Learning Cards

Every card in Species progresses through distinct phases as you study it. Understanding these phases helps you interpret your review sessions and make informed decisions about your ratings.

Card Phases

Cards exist in one of three states:

New Cards

A new card is one you have never reviewed before. When you encounter a new card for the first time, it enters the learning phase.

Learning Cards

A card in the learning phase has been seen at least once but has not yet graduated to the long-term review schedule. Learning cards are shown at short intervals within the same session or across consecutive sessions.

The learning phase typically involves two steps:

1. Step 1 — Your first exposure to the card. If you rate it "Good" or "Easy," it advances to Step 2.
2. Step 2 — A second successful review. If you rate it "Good" or "Easy" again, the card graduates and moves to the long-term review schedule.

Review Cards

A graduated card follows the spaced repetition schedule. Its review interval increases each time you successfully recall it and decreases when you struggle. Review cards make up the bulk of your daily study sessions once you have been using a deck for several days.

How Ratings Affect Learning Cards

Each rating has a specific effect during the learning phase:

• Again — The card returns to Step 1 and will be shown again shortly. The card's ease factor decreases, making future intervals slightly shorter.
• Hard — The card remains at its current step and is rescheduled at a shorter interval. The ease factor decreases slightly.
• Good — The card advances to the next learning step. If it was on the final step, it graduates.
• Easy — The card immediately graduates, skipping any remaining learning steps. The ease factor increases, resulting in longer future intervals.

Graduation

A card graduates when it has been successfully reviewed through all learning steps. Upon graduation:

• The card receives its first long-term review interval (typically one day).
• It transitions from the learning phase to the review phase.
• Future reviews are scheduled by the spaced repetition algorithm based on your performance.

Lapses and Relearning

When you press Again on a review card (a card that previously graduated), the card enters a relearning state. This is sometimes called a "lapse."

During relearning:

• The card is shown again at short intervals, similar to the initial learning phase.
• Once you successfully recall it, it returns to the review schedule with a reduced interval.
• The ease factor is decreased, reflecting the difficulty you experienced.

Frequent lapses on the same card indicate that it may require a different study strategy, such as paying closer attention to distinguishing features or creating a mental association.

Mastery

A card is considered mastered when its review interval exceeds 7 days. This indicates that you can reliably recall the card over an extended period. Mastery status is tracked permanently. Once a card has been mastered, it counts toward your mastery statistics even if you later lapse on it.

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