrecall exists.

👉 Flashrecall (iPhone & iPad):

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

You can still use Barbri, Themis, Kaplan, whatever. But pairing it with a modern flashcard app that actually makes it easy to remember black-letter law is what helps you pass without frying your brain.

Let’s break down how Barbri flashcards compare, and how to turn all that bar prep content into a system that basically forces your brain to remember.

The Problem With Only Using Barbri Flashcards

Barbri flashcards are good for:

  • Getting exposure to the core rules
  • Having a pre-made deck so you don’t start from zero
  • Staying inside Barbri’s structured prep system

But here’s where they fall short for a lot of people:

1. You Can’t Fully Customize Them

You’ll have rules that you keep messing up – like hearsay exceptions or future interests – and you want more cards on those. With Barbri’s built-in cards, you’re stuck with what they give you.

With your own deck, you can:

  • Add more examples to tricky rules
  • Break dense rules into smaller, simpler cards
  • Add mnemonics or your own wording that actually makes sense to you

2. No True “Brain-Friendly” Spaced Repetition

You know how you feel like you’ll remember something… until a week later when it’s gone?

Spaced repetition fixes that by resurfacing cards right before you forget them. Barbri’s flashcards don’t really give you a strong, built-in spaced repetition system that adapts to how you perform.

  • It uses spaced repetition behind the scenes
  • It reminds you when it’s time to review
  • It focuses more on what you’re getting wrong

So instead of randomly flipping through cards, you’re reviewing what matters at the right time.

3. Harder To Mix With Other Sources

Most bar takers don’t just use Barbri. You’ve probably got:

  • Class notes
  • MEE/MPT outlines
  • MBE practice questions
  • Other bar prep books or PDFs

Barbri’s flashcards are locked to their ecosystem. You can’t just snap a pic of your outline and turn it into flashcards there.

With Flashrecall, you literally can.

Why Flashrecall Works So Well With Barbri (Not Instead Of It)

You don’t have to ditch Barbri. Just stop relying on their flashcards as your only memory tool.

Here’s how Flashrecall fits in:

👉 App link again so you don’t scroll:

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

1. Turn Any Barbri Page Into Flashcards Instantly

Instead of rewriting everything by hand, you can:

  • Take a photo of a Barbri outline page
  • Import PDFs
  • Paste text from your Barbri online materials
  • Even drop in YouTube-style lecture links or audio notes

Flashrecall can auto-generate flashcards from:

  • Images
  • Text
  • Audio
  • PDFs
  • YouTube links
  • Or just typed prompts

So that 10-page Evidence outline? You can turn it into a deck in minutes, not hours.

2. Active Recall Built In (So You’re Not Just “Reading” Again)

Bar study fails when it becomes passive:

  • Re-reading outlines
  • Re-watching lectures
  • Highlighting like it’s a coloring book

Flashrecall is all about active recall – forcing your brain to pull answers out from memory. Every card is basically a mini quiz:

  • You look at the prompt
  • You try to recall the rule or concept
  • Then you reveal the answer and rate how well you knew it

This is exactly the type of practice that makes MBE questions feel easier, because your brain has already done that “pull from memory” work a thousand times.

3. Spaced Repetition + Auto Reminders = No More “Cram and Pray”

Flashrecall has built-in spaced repetition with automatic reminders.

That means:

  • Cards you know well appear less often
  • Cards you keep missing come back more frequently
  • The app schedules reviews for you – you don’t have to think about it

You’ll get gentle study reminders, so even on days when you’re tired, you can knock out a quick 10–15 minute review and still feel productive.

Flashrecall automatically keeps track and reminds you of the cards you don't remember well so you remember faster. Like this :

Flashrecall spaced repetition reminders notification

This is huge for bar prep because the exam is a delayed test. You need to remember rules weeks after you first learn them. Spaced repetition is literally designed for that.

How To Use Flashrecall With Barbri Step-By-Step

Let’s make this super concrete.

Step 1: Pick One Subject At A Time

Don’t try to do everything at once. Start with something like:

  • Torts
  • Contracts
  • Evidence

Open your Barbri outline or lecture notes for that subject.

