Help With Preset Setup, FSRS, and Study Strategy for Multi-Subject Competitive Exam Prep

Anki Learning Effectively
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Hi everyone,

I’m fairly new to Anki (using it for a few months now), and I’m preparing for a very competitive, MCQ-based exam where accuracy is the biggest factor because of high negative marking, that demands a huge amount of memorization. The exam covers a wide range of subjects like:

  • Bangla (ব্যাকরণ & সাহিত্য)

  • English (Language & Literature)

  • International & Bangladesh General Knowledge (GK)

  • Science

  • Math

  • Computer

  • Ethics

  • Geography

  • Mental Ability

  • Current Affairs (Recent GK)

:right_arrow: I’ve created a structured deck system by subject (screenshot attached below). I also use tags inside the cards to manage chapters, topics, importance level, intensity, etc.

:bullseye: What I’m Trying to Achieve

I want to create a very effective Anki preset and study system for the long run. I’ve experimented with FSRS (screenshot attached), but I don’t understand most of the parameters well, so I just selected random settings to test.

What I really want is:

  1. Smart Preset Setup (FSRS)

    • What’s the best way to set up learning steps, retention %, intervals, etc., for maximum long-term retention?

    • Which “preset” button to use or avoid? how should I config, I have zero idea how it will end up in future.

  2. Subdeck vs Mother Deck Behavior Confusion

    • I want to study subdecks one by one sometimes.

    • But I also want to study the entire subject group randomly via the mother deck (mixed/random from all subdecks).

    • However, I’ve noticed that when I study the parent deck, the “new card” count doesn’t always match the total from subdecks. Why is that? is there any way to see and study total.

  3. Reviewing Strategy

    • When reviewing the parent deck, I want cards to be pulled randomly from any subdeck to mimic mixed-discipline testing.

    • For exam revision (e.g., 1 or 5 days before), I want to study everything once, regardless of due date. What’s the best way?

  4. Tag-Based Review or Goal Planning

    • Is it possible to set 3, 4, or 6-month study goals based on tags or subdecks? For example: “Finish all ‘Ethics’ or ‘Important GK’ tagged cards within 3 months.”

  5. Card Creation Tips

    • I’m actively making cards while studying , so my decks are growing slowly.

    • I mostly use Basic, Cloze, and Image Occlusion, each with an extra field for additional info.

    • I’d love to learn about other card types or modifications that might suit my multi-disciplinary prep style. please suggest me

  6. Platform Compatibility

    • I mostly study on desktop Anki, but review on AnkiDroid (especially when outside).

    • So I try to avoid too many add-ons for compatibility reasons.

    • Any recommended setup that works well across both platforms?

:folded_hands: What I Need Help With

If anyone could please suggest:

  • An effective preset configuration for my context

  • How to optimize subdeck + parent deck interaction

  • Best practices for large, multi-topic memorization decks

  • Tips for studying “everything before an exam day”

  • Tag-based study plans

  • Card type recommendations (especially beyond Basic/Cloze/Image)

  • Any compatible workflow that plays nicely with AnkiDroid and desktop

…that would be amazing!

:camera_with_flash: Attached:

  • Deck structure (by subject)

image
image883×775 39.2 KB

  • Current preset config

image
image1880×2379 425 KB

Thanks in advance to everyone who takes time to reply, I know I have put so many demands, sorry for that, actually it is because of lack of idea regarding anki. I know many of you have years of experience, and I’d deeply appreciate any suggestions especially those who’ve studied for similar competitive, multi-subject exams.

Again very sorry that I put too may queries into one post.

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Since you let a chatbot write your post, it has a lot of chatbot misunderstandings about how Anki and FSRS work. So instead of trying to answer the chatbot’s confusing questions, I’m going to start you with the basics.

  1. Read Getting Started, so you know what Anki can do – and Studying, so you know how to use it. Skim the rest of the manual if you have time, so you will know where to find things when you want them later on.
  2. Enable FSRS.
  3. Set one short (5m-20m) learning step and relearning step.
  4. Optimize your FSRS parameters (and then come back monthly to re-optimize).
  5. Study all of your due cards every day – no backlogs, no long re/learning steps to carry cards over to the next day.
  6. Don’t introduce New cards at a faster pace that you can keep up with the reviews on. [Expect that your daily workload will be 8-10x your daily New card limit.]

Touching on some of the specific topics –

[2 & 3] I’ve already answered your subdeck/deck-limit questions in your other thread – Confused About Parent vs. Subdeck Behavior in Anki - #2 by Danika_Dakika .

[3] Filtered decks.

[4] Not specifically – but you can control all of that with the pace at which you introduce your cards. Settings for using Anki to prepare for a large exam - Anki FAQs

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Thank you so much for the answers. I appreciate the key ideas.

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