Neurology is a popular clinical subject and medical school elective. No surprise then, that residencies in the specialty can be competitive. That’s why preparing well, as early as you can, might help give you an edge.
We’ll delve into some of the best premade Anki decks on Neurology that will help you do exactly that.
The Best Neurology Anki Decks
The 5 decks we’ll be looking at are:
- Zanki Step 2 by u/ZankiStep1 (most comprehensive)
- Hoop & Ruck’s Step 3 Deck by u/originalhoopsta and u/ruckamongus (rapid review for USMLE high yield topics)
- Netter Neuroscience Flashcards Deck by u/bringBackRabaska (best for any medical student)
- Cheesy Lightyear: A Modified and Updated B&B Anki Deck by u/Cheesy_Doritos (best sources)
- AVSM_Clinical by u/AVSM_ankiboi (best for physical exam)
All decks except one (Netter Neuroscience) on this list are part of bigger, multi-subject decks. Our recommendation is to pull out the subdecks relevant to neurology via the tags and remember to suspend (ctrl + J) all other cards.
We’ll cover some useful resources for neurology at the end.
Zanki Step 2 Neurology
| Deck Type | Clinical Neurology |
| Cards | 164 |
| Card Format | Basic/Cloze |
| Year of Upload | 2018 |
| Required Plugins | N/A |
| Download size | 426.3 MB |
| Download link | Zanki Step 2 |
Reddit user ZankiStep1, created this deck as part of a more comprehensive USMLE Step 2 series (the total deck has 3403 cards).
The neurology subdeck focuses heavily on diagnosis and management, based on content from UWorld (check out our article on UFAPS if you’re not sure what this resource is).
The user recommends the following workflow:
- Run through UWorld’s question bank first
- Memorize concepts with the cards in this deck
- Check your understanding using different resources
The author recommends paying close attention to the UWorld question stems (e.g the difference between “What is the next best step in management?” and “Which of the following is the best test to confirm the diagnosis?”)
On that third point, OnlineMedEd is highly recommended if you’re an auditory/visual learner. Check out their Neurology video playlist here.
Neuro Qs are under the Step 2 Neurology folder. It’s split into subdecks for those who want to skip the basics…
Cards are in basic/cloze format (like the original Zanki).
We recommend using this with Zanki’s Step 1 neurology deck (2905 cards) and its sources (Boards and Beyond and Kaplan Neurology Lecture Notes) if you need a complete overview of neurology.
You can read more about this in our article; What Is The Best Anki Deck For Step 1? Pull the relevant neurology cards out of the latest Anking version!
Hoop & Ruck’s Step 3 Deck: Neurology
| Deck Type | Clinical Neurology |
| Cards | 30 |
| Card Format | Basic/Cloze |
| Year of Upload | 2020 |
| Required Plugins | N/A |
| Download size | 1.1 GB |
| Download link | Hoop & Ruck’s Step 3 Deck |
Redditors u/originalhoopsta and u/ruckamongus have also packaged information from UWorld’s question banks and created another big USMLE Step 3 resource in this 9344 card deck.
The neuro content can be found under the Internal Medicine section. There are only 30 cards but multiple high yield topics are covered!
One advantage of this deck is the use of flow-charts as a way to help contextualize the material…
The neurology section is easy to find as its organized into a subdeck.
Attention is centered on diagnosis given similar presentations e.g. whether a patient has a tension/cluster headache or a migraine. This is crucial because pharmacological management varies for each!
The rapid review section of the deck (2018 cards) is perfect for that. It gives basic prompts and asks you to complete the details. Very useful for oral exams.
Netter’s Neuroscience Flashcards Deck
| Deck Type | Neurology (all medical school curriculums) |
| Cards | 2601 |
| Card Format | Basic |
| Year of Upload | 2020 |
| Required Plugins | N/A |
| Download size | 18.3 MB |
| Download link | Netter Neuroscience Flashcards Deck |
This deck, created by u/bringBackRabaska, is based on the Netter Neuroscience Flashcards Textbook (recommended below).
This is a general purpose deck; best for neurology on any medical school curriculum (not USMLE-specific).
I recommend this deck for people wanting to build their foundations in Neurology or fill theoretical gaps. It’s also great for visual learners who love Netter’s illustration style (there is a very similar anatomy based Anki deck here).
At 2601 cards, the deck is manageable yet comprehensive.
Typical cards have a single image and ask for answers to the labels (i.e. “what does the arrow at number 1 show?”)
This is followed by a brief, concise explanation of that structure.
Basically a completely digitized format of the analog product!
