ZensNoteFlashcards, made for you
Online flashcards that write themselves. Add a video, a PDF or a lecture and the flashcard maker turns it into questions and answers you can start on right away.
Making flashcards is useful work, but it's slow work: reading, choosing what matters, phrasing a question, writing the answer, times a hundred. ZensNote does the first draft of all of it. Any note can generate a deck with a question on the front and the answer on the back, drawn from the note's content: definitions, steps in a process, key facts, causes and effects.
Because the cards come from the note, they work with any way in. Make flashcards from a PDF on your reading list, flashcards from YouTube lessons you've summarized, from a recorded lecture, from a photo of a vocabulary list, or from text you pasted. The cards match what your source actually covered, not a generic deck someone made for a different course.
The method matters as much as the cards. Look at the question, answer it in your head or out loud, then flip. Be honest about the ones you got wrong and come back to them. Spreading sessions over several days works better than one long cram, and switching between topics in a session helps more than drilling one topic at a time.
Your flashcards live in the ZensNote app on your iPhone or Android phone, right next to the note they came from. If a card raises a question, the summary and AI Chat are there to explain it.
When the cards start to feel easy, take the quiz on the same note. Multiple-choice questions with explanations check your understanding from a different angle.
Good for
- Vocabulary and languages
- Definitions and key terms
- Exam and certification prep
- Facts and figures for work
Source: YouTube · How memory works · 12:30
What are the three steps of forming a memory?
Encoding, consolidation and retrieval.
What happens to memories during sleep?
They are replayed and moved into long-term storage.
Before and after
What went in
Excerpt from illustrative Spanish grammar notes: "Use the preterite for completed actions with a clear end: Ayer comí paella. Use the imperfect for habits, background and ongoing states in the past: De niño comía paella los domingos. Signal words help: ayer and el lunes pasado point to the preterite; siempre, cada día and de niño point to the imperfect."
What ZensNote gives you
The preterite is for finished, bounded past actions; the imperfect is for habits and background, and signal words show which to use.
- Card: When do you use the preterite? For completed actions with a clear end.
- Card: When do you use the imperfect? For habits, background and ongoing past states.
- Card: Which tense goes with "ayer"? The preterite.
- Card: Which tense goes with "de niño"? The imperfect.
What's inside
A question on the front
A clear prompt: a term, a step, a cause or a translation.
The answer on the back
Short, and taken from your note.
Cards that match your source
Built from the material you added, not a generic deck.
Linked to the note
Summary, AI Chat and quiz on the same note when a card needs context.
How to use it
- 1
Add your study material
A PDF, a YouTube link, a recording, a photo or some text.
- 2
Generate flashcards
Open the note and create the deck.
- 3
Answer before you flip
Say the answer, then check the back of the card.
- 4
Repeat the misses
Go back to the cards you got wrong.
- 5
Come back another day
Short sessions spread over several days beat one long one.
Where it shines
Vocabulary and grammar
Snap a vocabulary list or paste grammar notes and drill them on the bus.
Courses heavy on definitions
Anatomy, law, accounting: turn each lecture into a deck for the terms.
Certification exams
Summarize the study guide PDF and make a deck for each chapter.
Before a presentation
Make cards for the facts and figures you need at your fingertips.
Tips for better results
- 1Keep notes focusedOne topic per note gives tighter cards.
- 2Say the answer out loudProducing an answer beats recognizing it.
- 3Don't skip the easy onesAnswer them quickly, but answer them.
- 4Alternate decksOnce a deck feels easy, switch between decks from different topics in one session.
- 5Plan your own review daysZensNote doesn't schedule reviews, so put short sessions in your calendar.
Doing it yourself vs. ZensNote
| Doing it yourself | ZensNote | |
|---|---|---|
| Making a deck | Type every card | Generated from your note |
| Source material | Only what you copy out | PDFs, videos, lectures, photos and text |
| Stuck on a card | Look it up somewhere else | Summary and AI Chat on the same note |
| Checking understanding | More cards | A quiz on the same note |
Good to know
- ZensNote doesn't schedule reviews or track progress; you decide when to go through a deck.
- Cards are generated from the note, so a thin note gives a short deck.
- Flashcards stay in the ZensNote app and can't be moved to other flashcard apps.
FAQ
Can I make online flashcards from my notes?
Yes. ZensNote creates flashcards from any note in the app on iPhone and Android.
How do I make flashcards from a PDF?
Add the PDF as a new note with PDF Document, then open the note and create flashcards.
Can I make flashcards from YouTube videos?
Yes, for videos with captions. Paste the link to make a note, then generate the flashcards.
Is there a web version of the flashcards?
ZensNote is an iPhone and Android app, and your flashcards are in the app.
Does ZensNote use spaced repetition?
No. It doesn't schedule reviews, so spread your sessions over several days yourself.
Can I export the flashcards?
No. Flashcards stay in the ZensNote app.
What's the best way to study with flashcards?
Answer before you flip, revisit the cards you missed, and come back over several days rather than cramming.
Related
Quiz maker
Multiple-choice questions on your note, with an explanation for every answer.
Lecture notes
Record class and get structured notes, flashcards and a quiz afterwards.
For students
AI tools for studying, in one app: lectures, readings and video lessons turned into notes you can actually revise from.
Try it on something you're reading
Download ZensNote for iPhone or Android. Your first notes are on us.