Why You Should Assign Flashcards Before the Lesson, Not Just After
Discover why assigning flashcards before class primes student learning, boosts engagement, and makes lessons stick using cognitive science–backed strategies.
Recent Academy articles.
How to Get Your Students to Study Regularly & Stop Cramming
Help students stop cramming and start studying consistently using incentives, spaced repetition, and classroom systems grounded in cognitive science.
Should Students Use Existing Flashcards or Make Their Own?
Should students study premade flashcards or create their own? Educators explore the tradeoffs between generative learning, time, and spaced retrieval.
How to Make Flashcards Students Will Actually Want to Study
Learn how educators can design flashcards students actually enjoy studying: using motivation science, cognitive load principles, and smart flashcard design.
Are You Studying Effectively? A Visual Guide for Students & Teachers
Passive vs. active studying explained. Download a free classroom poster that teaches students how to learn using cognitive science!
Why Students Quit Flashcards (& What Teachers Can Do About It)
Flashcards work… So then why do students quit? In this teacher-focused guide, we’ll explore how educators can sustain motivation, build habits, and help effective learning strategies stick.
Flashcard Copilot: Why Brainscape Built AI That Doesn’t Replace Your Thinking
AI can speed up studying or quietly sabotage it. Here’s why Brainscape built an AI assistant that improves flashcards, without replacing thinking.
The Experiment that Convinced Andrew Cohen to Found a Flashcard App Startup
How a Columbia master’s thesis and a small experiment led Brainscape founder to risk everything to build a study tool that would help people learn twice as fast.
The Cognitive Science of Studying: 16 Principles for Faster Learning
Discover how principles like retrieval practice, spaced repetition, and metacognition can help you learn faster and remember longer.
What is Retrieval Practice (& How Can It Help You Learn Faster)?
Learn how retrieval practice trains your brain to lock in knowledge for the long haul and the strategies you can use to stop passively studying and start recalling.
Move and Copy Individual Cards on Mobile (and Other News for November 2025)
Improved flashcard editing features on mobile and web, new certified flashcard collections, and our Assistant Content Manager loves to paint with acrylics. Our final newsletter for 2025 is here...
What is Spaced Repetition (& Why Is It Key To All Learning)?
Learn what spaced repetition is, why it matters for memory and learning, and how modern study methods use it to help you remember more with less effort.
What Is Cognitive Load Theory? (& Why Too Much Info At Once Hurts Learning)
Learn what Cognitive Load Theory is, why too much information at once overloads your brain, and how you can negotiate it to minimize the pain of studying (while maximizing retention).
How to Use Social Motivation to Study
Can you use social motivation to improve your learning? Yes! In this article we explain how, as well as why we study harder, perform better, and stay more accountable when others are watching.
The “What the Hell" Effect & How to Conquer Its Vicious Cycle
Discover the psychology behind the "What the Hell Effect" and how to break the cycle, end self-sabotaging habits, and turn regret into resolve.
What Is Active Recall (& How Can It Help You Pass Your Exams)?
Learn what active recall is, why it beats traditional study methods, and how digital flashcards leverage it to help you learn much faster!
How To Practice TOEFL Listening Skills (With Free Videos)
In this TOEFL listening practice guide, you’ll learn about the section format, get strategies and test-day advice, and train with free practice videos.
Advanced English Speaking Practice Prompts for the TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, & CELPIP
Free English speaking practice prompts for TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, and CELPIP learners to help them hone their speaking skills for any advanced English class or exam.
Advanced English Reading Practice Questions for the TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, & CELPIP
Free English reading practice questions for TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, and CELPIP learners to help them hone their reading skills for any advanced English class or exam.
6 Tips For TOEFL Reading Practice (Plus Question Bank)
Improve your TOEFL reading practice with tips, strategies, and sample questions to master vocabulary, timing, and comprehension before test day.
How To Practice TOEFL Speaking Skills (with Free Speaking Practice Prompts)
In this TOEFL speaking practice guide, you’ll learn about the section format, get strategies and test-day advice, and train with free speaking practice prompts.
5 Tips For TOEFL Writing Practice (Plus Question Bank)
TOEFL writing practice guide with expert tips, strategies, and a question bank to help you plan, organize, and write clear essays under time pressure.
Advanced English Writing Practice Questions for the TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, & CELPIP
Free English writing practice questions for TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, and CELPIP learners to help them hone their writing skills for any advanced English class or exam.
The Ultimate TOEFL Study Guide: The Best Study Strategies To Do Well
This TOEFL study guide covers exam structure, study timelines, test-day tips, and strategies to improve vocabulary, grammar, and exam scores in preparation for the TOEFL.
What Is Metacognition (& How Can It Help You Remember Faster)?
Learn what metacognition is, why it’s such a powerful strategy for remembering just about anything, and how digital flashcards are the key to unlocking it.