Spaced repetition with boxes.
The Leitner system: spaced repetition with flashcard boxes
The Leitner system is a way to schedule flashcard reviews using a series of boxes: cards you answer correctly move to the next box and are reviewed less often, while cards you get wrong go back to the first box and are reviewed most often. It was devised by the German science journalist Sebastian Leitner in the 1970s.
The evidence
Why does the leitner system work?
The Leitner system is a simple, manual form of spaced repetition. Cards you know well are seen less and less often, and cards you struggle with keep coming back, so your time goes where it is needed.
It also builds in active recall: every review is a test, and a card only moves forward when you get it right.
Those are the two ingredients with the strongest evidence: in their review of study techniques, Dunlosky and colleagues (2013) gave practice testing and distributed practice their highest usefulness rating.
Leitner described the method in his 1972 book So lernt man lernen (How to learn to learn). Today, most spaced-repetition apps use algorithms that schedule each card individually, but the principle is the same.
Step by step
How do you use the leitner system?
- 1
Set up a few boxes
Use three to five boxes or piles, numbered 1 upwards. All new cards start in box 1.
- 2
Give each box a schedule
For example: box 1 every day, box 2 every two or three days, box 3 once a week, box 4 every two weeks, box 5 before the exam.
- 3
Test yourself on what's due
Each day, go through the boxes that are due. Answer each card before you look.
- 4
Move cards up or back
If you got it right, move the card up one box. If you got it wrong, move it back to box 1, however far it had got.
- 5
Keep it going
Add new cards to box 1 a few at a time, and keep to the schedule, little and often.
Watch out
What are the common mistakes?
Too many boxes, too soon
Moving cards up when you hesitated
Skipping box 1
Try it
How do you practise the leitner system with student.study?
student.study's Review mode does what the boxes do, card by card and automatically: cards you know well come back less often, and cards you miss come back soon.
Instead of moving cards between boxes, you rate each one Again, Hard, Good or Easy, and the next review date is set for you. Your dashboard shows what is due.
You can still sort cards into "got it" and "still learning" in a normal flashcard round, which works like box 1 and box 2.
FAQ
The Leitner system: questions
How many boxes should the Leitner system have?
Three to five is typical. Three is plenty to start with; five gives you longer gaps for material you know well.
How often should I review each box?
A common schedule is box 1 daily, box 2 every two to three days, box 3 weekly, and later boxes every few weeks. Shorten the gaps if your exam is close.
Is the Leitner system better than a spaced-repetition app?
They use the same idea. The Leitner system is simple and works on paper; apps schedule each card individually and do the bookkeeping for you. Use whichever you will actually keep doing.
Sources
Research referred to on this page
- Leitner, S. (1972). So lernt man lernen. Herder, Freiburg.
- Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J. & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students' learning with effective learning techniques. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1). Read the paper (opens the publisher's page)
Last reviewed 9 November 2026
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