Spaced repetition: remember ports, commands and acronyms for good

IT exams are full of things you simply have to remember: port numbers, administrative distances, OSI layers, acronyms and command syntax. Most people try to cram them in the last week, then forget half of them a month later. Spaced repetition is a study method with decades of memory research behind it, and it suits this kind of material perfectly.

The idea in one paragraph

When you learn something, memory of it fades quickly. If you review it just before you would forget, the memory becomes stronger and fades more slowly next time. So you review a new fact after a day, then a few days later, then a week, then a month. Each review takes seconds, and over time you remember far more with less total effort than cramming.

Setting it up

1. Choose a flashcard app that schedules reviews for you. Many free options exist, and some work offline on your phone.
2. Create one deck per exam, with sub-decks for topics if you like.
3. Add 10 to 20 new cards a day. Not 200.
4. Do your reviews every day, ideally at the same time, such as on the bus or with your morning tea.
5. Be honest when you mark an answer wrong. The schedule only works if you are.

What makes a good IT flashcard

• One fact per card. "SSH port?" then "TCP 22". Not "List all common ports".
• Ask both ways: "TCP 3389?" then "RDP", and "RDP port?" then "TCP 3389".
• Use your own words for explanations, not copied paragraphs.
• Add the why: "OSPF administrative distance? 110. Lower than RIP (120), so OSPF wins".
• Commands as tasks: "Show which ports are trunking?" then show interfaces trunk.

What not to put in flashcards

Flashcards are for recall, not understanding. Learn the concept first from notes, videos or a lab, then make cards for the details. Subnetting, for example, is a skill to practise, not a fact to memorise: use our subnetting game or the subnet calculator for that, and keep flashcards for things like private address ranges.

A 15-minute daily routine

• 5 minutes: review due cards.
• 5 minutes: add new cards from today's study.
• 5 minutes: one practice question set, such as our practice quizzes, and turn every mistake into a new card.

Stick to it for six weeks and you will be surprised how much stays with you. Pair it with our studying while working tips if your time is tight.