Frustrating 'flashcard' answer mismatch

[dream-king]

Doesn't anyone find it incredibly frustrating to not only deal with a lack of a multiple-choice practice regimen, but also without anything to check your input for synonyms? There is no context applied to answers inputted, just a literal word match. I did a quick scan of the forum results, and didn't see anything addressing this issue. Are they deleting any such comments, or is this really not perceived as an issue?

[johnami]

I posted a similar question earlier, and now understand the reason better. I have been using the flashcards to study several subjects, and in all cases I think I am getting a better grasp of the content. The flashcards - at least to my understanding - are best used to test your knowledge and provide the correct answer. I guess it would be nice to test out 500 questions and get them all right, but the thing that counts is how well you are prepared for the real test. I have no problem getting a "wrong" answer because my answer was mis spelled or similar. On the real tests, the questions are multiple choice. If I have any of this wrong (impossible! ) I am sure that more knowledgeable than I will correct me.

[BIPolarGuy]

Yeah i was a little miffed at first as well with the flashcards. If the cards are asking" _____ is needed in order for police to search a vehicle; and i put " permission" and it wants "consent", then i just blow it off but make mental note of the slight change. Remember though, the specigic Lingo shown can be a key in a subject. In that example though, they really mean the same thing and i would be able to pick either out of a line up on a multiple choice exam. Just make sure you understand the concepts that it is trying to teach you and don't worry about the red highlight. If it really bugs you, make a tally of the ones you got right and add them and do the math to see where you really are. Or, on the v2 cards, just check the little box next to the answer.

[mrs.b]

If you pay attention to the scores, beside the blank that gets marked wrong is a small checkbox. Click the checkbox and it will mark the question right despite the minor mismatch of synonym or spelling. This allows you to override the strict requirements of the flashcard blanks.

Quite a few people have commented that they do not enter anything into the flashcards and just read. I just answer the question in my head and click Next without typing anything about 95% of the time. It does save time and that initial frustration felt when "permission" is marked wrong because I did not type "consent," per the example given by BiPolarGuy. The score means little to nothing. Your level of preparation is all that matters, and the flashcards do a great job of helping prepare for exams. A handful of exams can be passed using nothing but IC. For others, the recommended texts are needed but IC is a great double-check and reinforcement.

[hipshooter]

I'm with you dream-king; this has been driving me crazy! I've only been using the program a few days and I'm questioning whether or not I'll continue after the trial period. I've sort of come to terms with the "no synonym" issue, so it doesn't bother me quite as much as it did on day one. What's bugging me most now, is that sometimes the "blanks" appear in a place where I can think of more than one potentially "correct" response (not necessarily synonyms), but there isn't enough context to help me decide which way to go (I wish I could think of an example here).

I've tried just reading the questions and not attempting to answer them, but I don't feel like I'm retaining anything that way. I also dislike that as a result of choosing to do it this way, the next time I go through the section, I'll have to go through every question again rather than just the ones that I don't already know. I plan to try mrs.b's suggestion of selecting the checkbox to mark the one's that I know "right" to see if that helps any.

[Publius]

What many folks suggest is going through the flash cards reading them first. Then going back over several times answering them. If you do that, not only will these minor annoyances be eliminated, but you'll be reenforcing the needed information. It may not feel like you retain stuff at first, but if you read, then go through and answer them several times through, then you will start reenforcing the info.