Best Practices
The learning methodology behind Repeatica and how to build an effective study workflow.
Most of what you read, watch, and hear fades within days — even if you understood it well at the time. Repeatica is built to fix that. It turns anything you consume into structured knowledge and keeps it in your long-term memory through spaced repetition.
This page covers how the system is designed to work and the habits that get the best results.
How Repeatica works
Repeatica is an AI-powered knowledge pipeline. Raw input goes in, structured knowledge comes out. There are four stages:
1. Capture. Record a lecture, paste a YouTube link, snap a photo of a textbook page, upload a PDF, clip a webpage with the browser extension, or type directly. The goal is to get the raw material into a note while it's fresh.
2. Transform. AI processes everything in the note — transcribes audio, extracts text from images and PDFs, and can summarize the key ideas. A 45-minute lecture recording becomes organized, searchable notes.
3. Learn. Generate a lesson when you want Repeatica to teach the material back to you. Lessons break the note into short explanations, visuals, and quick checks so you can confirm you understand it.
4. Retain. AI generates flashcards from the concepts worth remembering. Spaced repetition schedules reviews at increasing intervals — right before you'd forget. This turns short-term understanding into long-term memory.
These stages aren't steps you do once. They're a loop you run every time you encounter something worth knowing. Capture it, let the AI transform and teach it, then let the retention system handle the review schedule.
How the features map to the pipeline
| Stage | What happens | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Capture | Raw input goes in | Text editor, voice notes, images, YouTube, PDFs, share sheet, browser extension |
| Transform | AI processes and structures it | Transcription, text extraction, AI summaries, translation, Ask AI |
| Learn | Repeatica teaches the material back to you | AI lessons, visuals, inline quizzes, saved lesson score |
| Retain | Spaced repetition keeps it in memory | AI flashcards, review sessions, spaced repetition, streaks |
Capture effectively
The quality of what comes out of the Transform stage depends on what goes in.
- Use a specific title. "Cognitive Load Theory — Key Principles" is more useful than "Lecture 5." Titles help the AI understand context and help you find the note later.
- One topic per note. A note covering three unrelated topics produces scattered flashcards. Split them — it keeps review sessions coherent too.
- Structure with headings and lists. The AI uses headings, bullet points, and bold text as signals for what matters. A wall of unformatted text produces weaker results. See Markdown Support.
- Capture first, polish later. Get the raw idea down. You can edit before generating AI content — but you can't recover an idea you didn't write down.
Pick the right input for the situation
| Scenario | Best method |
|---|---|
| Lecture in person | Record a voice note — AI transcribes it |
| YouTube explainer | Paste the URL — AI transcribes the video |
| Textbook or handout | Snap a photo — AI extracts the text |
| Research paper file | Upload the PDF — AI extracts full text |
| Article in your browser | Browser extension or share sheet — one click |
| Your own ideas | Write directly in Markdown |
Every capture method feeds the same AI pipeline. Whether you typed it, recorded it, or extracted it from a PDF, the AI treats it all the same when generating summaries, lessons, and flashcards.
Transform at the right time
Each AI generation uses one of your monthly AI calls. Getting the timing right matters.
- Finish the content first. Add all your text, record all voice notes, paste all URLs, upload all images. Wait for transcriptions to complete. Then generate.
- Lesson before flashcards. Use a lesson to learn the material first. If you generate flashcards after a lesson exists, Repeatica can use the lesson concepts as extra context for better retention cards.
- Use summaries as reference, not as the whole study flow. Summaries are useful when you need a condensed overview. Lessons are better when you want the app to actively teach and check understanding.
- Edit flashcards after generation. The generated set is a starting point. Delete trivial cards, fix ambiguous questions, and add your own cards for things the AI missed.
Look for the status indicator on your attachments. Once transcription shows as complete, the content is ready for AI generation.
Regenerating a lesson replaces the existing lesson, while generating flashcards adds new cards alongside your existing ones. If you update a note, regenerate the lesson first, then create any additional flashcards you need. See AI Lessons and AI Flashcards for details.
Retain through daily reviews
The algorithm handles scheduling. Your job is to show up consistently and rate honestly.
Review daily, even briefly. Attach it to a routine you already have — morning coffee, lunch break, commute. Five minutes is enough most days. Consistency matters more than session length.
Rate honestly. The algorithm's accuracy depends on your self-assessment. If you guessed, that's "Again" — not "Good."
| Rating | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Again | Got it wrong, or only remembered after seeing the answer |
| Good | Recalled the answer with normal effort |
| Easy | Answered instantly and confidently |
Don't avoid "Again" cards. Cards you rate "Again" are the ones producing the most learning. They surface what you don't know.
Trust the spacing. When a card reaches a multi-week interval, you'll only see it a few times per year. That's the system working correctly — not a sign you should review it more.
A card you consistently rate "Good" naturally spaces out to weeks, then months. You end up seeing it only a handful of times per year — and it sticks. See How Spaced Repetition Works for more.
Enable review reminders in Settings to get a daily nudge at the time that works best for you. Streaks can help with motivation — but a broken streak is not a setback. Your learned cards are what matter. See Streaks.
Stay organized as you grow
A few habits keep your library manageable over time.
- Folders for broad categories, tags for cross-cutting themes. A "Biology" folder with
#exam-prepand#key-concepttags lets you find notes by subject and by purpose. See Folders and Tags. - Star your active study notes. Favorites float to the top — use them for notes you're building or reviewing this week. Un-star when done.
- Archive when you're done with a topic. Archived notes leave your main list and your Due for Review queue. Use archive for material you've fully learned, not notes you're still actively reviewing.
Archiving a note removes it from the Due for Review list. Only archive notes you no longer need to actively review — otherwise you'll miss scheduled flashcard reviews.
Work across devices
Repeatica syncs in real time across iOS, Android, Web, and Desktop.
- Capture on the go, review anywhere. Record a voice note during a lecture on your phone, then review the generated flashcards on your laptop later.
- Share from anywhere. Use the browser extension on your computer, or the share sheet on iOS and Android to send content into Repeatica from any app. See Browser Extension.
- Pick a review device. Choosing one device as your "daily review station" — phone in the morning, tablet at lunch — helps the habit stick.