An Assessment of Anki Flashcards Use in Comparison to Alternative Study Methodologies in First Year Graduate Entry Medical Students

First year graduate entry to medicine (GEM) students require effective personalised study techniques in order to learn significant amounts of factual information. This study analysed learning methodologies utilised by a cohort of first year GEM students and their perception of their utility, particularly of the spaced-repetition learning app, Anki. Furthermore, our study compared assessment performance with study methodology utilised by this cohort of students. In total, 53 students participated in some aspect of the study, with 43 students completing all three components: a pre-module test to assess baseline knowledge of module content, a post-module test, and a survey questionnaire. Our survey revealed that students utilised a diverse range of learning and study methodologies. In terms of satisfaction rating, students positively perceived preparedness for exams and time management, irrespective of the study methodology used. While 80% of study participants reported using Anki, the number of Anki cards used and its daily usage varied significantly among users. Overall, there was no statistically significant benefit for Anki usage in terms of performance outcome compared to those who did not use Anki when the module was considered as a whole. However, we did find it to be of significant benefit to exam performance in two categories: (1) those who used Anki extensively compared to those who did not engage consistently, and (2) a significant correlation between Anki usage and physiology exam performance was identified.