Cram.com Retirement: Save and Import Your Flashcards

Cram's official notice announces retirement on November 9, 2026. Users will lose access to accounts and stored content, and Cram will not migrate decks to another service. Download what you need before closure. The notice also explains its data-deletion and limited-retention policy.

Save an original copy

Open your own decks while your account remains accessible. Use the export or download tools available to you, following Cram's current instructions. The exact controls and formats may vary; this guide does not assume a Google Drive integration. If an export option is missing, consult Cram's official support.

Open each downloaded file and check that its contents are readable. Keep this original while preparing a separate working copy.

Prepare and import

1. For a basic text deck, put questions in column one and answers in column two. CSV uses commas; TSV uses tabs. Use UTF-8 for multilingual text. A two-column file does not preserve images, audio or review history.
2. Open the Flashcards.World library and choose the import action. Select your file and inspect the preview: delimiter, headers, card count, characters and line breaks. Confirm only when the preview is correct.
3. Open the imported deck and compare it with the original. Test multiple-choice options and correct-answer markers separately. Keep a downloaded backup; importing a deck and sharing it are separate actions.

In the CSV format described by RFC 4180, fields containing commas, quotes or line breaks are quoted; a literal double quote is doubled. A spreadsheet exporter can handle this formatting. Renaming a TSV file does not convert it.

Choose tools and resume studying

Check current feature limits, device support and prices when comparing apps. AI conversion can change or omit information, so review its output against your original. A share link is useful for distribution but is not a backup.

Try answering before revealing a card, check feedback and revisit material over time. Add problems that require applying what you know. These practices are supported by the IES study guide; switching apps alone does not guarantee a fixed retention gain.

The scheduling explanations use the official SM-2 description and FSRS algorithm documentation. Equations labeled FSRS-6 refer to that version.

For card design, SuperMemo’s Twenty Rules offer practical guidance. Choose prompts that fit the learning objective; no fixed answer time or deck size guarantees success.

Beyond flashcards, try mixed problem practice or reconstructing a concept map from memory, then check your work against the source.

The number–sound mapping follows one common Major System convention; comparative mnemonic research shows that benefits depend on the recall task.

Related sets

• Active Recall, the Testing Effect & Overcoming the Illusion of Competence
• Spaced Repetition, Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve, Leitner Boxes & FSRS Scheduling
• Flashcard Formulation: Minimum Information Principle, Cloze Deletions & Atomic Cards
• Cognitive Learning Strategies: Interleaving, Dual Coding, Elaboration & Feynman Technique
• Mnemonic Systems: Method of Loci (Memory Palace), Major System, Chunking & Acronyms
• Exam Mastery, Metacognition & Migrating Flashcard Decks (Cram.com / CSV / TSV Workflows)

Practice questions

Active Recall, the Testing Effect & Overcoming the Illusion of Competence

Question	Answer
What is retrieval practice?	Trying to recall information before checking a source, then using feedback to confirm or correct the answer.
What is the testing effect?	Practicing retrieval can improve later retention compared with restudying. Its size depends on the task, timing and learning conditions.
What is the fluency illusion?	Mistaking the ease of rereading familiar material for the ability to recall or use it without help.
How does recognition differ from free recall?	Recognition identifies previously encountered information among presented options. Free recall generates studied information without item-specific prompts.
When is a learning difficulty desirable?	When the extra effort supports later learning. Confusion or a task beyond the learner's current knowledge is not automatically beneficial.
How does the Bjorks' theory distinguish storage strength from retrieval strength?	Storage strength describes how well information is learned; retrieval strength describes its current accessibility. These are theoretical constructs, not direct brain measurements.
What is the generation effect?	Generating information can improve later memory compared with reading it. The benefit depends on the material and task.
How does pretesting differ from the forward testing effect?	Pretesting asks about material before it is studied. The forward testing effect concerns how testing earlier material influences learning of later material.
Why check feedback after a recall attempt?	To identify errors and compare the response with a reliable answer. An attempted retrieval does not guarantee that the recalled information is correct.
What useful role can rereading play?	It can clarify material and repair gaps. Combine it with later recall checks rather than treating familiarity as proof of learning.
Why give an answer before revealing the back of a card?	It makes the recall attempt assessable and reduces the temptation to count a familiar-looking answer as one you independently knew.
What is overlearning?	Continuing to practice after reaching a chosen performance criterion. Its value depends on the task and delay; it does not replace spaced practice.

