Learning how to read EKG’s is an integral part of mastering cardiology and heart related health issues. What better way for healthcare students (and beyond) to learn how to do so than with Anki?
The high quality premade EKG anki decks recommended here can have you mastering EKG’s in no time at all!
Note: I’ve also listed Anki plugins (you can download these for free via search in the app), file sizes and the years of upload too. Making it easier for you to find exactly what you need.
The Best EKG Anki Decks
The 3 decks we’ll be looking at are:
- Originalhoopsta’s EKG: Anki Deck
- Dubin’s EKG Deck
- EKG Deck of Awesomeness
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Originalhoopsta’s EKG: Anki Deck
| Deck Type: | Comprehensive EKG |
| Cards: | 1241 |
| Card Format: | Cloze, Basic |
| Year of Upload: | 2020 |
| Required Plugins: | Hierarchical Tags 2 |
| Download Size: | 238 Mb |
| Download Link: | Originalhoopsta’s EKG: Anki Deck |
This EKG Anki deck is written in a simple question-answer format covering EKG basics, basic pathologies and advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) topics.
What’s awesome about it is that there’s plenty of rhythm strip practice (297 cards!), meaning (once mastered) you’ll be able to read most EKG’s and determine what’s going on at the drop of a hat.
Here’s how the deck is organized. It’s subdecks make it quick to dive into specific areas of practice.
Originalhoopsta used the following resources to put this deck together:
- Dubin EKG
- First Aid for USMLE Step 2
- UWorld, OME and UpToDate
Here’s how a typical card looks, the summaries make it all the more powerful.
A nice touch is that there are AMBOSS explanations included to help clarify topics.
The deck is large (1241 cards), so is possibly overkill for year 2 med school (M2) but otherwise great for cardiology rotations, EMT’s or anyone else who needs to know EKG’s inside and out.
Dubin’s EKG Deck
| Deck Type: | Comprehensive EKG |
| Cards: | 670 |
| Card Format: | Cloze, Basic |
| Year of Upload: | 2019 |
| Required Plugins: | Hierarchical Tags 2 |
| Download Size: | 41 Mb |
| Download Link: | Dubin’s EKG Deck |
This deck is based on the excellent Dubin Rapid Interpretation of EKG, a resource tons of med students swear by. It also makes up the foundation of Originalhoopsta’s EKG: Anki Deck described above.
At 670 cards it’s lighter and faster to run through than the latter. That’s something that makes it perfect for a quick overview at the start of a cardiology block.
Here’s how a typical card looks…
It’s definitely not as neatly organized as Originahoopsta’s but it does use more varied card types, including image occlusion.
Zanki actually incorporated many of these cards into its earlier version before being tidied up by Anking’s update.
Use this if you want a fast introduction into EKG’s and don’t need a whole lot of explainers or extra info.
EKG Deck of Awesomeness
| Deck Type: | EKG Basics |
| Cards: | 159 |
| Card Format: | Basic |
| Year of Upload: | 2018 |
| Required Plugins: | None |
| Download Size: | 35.2 Mb |
| Download Link: | EKG Deck of Awesomess |
EKG Deck of Awesomeness is a super speedy deck to run through and pick up all the major high yield points. At just 159 cards it’s an effective basic review.
Great for newcomers to Anki who want to learn EKG’s fast, the cards are basic in format and come with explainer illustrations and text that help clarify key points.
Here’s how a typical card looks…
There’s no tagging or plugins needed to get the most out of this deck. Just spending a couple of focused hours with it should be enough to get you up to speed for cardio physiology, the relevant parts of biophysics and the pathologies you can detect via rhythm strips.
A short but sweet introduction.
Additional Information On EKG Anki Decks
Another Anki deck worth a shoutout for EKG, albeit not being specialized for it, is Zanki (Anking) version.
There are a couple hundred or so cards here, mainly based on Originalhoopsta’s EKG deck that can also help. Be warned that Zanki is a huge deck though (intended for all pre-clinical subjects) so may not be the best introduction.
