Help with AnKing deck organization and Step 1 deck recommendations

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1

I recently subscribed to multiple decks on AnkiHub and imported/synced the AnKing Step Deck into Anki. However, I am having difficulty understanding how to organize the cards by system.

Currently, all of my cards appear under one main deck, “AnKing Step Deck,” and I do not see separate divisions or subdecks for systems such as Cardiology, Respiratory, Renal, Endocrine, Gastrointestinal, Neurology, etc. I understand that AnKing may use tags for organization, but I am unable to find or use the system-wise divisions properly in my Anki browser.

Could you please guide me on:

  1. How can I access or enable the system-wise divisions/tags in my AnKing Step Deck?

  2. Is there a way to organize the deck so that I can study one system at a time, such as Cardiology or Renal?

  3. If the deck uses tags rather than subdecks, what is the recommended way to select and study cards for a specific system?

  4. Is there any issue with my import or AnkiHub sync, since I am not seeing the expected divisions?

Additionally, I am preparing for the USMLE Step 1 and would appreciate your recommendations for other useful AnkiHub Premium decks. In particular, I am looking for the best decks for:

  • Anatomy, especially 100 Concepts of Anatomy

  • Microbiology

  • Pharmacology

  • Pathology

  • Physiology

  • General Step 1 review

I would be grateful if you could suggest which decks you recommend alongside the AnKing Step Deck for an efficient Step 1 preparation.

Thank you very much for your help.

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2

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3
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Found 1 result for ‘tags:official AnKing Step Deck system tags order:latest max_posts:10 status:open’

You’re set up correctly—what you’re seeing is just how the new AnKing Step Deck is organized. It’s almost entirely tag-based, not subdeck-based. I’ll walk you through how to use that and then suggest decks for Step 1.

1. Where are the system-wise divisions?

In the new AnKing Step Deck, systems (Cardiology, Renal, etc.) are stored as tags, not separate subdecks. You won’t see “Cardiology” or “Renal” as subdecks in the deck list; instead you’ll see tags like (examples):

  • AnKing::Step1::Cardio
  • AnKing::Step1::Renal
  • AnKing::Step1::Respiratory
  • etc.

To check this:

  1. Open Browse in Anki.
  2. In the left pane, look under Tags.
  3. Expand AnKing → Step1 (exact names may vary slightly) and look for system tags.

If you see those tags, your import/sync is working properly.

If you don’t see any AnKing::... tags at all, then:

  • Make sure you actually imported the full .apkg for the AnKing Step Deck before subscribing on AnkiHub.
  • Confirm in AnkiHub that you’re subscribed to the correct deck (the AnKing Step Deck, not just a subdeck or a separate subject-only deck).

2. How to study one system at a time

The recommended approach is to use filtered decks / custom study based on tags.

Simple method (using the Browser + Preview)

If you mainly want to review or learn by system without complex scheduling:

  1. Open Browse.

  2. In the left column, click your deck: AnKing Step Deck.

  3. In the search bar, type something like:

    "deck:AnKing Step Deck" tag:"AnKing::Step1::Cardio"

  4. Select all those cards, right-click → Change Deck if you want a temporary subdeck (not usually recommended) or just use the Preview window to study them.

Recommended method (Filtered Deck by tag)

  1. From the main Anki screen, click Tools → Create Filtered Deck (or “Custom study” depending on your version).

  2. In the Search field, use something like:

    deck:"AnKing Step Deck" tag:"AnKing::Step1::Cardio"

  3. Set the number of cards and other settings as you like.

  4. Click Build.

This lets you study only that system, while the cards still belong logically to the main AnKing deck (they return there after review).

Tip: Replace Cardio with Renal, Respiratory, etc. to cycle through systems.

3. How to use tags to select cards by system (workflow)

Common, efficient workflow:

  1. Keep only one main AnKing Step Deck (don’t split into many subdecks).
  2. Use tags to:
    • Filter by system (Cardio, Renal, etc.).
    • Optionally filter further by resource (e.g., Pathoma, Boards and Beyond, etc. depending on tags present).
  3. Create filtered decks for:
    • Current block/system you’re studying.
    • Focus review for weak systems (e.g., before an exam).