Open set

Spaced Repetition, Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve, Leitner Boxes & FSRS Scheduling

Question	Answer
How did Ebbinghaus study forgetting?	He learned lists and measured how much effort was saved when relearning them after different delays.
How is relearning savings calculated?	For comparable learning times T₀ and T₁, savings = 100 × (T₀ − T₁)/T₀, with T₀ > 0. It is not a recall probability. T₀ is the initial learning time and T₁ the relearning time to the same criterion.
What does the spacing effect compare?	Learning spread across separate occasions with learning concentrated together. Benefits depend on the task and test delay.
Why is there no universal optimal study gap?	The useful gap depends on the material, learner and delay until the final test; longer gaps are not always better.
What does a Leitner box represent?	A group of cards with a particular review frequency, rather than a precise measurement of memory.
What intervals does original SM-2 use after successful repetitions?	Initially 1 day, then 6 days; later intervals multiply the previous interval by EF and round up to whole days.
If SM-2's EF reaches 1.3, is it stuck there?	No. The minimum is 1.3, but a grade of 5 increases EF by 0.1; a grade of 4 leaves it unchanged.
What is retrievability R in FSRS?	The model's estimated probability of recalling a particular card now, given the learner's review history.
What is stability S in FSRS?	The modeled interval for recall probability to fall to 90%. This definition does not change with the chosen retention target.
Why is R(t) = e^(−t/S) inconsistent with FSRS's definition of S?	At t = S it gives e^(−1) ≈ 36.8%, not 90%. The parameter has a different meaning in that exponential.
What forgetting curve does FSRS-6 use?	R(t) = (1 + k·t/S)^(−d), where d = w₂₀ > 0 and k = 0.9^(−1/d) − 1. Thus R(S) = 0.9. Here t is time since the last review, in the same units as S.
What usually happens when desired retention is increased?	Intervals shorten and review workload increases. Choose a target that fits your goals and available time.

Open set

Flashcard Formulation: Minimum Information Principle, Cloze Deletions & Atomic Cards

Question	Answer
What status do SuperMemo's Twenty Rules have?	They are practical recommendations for formulating study material, not a law assigning card design a fixed share of learning success.
What should you do before memorizing an unfamiliar concept?	Study a reliable explanation until you can explain its meaning and how it relates to what you already know.
Why connect individual facts to an overview?	An overview supplies context for understanding how the facts fit together.
Why revisit prerequisites when an advanced card is confusing?	The difficulty may come from a missing foundational concept rather than the new fact itself.
What is the minimum information principle in card design?	Give each card a focused, clearly assessable target while keeping enough context to make the question meaningful.
When is it useful to divide a long list into several cards?	When its parts need separate practice or partial recall is hard to grade; retain whole-list practice if that is a learning objective.
What is a cloze deletion?	A passage with a selected part hidden, requiring the learner to supply the missing information from the remaining context.
How can overlapping cloze cards support sequence learning?	They practice linked parts of a sequence; add whole-sequence recall when performing the complete sequence is the goal.
How can you repair an ambiguous prompt such as “bank”?	Specify the intended meaning or domain so the expected answer can be identified.
When should a grammatical clue be removed from a prompt?	When it reveals the answer without testing the intended knowledge; retain grammar cues when grammar is the learning target.
How can a card distinguish two easily confused concepts?	Ask about one meaningful difference under stated conditions, with an accurate comparison on the back.
Do “why” questions guarantee transfer to new problems?	No. They can ask for an explanation, but application to unfamiliar problems needs its own practice and assessment.

Open set

Cognitive Learning Strategies: Interleaving, Dual Coding, Elaboration & Feynman Technique

