Maybe the small things aren’t obvious yet. I don’t know what your Japanese level is, you can never assume how far along someone is based on their WaniKani level. But to me, it’s important to hear the intonation.
帰る and 替える are both かえる, but have different intonations, giving you just that extra piece of information to work with.
As for my process with lessons, in the days leading up to a new level (which is basically all the time these days), I print out a few sheets of this spreadsheet I slapped together and give myself a head start on the lessons.