- Start: 2026-02-27
- Exam: 2026-03-29
- Total topics/items: 300
- Weekday minutes: 90 • Weekend minutes: 120
- New item: 2.0 min • Review: 0.8 min
- Model: Hybrid • Difficulty: Medium • Target: 90%
- Sprint: 7 days @ 20 min/day
| Date | New | Reviews | Minutes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-27 | 10 | 0 | 20 | |
| 2026-02-28 | 10 | 10 | 28 | |
| 2026-03-01 | 10 | 10 | 28 | |
| 2026-03-02 | 10 | 20 | 36 | |
| 2026-03-03 | 10 | 20 | 36 | |
| 2026-03-04 | 10 | 20 | 36 |
- Enter your start date, exam date, and total topics/items.
- Set realistic weekday and weekend minutes you can protect.
- Choose a spacing model, then tune difficulty and retention target.
- Optionally set a fixed new-items/day limit for consistency.
- Use the session cap to match your attention span and breaks.
- Add a sprint window to increase mixed recall near the end.
- Click “Generate Schedule”, review overload warnings, then export.
Align recall with the exam blueprint
Start by turning your syllabus into measurable items: one card, one question type, or one worked example per topic. Include “error patterns” such as unit mistakes, sign errors, and misread stems. This alignment ensures the schedule’s coverage percentage reflects exam‑relevant skills, not passive reading.
Translate minutes into practice volume
Daily capacity is driven by available minutes minus the time reserved for reviews and any end‑game sprint minutes. Use a stopwatch for three sessions, then set minutes per new item and minutes per review item to your observed averages. When these inputs are accurate, the planner can reduce new items automatically on tight days without creating hidden backlog.
Tune intervals for difficulty and forgetting
Spaced repetition is effective when retrieval happens just before you would forget. The calculator begins with a base interval set (for example 1‑3‑7‑14‑30 days) and scales it using difficulty, pace, and retention target. Higher targets and harder material shorten intervals, increasing review frequency. Aggressive pace lengthens gaps, which can work for familiar content but may raise overload risk for weaker areas.
Handle overload, rest, and recovery intelligently
Overload days appear when review time alone exceeds your budget, even after new items drop to zero. To recover, increase weekday/weekend minutes, lower the retention target slightly, or cap sessions to match attention limits. A weekly rest day shifts due reviews forward to the next study day, preserving consistency. Optional recovery checks add a small fraction of items after week‑plus gaps to prevent “silent forgetting” between long intervals.
Operationalize with exports and tracking
Use CSV to sort by date, filter overloaded days, and integrate with a planner. Use PDF for a printable checklist during commutes or library sessions. Update inputs weekly as speed improves and topics finish: adjust minutes per item, reduce new items near the exam, and expand the sprint window for mixed recall. Small weekly recalibrations keep coverage high while protecting energy and confidence. Consider tagging topics by difficulty tiers and allocating more new items to easy tiers early. Then reserve the final two weeks for high-difficulty reviews and full-length mixed sets under pressure.
1) How many topics should I enter if my notes are messy?
Count discrete recall units: one flashcard, one practice question type, or one worked example. If unsure, estimate conservatively, then adjust next week using the leftover and coverage metrics.
2) Which spacing model should I pick for most exams?
Use Hybrid for general subjects because it balances early reinforcement and long-gap consolidation. Choose SM-2 inspired when you want more medium gaps, and Leitner inspired when you prefer doubling-style progression.
3) What do overload days mean, and how do I fix them?
Overload means reviews plus sprint minutes exceed the day’s available time. Increase daily minutes, reduce new items, lower retention target slightly, or enable a weekly rest day so reviews shift to the next study day.
4) Should I set a fixed new-items-per-day limit?
Set a limit if you need routine and predictable workload. Leave it at zero for automatic balancing, which reallocates new learning based on study days and available minutes without breaking the review schedule.
5) How do sprint minutes help before the exam?
Sprint minutes reserve daily time in the final window for mixed recall across many topics. This boosts retrieval under exam-like conditions and exposes weak links that single-topic reviews can miss.
6) Can I use the CSV in a calendar or task app?
Yes. Import the CSV into a spreadsheet, then copy dates into calendar events or task lists. Many apps accept CSV via templates; keep the date column intact and map “New” and “Reviews” into descriptions.