GoodNotes Spaced Repetition: The Complete Guide To Remembering Your

So, you know how goodnotes spaced repetition is something people keep asking about, but GoodNotes doesn’t really do proper spaced repetition? It’s basically when you review your notes or flashcards at smart intervals so your brain locks them into long-term memory instead of forgetting them after a week. Instead of scrolling through random pages of handwritten notes, you see the right stuff again exactly when you’re about to forget it. That’s why apps built around spaced repetition (like Flashrecall) feel way more “sticky” for learning than just writing pretty notes and hoping it sticks.

GoodNotes And Spaced Repetition: What’s Actually Possible?

Alright, let’s talk honestly: GoodNotes is amazing for handwriting, annotating PDFs, and making your notes look super aesthetic.

But when it comes to real spaced repetition, here’s the deal:

• GoodNotes doesn’t have a built-in spaced repetition algorithm
• There’s no automatic “review this page in 1 day, 3 days, 7 days” system
• You can’t tell it “these are flashcards, schedule them for me”

So when people say “goodnotes spaced repetition,” they usually mean:

• Manually re-reading notes on a schedule
• Using bookmarks/folders and trying to remember to review them
• Or exporting stuff from GoodNotes into a flashcard app

That last one is where things actually get good — especially if you pair your notes with a proper spaced repetition app like Flashrecall:

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

Flashrecall basically does what you wish GoodNotes did: it turns your content into flashcards and then automatically schedules reviews using spaced repetition, with reminders so you don’t forget.

What Is Spaced Repetition (In Normal Human Language)?

Quick recap in simple terms:

Review something → wait a bit → review again → wait longer → repeat.

Example:

• Learn it today
• See it again tomorrow
• Then 3 days later
• Then a week later
• Then 2 weeks, 1 month, etc.

Every time you remember it correctly, the gap gets longer.

Every time you forget it, the gap gets shorter.

Why it works:

• Your brain keeps what it sees right before it’s about to forget
• You stop wasting time rereading everything
• You focus on the stuff you’re actually weak on

This is exactly what Flashrecall automates for you so you don’t have to track any of this yourself.

Why GoodNotes Alone Isn’t Great For Spaced Repetition

GoodNotes is perfect for:

• Handwriting lecture notes
• Annotating slides and PDFs
• Drawing diagrams, mind maps, etc.

But for spaced repetition, it has some big limitations:

1. No automatic scheduling

You have to remember when to review each topic. That’s already a problem.

2. No “active recall” built in

You’re mostly rereading, which feels productive but doesn’t test your memory.

3. No smart tracking

It doesn’t know which topics you keep forgetting and which ones you’ve mastered.

You can hack it with:

• Rewriting notes from memory
• Making your own “question on one page, answer on another” setups
• Using page bookmarks as “flashcards”

…but it’s clunky. And when exams hit, you’ll wish everything was in a system that just tells you what to review each day.

The Better Workflow: GoodNotes For Notes, Flashrecall For Memory

The sweet spot is using GoodNotes for what it’s amazing at (handwritten notes) and then using Flashrecall for what GoodNotes doesn’t do: spaced repetition + active recall.

Here’s how that looks in practice:

1. Take notes in GoodNotes

• Lecture notes
• PDF annotations
• Diagrams, formulas, vocab lists

2. Pull the important stuff into Flashrecall

Flashrecall makes this part super easy because you can create flashcards from almost anything:

• Snap a screenshot of your GoodNotes page and import it
• Use images, text, or even PDFs as card sources
• Or just type the key facts/questions as regular flashcards

3. Let Flashrecall handle spaced repetition automatically

• It shows you cards right when you’re about to forget
• You just rate how hard/easy each card was
• The app adjusts the schedule for you

4. Get reminded to study

• Built‑in study reminders so you don’t fall off
• No more “oh yeah I forgot I was supposed to review Chapter 3”

You can grab Flashrecall here:

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

How Flashrecall Makes “GoodNotes Spaced Repetition” Actually Work

Instead of trying to force GoodNotes to be a flashcard app, you let Flashrecall do the heavy lifting.

1. Turn Your Notes Into Flashcards Fast

Flashrecall is built to make card creation as painless as possible:

• From images – Screenshot your GoodNotes page, import it, and turn key parts into Q&A cards
• From text – Copy important definitions or formulas and paste them in
• From PDFs – Great if your notes or textbooks are in PDF form
• From YouTube links – Perfect for lecture videos and tutorials
• From typed prompts – Just type a question and answer, done

You can also just make cards manually if you like more control.

