Milestones, XP, and Ranks

Species uses an experience point (XP) system to track your overall learning progress. You earn XP by studying cards, completing tests, reaching milestones, and maintaining streaks. As your XP accumulates, you advance through the ranks.

How XP Works

Every study activity earns XP. The amount depends on what you do:

XP is awarded whenever your reviews are submitted to the server, including when you exit a study session early. You do not need to finish an entire session to receive credit for the cards you studied.

Milestones

Your activity is tracked across five categories. Each category has up to 25 milestone levels with increasing targets. Reaching a milestone awards bonus XP on top of the base XP you earn from studying.

Cards Studied

Tracks the total number of unique cards you have reviewed. Each card is counted once, regardless of how many times you have reviewed it.

Cards Mastered

Tracks cards that have reached mastery status. A card is marked as mastered when its review interval exceeds 7 days, indicating reliable long-term recall. Once mastered, a card remains counted even if you later lapse.

Decks Completed

Tracks decks in which you have mastered all cards. Measures the breadth of your knowledge across different groups of species.

Study Streak

Tracks consecutive days with at least one study activity. Missing a day resets the streak to zero. Your longest streak is recorded separately and never resets.

Tests Completed

Tracks the number of tests you have passed. Only successful completions count. Failed attempts are not included.

Milestone XP Bonuses

Early milestones grant around 25 XP, while later milestones can grant up to 750 XP. The reward also varies by category — milestones for harder activities like tests (1.5x) and deck completions (1.3x) grant more than those for card reviews (1.0x).

Streaks

Maintaining Your Streak

Your study streak increments each day that you complete at least one qualifying activity:

• Reviewing (at least 20) flashcards in any study mode (due cards, all cards, difficult cards, or random practice)
• Completing a test on any deck

A single review or test completion is sufficient for that day. Missing an entire calendar day resets the streak to zero.

Streak Strategy

• Set a consistent daily study time.
• Plan ahead for travel or busy periods. A 5-minute session on your phone is enough to keep the streak alive.

Mastery Versus Study Count

These two metrics measure different things:

Cards Studied reflects the volume of your effort. It grows quickly, especially when learning new decks, and provides a broad measure of engagement.

Cards Mastered reflects the depth of your learning. It grows more slowly because it requires cards to reach stable, long-term review intervals. A high mastery count indicates genuine retention.

If your "studied" count is high relative to your "mastered" count, consider whether you are introducing new cards too quickly, rating cards more favorably than your actual recall warrants, or studying particularly challenging material that requires more repetitions.