SuperMemo Callouts Stress Test

2026-01-24
stresstest

This page stress-tests all SuperMemo-inspired callout shortcodes adapted to the Gruvbox color scheme.

Callout Types

Highlight (Yellow)

Important

The most important ideas are marked with this yellow highlight. These are the key takeaways you should remember. If you’re short on time, reading just the highlighted sections will give you the core message.

Note (Blue)

Note

General notes provide additional context or clarification. They contain useful information that supplements the main content but isn’t critical to understanding the core concepts.

Personal Anecdote (Purple)

Personal Anecdote

My own experience with spaced repetition began in university when I was struggling to retain information for exams. The transformation in my learning efficiency was remarkable. These personal notes are marked distinctly so you can skip them without losing the main message, or dig into my recall to see how my opinions were shaped.

Anecdote (Green)

Anecdote

Hermann Ebbinghaus, a German psychologist, conducted groundbreaking experiments on memory in the 1880s. He memorized lists of nonsense syllables and tested his recall at various intervals, discovering the famous “forgetting curve” that would later influence spaced repetition systems.

Metaphor (Aqua)

Metaphor

Think of memory like a garden. Without regular tending (review), the plants (memories) will wither and die. Spaced repetition is like a smart watering schedule that knows exactly when each plant needs attention, preventing both drought (forgetting) and overwatering (wasted review time).

Archive (Gray)

Archive (1985)

This section contains historical notes from the early days of SuperMemo development. Archive materials are presented for historic reasons and may include hypotheses or models that have since been updated or replaced.

Warning (Orange)

Warning

Be cautious when importing flashcard decks from other users. Poorly formulated cards can lead to inefficient learning and frustration. Always review and adapt shared materials to your own understanding.

Danger (Red)

Danger

Never skip the “minimum information principle” when creating flashcards. Complex, multi-concept cards are the leading cause of learning inefficiency and can make spaced repetition feel like a burden rather than a tool.

Excerpt

Hermann Ebbinghaus, Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology (1885)

The rapidity of forgetting is at first very great, then it becomes more and more gradual, and finally the curve approaches the horizontal, so that after a long time the value of the memory tends toward a limit.

Piotr Wozniak, SuperMemo Guru

Spaced repetition is a learning technique that incorporates increasing intervals of time between subsequent review of previously learned material. The goal is to maximize the efficiency of the learning process by reviewing at the optimal moment before forgetting occurs.

Motto

Confucius

Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.

Benjamin Franklin

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.

The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.

FAQ

What is the optimal retention rate for spaced repetition?

Research suggests that targeting a retention rate of around 90% provides the best balance between learning efficiency and review workload. Going higher (e.g., 95%) dramatically increases review frequency, while going lower risks losing too much material.

The exact optimal rate depends on:

  • The importance of the material
  • Your available study time
  • Whether the knowledge builds on itself
How many new cards should I add per day?

For most learners, 10-20 new cards per day is sustainable. This accounts for the review load that accumulates over time. Key factors:

  1. Consistency matters more than volume
  2. Start conservatively and adjust based on your review burden
  3. Consider the complexity of your material
Can spaced repetition work for skills, not just facts?

While spaced repetition excels at declarative knowledge (facts, vocabulary, concepts), it can support skill learning indirectly:

  • Review the principles behind skills
  • Interleave practice with conceptual review
  • Use it to maintain skills during periods of low practice

Myth Busting

Myth
Spaced repetition is just for memorizing facts

Spaced repetition is a tool for building long-term memory, which underpins all learning. While it’s often associated with vocabulary or medical facts, it works equally well for:

  • Understanding complex concepts (by breaking them into atomic pieces)
  • Building intuition through example-based learning
  • Maintaining procedural knowledge
  • Learning music theory, programming patterns, and more

The key is crafting cards that test understanding, not just recall.

Myth
You need to review every single day or you'll lose everything

Missing a day (or even a week) of reviews won’t destroy your progress. Spaced repetition algorithms are designed to be resilient:

  • Cards will simply appear with adjusted intervals
  • Long-term memories are surprisingly durable
  • Consistency over months matters more than perfection

What does hurt is abandoning the practice entirely or letting the review pile grow for weeks.

Myth
Digital dementia: devices are destroying our memory

The “digital dementia” concept has no solid scientific backing. Using external tools (including spaced repetition software) doesn’t weaken natural memory. In fact:

  • Cognitive offloading has been practiced since writing was invented
  • Digital tools can enhance memory formation when used strategically
  • The key is using technology intentionally, not avoiding it

AI Note

AI-Generated

The following summary was generated with AI assistance based on research literature about the spacing effect:

The spacing effect demonstrates that distributed practice produces better long-term retention than massed practice. This has been replicated across diverse learning materials, age groups, and retention intervals. The effect appears to be mediated by multiple mechanisms including:

  1. Encoding variability - Spaced repetitions occur in different contexts
  2. Study-phase retrieval - Later presentations trigger memory retrieval
  3. Consolidation - Time between sessions allows memory consolidation

Inline Highlight

Regular text can contain highlighted phrases for emphasis. This is useful when you want to draw attention to key terms without using a full callout block.

Nesting and Edge Cases

Callout with Markdown

Markdown Support

Callouts support bold, italic, and inline code. They also support:

  • Bullet lists
  • Links
  • And other markdown features
Column AColumn B
Data 1Data 2

Callout with Code Block

Code Example

Here’s a Python implementation of the SM-2 algorithm:

def sm2(quality, repetitions, ef, interval):
    if quality >= 3:
        if repetitions == 0:
            interval = 1
        elif repetitions == 1:
            interval = 6
        else:
            interval = round(interval * ef)
        repetitions += 1
    else:
        repetitions = 0
        interval = 1

    ef = ef + (0.1 - (5 - quality) * (0.08 + (5 - quality) * 0.02))
    ef = max(1.3, ef)

    return repetitions, ef, interval

Empty Label

This callout has no label, demonstrating that the label parameter is optional. The content still displays correctly with proper styling.

Long Content

Extended Metaphor

Imagine your brain as a vast library with an overworked librarian. Every time you learn something new, a book is added to the collection. Without a system, the librarian must search randomly through towering stacks to find what you need.

Spaced repetition is like giving that librarian a perfect organizational system. Frequently accessed books stay near the front desk. Rarely needed volumes migrate to deeper shelves but remain catalogued. The librarian knows exactly when to dust off each book before it gets lost in the back rooms.

Over time, this systematic approach means any piece of knowledge can be retrieved in moments, not hours. The library grows ever larger, yet remains perfectly navigable.

This is why spaced repetition feels almost magical once you’ve used it for a while - you’ve essentially upgraded your mental librarian with superhuman organization skills.

Multiple Excerpts in Sequence

William James, The Principles of Psychology (1890)

The great thing in all education is to make our nervous system our ally instead of our enemy.

Robert Bjork

Conditions that create challenges for the learner and appear to slow the rate of learning often enhance long-term retention and transfer.

Summary

This page demonstrates all SuperMemo-inspired shortcodes:

ShortcodePurpose
smcalloutGeneral callout with 8 type variants
smexcerptBlockquote-style excerpt with source
smmottoCentered inspirational quote
smfaqQuestion and answer format
smmythDebunking false claims
smainoteAI-generated content marker
smhighlightInline text highlight