Your unfair advantage in admissions tests
Admissions tests mostly measure reasoning, but reasoning runs on things you have to know cold: the formulas, the grammar rules, the vocabulary. The less effort those take, the more attention is left for the question.
The advantage isn't a shortcut. It's a study method: pulling answers from memory and reviewing them just before they fade, instead of rereading, highlighting and cramming.
13 programs · 15,286 cards · organised by public exam outlines
What your memory has to carry for admissions tests
Different exams, the same problem: a lot to hold, for a long time, recalled on demand.
Vocabulary
Words that show up in context on the SAT, GRE and TOEFL-style passages.
Formulas and rules
Geometry, algebra and statistics formulas, plus the grammar and usage rules.
Course content for AP
A full year of a subject, tested in May.
Why the old way fails for admissions tests
Rereading, highlighting and cramming are the most common ways to study, and they feel productive. The research says they're the weakest.
Rereading
Rereading a word list feels fast. A week later, the words you only reread are the ones you lose.
Retrieve it
Tested students recalled 61% of a passage a week later; students who reread it four times recalled 40%.
Roediger & Karpicke (2006), Psychological Science
Highlighting
Highlighting a formula sheet does not practise writing the formula when a problem needs it.
Test yourself
A review of ten techniques rated highlighting and rereading low utility, and practice testing high.
Dunlosky et al. (2013), Psychological Science in the Public Interest
Cramming
Cramming the week before is the most common plan and the one spacing beat in these studies.
Space it
Word pairs reviewed across four days were recalled 54% of the time; the stack crammed the day before the test, 34%.
Kornell (2009), Applied Cognitive Psychology
The numbers behind the method
Published finding about the method, not NoReread results. Each one is shown with the conditions it was measured under.
recalled on day 5: one stack reviewed daily vs stacks crammed
This study used GRE-type vocabulary. Spacing more than doubled recall versus cramming single stacks.
25 students learned GRE-type word pairs over four daily sessions with the same number of study trials. One large stack reviewed every day: 54% recalled on day 5. Small stacks each crammed on a single day: 21%. The stack crammed the day before the test: 34%. Experiment 2.
Kornell, N. (2009). Optimising learning using flashcards: Spacing is more effective than cramming. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 23(9), 1297–1317.
Published finding about the method, not NoReread results.
of learners did better with spacing, while most believed cramming worked better
Most students in the study believed cramming worked better. It did not.
Across three flashcard experiments, spacing beat massing for 90% of participants, yet after the first session 72% believed massing had been more effective.
Kornell, N. (2009). Optimising learning using flashcards: Spacing is more effective than cramming. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 23(9), 1297–1317.
Published finding about the method, not NoReread results.
recalled a week later: tested vs reread
Retrieving beat rereading a week later.
Undergraduates studied a prose passage. Those who read it once and recalled it three times remembered 61% of it one week later; those who read it four times remembered 40%. At five minutes the rereaders were ahead (83% vs 71%). Experiment 2, 180 students, no feedback.
Roediger, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). Test-enhanced learning: Taking memory tests improves long-term retention. Psychological Science, 17(3), 249–255.
Published finding about the method, not NoReread results.
See the research
Three short loops. Two chart published results exactly as reported; the forgetting curve is an illustrative model and is labelled as one.
Spacing beats cramming
From Kornell (2009), Experiment 2: over four days, one stack of 20 word pairs reviewed every day versus four stacks of five each crammed on one day. On day 5, spaced pairs were recalled 54% of the time, massed 21%, and the stack crammed the day before 34%. Across three experiments spacing beat massing for 90% of participants, yet after the first session 72% believed massing worked better.
Kornell, N. (2009). Optimising learning using flashcards: Spacing is more effective than cramming. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 23(9), 1297–1317.
Published finding about the method, not NoReread results.
The forgetting curve, with and without reviews
An illustrative model, not measured data: after one exposure, memory decays quickly toward zero over 30 days. With reviews on days 1, 3, 7 and 14, each review restores it and it decays more slowly each time, staying high at day 30.
Ebbinghaus, H. (1885). Über das Gedächtnis. Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig.
Illustrative model, not measured data.
Testing yourself beats rereading, a week later
Bar charts from Roediger & Karpicke (2006), Experiment 2. Five minutes after studying, students who read a passage four times recalled 83%, read three times and tested once 78%, read once and tested three times 71%. One week later the order reversed: 40%, 56% and 61%.
Roediger, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). Test-enhanced learning: Taking memory tests improves long-term retention. Psychological Science, 17(3), 249–255.
Published finding about the method, not NoReread results.
Admissions programs
Ready-made decks, organised by each exam's public outline. Open any program to try its free sample cards.
