General chemistry is one of the most widely studied STEM subjects in the world and a common prerequisite of further education (med school, engineering, etc).
Studying general chemistry from pre-made Anki decks is one of the best ways to introduce yourself to core topics and achieve real mastery over the material.
The digital flashcards in each of the following decks can help you do exactly that!
The Best General Chemistry Anki Decks
The 5 decks we’ll be looking at are:
- Benoni General Chemistry Anki Deck (best for MCAT prep)
- MIT’s Fundamentals of Biology Anki Deck (best for fundamentals)
- Amino Acid Flashcards
- Periodic Table Memory Pegs Deck
- Raagaception’s NCERT/NEET Science Deck (most comprehensive)
Each of these decks is formatted and structured differently, suiting those with varied learning styles. They also differ in size, meaning some will be faster to run through than others.
We recommend taking a look at each and checking out the card examples first before downloading.
We’ve also included some helpful general chemistry learning resources at the end of this article too!
Benoni General Chemistry Anki Deck
| Deck Name: | Benoni General Chemistry |
| Cards: | 923 |
| Card Format: | Basic |
| Year of Upload: | 2021 |
| Required Plugins: | Hierarchical Tags |
| Download size: | 37.5 MB |
| Download link: | Benoni General Chemistry |
Redditor BioBenoni came out with this recent deck containing 923 cards split into sections 0-12.
It’s based on The Berkeley Review (TBR) General Chemistry I & II. This deck is ideal for students preparing for the General Chemistry part of MCAT, undergrad chem students, or even students taking general chemistry courses for school exams abroad.
Section zero gives tips for MCAT Preparation on general chemistry. Sections 1-6 follow TBR Gen Chem I and sections 7-12 follow TBR Gen Chem II.
For other comprehensive MCAT Anki deck recommendations check out the following article…
Related: Best MCAT Anki Decks
Here is a sample card from Section 0 (Test Tips) of this deck…
The deck mostly consists of image occlusion and cloze deletions. Most cards have associated images and video links to the excellent AK lectures YouTube series (and other videos). There is extensive tagging by the TBR section using hierarchical tags. This makes it perfect for use alongside the book.
The deck also uses LaTeX equations that are built into the Anki system.
There are pieces of information titled NOTE that the Redditor used to provide some additional knowledge/context.
The creator recommends using the following approach to study general chem from this deck:
- If you understand a concept, just skim the flashcard text and move on
- Focus on learning other sections you find tricky
- Don’t forget to recap old material even if you are confident
The deck is structured as shown:
Here is another card from the deck’s TBR Gen Chem I Section 3 (Periodic Trends)…
Here’s another card from the Gen Chem II Section about equilibrium…
If you’re not taking the MCAT, we still feel this general chemistry deck is one of the best around. Use your primary learning material alongside the relevant deck topic section and you’ll save yourself a lot of time!
MIT’s Fundamentals General Chemistry Anki Deck
| Deck Name: | MIT’s Fundamentals General Chemistry Anki Deck |
| Cards: | 141 |
| Card Format: | Basic |
| Year of Upload: | 2012 |
| Required Plugins: | N/A |
| Download size: | 9 MB |
| Download link: | MIT’s Fundamentals General Chemistry |
This is an older deck consisting of 141 cards.
It is designed for General Chem students taking an open course at MIT. This is NOT an exam-specific deck and is more suitable if you wish to understand the fundamental information underpinning the subject.
Most questions are in cloze style with basic formatting. There are multiple images throughout the deck. Many of the flashcards are focused on the structure of elements or explain a chemical process.
Here is an example flashcard on hydrogenation:
Here’s another example on the topic of chemical bonds…
This decks’ cards are formatted in the typical “exam-style” with the “Name” then “Explain” questions.
Pay particular attention to the text in bold in the answer section as these are high yield phrases that are usually on mark schemes!
Download MIT’s Fundamentals General Chemistry Anki Deck here
Amino Acid Anki Flashcards Deck
| Deck Name: | Amino Acid Anki Flashcards |
| Cards: | 107 |
| Card Format: | Basic |
| Year of Upload: | 2015 |
| Required Plugins: | N/A |
| Download size: | 118 KB |
| Download link: | Amino Acid Anki Flashcards |
This deck consists of 107 cards.
It is ideal for those wanting to learn the structure of amino acids.
Questions are set in the style of “Name this compound” or “What amino acid does this three-letter code for?”
Here’s an example of the other cards testing your knowledge of amino acid abbreviations…
Periodic Table Memory Pegs Deck
| Deck Name: | Periodic Table Memory Pegs |
| Cards: | 432 |
| Card Format: | Basic |
| Year of Upload: | 2015 |
| Required Plugins: | N/A |
| Download size: | 893 KB |
| Download link: | Periodic Table Memory Pegs |
This deck is ideal for those of you dedicated to memorizing the Periodic Table. It covers the first 107 elements to help associate name, atomic number, and symbol of elements.
