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Trainer Manual Print E-mail
The Flashcard Trainer is a tool for you to drill and test your knowledge. Each lesson in the trainer may for instance include vocabulary, phrases and kanji.
The tool is made for you to first drill a lesson until you know it, and then add it to your tests to make sure you will remember it.
The test tool loosly follows the theory of Spaced Repetition that says that you will remember a word better if you are reminded of it within a certain time interval. However, the time intervals are not fine tuned, so please give feedback on that.

Drill

The drill is a way for you to learn new words. As soon as you remember a word, it is removed from the current drill, and you can focus on the words you have left to learn.

Test

The test helps you keep in memory what you've learned.  The smart thing about the tests is that a word is never removed from a test. But, for every time you say that you know a word, the time until it appears in your test again gets longer and longer.

How to Select Lessons for Drill or Test 

1. Select the "Flashcard Trainer" in the left menu.
2. Click on the folder that interests you, and select a lesson to drill by clicking on the drill link. This will either take you to the drill for the chosen lesson.
If you are logged in you may also choose to add the lesson to your tests. This will add the lesson to your tests, and take you to the "My Tests" page.
Drill Answer Description

Drill

When you have selected to drill a lesson, you will be taken to the drill page. In front of you, there will be a box with a white area containing the flashcard and some controls around it. The flashcard is visible in the middle of the screen.

1. Guess what word the trainer asks you about
2. Press the Answer button to show the answer.
3. Press "right" if you knew the word and "wrong" if you failed.

When right is pressed, the word will be removed from this drill, so that you can focus on the ones you know.
Drill flow description

Continue with the drill until all cards are removed, or when you feel that you know all the words. This may be a good time to add the lesson to your tests, to ensure you will remember it over time.

Test

The whole thing is based on the assumption that word that you are sure you know today, may be forgotten tomorrow. And if you won't use it, the risk of forgetting it in a longer run is much higher. So, by repeatedly reminding you of words you may or may not know. The test helps you keep it in memory longer.
The test is only available for logged-in members. Your personal tests are displayed for logged in users in the right part of the homepage.
mytest picture 
When a test is started, you will be presented the following screen, with a box with a flashcard and some controls around it. The flashcard is visible in the white middle area of the screen.
1. Guess what word the trainer asks you about
2. Press the Answer button to show the answer.
3. Rate yourself.

  • Bad: never heard of it
  • (orange): should have known it
  • ok: barely remembered it
  • (green): promptly remembered it
  • well: too simple
Test flow 

The trainer will increase the test interval for words that you know, rated "ok" or better. And decrease the interval for words you say you don't know. In this way, you will be nagged about words for a while, but it will be less and less often as you know it better and better.
Note that there is a Save-button under the Settings-tab in the bottom of the trainer. You may use if you want to take a break from your test, and continue later.
Read the details of how it works in the paragraph Test Details and Spaced Repetition

Statistics and Settings

In the bottom area of the Flashcard Trainer box, there are two tabs; Statistics and Settings.
Tabs picture

Statistics

Logged-in members can see how many times they have succeeded or failed remembering each word. They can also see what the current test interval is, ie how often each word will appear in the test.

Settings

You may decide yourself if you want a drill/test to ask for the english word, or for the japanese word. This is something you can choose in the settings tab when doing a drill or test.
During a test, there is also a Save-button here, that you may use if you want to take a break from your test, and continue later.

Test Details and Spaced Repetition

For those of you that are interested in the inner workings of the spaced repetitions, here is a brief explanation.

The first time you add a card, the interval is zero, so it will be tested immediately. When you are in a training, and you rate yourself, it increases or decreases the interval for next training of that specific card. How much it changes the interval is dependent on how you rate yourself. The interval can however never be less than a day, for repeated practise within a day, please use the drill tool.

Here are the changes in intervals:
  • Well:  +4 days
  • (green):  +2 days
  • ok: +1 day
  • (orange): -1 day
  • Bad: -2 days

The next time you get the card up for test is the last test date plus the interval amount of days. E.g. If you had a card with interval 4 days, and you rate yourself well. It will come up again in 8 days. And then if the same thing happens again, it will come up again in 12 days and so on.
 

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