Goodnotes goes beyond note-taking by helping you learn with study sets!

A study set is a digital collection of flashcards containing words, images, or other information you want to memorize.

Study in two ways: Practice Mode for reviewing all cards in any order (perfect for quick refreshers), or Smart Learning Mode which uses spaced repetition to show cards you're likely to forget at optimal intervals—like having a pocket tutor!

<aside> ℹ️ Study sets are available across all of your devices via Cloud Sync, so you can conveniently review them no matter where you are.

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Create a new study set

1. Choose New... from the Documents tab of the Library View.

2. Choose Study Set.

3. Title it and choose Create.

4. Edit the Question and Answer sides of the first card:

   1. Choose a content type:

      

      • Choose the Text icon if your card will contain only typed text.
      • Choose the Image icon if your card will contain only an image background.
      • Choose the Freeform icon if your card will contain any type of content, especially handwriting.

   2. Tap the content area and insert new content.

5. Do one or more of the following:

   • Insert a new card after the current: Tap the Add Card icon near the top-right corner.
   • Duplicate the current card: Open the More menu (...) in the top-right corner > Duplicate Card.
   • Delete the current card: Open the More menu (...) > Delete Card.
   • Navigate through cards:
     • Go to the previous/next card: Swipe left/right (iOS/iPadOS), or use the left/right keys on the (hardware) keyboard (iPadOS/macOS). See also Use keyboard shortcuts with Study Sets.
     • Jump to a card: Choose the Thumbnail View icon near the top-left corner, and select the card.

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you have a complete set.

   <aside> 💡 Save time by dragging and dropping content from another Goodnotes document in [Split View](https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207582#:~:text=Slide one finger up from,View with the current app.) to your study set in Edit mode.

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Create a study set from a file

You can import these types of files into Goodnotes as study sets:

• study sets exported from the app, e.g. by a study partner and shared with you.
• plain text files in .txt, .csv, or .tsv format created by a spreadsheet app or another flashcard app. See Migrate from another flashcard app.

Review a study set

1. Open the set.
2. Choose a review mode:

   • Learn the set sequentially or randomly: Open Study menu **> Practice.

     

     The Study Menu icon

     • Flip the card: Tap it.

     • Go to the previous/next card: Tap ← Previous or Next →

     • Navigate to a card: Drag the slider left/right and release where the card is.

     • Speak the text in view: Tap the Speak icon (usable for textual content only).

     • Switch between sequential and random order: Toggle the Shuffle Mode (middle) icon.

     • Show the Question or Answer side first: Toggle the Flip Mode icon next to the shuffle icon.

       

   • Learn the set with spaced repetition: Open Study menu > Smart Learn.

     • Indicate the difficulty of the information: Choose either of the following buttons, or flick the card toward the side of the button:
       • ❌ Still Learning: I did not remember the information. I need to try again soon.
       • ✅ Knew It: I remembered the information.