Keep one retrieval target per card
Write a prompt that identifies the context and asks for one concept. Keep the answer short enough to judge, with essential conditions preserved. If an answer includes several independent lists, split it. Use the course's wording when a technical definition has a specific expected form.
Add examples and boundaries separately
Create another prompt asking for an example, a non-example or a contrast with a nearby concept. Do not put the whole answer in the question through a suggestive phrase. These extra cards should test a different decision rather than duplicate the same definition in slightly different words.
Grade production, not familiarity
Say or write the answer before revealing it. Mark missing essential conditions as a gap even if the revealed answer looks familiar. If the card repeatedly fails, inspect its wording and your underlying understanding. Adding more cards does not repair an ambiguous prompt or an unlearned prerequisite.
Worked example
A card asks for the difference between a necessary and a sufficient condition. Its companion presents a simple implication and asks which relationship it establishes. A student who recites the definition but reverses the example has a conceptual gap, so they review the relationship before adding more near-identical cards.
Before you finish
- Each card has one clearly markable retrieval target.
- Essential conditions remain in the answer.
- At least one prompt checks an example or boundary where relevant.