Three steps from sources to retention
The two-app workflow that turns messy study material into exam-ready recall.
Step 1: Build the deck in NotebookLM
Open NotebookLM. Drop in your sources — class slides, textbook chapters, practice questions, study guides, PDFs, YouTube transcripts, websites. Generate flashcards for each source. The flashcards cover the full syllabus. NotebookLM is the creation engine: it turns hours of reading into hundreds of cards.
Step 2: Import the deck to MindFlash
Export the flashcards as a CSV from NotebookLM web. Transfer the file to your phone. Open MindFlash. Tap Import. Tap Confirm. The cards are in your daily review queue, scheduled by FSRS. The whole import takes 30 seconds.
Step 3: Review every day for 30 days
Open MindFlash every day. The app shows you the cards that FSRS has scheduled for today, based on your recall history. Spend a focused block reviewing. The cards you struggle with come back more often. The cards you find easy stay away longer. The day before the exam, FSRS shows you the cards you are most likely to forget. MindFlash is the retention engine: it makes sure the cards you studied on Day 1 are the cards you remember on Day 30.
Why this works
Spaced repetition is the most efficient way to move information from short-term to long-term memory. Daily review over 30 days produces better retention than cramming the night before. The research is decades old and well-established (Ebbinghaus, 1885; Wozniak, 1990s).
The two apps are complementary. NotebookLM creates the cards from your sources (the work that takes hours). MindFlash schedules and reviews the cards (the work that fits inside a daily coffee break). You cannot replace one with the other. NotebookLM has no daily review queue. MindFlash does not generate cards. The two apps are stronger together.
Compatibility with any exam
The two-app workflow is exam-agnostic. The same flow works for medical board exams (USMLE, PLAB, AMC, MCQE), engineering licensure exams, bar exams, language proficiency exams, and any exam with a defined syllabus and ~30 days of study time.