Some very useful resources for learning EKG’s, alongside flashcard decks, include:
- Life In The Fastlane: goldmine of rhythm strip practice, case studies and more
- SkillStat’s ECG Simulator Game: very addictive ECG game asking you to identify 27 of the common ECG rhythms or challenge yourself in the Six Second ECG Game
- ECG Wave-Maven: quizzes and cases designed as self-assessment for students and clinicians. Sponsored by Harvard Medical School.
Also make sure you check out my cardiology specific podcast recommendations here. Especially if you consider yourself more of an audiophile.
Recommended EKG Flashcard Resource
If you like flashcards you can actually touch and feel (as opposed to the digital options above), this is perfect for you.
EKG Pocket Cards are a comprehensive guide for 12 lead EKG. Starting from rhythm identification, rhythm analysis, axis determination, 12 lead EKG analysis and a summary of EKG in a concise pocket size spiral bound card format.
At just 12 pages, the durable plastic material with multicolored graphics are perfect to whip out at bedside and use as a quick reference.
A “must have” for medical, nursing and allied health professionals or students who don’t want something as complicated as a digital flashcard app.
Recommended EKG Textbook Resource
My favorite EKG book is The Only EKG Book You’ll Ever Need.
This is hugely recommended by healthcare students across the board, famed for being written in plain, simple language with a ton of examples to help drive home to important points.
It doesn’t have a 4.5/5 on Amazon for nothing!
Related EKG Flashcard Questions
Top Tips For Using EKG Flashcard Decks
- Use these decks as a resource only: you cannot depend on them for A grades (you’ll need to go over all your school’s lecture and seminar content to do that).
- If you like these decks; contribute: the recommendations above are often updated by other students, helping to give back to the community.
- Make sure you have a comprehensive reference guide to double-check facts and concepts. The sources given above, from which some of these decks borrow, are excellent for that.
- Keep up with your reviews: how are you supposed to memorize these concepts if you don’t let the Anki spaced repetition algorith go to work?
- Practice questions/quizzes: apply your knowledge once you’ve developed the foundation
Why Use An EKG Anki Deck?
- Free
- Premade decks save you time
- Supercharges your memorization and effectively aids recall
Where To Find More Anki EKG Decks
The absolute best place to find more excellent decks like these is the r/medicalschoolanki community.
Related Anki Questions
If you’re not familiar with Anki, I recommend checking out The Anking YouTube channel.
This offers many useful tutorials and tips for Anki users. It’s primarily designed for med students but the content is just as good for students in other fields.
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Here’s a good primer (as well as a good intro on what they offer) below…
As for my own tips, I have several in the following article.
Related: 10 Unusual Anki Tips & Tricks (Fast, Furious & More Fun)
How Do I Add Plugins To Anki?
You can plugins, such as Anki heatmap and hierarchical tags, by going to tools > add-ons > get add-ons…
Alternatively press ctrl + shift + A on your keyboard.
From there, go to “browse add-ons” and copy the code of the plugin you want into the field here.
For hierarchical tags it’s 594329229. Image occlusion is 1374772155.
It’s that easy.
Why Do I Have To Go To Reddit/Ankiweb To Download?
Reddit/Ankiweb is where these decks are uploaded and shared. The original users deserve accreditation and the opportunity to be thanked for their hard work.
The files for these decks are hosted in these threads created by the deck’s creator.
Final Thoughts: Best Anki Decks For EKG
The best anki decks for EKG are only a click away.
What’s stopping you get started?
If you enjoyed this post, you might find the following articles useful:
- How Many Med Students Use Anki? (What Students Get Wrong About Anki)
- 22 Amazing Anki Memes (Flashcards Can Be Fun)
- 6 Best MCAT Anki Decks: Crush The MCAT (2021)
Born and raised in the UK, Will went into medicine late (31) after a career in journalism. He’s into football (soccer), learned Spanish after 5 years in Spain, and has had his work published all over the web. Read more.