Flash Cards On GoodNotes: Why Most Students Switch To This Powerful Flashcard App Instead – And Learn Faster

GoodNotes Flashcards Are Nice… But They Hit A Wall Fast

If you’re making flash cards on GoodNotes right now, you’re already doing more than most people. Handwriting, highlighting, drawing arrows everywhere – love that.

But here’s the problem:

GoodNotes is amazing for taking notes, not for actually remembering them.

If you want real long-term memory, spaced repetition, and smart review – you’ll hit the limits of GoodNotes flashcards pretty quickly. That’s where a dedicated flashcard app like Flashrecall comes in and quietly blows it out of the water.

👉 Try Flashrecall here (free to start):

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

Let’s talk about:

• What GoodNotes flashcards are good for
• Where they start to fail you
• How to move your GoodNotes notes into Flashrecall and turn them into actual memory

What GoodNotes Flashcards Are Actually Good At

To be fair, GoodNotes does have some nice strengths for studying:

• You can handwrite everything – formulas, diagrams, mind maps
• It’s great for annotating PDFs, lecture slides, and textbooks
• You can organize notebooks by subject, semester, etc.
• It feels close to “real notebook” studying

So if you like writing things out by hand, GoodNotes is perfect for:

• Drafting your first version of notes
• Working through problems
• Drawing diagrams or concept maps
• Marking important stuff to review later

But that last part – review later – is exactly where things start to break.

The Big Problem With Flash Cards On GoodNotes

GoodNotes isn’t really built as a flashcard system. It’s a note app that you’re trying to use as a memory tool. And that comes with some big issues:

1. No Real Spaced Repetition

You know how you’re supposed to review things right before you forget them?

That’s spaced repetition. GoodNotes doesn’t do that.

So you end up:

• Flipping through random pages
• Reviewing everything equally (even stuff you already know)
• Forgetting things anyway because the timing is off

Flashcards without spaced repetition are basically… fancy notes.

2. No Automatic Study Reminders

With GoodNotes, if you don’t remember to review, nothing happens.

No notification. No schedule. Just silence.

And when you’re juggling classes, work, or life in general, it’s way too easy to think:

“I’ll review tomorrow.”

…and then it’s exam week.

3. Hard To Test Yourself Properly

GoodNotes doesn’t really force active recall.

You end up scrolling, reading, and telling yourself “yeah, I know this.”

But reading ≠ remembering.

You need a system that hides the answer and makes you pull it out of your brain.

Why Use A Dedicated Flashcard App Instead (And Not Just Any App)

This is where Flashrecall changes the game.

Instead of trying to hack GoodNotes into a flashcard system, you just let GoodNotes do what it’s best at (note-taking) and let Flashrecall handle the memory part.

👉 Flashrecall on the App Store:

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

Here’s why it works so well alongside GoodNotes:

1. Turn Your GoodNotes Content Into Flashcards Instantly

You don’t need to rewrite everything. Flashrecall can create cards from:

• Images – Screenshot a GoodNotes page or section, import, and boom: cards
• PDFs – Export a GoodNotes notebook or lecture PDF and feed it into Flashrecall
• Text – Copy key points from your notes and paste them
• YouTube – Got a lecture video? Drop the link and generate cards from it
• Typed prompts – Just tell Flashrecall what topic you’re studying and let it help you draft cards

You can also make cards manually if you like full control.

But the point is: you don’t have to rebuild your entire GoodNotes notebook from scratch.

2. Built-In Spaced Repetition (No Extra Thinking)

Flashrecall has spaced repetition built in. That means:

• It automatically figures out when you should see each card again
• Hard cards come back more often
• Easy cards get spaced out
• You don’t waste time on stuff you already know

You just open the app and it says:

“Here’s what you need to review today.”

That’s it. No planning. No guessing.

3. Study Reminders So You Don’t Fall Off

Flashrecall can ping you with study reminders, so even if your day is chaotic, you don’t forget to review.

• Short daily sessions
• Keeps your memory fresh
• No guilt spiral of “I forgot to study all week”

4. Proper Active Recall – Not Just Reading

Flashrecall is built around active recall.

You see a question. You try to answer from memory. Only then do you reveal the answer.

