They go by different names: Study cards, flash cards, or note cards. No matter what they are called, the venerable index card remains a popular and useful test prep aid.

Putting together a set of index cards packed with facts, vocabulary words, concepts, and information is a time-tested and effective way to put knowledge into memory to get ready for a test, or just for learning. Electronic flash cards and software study aids are good, but homemade study cards on card stock still have their place. This is because they are inexpensive, portable, easy to make, and can be customized for any subject.

Flash Cards vs. Study Cards

It's still hard to beat a big 'ole stack of study cards (drcw/Fickr)

The “classic” flash card consists of a short bit of information on one side and a related bit of information on the other. There is a logical connection between the two. The basic vocabulary flash card is a well-known example. Flash cards are ideal for learning terminology, definitions, foreign language words, and math facts.

A study card is a bit different, although it is used in basically the same way (look at one side and recite or remember what is on the other). A study card consists of an idea, theme or larger concept statement on one side, and a significant quantity of information about the subject on the other side. These cards are suited for bigger chunks of more complex and connected information. An example would be putting “Monroe Doctrine” on one side, and a variety of information concerning the relevance of the Monroe Doctrine on the other side.

Picture Flash Cards

For some uses, images may be better than words, especially if images are important to the topic. For example, in studying the atomic orbital shapes of electronic configurations, an actual picture of each orbital type (either hand drawn or cut and pasted from a pre-existing image) on one side of the card with the orbital name and notation on the other would be appropriate.

To make vocabulary flash cards more interesting, pictures of objects or action scenes can represent a word or phrase on one side, and the written word or phrase goes on the reverse. Picture flash cards are ideally suited for studying and remembering data on graphs, charts, tables, historical photos, art works and artists, and mineralogy and geography, to name just a few applications.

Study Card Tips

Here are some ideas to make learning with flash cards more fun, effective, and less monotonous:

• Start with a small set and add to the set as the need arises. Keep building!
• Many people use rubber bands to keep card sets together, but these degrade and break after a time. Really big binder clips are superior for this purpose.
• Use a colored dot or sticker in one corner to quickly identify which set a card belongs to.
• Index cards come in a variety of colors. Use different colors for different subjects, or sub-topics within a subject.
• Carry the cards always! This way, any spare moment can turn into test prep time.
• For a real challenge and change of thinking, mix different topic sets together before use.
• The brain seeks and enjoys novelty. Make the cards memorable through use of color, varying text styles and sizes, and by using oddball associations to link one part of the information to the other.

Study cards are just one of many techniques available for helping a learner retain and synthesize information. If the cards are designed imaginatively, they will assist in forming mnemonic associations that lead to better results than can be achieved by straight rote memorization.

Note: This article is  a re-post of one first appearing at Suite101.com.