Best way to use flashcards?

[Guinevere]

I am not sure if this is the correct thread, but since it's exactly where the question came up I thought I'd give it a try.

I downloaded the full vocab list for the TOP (now TOCFL) test with around 3.000 entries. It is sorted in my flashcard list according to alphabet.

Now the question is how to go through these 3.000 cards efficiently and effectively. Can I adjust the settings so that I won't be tested the cards I have "passed" already? I am already familiar with about half of the vocab - what is the easiest way to filter the list in this case? Should I just delete them from the list? That seems to be quite a task with 3.000 cards.

I have used the App "Vocabulary Trainer for GDocs" so far, where the cards are sorted into different levels during a test, e.g. I pressed "correct" once, then it would go into level 2, when I pressed "correct" twice into level 3 etc. A card was considered learned when it finally arrived in level 7. Then there was one option where you could choose one level of a vocab list for the test - in my case I would choose level 1, since those where the cards I had pressed "incorrect" in the first place. Is there something similar in Pleco? Or do you have any further recommendations?

Background: I have one month before the TOCFL...

I'd be very grateful for any ideas or feedback, thank you!

 

[gato]

In your case with 3000 cards, I don't think space repetition (SRS) would work well.

You could try the fixed order testing I described in the threads below.

For the words that you don't need among 3000, the most efficient way to reduce the study list would be to delete them from vocab list before importing it into Pleco. If you want, you can also the organize function to modify the list after you imported it, but I think that's much less efficient than deleting the words using a text editor.

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2681&p=21764&hilit=scoring#p21764
How to set up Cram Session

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=2352&p=18393&hilit=flashcards+iphone#p18393
Flashcards - spaced repitition question

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=2352&p=18393&hilit=flashcards+iphone#p18393
Flashcard testing fixed order

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=614
Flashcards Simplified

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=2268
Flashcards: How to see Eng/Pinyin & enter Chinese characters

 

[Guinevere]

thank your very much for the swift reply!

I thought about cleaning up the list before importing it but then I thought it still might be good to be reminded of those that I already know.

As for your method I am not used to having the cards not on random mode since this will give me the same cards every time I start and thus will make me very familiar with the first badge but what about all the others? Or did I misunderstand you in this point?

I checked all the threads and I must say - that flashcard system is even more complex than in my wildest dreams. I tried the manual but failed.

I actually read in your thread "Flashcards simplified" about that rank concept, which sounds quite like the concept I described earlier about my old app.

Of course I would have to review 150 cards (instead of 50) at least every day to do it within my deadline. I could set "advance to next rank after" to " 1 correct in a row", that would split the cards in those I know and those I don't know for a start. In a next step I would have to learn those that remain in rank 1.

Is that even feasible?

 

[gato]

Here are the settings I suggested in the "how to set up a cram session" thread, just so we have something to refer to.

Card Filters - Score Filter
- Enable = On
- Range start = 1
= Range end = 100 [or whatever the highest score cards you want to study]

Card Selection
- System = Fixed
- Sort by = score
- Order = ascending
- Card is learned if score >=
- Amount = 200
- Prioritize by created

Scoring
- Scoring system = manual
- Configure Score
- Increase Enable = On
- Increase score = by
- Amount = 100
- If correct = 2
- Type = in a row

- Decrease Enable = On
- Decrease score = by
- Amount = 100
- If incorrect = 1
- Type = in a row

Score limits
- Enable = on
- Minimum score = 100

As for your method I am not used to having the cards not on random mode since this will give me the same cards every time I start and thus will make me very familiar with the first badge but what about all the others? Or did I misunderstand you in this point?

This is just the way people studied with physical flashcards before electronic flashcards became available. There's no practical way to continuously randomize physical flashcards. (Maybe you are too young to remember physical flashcards? Hehe.)

I had the setting to Increase the score by 100 after 2 corrects in a row, which is best for learning new words -- you want to get a word right twice in a row for it to be considered learned.

But I suppose at 90% of your 3000 words are already familiar to you; otherwise, you would not be able to learn much more than 300 new words in 30 days. If that's the case, you could set it to Increase score by 100 after just 1 correct, then such words would be pushed to the back of the list until you get the other words right at least once before you study it again.


Since your list has 3000 words (or 3000 cards), how many "cards" are you planning to study per day on average over the 30 days? Probably 300-500 cards per day if you want to average 3-5 repetitions per card? That's a pretty heavy study load.

 

[Guinevere]

Thanks again, I tried that with a first badge of 100 cards. But as expected, as soon as I am through with the first badge and start a new test session, it will give me the same cards I just was tested on. Of course I do remember them now - but I am pretty sure I won't next week. What I basically need is the same thing only with random order. Is that possible?

I must say, even after having followed your instructions step-by-step, I still do not understand the system. Is there no easy-to-understand manual or tutorial somewhere with examples on what to do if you have a small/big database, lots of time/ no time, are a quick learner/slow learner? That would be immensely helpful. Somebody wrote somewhere it should be more like MS Word. What I like best about Word is that it's got a large "help" database...

About your question: I have been learning Chinese for ten years, on-and-off of course, that's why there are lots of characters which I just need to be reminded of. I used physical flashcards, too, in the beginning, but I shuffled them regularly. For the test I do some reading and listening exercises and vocab. I am aware that it's a 不可能的任務 to get all 3000 cards into my head, but I'll give it a try.

If you have any ideas how to efficiently use pleco for that, I am in desperate need of suggestions!

 

[gato]

Don't give up yet ;-) The current flashcard system is a bit intimidating because it's designed for maximum configurability.

I left out a setting in Card Filters that you need in order to select the cards you want to study:
Card Filters - Score Filter
- Enable = On
- Range start = 1
= Range end = 100 [or whatever the highest score cards you want to study]

In my system, all the new cards start at 100, so setting the score filter to 1 to 100 would let you study card that have not yet advanced one level up (that you got right 1 or 2 times correct in a row).

Once all the cards in the set have advanced one level, then you can set the score filter to 1 to 200, and set forth.

Regarding fixed or random order, if you test the cards in random order, because you have 3000 cards, if you get a card wrong, you might not get see that card again until the month is over. With fixed order, you get to re-study a card until you get it right at least x times, where x = 1 in your case, and 2 or 3 when I am studying. If you don't get a card right, you shouldn't mind having to re-study it.

By the way, I am just assuming that you are using Pleco on iOS or Android, but I see that you are referring to "rank" which was a Pleco Palm/Windows Mobile concept, but no longer exist under iOS/Android. The settings I have for the different score levels is the same idea, however.