That alone makes your studying way more effective than just swiping through GoodNotes pages.

How To Use GoodNotes + Flashrecall Together (Best Of Both Worlds)

You don’t have to choose one or the other.

The smartest setup is actually:

• GoodNotes for taking, organizing, and handwriting notes
• Flashrecall for remembering what actually matters

Here’s a simple workflow you can copy:

Step 1: Take Notes In GoodNotes Like You Normally Do

• Write your lecture notes
• Highlight key formulas, definitions, diagrams
• Mark important parts with a symbol (⭐, !, etc.)

Those marks are your “make this a flashcard” signals.

Step 2: Export Or Screenshot Key Parts

Options:

• Screenshot a section of your GoodNotes page and import that image into Flashrecall
• Export a page or notebook as PDF and feed it into Flashrecall
• Copy/paste text for clean, minimal flashcards

Flashrecall can then auto-generate cards from those inputs, or you can tweak them manually.

Step 3: Let Flashrecall Handle The Memory Side

Once your cards are in Flashrecall:

• Study them using the built-in active recall
• Let spaced repetition schedule your reviews
• Get reminders so you don’t fall behind

You keep GoodNotes open for context if you need to go deeper, but Flashrecall becomes your daily “memory gym.”

Why Flashrecall Beats Using Just GoodNotes (Or Basic Flashcards)

Here’s what makes Flashrecall especially strong if you’re coming from GoodNotes:

• Works offline – Study anywhere: bus, train, no Wi‑Fi needed
• Fast and modern – No clunky old-school interface
• Free to start – You can try it without committing to anything
• iPhone + iPad – Perfect if you already use GoodNotes on iPad
• Any subject – Languages, medicine, law, school, uni, business, exams, certifications

And a fun extra:

You Can Literally Chat With Your Flashcards

If you’re unsure about something, you can chat with the flashcard inside Flashrecall to get more explanation, clarification, or examples.

So instead of just:

“I got this wrong, whatever.”

You can do:

“Explain this formula like I’m 12.”

“Give me another example of this concept.”

That’s something GoodNotes just can’t do.

Example: Turning A GoodNotes Page Into Powerful Flashcards

Let’s say you have a GoodNotes page on Photosynthesis.

In GoodNotes, you might have:

• A labeled diagram of a chloroplast
• A paragraph explaining light-dependent reactions
• Bullet points with key terms (chlorophyll, thylakoid, stroma, etc.)

In Flashrecall, that becomes:

• Image card: “Label this diagram of a chloroplast” (image from GoodNotes)
• Definition card: “What are light-dependent reactions?”
• Process card: “Where do light-independent reactions occur?”
• Term card: “What is the stroma?”

Flashrecall will:

• Test you on these with active recall
• Re-show them at the right time with spaced repetition
• Remind you to review before your biology exam

GoodNotes gave you the full explanation.

Flashrecall makes sure you don’t forget it.

Is It Worth Moving From Just GoodNotes To GoodNotes + Flashrecall?

If you’re just casually reviewing, GoodNotes alone might feel “good enough.”

But if you:

• Have big exams coming up
• Are learning a language
• Are in med school, law school, or any heavy-memorization field
• Keep forgetting what you know you studied

…then relying only on GoodNotes is like going to the gym and only walking around the machines. You’re there, but you’re not really training.

Flashrecall is the actual workout.

How To Get Started (Takes 5 Minutes)

1. Download Flashrecall

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

2. Import something small from GoodNotes

• One page
• One topic
• One PDF section

3. Generate a few cards (manually or from images/text)

4. Do a 10-minute session

Let spaced repetition and active recall do their thing.

5. Come back tomorrow

Flashrecall will already have a review session ready for you.

Final Thought: Let GoodNotes Be Notes, Let Flashrecall Be Memory

You don’t have to abandon GoodNotes.

Use it for what it’s incredible at: clean, organized, handwritten notes.

But for actually remembering those notes weeks or months later?

That’s where Flashrecall is just better, faster, and smarter than trying to force GoodNotes into a flashcard system.

If you’re already doing the hard work of taking notes, you might as well make sure your brain keeps them.

👉 Try Flashrecall here (free to start) and connect it with your GoodNotes workflow:

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.

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.

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