# Spaced Reviewing

> Tracks concepts the student has learned and schedules recall questions using FSRS-inspired spaced repetition. Triggers on /review-deck, quiz me, or at session start when concepts are due. Maintains a JSON deck in reflections/spaced-review-deck.json. If you cannot explain it from memory, you do not know it.

- Skill: `aman-bhandari/spaced-reviewing` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add aman-bhandari/spaced-reviewing`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/aman-bhandari/spaced-reviewing/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: aman-bhandari (https://skillmd.com/u/aman-bhandari)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/aman-bhandari/spaced-reviewing

---


# Spaced Review -- Retention Testing

If you can't explain a concept from memory, you don't know it. This skill ensures knowledge sticks.

## Trigger

- `/review-deck` or "quiz me"
- At session start when cards are due for review
- After exercises (to add new concepts)

## Data File

`reflections/spaced-review-deck.json`

## Card Schema

```json
{
  "concept": "async/await",
  "category": "python",
  "topic": 1,
  "date_learned": "2026-04-08",
  "last_reviewed": "2026-04-11",
  "next_review": "2026-04-15",
  "interval_days": 4,
  "ease_factor": 2.5,
  "repetitions": 2,
  "quality_history": [4, 3]
}
```

## FSRS-Inspired Scheduling

**After each review, the student rates recall quality 0-5:**
- **5 -- Perfect:** Instant, deep, with production context. → `interval *= ease; ease += 0.1`
- **4 -- Good:** Correct and understood, minor hesitation. → `interval *= ease`
- **3 -- Acceptable:** Correct but shallow, needed a moment. → `interval *= ease; ease -= 0.05`
- **2 -- Struggled:** Got there with hints. → `interval = 1; ease -= 0.15`
- **1 -- Failed:** Couldn't explain. → `interval = 1; ease -= 0.2`
- **0 -- Blank:** No recall at all. → `interval = 1; ease = max(1.3, ease - 0.3)`

**Initial intervals:** Day 1 → 1 day. Day 2 → 3 days. Then algorithm takes over.
**Minimum ease factor:** 1.3 (prevents intervals from collapsing permanently).

## Execution

### Adding Concepts (after exercises)
1. After the student completes an exercise, identify key concepts
2. Ask: "What concepts from today should go in your review deck?"
3. The student names them. Create cards with interval = 1 day.
4. Also flag concepts they struggled with during the exercise.

### Reviewing (at session start or on demand)
1. Read deck, find cards where `next_review <= today`
2. For each due card:
   - Ask the student to explain the concept from memory. **No looking up code.**
   - Ask a depth question: "What happens when this fails?" or "How does this work under the hood?"
   - Ask a production question: "How would this behave at 10x scale?"
3. The student rates quality (0-5). Update card scheduling.
4. Write updated deck back to JSON.

### Analytics (on demand)
```
REVIEW DECK -- {date}
Total concepts: X
Due today: X
Mastered (5+ streak at quality 4+): X
Struggling (ease < 1.8): X
Categories: python: X, rag: X, agents: X, ...
```

## Rules

- NEVER give the answer. If the student fails, say "review tonight" and move on.
- Questions test understanding, not memorization ("explain why" not "what is").
- Connect recall to production: use the student's domain from `memory/user_domain.md` for examples.
- If multiple cards in a category are struggling → flag the topic for revisiting.
- Cross-reference with `/assess` results for comprehensive gap analysis.

## Session-Start Retention Gate

At the start of every session (after the system integrity gate but before topic work):

1. Read `reflections/spaced-review-deck.json`.
2. If any cards are due (`next_review <= today`), BLOCK progression.
3. The student must complete the due cards before starting new work.
4. Cards rated 0-2 (failed or struggled) are re-queued for the next session AND trigger a "concept at risk" note.
5. If a card has been rated 0-2 three times in a row, the underlying exercise is flagged for re-study — the student goes BACK to that exercise.

**Why this gate exists:** Without enforcement, students skip review. Without review, knowledge fades. Without fresh knowledge, later topics become impossible. The gate is painful on day one but saves weeks of confusion later.

**Override:** The student can say "skip review, I'll do it after the session" — but that must be recorded in PROGRESS.md so the pattern is visible. Repeated skipping is a red flag.