Step 2: Turn The Key Rules Into Cards

In Flashrecall, you can:

  • Manually create cards for the most important rules (e.g., “Elements of negligence”)
  • Or use the auto-card features to generate cards from text, PDFs, or images

Examples:

  • Front: “What are the elements of negligence?”

Back: “Duty, breach, causation, damages.”

  • Front: “Hearsay definition?”

Back: “An out-of-court statement offered to prove the truth of the matter asserted.”

  • Front: “When is specific performance available in Contracts?”

Back: “When legal remedies are inadequate, subject matter is unique, and enforcement is feasible, etc.”

You can also add your own examples and fact patterns on the back to make the rule stick.

Step 3: Focus On What You Actually Get Wrong

As you review:

  • Mark cards you don’t know well
  • Add extra cards for rules that keep tripping you up
  • Break complex rules into multiple simpler cards

Flashrecall’s spaced repetition system will automatically bring the hard stuff back more often. You don’t have to track anything manually.

Step 4: Do Daily Quick Reviews (Even Offline)

One of the best parts: Flashrecall works offline.

So you can review:

  • On the train
  • In line for coffee
  • During breaks at work
  • Anywhere your phone is, basically

Those tiny review sessions add up. 10 minutes here and there over 2 months beats one giant 6-hour cram the week before the exam.

Flashrecall vs Barbri Flashcards: Quick Comparison

FeatureBarbri FlashcardsFlashrecall Flashcards
CustomizableLimitedFully customizable (your wording, your rules)
Content SourcesOnly BarbriImages, text, audio, PDFs, YouTube, manual input
Spaced RepetitionBasic / limitedBuilt-in, adaptive spaced repetition
Study RemindersNot reallyAutomatic study reminders
Active Recall FocusYes, but staticCore design of the app
Works OfflineDepends on formatYes, works offline
Chat With Your CardsNoYes – you can chat with the flashcard if unsure
PlatformsBarbri platformiPhone & iPad
PriceIncluded in Barbri costFree to start, modern, simple, fast

You can absolutely use both:

  • Barbri for structure, lectures, and outlines
  • Flashrecall for memorization, review, and actually keeping rules in your head

“Chat With The Flashcard” – Low-Key The Coolest Feature

One underrated thing for bar prep: sometimes the short answer on a card isn’t enough. You want a bit more explanation, but you don’t want to go dig through 40 pages of notes.

Flashrecall lets you literally chat with the flashcard.

You can ask:

  • “Explain this rule like I’m 10.”
  • “Give me a hypo using this rule.”
  • “What’s a common trap on the MBE for this topic?”

This is insanely useful for tricky stuff like:

  • Future interests
  • Hearsay exceptions
  • Personal jurisdiction
  • RAP (yes, that monster)

It turns your deck into more than just Q&A – it becomes a mini tutor.

Not Just For Barbri – Useful For Every Part Of Bar Prep

Flashrecall isn’t locked into bar exam content. You can use it for:

  • MBE questions – turn explanations into cards
  • MEE subjects – memorize rule statements for essays
  • MPT formats – remember structures and checklists
  • Class notes if you’re still in law school
  • Other exams (MPRE, law school finals, even business or medical stuff later on)

It’s built to be fast, modern, and easy to use, not some clunky ancient app that looks like it was made in 2005.

And again, it’s free to start, so you can just try it alongside Barbri and see if it clicks.

👉 Grab it here:

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

Final Thoughts: Don’t Let Barbri Be Your Only Memory Plan

Barbri is great for structure. But passing the bar isn’t about how many pages you read – it’s about how much you can recall under pressure.

If you:

  • Feel like you keep forgetting rules
  • Get overwhelmed re-reading outlines
  • Want something more flexible than Barbri’s built-in flashcards

Then pairing Barbri with Flashrecall is honestly one of the smartest moves you can make.

Turn every rule, outline, and practice question into flashcards.

Let spaced repetition and active recall do the heavy lifting.

Show up on exam day with your brain actually ready.

Download Flashrecall, build a small deck for one subject, and try it for a week. You’ll feel the difference in how quickly rules start to stick:

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

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.

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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