The Zanki deck was the go-to Anki deck for USMLE Step 1, but it hasn’t been updated in years. This guide explains what happened to Zanki, why the AnKing Step Deck replaced it, and how to get started with AnKing for Step 1, 2 and 3.
Related: Best Anki decks for Step 1
What Was Zanki?
Zanki is a premade Anki flashcard deck for the USMLE, built by a Reddit user called ZankiStep1 in 2017. It took the 2014 Brosencephalon deck and expanded it with First Aid, Pathoma and Sketchy content, and for a few years it was the deck most students used for Step 1.
It had gaps, especially in pharmacology and microbiology. Other Reddit users filled them with add-on decks: Lolnotacop added pharm and micro, and BlueGalaxies updated Zanki for First Aid 2018 with cards from the Pepper decks. Keeping track of which add-ons you had became a job in itself.
What Happened to Zanki?
In 2019 a medical student known as the AnKing merged Zanki, Lolnotacop and the best of the add-on decks into one overhauled deck, removing duplicates and errors along the way. That deck kept being updated while Zanki didn’t, and it’s now the AnKing Step Deck.
So if you’re looking for Zanki today, what you actually want is AnKing: it contains Zanki’s content, corrected and expanded.
The AnKing Step Deck
- Cards: 30,000+ (AnkiHub’s figure), covering Step 1, 2 and 3
- Updated: daily, through AnkiHub
- Tagged by: First Aid, Boards & Beyond, Sketchy, NBMEs, and UWorld and AMBOSS question IDs
- Cost: $6/month, $66/year, or $450 lifetime
- Get it: AnKing Step Deck on AnkiHub
Zanki’s biggest weakness was that it froze. AnKing is distributed through AnkiHub, which pushes approved corrections to every subscriber’s copy without resetting their progress. The trade-off is that it’s no longer free: AnkiHub’s Core plan, which includes the Step Deck, is $6 a month or $66 a year, and lifetime access is $450. Its free plan doesn’t include the Step Deck.
Unlike Zanki, it also covers the later exams. Tags separate Step 1, Step 2 CK and Step 3 content, so one deck takes you from M1 through residency.
How to Get Started
- Download Anki for free from apps.ankiweb.net (AnkiMobile for iPhone is $24.99).
- Install the AnkiHub add-on and subscribe to the AnKing Step Deck.
- Suspend the whole deck, then unsuspend cards as you cover each topic in class.
- After each UWorld or AMBOSS block, use the question-ID search add-on to unsuspend the cards tied to the questions you missed.
- Start with 50–100 new cards a day, and cut back before your reviews pile up.
Related: The best USMLE Step 1 prep courses
Zanki Alternatives
AnKing vs Zanki
AnKing is Zanki, merged with its add-on decks, corrected, and still updated. There’s no reason to start with Zanki today.
Brosencephalon vs Zanki
Zanki was built from Bros, so Zanki covers more. But Bros is still free and has a current community version (1.5) on brosencephalon.com, which makes it the best option if you won’t pay for AnkiHub.
Lightyear vs Zanki
Lightyear was built around Boards & Beyond videos and was better organized than Zanki. Neither is maintained now, and AnKing is tagged by Boards & Beyond video as well.
Zanki Deck FAQs
Is Zanki still updated?
No. Zanki hasn’t been maintained in years. Its content lives on, corrected and expanded, in the AnKing Step Deck.
Is Zanki free?
The original Zanki deck was free, but it’s outdated. Its successor, the AnKing Step Deck, is only available through AnkiHub for $6 a month, $66 a year or $450 lifetime. Anki itself is free on computers and Android; AnkiMobile for iPhone is $24.99.
Who created Zanki?
A Reddit user called ZankiStep1, a medical student who expanded the Brosencephalon deck in 2017.
How many cards are in Zanki?
Zanki had more than 20,000 cards. The AnKing Step Deck that replaced it has more than 30,000 across Step 1, 2 and 3.
Is there a Zanki deck for Step 2 or Step 3?
Not a maintained one. The AnKing Step Deck covers Step 1, Step 2 CK and Step 3 in one deck, tagged so you can study just the cards for your exam.
How many cards should I do a day?
Start with 50–100 new cards a day. Reviews from earlier cards add up, so expect several hundred reviews a day once you’re a few weeks in, and cut new cards before reviews pile up.
When should I start Anki in medical school?
At the start of M1, unsuspending cards as each topic is taught. Starting early spreads the work out and means Step 1 dedicated time is review, not first exposure.
Bottom Line on Zanki
Zanki made premade Anki decks the norm for Step 1, but it’s frozen in 2018-era content. Use the AnKing Step Deck, which carries Zanki forward and keeps it current, or Brosencephalon if you need a free deck. Our best Anki decks for Step 1 guide compares them in more detail.