SAT
9 decks · 1,634 cards
SAT Math
5 decks · 153 cards
ACT
5 decks · 857 cards
AP Calculus AB
8 decks · 807 cards
AP Biology
8 decks · 655 cards
AP Chemistry
9 decks · 667 cards
AP Psychology
5 decks · 697 cards
AP Statistics
9 decks · 683 cards
GRE
4 decks · 6,737 cards
GMAT Focus Edition
3 decks · 481 cards
LSAT
2 decks · 670 cards
GED — High School Equivalency
4 decks · 548 cards
ASVAB
9 decks · 697 cards
| Exam | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Digital SAT98 questions (54 Reading & Writing, 44 Math) · 2 hours 14 minutes | 98 questions (54 Reading & Writing, 44 Math) | 2 hours 14 minutes |
| ACT131 core questions (50 English, 45 Math, 36 Reading); optional Science adds 40 · 2 hours 5 minutes core; about 3 hours 25 minutes with optional Science and Writing | 131 core questions (50 English, 45 Math, 36 Reading); optional Science adds 40 | 2 hours 5 minutes core; about 3 hours 25 minutes with optional Science and Writing |
| AP Calculus AB42 multiple-choice + 6 free-response · 3 hours 10 minutes (1 hour 40 minutes multiple-choice; 1 hour 30 minutes free-response) | 42 multiple-choice + 6 free-response | 3 hours 10 minutes (1 hour 40 minutes multiple-choice; 1 hour 30 minutes free-response) |
| AP Biology60 multiple-choice questions and 6 free-response questions · 3 hours | 60 multiple-choice questions and 6 free-response questions | 3 hours |
| AP Chemistry60 multiple-choice, 7 free-response (3 long, 4 short) · 3 hours 15 minutes | 60 multiple-choice, 7 free-response (3 long, 4 short) | 3 hours 15 minutes |
| AP Psychology75 multiple-choice questions and 2 free-response questions · 2 hours 40 minutes | 75 multiple-choice questions and 2 free-response questions | 2 hours 40 minutes |
| AP Statistics42 multiple-choice questions (90 min) and 4 free-response questions (90 min) · 3 hours | 42 multiple-choice questions (90 min) and 4 free-response questions (90 min) | 3 hours |
| GRE54 scored questions (27 Verbal, 27 Quantitative) plus 1 essay task · About 1 hour 58 minutes | 54 scored questions (27 Verbal, 27 Quantitative) plus 1 essay task | About 1 hour 58 minutes |
| GMAT64 questions (21 quantitative, 23 verbal, 20 data insights) · 2 hours 15 minutes, plus one optional break | 64 questions (21 quantitative, 23 verbal, 20 data insights) | 2 hours 15 minutes, plus one optional break |
| LSATAbout 75 scored multiple-choice items (roughly 25–27 per scored section) · About 3 hours including a 10-minute intermission (four 35-minute sections); LSAT Argumentative Writing taken separately | About 75 scored multiple-choice items (roughly 25–27 per scored section) | About 3 hours including a 10-minute intermission (four 35-minute sections); LSAT Argumentative Writing taken separately |
| GEDVaries by subject (multiple-choice, drag-and-drop, fill-in, extended response) · About 7 hours total across four tests (Mathematical Reasoning 115 min, Reasoning Through Language Arts 150 min, Science 90 min, Social Studies 70 min) | Varies by subject (multiple-choice, drag-and-drop, fill-in, extended response) | About 7 hours total across four tests (Mathematical Reasoning 115 min, Reasoning Through Language Arts 150 min, Science 90 min, Social Studies 70 min) |
| ASVABTen subtests (paper version combines Auto and Shop into one); item counts vary by version · About 1.5 to 3 hours depending on version | Ten subtests (paper version combines Auto and Shop into one); item counts vary by version | About 1.5 to 3 hours depending on version |
How NoReread puts it to work
1. Cards from public exam outlines
Each program is organised by its exam's publicly available outline, so the decks follow the structure you will be tested on.
2. Recall first, then flip
Every card asks before it tells. That moment of pulling the answer from memory is the retrieval practice the research measures.
3. Reviews scheduled before you forget
An SM-2 schedule brings each card back just as it starts to fade: sooner if you missed it, later if you knew it.
Cards ask for a word's meaning, a formula or a rule. You answer before flipping, and the schedule spaces reviews so that what you learn in September is still there in spring.
How do you factor out a greatest common factor (GCF)?
Find the largest factor common to every term and divide it out. Example: 6x² + 9x = 3x(2x + 3).
Learn first, then retain.
Flashcards are a memory tool. Learn the material first, then use NoReread to retain it and refresh what you already know. It doesn't replace studying the subject.
Cards are created from publicly available sources and may contain errors. Check anything you rely on against your official materials.
Straight answers
Is NoReread enough to prepare for admissions tests?
No, and we won't pretend otherwise. Flashcards are a memory tool. Learn the material first, then use NoReread to retain it and refresh what you already know. It doesn't replace studying the subject.
What does “unfair advantage” mean here?
The advantage is the study method: retrieval practice and spaced review, instead of rereading, highlighting and cramming. It is not a promise of a pass or a score. The numbers on this page are published findings about the method from the studies cited, not NoReread results.
Will flashcards raise my score?
We can't promise a score. Flashcards help you remember vocabulary, formulas and rules; the reasoning sections also need timed practice with real questions.
What do the AP programs follow?
Each AP program is organised by the units in the course's public Course and Exam Description. Learn the units in class first, then use the cards to keep them fresh until May.
Can I rely on the cards being accurate?
Cards are created from publicly available sources and may contain errors. Check anything you rely on against your official materials. We're not experts in every field we cover, and NoReread does not guarantee exam results.
Is NoReread affiliated with the organizations behind these exams?
No. NoReread is not affiliated with or endorsed by the organizations whose exams and outlines it references, and exam names are trademarks of their respective owners.
How can I try it?
Every program page shows 6 free sample cards per deck. The All-Access annual plan starts with 7 days free, then $119.99/year, or you can buy a single program for life from $3.99.
Exam names are trademarks of their respective owners. Content disclaimer · All the research
Study admissions tests the way memory works
7 days free, then $119.99/yr for every program · cancel anytime · or one program for life from $3.99