How to Use UWorld Roger CPA Review’s Flashcard Decks

Why Flashcards Work

Did you know that flashcards have been around since the 1800s when paper became readily available to the average student? Since then, thousands have used flashcards as a memory aid at some point in their educational careers. Over the last 30-40 years, researchers have taken a closer look at the effectiveness of flashcards and other learning techniques. The important concepts of “active learning” and “spaced repetition” were born through this research.

Active learning refers to any learning activity in which the student dynamically participates or interacts with the learning process (versus passively taking in information). This is why taking the time to create your own set of flashcards is so critical. Making your own flashcards (rather than using a premade deck) forces you to interact with the material, increasing your retention rate.

Spaced repetition is another reason flashcards are so effective. Spaced repetition involves reviewing the material at different intervals based on difficulty: more complex concepts are reviewed more frequently until they’re mastered, then reviewed again at progressively more spaced out intervals.

Spaced repetition is considered by many CPA candidates to be the best way to retain the vast amount of information needed to succeed on the CPA Exam. Essentially, repeatedly reviewing flashcards over longer intervals of time lifts the “forgetting curve” so students can better retain what they have learned.

UWorld’s Flashcards Features

UWorld’s Flashcards have several unique features that make them particularly well suited to CPA Exam prep. For example, a “Study” feature completely integrates UWorld Roger CPA Review’s Flashcards with the QBank, so creating flashcards becomes simple and less time-consuming than having to switch between platforms.  Take the following example.

Whenever you come across an accounting concept that you want to learn more about, you can just click the Flashcards pop-up window and add that content to a new or existing card in your deck. Of course, you can also copy and paste any written or visual content onto your card!

For students who use flashcards primarily to reinforce the material from incorrect answers (detailed explanations), the UWorld Roger CPA Review’s Flashcards feature allows you to add proprietary UWorld Roger CPA Review images, tables, and charts featured in the explanations to your flashcards. Given the high-quality images, tables, and charts featured within the explanations, directly incorporating that content into flashcards is beneficial.

As the screen capture above shows, you can easily drop images and tables into a flashcard, and you’ll never have to worry about finding it later!

Integrated Spaced Repetition

When it comes to reviewing, a favorite benefit of using UWorld Roger CPA Review’s Flashcards is the spaced repetition “Study” feature. Within “Study,” you can customize your settings to increase or decrease the frequency with which you see a particular card. For cards you feel like you’ve nailed, you can retire the card by reducing the frequency to zero.

On the other hand, you can increase the frequency of a card you are struggling with. While paring down your deck can sometimes be challenging, remember that this is your study experience—your deck should include the most important concepts for you!

Another important thing to remember about spaced repetition is that it only works if you’re dedicated to keeping up with your cards. The good news is that you don’t have to dedicate hours each day to flashcards. Instead, most CPA Candidates find that they can get through their decks during their downtime throughout the day—whether they’re commuting, on break at work, or stepping away from other learning content like QBanks or videos.

Reaping the Benefits

With all these benefits, the best reason to use UWorld Roger CPA Review’s Flashcards is undoubtedly to memorize and still retain question content. Yes, making your own flashcards is time-consuming. But the benefits of doing so, tailored to the material you got wrong, are astronomical, especially if you start making the cards early.

Combining the merits of daily flashcard review with UWorld Roger CPA Review’s reputation as the industry’s gold standard, QBank will give you a highly effective combo you should take advantage of while studying for the CPA Exam. Consistently using the flashcards will facilitate the acquisition and retention of all the accounting concepts you’ll need to know to ensure that you’re not struggling to remember details on exam day.