Learn the best Anki settings for MCAT success with Anki Remote, now StudyRemote, so you can review more efficiently and retain information longer.
Your Anki Settings Matter More Than You Think
Choosing the right MCAT deck is only the first step. The settings you use every day determine how much you review, how quickly you learn new material, and whether your workload stays manageable over the months leading up to test day.
At Anki Remote, now StudyRemote, we've seen that students who spend a little time optimizing their settings often enjoy more consistent review sessions and fewer overwhelming backlogs. In this guide, we'll walk through the settings many MCAT students use to build an effective study routine.
If you're already using StudyRemote to review hundreds of flashcards each day, you can also compare available models and features on our pricing page.
Why the Default Anki Settings Aren't Always Ideal
Anki's default settings are designed to work reasonably well for many learners, but they aren't tailored specifically for MCAT preparation.
Preparing for the MCAT usually means reviewing thousands of cards across multiple subjects over several months. Small adjustments to your settings can help you balance new material with daily reviews and avoid building an unmanageable backlog.
Rather than constantly changing settings, choose a sensible configuration and stick with it while monitoring your workload.
New Cards Per Day
One of the first settings you'll encounter is New Cards Per Day.
There's no universal number that works for everyone, but your goal should be to add only as many new cards as you can comfortably review every day.
A common starting point is:
| Study Schedule | Suggested New Cards |
|---|---|
| 6+ months before exam | 20–30 |
| 3–6 months | 30–50 |
| Dedicated study period | Adjust based on review workload |
If your reviews are consistently taking too long, consider reducing new cards before making other changes.
If you just want the fast version, here's how to change your daily Anki card amount in under 2 minutes.
How to change your daily card limit in Anki (step by step)
Knowing the right number isn't the same as knowing where to put it. Here's exactly how to update your daily limits, on desktop and mobile, so your settings match the targets in the table above.
On desktop (Mac and Windows)
- Open Anki and go to the deck list (the main screen).
- Click the gear icon next to your MCAT deck → Options.
-
Under Daily Limits, you'll see two sliders:
- New cards/day — how many unseen cards Anki will show you today.
- Maximum reviews/day — how many review cards Anki will queue.
- Adjust the New cards slider to match your target (20–30 if you're 6+ months out, 30–50 if you're 3–6 months out, etc.).
- For Maximum reviews, most MCAT students should set this to a high number (500 or 9999) so Anki never caps your reviews artificially. Skipped reviews compound into a backlog fast.
- Click Save at the bottom right.
Changes take effect immediately. If Anki is showing more or fewer cards than expected today, that's because the queue for today was already built when you opened the deck — restart Anki or wait until tomorrow for the new limits to fully apply.
On iPad and iPhone (AnkiMobile)
- Open AnkiMobile and tap your MCAT deck.
- Tap Options at the top.
- Scroll to New Cards → tap New cards/day and enter your number.
- Do the same for Reviews → Maximum reviews/day.
- Tap Save.
AnkiMobile syncs settings changes back to your desktop and AnkiWeb automatically if you're signed in.
On AnkiDroid (Android)
- Open your MCAT deck.
- Tap the three-dot menu → Deck options.
- Under Daily limits, edit New cards/day and Maximum reviews/day.
- Tap the checkmark or back arrow to save.
Presets vs. per-deck settings
If you have multiple MCAT sub-decks (Biochem, Psych/Soc, Physics, etc.), you'll want them to share the same daily limits so your total workload stays predictable. Instead of setting each one separately:
- In Deck Options, click the preset dropdown at the top of the window.
- Create a preset called something like "MCAT Prep" with your target limits.
- Assign every MCAT sub-deck to that preset.
Now if you decide to bump new cards from 30 to 40, you change it once at the preset level and every sub-deck updates.
If Anki shows fewer new cards than your limit
Two common causes: (a) your deck doesn't have that many new cards left — check the deck overview to see how many are still queued, and (b) Anki's "V3 scheduler" caps daily new cards per preset globally rather than per deck, so if your MCAT preset says 30, that's 30 across all sub-decks combined, not 30 each. If you want 30 per sub-deck, use separate presets.
Reminder on backlogs
If you increase your daily limit, do it in small steps (e.g., 20 → 30, not 20 → 100). A big jump front-loads new cards that all become due at the same time a few days later, spiking your review count. Small, sustained increases keep your workload smooth.
Maximum Reviews Per Day
Many students wonder whether they should limit daily reviews.
For most MCAT students, it's better to complete all due reviews whenever possible. Reviews represent information Anki predicts you're ready to revisit. Skipping them repeatedly can lead to a growing backlog and weaker retention.
If you occasionally need to set a temporary review cap because of time constraints, treat it as a short-term adjustment rather than a permanent strategy.
Learning Steps
Learning Steps determine how new cards are introduced before they graduate into long-term review.
The default values work well for many students, and unless you have a clear reason to experiment, they're often a sensible place to start.
The most important factor isn't finding the "perfect" numbers—it's reviewing consistently every day.
Graduating Interval
Graduating Interval controls how long a card waits before its first long-term review.
A slightly longer interval can reduce unnecessary repetition for information you've already mastered, while a shorter interval may help if you're learning particularly challenging material.
