I love the traditional 5″ x 3″ index cards.
The wonder in flashcards starts at the preparation stage, in which you need to:
For me, the process is an active learning process that uses multiple parts of our senses. The action itself helps immensely in retention and internalize the concepts.
Then, once we have the cards, we can organize the in different stacks. I used to mark them in different colors and symbols to group them in terms of progress. When I am quite sure the concepts click, I put the cards aside. It’s immensely satisfying to see the stack getting thinner and thinner. It’s hard to create this feeling using an electronic device.
Quizlet is an online flash card delivery system where people can easily set up their own e-flashcards and share with others. A few of my bloggers across my exam sites recommend Quizlet.
It is best if you can create your own, as it will be tailor-made to your needs, based on your own strengths and weaknesses.
But if you are running out of time, quizzing with someone’s cards while commuting can help and is a good use of idle time.
As you may have noticed, the problem of searching anything related on CIA exam is that it may point you to the Central Intelligence Agent. It’s the same on Quizlet.
You can instead type in “internal audit CIA exam” in the search bar for more accurate results. For your convenience, the link to this particular search is here.
The value of flashcards is not only the content itself, but also the benefits we get through the preparation process.
Having said that, if you run out of time, there are flashcards professionally produced and are available for sale:
It’s quite obvious that I personally prefer hand-made, physical flashcards. The process of condensing and writing down the concepts fits my learning style well. However, it takes a lot of time preparing these cards.
On the other hand, e-flashcards are quick and easy to create. You don’t need to worry about losing or forgetting to bring them (always available online, on multiple devices). The flip side is that it doesn’t involve the step of physically writing the concepts. The effectiveness in retention is likely lower.
What do you think? Would love to hear your thoughts and experience in the comment section.
I am the author of How to Pass The CPA Exam (published by Wiley) and the publisher of this and several accounting professional exam prep sites.