Question	Answer
How do blocked and interleaved practice differ?	Blocked practice groups one problem type together; interleaved practice mixes types within a practice sequence.
Why can interleaving help when learning similar problem types?	Mixed practice can require choosing the appropriate strategy and noticing differences; benefits depend on the task, learner and test.
What does dual coding theory propose?	Information can be represented in linked verbal and nonverbal systems; combining words with relevant images does not guarantee a fixed memory gain.
What is a useful Feynman-style explanation routine?	Explain a concept in your own words, identify gaps, check reliable sources and revise; explain necessary technical terms instead of banning them.
What is elaborative interrogation?	Generating explanations for why a fact makes sense, relating it to relevant prior knowledge and checking that the explanation is correct.
How can varied examples support understanding of an abstract principle?	Compare their shared principle and relevant differences, then try a new case; no fixed example count guarantees transfer.
What does an analogy map between two domains?	A pattern of relationships, not every property; identify both useful correspondences and where the analogy fails.
What distinguishes a concept map from an unconnected list?	Concepts are joined by labeled relationships that form meaningful statements, including cross-links where appropriate.
What is incubation in problem solving?	Setting a problem aside before returning to it; an undemanding break can help some tasks but does not guarantee a solution.
How should you choose study-work periods and breaks?	Adjust them to the task, fatigue and observed performance; a timer is an organizing tool, not proof of a fixed neurotransmitter cycle.
How do proactive and retroactive interference differ?	Earlier learning can hinder later learning or recall; later learning can hinder recall of earlier material. This need not mean the old memory was erased.
How can you address confusion between similar concepts?	Identify the exact confusion and compare distinguishing features; choose separate or mixed practice according to the learning need.

Open set

Mnemonic Systems: Method of Loci (Memory Palace), Major System, Chunking & Acronyms

Question	Answer
What is the method of loci?	Associate items with distinct locations along a familiar mental route, then follow the route to retrieve them in order.
Does brain imaging establish one explanation for memory-palace benefits?	No. Studies link spatial mnemonic strategies with distributed memory and navigation networks; they do not establish a single universal mechanism.
How can you build a simple memory palace?	Choose a familiar route, order distinct locations, place a clear cue for each target at a location, and practice retrieving the targets.
What is the Baker/baker contrast in memory research?	In face-association experiments, an occupation such as baker was easier to remember than the same word used as a surname; meaningful associations can differ.
What is the von Restorff or isolation effect?	An item distinct from its surroundings can be remembered better; making every item bizarre or humorous does not guarantee better recall.
How does the Major System encode numbers?	Map digits to consonant sounds, then use words or images as cues; encode the sounds rather than the written letters.
What is one common English-based Major System mapping?	A common code is 0→/s,z/; 1→/t,d/; 2→/n/; 3→/m/; 4→/ɹ/; 5→/l/; 6→/ʃ,ʒ,tʃ,dʒ/; 7→/k,ɡ/; 8→/f,v/; 9→/p,b/. Roman L=50 and V=5; the code uses 5→/l/ by convention.
How does a two-digit person–action–object (PAO) system encode six digits?	Learn a person, action and object for each pair. Use the first pair's person, the second pair's action and the third pair's object in one scene.
What is a mnemonic peg system?	Learn an ordered set of cues, then associate each new item with its corresponding cue; rhyme and shape pegs can vary by language or person.
How do acronym and acrostic mnemonics differ?	An acronym forms a word from initial letters; an acrostic uses initial letters to build a memorable phrase or sentence.
How does the keyword method support foreign-word learning?	Choose a familiar keyword resembling part of the word's sound and link it to the meaning in an image; learn the actual pronunciation separately.
How does the link or story method work?	Connect successive items through memorable associations or a short narrative, then test whether each cue brings back the intended next item.

Open set

Exam Mastery, Metacognition & Migrating Flashcard Decks (Cram.com / CSV / TSV Workflows)

Question	Answer
What retirement date did Cram announce?	November 9, 2026, according to its official retirement notice. Check that notice for updates.
What happens to Cram content after retirement?	Cram says users will no longer be able to log in or retrieve stored content.
How should you find Cram's export options?	Check the official notice and the tools available in your account; do not assume every set has the same options.
What should you save before moving a deck?	Download an original copy and verify that you can open and read it.
How do CSV and TSV differ?	CSV separates fields with commas; TSV uses tabs. The importer must use the correct delimiter.
What is a simple two-column flashcard layout?	Put the question or term in the first column and the answer in the second.
When does a CSV field need double quotes?	When it contains a comma, double quote or line break under the RFC 4180 format.
How is a double quote escaped inside a quoted CSV field?	Write it twice: "" represents one literal double quote.
Why use UTF-8 for multilingual card files?	It can represent characters from many writing systems; check that the importer decodes the file correctly.
Does renaming a TSV file to .csv convert it?	No. Renaming does not change the delimiters or encoding.
What does a basic two-column export omit?	It does not itself preserve images, audio, review history or scheduling state.
How can you check an imported deck?	Compare card counts and inspect the first, last and problematic rows, including accents and line breaks.

Open set