Digital Flashcards and the MCAT: Insights from Current Medical Students on Essential Study Resources

Background Anki is a digital flashcard program that utilizes spaced repetition and is widely used among medical students preparing for the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). Likely due to this association, Anki has gained significant popularity among pre-medical students studying for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). While previous studies have demonstrated a positive correlation between Anki use and USMLE outcomes, its effectiveness in MCAT preparation has not yet been explored. Thus, our study aimed to investigate the relationship between Anki usage and MCAT outcomes by surveying current medical students. Methods An anonymous survey was sent to two cohorts of first-year medical students at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. Respondents were asked details regarding their MCAT scores, the study resources they used, and their perceived usefulness of those resources. Anki users were then asked a series of follow-up questions regarding their degree of usage. Results The initial number of responses was 159 out of 358 students, yielding a response rate of 44.4%. Of these, 50 were removed for incompleteness, and an additional 11 responses met exclusion criteria - yielding 98 final responses. There was no statistically significant difference in composite MCAT scores between Anki users (514.8, 95% CI: 510.7–518.9) and non-Anki users (514.2, 95% CI: 509.1–519.3). Despite these findings, 84.8% of Anki users reported that it contributed to their understanding of MCAT content, and 97.8% said they would recommend Anki to other students preparing for the exam. Conclusion Our findings contrast with previous studies that have demonstrated a positive correlation between Anki use and USMLE performance. This discrepancy may be explained by the fundamental differences in the format and content of the exams, wherein the USMLE may place greater emphasis on pattern recognition and active recall than the MCAT. Limitations of our study may include the population, which does not include medical students at other institutions or students who took the MCAT but were not accepted into medical school. Therefore, future studies may improve the reliability of their findings by querying a wider population of students to capture the study habits of MCAT examinees more accurately.