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How-to2026/04/12Jam Hsiao

How to Set Anki New Card Limits During Bar Prep

A source-backed guide to setting Anki new-card limits, review caps, and presets during bar exam prep.

Most bar-prep Anki problems are not content problems. They are volume problems. Anki's deck options exist specifically to control how many cards enter and leave your study day, and the manual warns that New Cards/Day can create a large review burden if you introduce too much too fast (Deck Options). That matters in bar prep because every subject is already competing with lectures, outlines, and practice questions. If the review load gets out of hand, the deck stops helping.

If you want a source hub, start from Law conversion hub.

What the official materials actually give you

  • Anki’s deck-options manual is the core source here because it directly documents New Cards/Day, review limits, and presets, and explicitly warns that 20 new cards a day can translate into roughly 200 daily reviews (Deck Options).
  • The NCBE outline gives you the subject hierarchy that should decide where your limited card budget goes; it should not be spread evenly just because your calendar says so (MBE Subject Matter Outline).
  • Current NCBE sample-question sets are useful because they show the level of integration you are trying to support with a sustainable review load rather than a giant card backlog (Sample MBE Questions | NCBE, MBE Sample Test Questions (PDF)).

Workflow

1. Set a realistic new-card cap first

Anki says New Cards/Day controls how many new cards you see each day, and it gives a concrete warning that 20 new cards a day can mean roughly 200 reviews a day (Deck Options). Use that warning literally. If you are already doing bar questions every day, a small new-card cap is usually better than a heroic one.

2. Keep Maximum Reviews/Day finite

The same deck options page explains that review limits exist to cap the daily load (Deck Options). During bar prep, that matters because a subject-heavy week can otherwise dominate the entire schedule. If your reviews are spilling over, lower new cards before you raise reviews.

3. Use presets for different phases

Anki lets you share options between decks using presets, and the manual says presets make it easier to update options in many decks at once (Deck Options). That is useful during bar prep because your limit in early study will not be the same as your limit in the final weeks.

Good preset structure:

  • early prep
  • mixed review
  • final review

4. Let weak subjects get more cards, but not unlimited cards

The NCBE outline and your missed questions should decide where the cards go, not the calendar alone (MBE Subject Matter Outline). If Evidence and Contracts need more cards than Torts that is fine. The goal is not equal volume. The goal is sustainable volume.

5. Reduce new cards when review debt grows

That is the most practical rule in the whole deck. If your due count is growing faster than you can finish, lower New Cards/Day immediately. Anki's manual explicitly says deck options are not retroactive, so changing the settings sooner is better than waiting for the backlog to fix itself (Deck Options).

Common Mistakes

Starting too high because the deck feels small

Early bar decks often look manageable, and then the review count snowballs.

Treating all subjects the same

If a subject is weak, give it more attention. Just do not let it consume the whole day.

Changing limits after the deck is already broken

Anki says the schedule settings are powerful, but they only help if you use them before the backlog gets too large (Deck Options).

When This Works Best

This approach works best if you are building a long-running bar deck and want it to stay realistic alongside question practice. It also works well if you are pulling cards from BARBRI, Themis, or Critical Pass, because those sources can produce more new cards than you can comfortably review unless the limits are controlled.

If you want source-specific workflows, compare How to Turn BARBRI Outlines Into Anki Cards and How to Turn Themis Quiz Misses Into Anki Cards.

FAQ

What is a safe starting point for new cards?

There is no universal number, but Anki's own warning about 20 new cards translating into roughly 200 reviews a day is a good reminder to start low (Deck Options).

Should I use one preset or many?

Use multiple presets if your deck changes between study phases.

Should I raise new cards when I am behind?

Usually no. Lowering inflow is the cleaner fix.

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