Anki is a free spaced-repetition flashcard tool that — when paired with Messer videos — produces some of the strongest retention results for CompTIA prep. Messer teaches the concept; Anki forces you to recall it under increasing time gaps until it sticks. This page covers the best existing Messer-based decks, when to build your own, and the daily routine that actually works during a study cycle.
Compare the current course listing, sample materials, and your learning needs; popularity figures and outcome comparisons are not verified here. Community-built Messer-based decks exist on AnkiHub and Reddit for Security+, Network+, and A+. Compare the current course listing, sample materials, and your learning needs; popularity figures and outcome comparisons are not verified here.
Why Anki + Messer Works So Well
Messer's videos are excellent for first exposure but passive — you watch, you understand, you move on. Without forced recall, retention drops sharply: most learners forget 60%+ of a video's detail within 7 days. Anki uses spaced repetition: each card you struggle with comes back tomorrow; each one you nail comes back in 4 days, then 9, then 23. Over a study cycle, that pattern transfers material from short-term to long-term memory at much higher rates than passive re-watching.
The combination — Messer for first exposure, Anki for recall maintenance — is one of the best-documented high-retention CompTIA prep stacks.
Where to Find Messer-Based Anki Decks
Community-built decks (free or low-cost):
- AnkiHub — search "CompTIA Security+" or "Network+" — the most-active decks are usually Messer-aligned. - r/CompTIA Reddit — pinned threads regularly share decks; quality varies but the top-voted decks are reliable. - GitHub — searching "CompTIA Anki Security+" returns several open-source decks tied to Messer's objective order.
Pre-built deck warning: quality varies widely. Always preview the first 50 cards before committing. Avoid decks with 2000+ cards — over-volume burns out most learners by week 3.
- AnkiHub — search "CompTIA Security+ SY0-701" or "Network+ N10-009" — the most-active decks are usually Messer-aligned.
When to Build Your Own Deck
Building cards while watching Messer videos has higher retention than downloading pre-built decks — the act of writing cards is itself a learning event. But it takes time.
Build your own if: this is your first CompTIA cert, you have a 10+ week study window, and you have 15+ minutes/day for card creation.
Use a pre-built deck if: time is tight (< 8 weeks), or this isn't your first cert and you know how to identify good cards.
Hybrid (recommended): start with a pre-built deck for the first 2 domains, then build your own for the remaining domains as you get the rhythm.
Either way, the daily routine matters more than the source: 15–25 minutes of Anki every day, no skipping. Skipped days compound into overwhelming review queues.
Pro Tips
Use desktop Anki for free — the iOS app is a one-time the current listed price but the desktop and Android versions are free.
Limit new cards to 20/day during your study cycle — more than that creates an unsustainable review queue.
Build cloze-deletion cards for acronyms (NIST, SAML, etc.) — they're far more effective than front/back definition cards.
Don't over-tag — simple deck-level organization beats over-detailed taxonomies for most learners.
Suspend cards for material that's no longer in the exam objectives — don't waste reps on outdated content.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Downloading a 2000+ card deck and burning out by week 3.
Skipping Anki for 4 days then trying to "catch up" — the queue is psychologically defeating.
Making cards too long (full paragraphs) — short atomic facts work best.
Pre-built deck only with no card creation — you miss the learning benefit of writing them.
Treating Anki as primary study instead of a supplement to videos and practice questions.
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