Thank you for the guidance. Following our session and your feedback, I wanted to update you on my new setup.
Since I couldn’t find a “factory reset” button for AnkiHub presets, I manually adjusted my “AnkiHub” preset with the following parameters to better manage my backlog and Step 1 prep:
FSRS & Retention: I set the Desired Retention to 87% to reduce daily pressure and handle the backlog more effectively.
Intervals: I capped the Maximum Interval at 183 days (6 months) to ensure I see every card at least once before my dedicated period.
Display Order: Reviews are now sorted by “Due date, then random” to prioritize the oldest backlog.
Queue Management: I set New cards to show after reviews, and Interday learning cards are now mixed with reviews.
Lapses: Increased relearning steps to 30m.
I am applying this single preset to my two main decks:
Current System (Nephrology)
Global Review (All M2/Year 1 material)
On a separate note, I am very interested in becoming an Anki Ambassador at my institution. Could you please explain what the role entails, what the requirements are, and if there are any specific benefits for ambassadors?
Regarding the ambassador program, feel free to apply here. Everything about the program regarding requirements and benefits will be explained in the form: AnkiHub Ambassador Application
I wanted to update you that I have officially started my Step 1 preparation (taking the exam in August this year), while simultaneously continuing with my M2 coursework:
The Issue: Lack of Interleaving I am currently facing a frustrating issue with the review order. Although my Display Order settings are set to “Random,” I am still seeing large blocks of cards from the same system consecutively (e.g., 40-50 Cardiology cards in a row) instead of a true mix (e.g., Nephrology → Gastro → Respiratory).
Learning steps: Currently 30m. Should I change this?
Maximum interval: Currently 187 days. Should I increase/decrease this?
Is this expected behavior with FSRS, or is something wrong with my settings? I feel that for Step 1, true interleaving is much better than doing “block reviews.”
Proposed Strategy: Two Presets I was thinking of solving this by creating two separate Deck Presets:
Class Prest (AnkiHub): For the current system I am studying in school (sequential/focused).
For this, in the first screenshot above, what do you click on when reviewing? Does this happen when you are clicking on your “M2” deck for example then reviewing?
Also, make sure that each subdeck that you want to review with the random preset is selected in settings. Perhaps one of them subdecks is a different preset causing this issue.
My learning step is 25m, so its very similiar, as long as you only have one its recommended for FSRS so nothing to really change there
My max interval when I took Step 1 was around 4 months, that was what I found personally to be comfortable for me. For Step 2, I’ve moved it to 6 months, but I know some people that recommend longer intervals.
Are you currently comfortable with 187 days? Are you hitting that limit on a majority of your cards? When a card reaches that interval, do you feel like you have a high chance of forgetting it?
Yes, this is good!
I sort of do this with my green dues, its basically everything in the step deck all mixed by descending retrievability
In your case, you can choose random if you truly want it randomized. For me, I like doing the easy cards first and getting them out the way, makes it easier to stay motivated
That’s great! I’ve accepted you, let me know when you complete the onboarding and join the Slack channel. You can reach out to me there if you have any questions
Thank you so much for the detailed response, and a huge thank you for accepting me into the Ambassador program!
Here is a quick update on my setup based on your advice:
1. The Interleaving / Subdeck Issue When reviewing, I always click directly on the parent “M2” deck.
I also checked manually, and every single subdeck is definitely assigned to the same “Ankihub” preset. (Note: I couldn’t find the “Save to all subdecks” button you showed in your screenshot, so I just verified them one by one). 2. FSRS Settings
Learning steps: I am keeping it at 30m as we discussed.
Maximum interval: Your insight helped validate my theory. Since my exam is in exactly 6 months, 187 days makes perfect sense.
3. Workflow Strategy (Dropping the Two Presets) I decided to drop the “Two Presets” idea to keep things simple. I will keep my single preset (Ankihub) for my current university coursework. We study a system for 2-3 weeks and I try to do as much as possible Anki cards about each system during that period (I’m not even close to finishing all the cards).
For my Step 1 reviews, I will do exactly what you suggested: I’ll use a mixed deck for all past Step 1 material (due + learning cards together) and sort it by descending retrievability. I love the idea of getting the easy ones out of the way first to build momentum!
