📅 Time-Consuming Setup
The process of manually creating, sorting, and maintaining flashcards can be incredibly time and energy-consuming, particularly for large materials that require intensive study.
🔁 Repetitive Process
The never-ending reviewing of cards, and particularly those that are often sent back to Box 1, can gradually become a tedious and monotonous exercise.
🧩 Requires Consistency
The system, if review sessions are missed, becomes less effective, and the spaced repetition principle is dependent on regular practice to a great extent.
📦 Physical Space or Digital Overload
Organizing boxes may take up space for users of the paper-based method; on the other hand, digital users may find it overwhelming to manage too many cards.
⏳ Not for Last-Minute Study
Given that it relies on spaced repetition over time, the Leitner System is unsuitable for cramming or short-term preparation.
🧠 Shallow Understanding Risk
If flashcards are the only source for rote memorization, then there is a risk of superficial understanding; thus, the usage of other study methods is recommended to avoid this doubling of effort.
⚙️ Maintenance Effort
You will find that as your collection of cards becomes larger, the tasks for organizing, updating, and planning the reviews will be intricate and very time-consuming.
📊 Uneven Difficulty Distribution
Some cards may not easily be placed in the levels of difficulty, so if the situation is not properly controlled, there will be an over-reviewing of easy cards and under-reviewing of hard ones.
📵 Distraction with Apps
Automating the Leitner System through digital apps has its perks, but at the same time, it creates the opportunity for distractions or over-reliance on gadgets.
🧭 Limited Creativity
The typical format for flashcards does not lend itself easily to creative or problem-solving learning and thus becomes less appropriate for subjects that require analytical skills.