The 3-Pile Method also known as the Leitner Method is a systematic approach to studying with flashcards that involves categorising your cards into three distinct piles: “Know”, “Sort of Know”, and “Don’t Know” pile. The goal here is to prioritise your study time towards the cards that need the most attention, thereby optimising your learning process. After you’ve created your cards, you are ready for you first revision session with your flashcards. Here’s how the method works:

Step 1: Initial Review

Start your study session by going through your Flashcards one by one. As you review each card, decide if you know the answer immediately without hesitation. If you do, place the card in the first Pile, labelled as “Know”. These are the cards you are confident about. When you come across a card that you didn’t know immediately but were able to answer it with some effort, place it on the second Pile, labelled as “Sort of Know”. Then there are the cards left for the third Pile with answers to cards that you didn’t know and were unable to answer correctly yet, place them on the third Pile “Don’t Know”. Now that you’ve sorted out each pile you can begin your actual studying, and remember the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve, study at intervals, so you’ll remember them on the long term. Reviewing the next day, and the next, and the next is the best way to do this.

Step 2: Second Review

After you’ve gone through all the cards once, you can take Pile 1 “Know” and set it aside. Now you move onto Pile 2 “Sort of Know”. Try answering these questions and when you know the answer immediately, place them on Pile 1 or if you didn’t know them when reviewing again, place them on Pile 3. Go through the whole pile and continue sorting the cards into Pile 1 or Pile 3 as you go. 

Step 3: Third Review

Now do the same things with Pile 3 “Don’t Know”. You must spend extra time and effort on this pile, trying to learn the content of these cards thoroughly. Go through the whole pile and continue sorting the cards into Pile 1 “Know” or Pile 2 “Sort of Know” or Pile 3 again “Don’t Know” as you go. 

Step 4: Fourth Review

When you have gone over all your cards, start answering the questions from the first Pile and if you still answer them immediately, than they stay on Pile one, if there is an answer you know with some effort place them back on Pile 2 “Sort of Know”, to review it with some more effort later and if you have seem to forget it place it even back onto Pile 3 “Don’t Know”. You see that your cards can switch between piles form any time. Sometimes you know them, and sometimes you’ll forget them, and sometimes they are hard to remember.

Step 5: Keep Reviewing

Focus on each pile the same way when reviewing your answers, do this as long as it takes to have all cards placed on either Pile 1 or some left on Pile 2. Keep practicing this method until you have reviewed all your cards and seem confident enough with the content on your cards and ready to take your test or exam. 

Then there is only one thing for me to say and that is “have a good practice”, I hoped this helped to stir you into a motivating direction.  

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Resources

School Habits, “How to Study Flashcards 3-pile Method”, - Accessed on March 28, 2024 

Lesley University, “The 3-pile Method of Studying […] stress success”, - Accessed on March 28, 2024