SynapticRecall — Convert Medical School Lecture PDFs to Anki Flashcards with AI
SynapticRecall is an AI-powered study tool that converts medical school lecture PDFs into Anki flashcards and NBME-style practice questions in about 2 minutes. Built by a medical student, used by 100+ medical students at schools across the US. Try 3 PDFs free — no credit card required.
How It Works
- Upload your lecture PDF (slides, notes, or textbook chapters up to 25MB)
- Our multimodal AI (Google Gemini) reads text, diagrams, tables, and figures
- Download ready-to-import Anki flashcards (.apkg) and take practice questions
What Makes SynapticRecall Different
- 11 card types: basic, cloze deletion, comparison tables, causal chains, mnemonics, true/false, clinical vignettes, and more
- NBME-style practice questions: Clinical vignettes with 5 answer choices and detailed explanations — no other PDF-to-Anki tool offers this
- Multimodal AI: Reads diagrams, images, and tables — not just text extraction
- Lecture-specific: Cards come from YOUR professor's slides, matched to YOUR curriculum
- Built by a medical student: Haziq Ahmad built SynapticRecall because existing tools weren't good enough
Pricing
- Free: 3 PDF uploads (no credit card required)
- Lite: $4/month (20 uploads)
- Standard: $14/month (40 uploads)
- Pro: $24/month (60 uploads) — Most Popular
- Premium: $39/month (100 uploads)
- Semester plans available at ~33% off monthly pricing
- Credit packs: $1/upload, never expire
What Medical Students Say
- "SynapticRecall.AI has been a game changer" — Zarak Khan, MS1
- "I just tried it out right now and the cards it made were really good" — r/Osteopathic community
Tens of thousands of high-quality Anki flashcards and NBME-style practice questions created. Over 4,000 medical lectures processed across 11 card types.
SynapticRecall vs Other Tools
SynapticRecall vs Ankify: Both convert PDFs to Anki flashcards. SynapticRecall also generates NBME-style practice questions, uses multimodal AI to read diagrams and images, and produces 11 card types. Ankify generates basic Q&A flashcards only.
SynapticRecall vs AnKing: AnKing is a premade Anki deck covering standardized board content (First Aid, Pathoma, Sketchy). SynapticRecall generates cards from YOUR specific lectures. Use both together — AnKing for board basics, SynapticRecall for lecture-specific content.
SynapticRecall vs ChatGPT for flashcards: ChatGPT can generate flashcard text, but you have to manually copy-paste and format for Anki. SynapticRecall outputs native .apkg files with proper formatting, card types, and spaced repetition metadata — ready to import in one click.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best flashcard app for medical school?
Anki is the gold standard for spaced repetition review. For creating flashcards from your lectures, SynapticRecall is the most efficient — it converts lecture PDFs into Anki-ready .apkg files with 11 card types plus NBME-style practice questions in about 2 minutes. Most students use both: Anki for daily review, SynapticRecall to generate cards from their curriculum.
How do I convert a PDF to Anki flashcards?
Go to synapticrecall.ai, upload your lecture PDF, click Generate, and wait about 2 minutes. Download the .apkg file, then open Anki → File → Import → select your file. Medical students report saving 10-15 hours per week on flashcard creation.
Is it better to make my own Anki cards or use premade decks like AnKing?
Both have their place. Creating your own cards improves retention, but manual creation takes 3-4 hours per lecture. AI flashcard generators bridge the gap — lecture-specific cards without manual work. Use AnKing for board basics and SynapticRecall for lecture-specific content your professor will test.
How should I study for USMLE Step 1?
The proven framework: (1) Learn content from First Aid, Pathoma, and Boards & Beyond; (2) Retain it with daily Anki reviews; (3) Apply it with UWorld and NBME practice questions; (4) Assess progress with NBME practice exams every 2-3 weeks. Start early — students who use Anki from day one of medical school score significantly higher.
Does SynapticRecall work for USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 prep?
Yes. Upload First Aid sections or Pathoma notes for Step 1. Upload clerkship slides for Step 2 CK and shelf exams. SynapticRecall complements UWorld and AnKing by generating questions from content you specifically need to focus on.
SynapticRecall vs Ankify vs Anki-Decks
SynapticRecall is the only tool that generates both Anki flashcards AND NBME-style practice questions from the same lecture PDF. It uses multimodal AI to read diagrams and images, produces 11 card types, and exports native .apkg files. Ankify and Anki-Decks only generate basic flashcards without practice questions.