Avoid making frequent changes. Give yourself time to see how your workload evolves before adjusting settings.
Bury Related Cards
If you're studying subjects like Biology or Biochemistry, you may have several cards covering closely related concepts.
Enabling Bury Siblings helps prevent similar cards from appearing back-to-back during the same session.
This encourages genuine recall rather than answering correctly simply because you just saw a nearly identical question.
Build a Daily Review Routine
Your settings matter, but your habits matter even more.
A simple routine could look like this:
Morning
Complete all due reviews.
After Class
Study new material before creating flashcards.
Evening
Review newly added cards and clear any remaining reviews.
A consistent daily routine is more effective than trying to catch up after missing several days.
Best Anki add-ons for MCAT students
Anki's default features get you 80% of the way there. Add-ons cover the last 20% — the tweaks that turn Anki from a functional tool into one you actually enjoy using every day. Here are the ones most MCAT students end up installing, why they matter, and how to get them.
To install any of these, open Anki desktop → Tools → Add-ons → Get Add-ons → paste the code → restart Anki. All are free.
Image Occlusion Enhanced — code 1374772155
Lets you upload an image (biochem pathway, muscle diagram, cell membrane) and cover parts of it with clickable boxes. Anki generates one card per hidden box, so you can drill visual anatomy the same way you drill facts. Essential for Bio, Biochem, and any Psych/Soc content with diagrams. Almost every MCAT student ends up using this.
Advanced Browser — code 874215009
Upgrades Anki's built-in card browser with better filtering, sortable columns for tags and intervals, and quicker access to specific card properties. Makes it dramatically easier to suspend, tag, or edit cards in bulk when you're managing a 5,000-card MCAT deck.
Review Heatmap — code 1771074083
Displays a GitHub-style calendar heatmap of your daily review activity. Visual streak tracking that motivates consistency — which, as your own "Common Mistakes to Avoid" section says, is the whole game. Also useful when you look back a few months out from your test date and see the pattern of your actual study cadence.
Speed Focus Mode — code 1046608507
Auto-fails cards after a time limit you set (e.g., 15 seconds). If you're spending too long on any given card, that's a signal you don't actually know it — Speed Focus forces you to grade honestly instead of pausing to reconstruct the answer. Especially useful for high-yield MCAT content where recall speed matters on test day.
Straight Reward — code 456451372
Rewards streaks of correct answers by extending intervals slightly beyond the default. Small effect, but helps efficient learners avoid seeing cards more often than they need to. Skip if you're behind on reviews; useful once you're in a steady state.
Anki Simulator — code 817108664
Simulates what your review load will look like weeks or months from now based on your current settings and card counts. If you're deciding whether to bump new cards from 30 to 40, Simulator shows you what that decision costs in daily review time three months out. Pair it with our Anki Card Calculator for full workload planning.
Study Remote add-on — code 693153301
If you use the Study Remote (formerly Anki Remote) for one-handed reviewing, this add-on unlocks per-button customization including the left joystick. Not required for basic remote function, but essential for full customization. More on the hardware itself in the next section.
Add-ons to avoid
Not every popular add-on is worth the trouble. A few to skip:
- Any add-on that promises to "hack" spaced repetition or auto-answer cards — defeats the point and will hurt your MCAT prep.
- Overly aggressive UI theme add-ons — some conflict with Anki updates and break rendering. Stick with Anki's built-in dark mode.
- Old add-ons flagged as "not compatible" in the add-on manager — install compatible alternatives instead of forcing outdated ones.
A note on add-on compatibility
Anki updates occasionally break add-ons. When you update Anki (which you should do, for security and FSRS improvements), check Tools → Add-ons for any that show as incompatible and update or replace them. Most maintained add-ons get patched within a week or two of a major Anki release.
The Anki Remote Method
Optimizing your settings is only part of the equation.
MCAT students often spend several hours each week reviewing flashcards. Making those sessions more comfortable can help you stay consistent over the long term.
Anki Remote, now StudyRemote, lets you navigate Anki reviews with one hand, reducing the need to constantly reach for your keyboard or mouse during long review sessions. Many students appreciate the smoother workflow when reviewing hundreds of cards in a sitting.
If you're curious about the available models, visit our pricing page to compare features and find the option that best fits your study routine.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Even with good settings, these habits can slow your progress:
- Adding more new cards than you can realistically review
- Frequently changing settings without giving them time to work
- Ignoring overdue reviews
- Creating long, complicated flashcards
- Trying to memorize concepts before understanding them
Simple, consistent habits usually outperform constant tweaking.
Final Thoughts
There isn't a single "perfect" Anki configuration for every MCAT student.
The most effective setup is one that helps you maintain steady daily reviews without becoming overwhelmed.
Start with sensible settings, avoid changing them too often, create high-quality flashcards, and review consistently. Over time, those habits will contribute far more to your success than chasing the latest optimization.
If you're preparing for the MCAT, building a sustainable study system is the real goal—and that's exactly what Anki is designed to support.
Continue Building Your MCAT Study System
We recommend these resources:
- How to Use Anki as a Premed Student
- Best Anki MCAT Decks in 2026
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How to Use Anki for Biology
- Best Anki Controller