This keeps scheduling consistent and avoids the problems that come with many subdecks.

4. Is something wrong with my import/AnkiHub sync?

Most likely things are fine if:

  • You see one main deck: AnKing Step Deck.
  • In Browse → Tags, you see AnKing::... tags.

Potential issues to double-check:

  1. No tags at all / only very few tags
    → Re-import the official AnKing Step Deck .apkg from the link on AnkiHub / AnKing site, then re-sync with AnkiHub.

  2. Multiple slightly different AnKing decks (e.g., duplicates or old versions)
    → You may have imported an older version. The recommended setup is one current AnKing Step Deck, subscribed to the corresponding AnkiHub deck.

If you’d like, you can share a screenshot of:

  • Your main Anki deck list, and
  • The Tags pane in Browse under AnKing

and I can help confirm everything looks right.

5. Recommended AnkiHub Premium decks for Step 1

Alongside the AnKing Step Deck (which already covers almost everything), many students add focused decks for specific subjects. Based on what’s typically recommended in the AnkiHub ecosystem:

  • Anatomy (incl. 100 Concepts of Anatomy)
    Look for an AnkiHub version of a “100 Concepts of Anatomy” or similar high-yield anatomy deck. Use it sparingly as a supplement—AnKing + a concise anatomy deck is usually enough.

  • Microbiology
    The AnKing Step Deck already has extensive micro (usually well-tagged by organism + resource). An extra micro deck is optional and can become redundant; if you add one, keep it small and focused.

  • Pharmacology
    Again, AnKing already contains robust pharm content. If you struggle with pharm, a small rapid-review pharm deck (AnkiHub often labels these clearly as Step 1 pharm or drug list decks) can help for end-game memorization.

  • Pathology
    Pathoma-style cards within AnKing are usually sufficient. Some users add small supplemental decks for weak areas (e.g., heme/onc or renal), but be careful not to overload yourself with overlapping decks.

  • Physiology
    Many students rely on AnKing plus their primary phys resources. If you choose a supplemental phys deck, favor a compact conceptual deck, not a huge one that duplicates AnKing.

  • General Step 1 review
    You can look for:

    • A rapid review / last-pass Step 1 deck (short, high-yield fact deck).
    • A “high-yield facts” deck specifically labeled for Step 1 review.

Overall recommendation:
Use AnKing Step Deck as your core and, at most, add 1–2 small supplemental decks targeted at your weakest subjects (often anatomy or pharm). Too many decks = scattered reviews and burnout.

If you tell me:

  • Which school curriculum or resource order you’re following (e.g., systems-based, Pathoma first, B&B, Sketchy, etc.), and
  • Which system you’re starting with,

I can suggest concrete example searches (exact tag strings) and a sample daily workflow using AnKing + filtered decks for that system.

4

Hello,

I would be happy to help. :slight_smile:

Yep, that is the case. The AnKing Step deck does not use subdecks by default, for a number of reasons, though you are more than welcome to create them if you would like to organize your local collection in this way. Decks are not as well-suited for subject-level organization, and not all folks will want their local collection organized in the same way, amongst other reasons

This tutorial can walk you through how to create subdecks if you would like: How to Create Subdecks

The systems divisions can be found under the Step 1 tag, AK_Step1_v12 - Systems.

From the Browse screen, you can navigate to tags.

There are a few ways to do this. The most common way may be to organize your collection using subdecks. As the specific way you may prefer to organize your local collection may be specific to you, and differ from others, most folks opt to organize their collection as they see fit. The tutorial I linked above can walk you through how to use this

As the deck uses tags rather than subdecks, the recommended way to select and study cards for a specific system is via tags. :slight_smile:

Happy to report that your import and sync appear to be working as intended. :slight_smile:

Generally speaking, the AnKing Step deck is, by definition, the best deck for Step prep. If there are other subjects into which you would like to dive deeper than the USMLE exams cover, it may also be helpful to look for other decks though as a general rule the AnKing Step deck covers best what is covered by the Step exam/s

Please let me know if that answers your question, and if there’s anything else I can help with. :slight_smile: