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Turn your notes into flashcards in a few minutes

Upload lecture notes, slides, PDFs or photos of pages and get flashcards you can study with spaced repetition.

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What makes a good set of flashcards from notes

The fastest way to get a usable deck is to start with the notes you already have. how to make flashcards from notes comes down to picking facts that can be tested with one clear question and one short answer. Lecture notes, slides and textbook pages all work, as long as the text is readable.

Use one fact per card so you can grade yourself honestly.
Write questions that start with what, who, when or why.
Review new cards the same day, then let spaced repetition set the gaps.
Delete any card you already know well after a few correct reviews.

Example flashcards on World War I causes

What do the letters MAIN stand for in the causes of World War I?Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism and Nationalism.

What assassination triggered the July Crisis in 1914?The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914.

What was the Triple Entente?The alliance of France, Russia and the United Kingdom, which faced the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy.

What was the Schlieffen Plan?Germany's plan to defeat France quickly by marching through Belgium, then turn east to face Russia.

What was the naval race between Britain and Germany?A buildup of battleships, including Britain's Dreadnought, that heightened rivalry before 1914.

Generate the full set

Starts from your material

Upload PDFs, DOCX, PPTX, plain text notes or photos of pages, and the text is pulled out for you.

Spaced repetition built in

Cards you find hard come back more often, so review time goes to the facts you are most likely to forget.

Export when you need it

Plus users can export to PDF, DOCX, Anki or CSV. The free plan keeps studying in the browser.

How it works

Add your notes

Upload a PDF, DOCX, PPTX, text file or a photo of a page from your class.

Check the cards

Read through the generated flashcards, then edit or delete any that are off or too broad.

Study with spaced repetition

Review a few minutes a day. The schedule brings back the cards you miss more often.

Good cards ask about one idea each. A card that asks for a date, a name and a cause at once is hard to grade honestly, so split it into separate cards. Keep answers short enough to check in a glance, and reserve longer explanations for the back of a quiz question rather than a flashcard.

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Frequently asked questions

How many flashcards should I make for a unit on World War I causes?

Most students do well with 20 to 40 cards per unit, covering key events, people and terms. Focus on cause-and-effect facts such as the alliance system and the July Crisis rather than trying to memorize every date.

What is the best way to study cause-and-effect history like World War I?

Turn each cause into a question that asks for its effect, then say the answer aloud before flipping the card. Reviewing the cards in short daily sessions works better than one long cram session before the exam.

Does DeckOwl have a free plan?

Yes. The free plan includes 3 generations per month and studying in the browser, and you can start without a credit card. Exports are part of the paid Plus plan.

Can I export my flashcards?

Exporting to PDF, DOCX, Anki and CSV is available on the Plus plan at $39/year or $7.99/month, and students get 40% off with a school email.

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Keep exploring the topic

Review the main ideas visually or practice recalling them.