This means all those nicely written GoodNotes pages don’t just sit there — they become actual testable knowledge.

2. Built‑In Active Recall (Not Just Rereading)

Rereading your GoodNotes pages feels safe, but your brain can fake “I know this” really easily.

Flashrecall fixes that with active recall:

• You see a question or prompt
• You try to answer from memory
• Then you flip the card and check yourself

This forces your brain to retrieve information, which is where real learning happens.

You can even chat with the flashcard inside Flashrecall if you’re confused about something, so you can dig deeper into a concept instead of just memorizing shallowly.

3. Automatic Spaced Repetition (No Manual Schedules)

This is the part GoodNotes is missing completely.

Flashrecall:

• Uses spaced repetition behind the scenes
• Shows you cards right before you’d normally forget them
• Adjusts the timing based on how easy/hard each card feels

You don’t create schedules. You don’t track dates. You just open the app, and it says:

> “Here’s what you should review today.”

Plus, it has study reminders, so even if you forget to open the app, it nudges you gently.

4. Works Offline, On iPhone And iPad

Since a lot of people use GoodNotes on iPad, this matters:

• Flashrecall works on both iPhone and iPad
• It works offline, so you can study on the train, in class, or wherever
• The interface is fast, modern, and simple — no clutter, no weird menus

So your workflow can be:

• Take notes on iPad in GoodNotes
• Turn key points into flashcards in Flashrecall
• Review on your phone when you’re out and about

5. Great For Any Subject (Not Just School)

You can use the GoodNotes + Flashrecall combo for:

• Languages – vocab, grammar patterns, example sentences
• Medicine / nursing / pharmacy – drugs, conditions, protocols
• Law – cases, articles, definitions
• STEM – formulas, theorems, concepts, problem patterns
• Business / certifications – frameworks, definitions, exam prep
• Random life stuff – names, facts, quotes, anything you want to remember

And Flashrecall is free to start, so you don’t have to commit to anything just to try the workflow.

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

Example Workflow: Turning A GoodNotes Page Into Real Memory

Let’s say you’re studying anatomy and you’ve got a GoodNotes page with a labeled diagram of the heart.

Here’s how you could use spaced repetition properly:

1. In GoodNotes

• Draw or annotate the heart diagram
• Label the parts: atria, ventricles, valves, vessels, etc.

2. In Flashrecall

• Screenshot the page
• Import the image into Flashrecall
• Create multiple cards like:
• “What is the function of the mitral valve?”
• “Which side of the heart pumps to the lungs?”
• “Name the four chambers of the heart.”

3. Over the next weeks

• Flashrecall shows you these cards using spaced repetition
• The ones you keep forgetting show up more often
• The ones you know well show up less often

By exam time, that GoodNotes page isn’t just a nice drawing — it’s burned into your memory.

Can You Do Spaced Repetition Only Inside GoodNotes?

You can try, but here’s what that usually looks like:

• Creating a “Review Today” folder and moving pages around
• Writing your own dates on pages like “Review on 3/15, 3/20, 3/30”
• Manually checking what to review each day

It’s doable… but honestly, it’s a lot of admin work that an app like Flashrecall just does for you automatically.

If you like handwriting, keep using GoodNotes for that. Just don’t force it to be a spaced repetition system when there’s a better tool made exactly for that.

So, What’s The Best Way To Use GoodNotes With Spaced Repetition?

Quick summary:

• GoodNotes
• Amazing for taking and organizing handwritten notes
• Not built for spaced repetition or active recall
• Flashrecall
• Built‑in spaced repetition with auto reminders
• Active recall flashcards instead of passive rereading
• Makes flashcards from images, text, PDFs, YouTube, or manual input
• Works offline on iPhone and iPad
• Great for any subject, from school to professional exams

The best setup is:

> GoodNotes for writing your notes, Flashrecall for actually remembering them.

If you’ve been trying to figure out “goodnotes spaced repetition” and feeling like something’s missing, that’s the missing piece.

You can grab Flashrecall here and try it for free:

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

Turn your pretty notes into actual long-term memory, not just digital notebooks you never open again.

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.

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