Summary of "how to MEMORIZE for EXAMS in 2 DAYS | my UNCONVENTIONAL yet EFFECTIVE ANKI TECHNIQUE Anki Tutorial"

Concise summary — main ideas and lessons

Video purpose: Nathan (a 2nd-year pharmacy student at University of Waterloo) explains an “unconventional yet effective” Anki workflow he calls single-day spaced repetition — a practical, time-efficient method to memorize lecture material quickly when daily Anki isn’t realistic.
Core idea: Instead of following traditional daily Anki review, make high-yield image-occlusion flashcards from lecture slides, study each deck intensively in a single session (or a few intense sessions) a few days before the exam, then do only passive review the morning of the test. This yields strong short-term retention while saving time long-term.
Key advantages claimed: very fast card creation (~2 cards/min), focused active recall, realistic for busy students (e.g., pharmacy schedule), replaces redundant lecture-watching with active processing, and produces strong exam results if executed strictly.

Detailed methodology — “Nathan way”

Install Anki
- Download Anki for your platform (Windows/Mac/Linux/Android/iPhone). The video links the download in the description.
Install the add-on: Image Occlusion Enhanced
- In Anki: Tools → Add-ons → enter the Image Occlusion Enhanced add-on code (code provided in the video/description).
- This add-on is central: it turns slide images into occlusion (fill-in-the-blank) cards.
Convert lecture slides into image files
- If slides are PowerPoint, convert to PDF; then convert PDF pages into individual JPEG images (the video links a preferred converter).
- One slide/image can become one or more flashcards. Condense — keep only slides relevant to exam objectives.
Organize decks
- Create decks (Nathan organizes by course → chapter → lecture).
- Click Add to create cards using Image Occlusion Enhanced.
Create image-occlusion cards (fast workflow)
- Open a slide image inside Image Occlusion Enhanced.
- Use the rectangle tool to cover important information. Do NOT cover the whole slide — leave trigger keywords visible so visible text cues recall.
- Group boxes (select all → press G to group).
- Use “Hide All” then “Select One” to create cards that reveal only a single hidden area while the rest remain concealed.
  - Rationale: leaving a small number of cues on the front lets one prompt trigger recall of grouped information under the hidden box — one prompt can elicit many facts.
- Repeat for slides you kept. You’re reading/assessing the slide for importance while making the cards (this serves as a first exposure).
Study the deck using Single-Day Spaced Repetition (the “twist”)
- Study the deck in one (intense) session once the deck is complete, typically 1–3 days before the exam.
- While studying:
  - Look at visible keywords, actively recall and verbalize facts aloud.
  - Press spacebar to reveal answers.
  - Use Anki’s feedback buttons strictly:
    - “Easy” only if you truly know it well (should not appear again).
    - “Hard” or “Again” if you hesitated so it comes up for reinforcement.
  - Be severe in self-assessment to ensure the single-day review is effective.
- After finishing the deck (Anki says “congratulations”), do not continue daily active Anki study for that deck.
- Only do a passive skim the morning of the exam; otherwise leave the deck alone.

Practical tips & rules of thumb

Condense slides: pick high-yield slides (e.g., a 130-slide lecture condensed to ~60 cards).
Make cards quickly — target ~2 cards per minute with the image-occlusion workflow.
Use this method for short-term, intense retention when exam schedule is tight (e.g., exams every two weeks).
The method trades long-term spaced repetition for a high-intensity short-term approach, intended for students who can’t maintain daily Anki.
Active recall + speaking aloud + using visible cues increases retention.

Tools and items mentioned

Anki (spaced-repetition flashcard app)
Image Occlusion Enhanced (Anki add-on)
Converter: PowerPoint → PDF → JPEG (video links preferred converter)
Sponsor/product mentioned: Bulk Homme (Japanese men’s skincare brand; included as the video sponsor segment)

Limitations and cautions

This deviates from traditional spaced repetition; studytubers who do daily reviews may disagree.
Requires intense single sessions and strict self-assessment (click “Easy” only when confident).
Not designed to replace long-term spaced repetition for very long-term retention — optimized for short-term exam prep under time constraints.

Context and other points

Nathan made the video after requests following his finals week vlog while on a four-month surgical pharmacy placement.
He claims strong academic results using this method and posts grade reactions on his channel.
He suggests this approach may get more students to use Anki who otherwise avoid it because of the daily requirement.

Speakers / sources featured

Nathan — main speaker / creator; 2nd-year pharmacy student at University of Waterloo.
Bulk Homme — sponsor/product featured in the mid-roll ad.
Image Occlusion Enhanced — Anki add-on used and referenced.
Anki — flashcard software referenced as the platform.
Rachel (Rachel Suthert) — referenced briefly as a studytuber Nathan admires who does daily Anki.