All 432 cards involve the same technique that memory champions use to help you remember the content. It involves both image and mnemonic association.
The concept is unique – there is no question stem at all! On the card will be a symbol related to one of the elements which you must try to work out. In the answer, the position of the element on the table is shown as well as some key information about it.
The deck has additional tags if you want to memorize only certain groups e.g. the Halogen group. This is a very time-effective way to filter and study the exact rows/columns you require.
Here we have a sample card for Magnesium (Mg)…
Here are some testimonials from previous users of this deck…
All of the memory pegs make it so much easier to remember and the clues are all so nice and it connects EVERYTHING. The colour and number on the picture and all of the fascinating facts make memorising the periodic table (which is generally boring) into something fun!
I really like this deck, and the idea behind it, and many of these pegs are absolutely brilliant. I love the ones where the numbers are really integral to the image chosen, like the 76 for the ostrich, or even something relatively simple like the chicken’s feet in ruthenium (44).
Raagaception’s NCERT/NEET Science Deck
| Deck Name: | Raagaception’s NCERT/NEET (General Chem & More) |
| Cards: | 10707 |
| Card Format: | Basic |
| Year of Upload: | 2021 |
| Required Plugins: | N/A |
| Download size: | 61.8 MB |
| Download link: | Raagaception’s NCERT/NEET |
This is the largest and most comprehensive community-maintained CBSE/JEE/NEET flashcard deck at a whopping 10,707 cards.
It is ideal for those preparing for the NCERT/NEET exams. Just like Benoni’s MCAT deck though, you can definitely use this for other general chemistry school or college exams.
The extensive tagging and categorization make pairing it up with your syllabus super easy.
This deck includes:
– 500+ cards from 11th-grade NCERT on Physics and Chemistry
– 3530+ cards from 12th grade NCERT on Physics, Chemistry, and Maths
– 6000+ cards for NEET Prep
Here’s how this deck’s general chemistry section is structured:
There’s also an organic chemistry section if you need that too!
Some of the cards are very information-dense but that could help those of you who need the extra context.
What’s unique about this deck is the feedback system. If you think a card could be improved, you can submit your suggestion via GitHub and the decks updaters will handle the rest!
Here is a sample card from the Compounds section…
Here’s another flashcard example from the section on basic chemistry concepts…
Additional General Chemistry Resources
There are several other platforms for learning general chemistry and doing well in your med school and residency exams (besides Anki).
Depending on how far into the subject you wish to go, each of these resources goes into varying depth.
Recommended General Chemistry Flashcards
Barron’s AP Chemistry Flash Cards
Chemistry definitions, formulas, structures, all organized according to the U.S. College Board’s six “big ideas” for AP Chemistry. 500 separate flashcards, each with separate explanations and chemical reactions on the reverse side.
New Grade 9-1 Edexcel International GCSE Chemistry: Revision Question Cards
Designed for high-school chemistry, this 100-plus card deck strips the subject down to its essentials and is perfect for GCSE level exams.
Recommended General Chemistry Textbooks
Although it’s not necessary to study the subject from textbooks, the following recommendations can be a nice supplement to digital flashcards.
General Chemistry: The Essential Concepts
The big daddy textbook that’s perfect for mastering chemistry alongside any school or college-level course. Browse this book by subject and topic. It’s built with real-world examples and really helps you visualize 3-D atomic and molecular structures that are the basis of the subject.
Video
AK Lectures
As we’ve mentioned above, AK Lectures is a fantastic resource to learn general chemistry concepts via YouTube.
Take a look at his channel, browse by topic/subject and start learning!
Where To Find More Anki General Chemistry Decks
We highly recommend going to AnkiWeb.net and looking at the chemistry offerings.
You can filter your results to see the most recent and most relevant pre-made Anki general chemistry decks via search.
Why Use An Anki General Chemistry Pre-Made Deck?
- Excellent free resource
- Saves time making your own cards while covering the most high yield principles
- Gives you more time to do practice questions!
Top Tips For Using Anki General Chemistry Flashcard Decks
There can be lots of information on some cards which can be overwhelming. Our top tip is to keep it SIMPLE and make sure you are actively practicing cards on a regular basis.
Keep reviewing the cards where possible, i.e. once you have finished your set for the day, briefly make a mental note or write down where your study session ended.
If you’re studying from a large multi-subject pre-made Anki deck, make sure you use tags and suspend (ctrl + J) all other cards outside of the usual pediatrics topics.
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