Cheesy Lightyear: B&B Anki Deck for Neurology
| Deck Type | Neurology (all medical school curriculums) |
| Cards | 1936 |
| Card Format | Basic/Cloze |
| Year of Upload | 2019 |
| Required Plugins | N/A |
| Download size | 1.5 GB |
| Download link | Cheesy Lightyear: A Modified and Updated B&B Anki Deck |
This deck, created by u/Cheesy_Doritos, was the greatest contributor to their success on the USMLE Step 1.
It’s neurology subdeck, at 1936, make up a sizeable chunk of the decks’ 16486 total.
If you’re following the Boards and Beyond (B&B) neurology modules (in their physio section) individually, you can unlock cards relevant to each video and run through them as you go.
Outside of B&B, the flashcards also use First Aid 2019, DirtyUSMLE, Robbins, Picmonic, Pixorize and Google as sources.
The neurology cards are particularly high yield.
Here’s an example, presenting the difference between upper vs lower motor neuron lesions…
Similar to Netters Neuroscience Flashcards Deck, these cards also heavily integrate the basics of Neurology. .
Here’s another example card, this time focusing on Broca’s area and its specific location…
Another neat feature of this deck is that it also includes images (and useful mnemonics) from the Sketchy series.
Download Cheesy Lightyear: A Modified and Updated B&B Anki Deck here
AVSM Clinical
| Deck Type | Clinical Neurology |
| Cards | 723 |
| Card Format | Basic |
| Year of Upload | 2020 |
| Required Plugins | N/A |
| Download size | 531 MB |
| Download link | AVSM_Clinical |
Redditor AVSM_ankiboi created this deck, focused on Internal Medicine.
The neurology subdeck is 723 flashcards deep (making up a big percentage of the 6364 card total).
The format of the cards is basic with a simple question and answer structure.
Cranial nerves and cranial nerve lesions feature heavily in this deck making it useful for reviewing neurological physical examinations.
Here’s how a typical card looks…
Another nice addition to this deck are flow charts and diagrams.
They display the info in a clear and simple manner…
Other Neurology Resources
There are several other platforms besides Anki for those of you who are interested.
Depending on how far into the neurology you wish to go, each of these resources goes into varying depth.
Recommended Neurology Flashcards
Digital flashcard decks aside, there are two neat analog (old school) neurology flashcard resources worth looking at.
- Lippincott Illustrated Reviews Flash Cards: Neuroscience
- Netter’s Neuroscience Flash Cards Netter’s Neuroscience Flash Cards
Recommended Neurology Textbooks
Neuroanatomy Coloring Book for Adults
Fun and (possibly) more relaxing way to look at neurology!
Lange Clinical Neurology and Neuroanatomy
Concise yet detailed enough (at 330 pages) for most rotations. The content is divided into segments: basic anatomy, lesions, common diseases and their diagnosis and management.
Clinical Neuroanatomy Made Ridiculously Simple
At only 100 pages, this is very useful for a rapid review of clinical neuroanatomy.
Blueprints Neurology
The first section focuses on neurological exam and diagnostics, the second at reviewing neurology based on symptoms and the third on neurological disorders. At 300 pages, this is handy to systematically review diseases from beginning to end.
Podcasts
Neurology Minute Podcast
Gives a brief daily summary of advancements in neurology and the latest research on the brain. It is described by leading neurologists/neuroscientists and hosted by the American Academy of Neurology.
The General Neurology Podcast
Medical podcast on a diverse range of neurological topics for students and clinicians interested in Neurology.
YouTube
Armando Hasudungan
Armando has an entire playlist on his channel dedicated to Neurology. He covers high yield topics like The Autonomic Nervous System and Cerebral Palsy.
Ninja Nerd
Ninja Nerd has a comprehensive list of neurology topics ranging from Anatomy of the Brain to Ascending/Descending Tracts. He uses visual aids to help grasp even the most difficult of concepts.
Day-in-the-Life: Neurology
Were you ever curious about what Neurology residents get up to during a typical day? If so, check this video out.
Where To Find More Anki Neurology Decks
We highly recommend going on Reddit and searching the r/medicalschoolanki community.
You can filter your results to see the most recent and most relevant pre-made Anki neurology decks for your studies.
Why Use An Anki Neurology Deck?
- Excellent free resource
- Saves time making your own cards while covering the most high yield principles
Top Tips For Using Anki Neurology 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 on a whiteboard any crucial new information you learned.
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.
CLICK HERE TO GET 10% OFF ANKI PALACE’S ANKI MASTERY COURSE
Here’s a good primer (as well as a good intro on what they offer) below…
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 credit 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.
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Hey guys, I’m Sumran. I’m a British 5th-year international medical student at the Medical University of Varna, Bulgaria. I transitioned straight from completing my A-Levels into university. Currently, I have interests in Psychiatry and Gastroenterology. Outside of medicine, I enjoy reading crime novels and visiting art exhibitions.