Anki actually gives you such a high level of control it boggles my mind.
And yeah, after each flashcard you rate how easily you found it to recall the answer, and it sorts the remaining cards for review based on which ones you said you need the most review on.
Anki does allow you to make your own cards as well. I'll admit a bad thing about it is that it seems it only really works well with a large number of vocabulary words over a long period of time. Otherwise, I usually use Quizlet.
[RESOURCE]
https://www.khanacademy.org Khan Academy. They have a large variety of video tutorials, from math to science to history and everything inbetween.
http://www.gradesaver.com It's a website quite like Sparknotes. Last school year I discovered they sometimes have books Sparknotes doesn't (I wouldn't be surprised if the same occurs vice versa, so it's good to keep both in mind).
http://www.quizlet.com This website isn't necessarily strictly for education, but it seems that's what people use it for. You can create virtual flash cards and various games to help you study. Sometimes someone else has already created stuff for whatever you want to study, so you don't always have to do it yourself.
I'm in the application process with a department as a reserve. I've been listening to their scanner feed on my phone while driving to my day job since I have an hour long commute. I use a single earbud to listen on the side I plan to use on duty. It has gotten a LOT easier to understand.
I also did two other things:
I use http://www.quizlet.com for my flash cards. Easy entry on a computer, and can access them conveniently from my phone for studying during downtime.
if you're gonna use flashcards, might as well use http://www.quizlet.com/
...they might have flashcards of the material you're trying to study already. I use the "learn" and "space attack" functions.
A man who can't bear to share his habits is a man who needs to quit them. I thought for sure this was a Benjamin Franklin quote. I was way off!
I'm a high school teacher and I teach Etymology, a class that requires constant studying, a little memorization, and a whole lot of application.
Here are some recommendations:
Hope that any of that sparked some study-madness in you! Good luck!
I try to get solid in one area before moving on. So I try to learn particular things: some vocab, or conjugations, and get really confident at them. I then do revisit them from time to time to refresh my mind.
conjugemos.com is great for practicing conjugations.
I use quizlet for learning vocabulary - I use it in speller mode, seeing the english version, then having to spell the spanish version right twice. I create a set of my sets, and revise them in this way. I try to put words into phrases, rather than just having isolated words, and always put le, la, un or una with the word, so that I learn the gender at the same time.
I also try to use some materials that show spanish in a context. I've been watching the extra videos which are hilarious!
I read simple books aimed at my level - I get them from our library.
This summer, I really want to practice my speaking, so have the aim to find a skype friend....
I take an 11x17 paper and title it with the chapter. In colored Sharpie (e.g. blue), I list the main headings from the book. Under each heading, I jot down what I know from each section. After finishing, I review the book and my notes to see if I missed anything important; those get written on the sheet in a different color Sharpie (e.g., red). Kind of like this.
If I have a lot of red, then I know what I need to focus on. Repeat for every chapter, create flash cards if necessary. Best flash cards resource I've found is Quizlet.
The immersion feature also really helps with fluency I would assume. The way my parents have always told me to practice is by doing hard translations and then putting the vocab words I don't recognize into flashcard sets on quizlet.
I'm having trouble with this too. I think the best way is to memorize just a few sets of rules at a time, like when studying verbs or vocabulary. Then move on to the next few sets of rules. For me it's too overwhelming to try and get them all at once.
You can also try flashcards, there are apps out there that allow you to create your own for your mobile device. I make mine in Quizlet
Anybody that discourages you from learning technology basics like the A+ is gaslighting you. Members of your family that do this are toxic and that are intentionally trying to keep you down. Everyone is 'smart' enough to learn fundamentals.
Watch videos like the thorough and free Professor Messer and use online flashcards like Quizlet (search for A+ 1001)
Start studying for them now. Spaced repetition is the best way to memorize something, and you need time for it to stick, so starting now is in your best interest.
Find somewhere you can study without distractions. For some, it's the library. For others, that coffee shop. Find what works for you.
Sleep. Follow a consistent sleep schedule while studying, and get a full night's sleep before your exams. Also, make sure you are eating enough
Practice Exams. If your classes provide past exams, take those and review what you missed. If none are provided, have your study group make tests for each other. This is a really good way of identifying what you know and what you don't.
If you need to memorize something, flash cards. I personally use physical 3x5s and use the Leitner system, but you can use online flashcards, like Quizlet. There's also Memrise for languages.
Try teaching it to someone. If you can explain it, you know it.
Summarize the textbook. This has a two fold advantage, as you 1) read basically the entire textbook to find the important points and 2) you turn it into a study guide which you can then use to study even more.
Ask your professor(s) any questions you have. Office hours exist for a reason, and if you don't understand something, going to the professor is often the best way to learn.
Take breaks. You'll get burned out if you try to study 12 hours straight. Take 10-15 minute breaks every couple hours to prevent this burnout.
Hiragana and Katakana were pretty easy for me to learn. Have you tried flash cards? Flash cards help. http://www.quizlet.com is a helpful site.
EDIT: http://www.learnjapanesepod.com/kana-invaders/ is also helpful. http://www.realkana.com is what my professor uses to teach in class, but I didn't use it at home that much. Helpful if you have a large amount of characters you need to learn.