Studying is tough, but it can easier with the right technology and tools. Below are some of the best apps and resources for helping you become more productive, and study harder and more effectively for exams and other big projects.
StudyBlue
Flashcards have been a staple of studying for exams for a long time. And the reason why is simple: they are incredibility effective. And while there are proven benefits associated with the act of writing out your own flashcards and then studying them, sometimes you don’t have time to create your own flashcards.
With the online tool, StudyBlue, you can browse thousands of uploaded flashcard decks on almost every subject, including math, science, history, psychology and so much more. You can browse by school, and by subject and find a tool that works for you within minutes. Study Blue also offers the option for you to create your own flashcards using their digital tool.
Focus Booster App
You may have heard of “time blocking” as a strategy for boosting focus and productivity when studying for exams. A great specific technique for time-blocking is the Pomodoro technique. With this technique, you work non-stop for 25 minutes at a time, usually with the help of a timer. During this 25 minutes, you are focused only on one singular task – no social media breaks, no texting, etc – you are only working on the task at hand.
This is where the Focus Booster App comes in. With this desktop app, you can keep track of how much time you’re spending on projects and studying tasks. It also provides a timer to make sure you take regular breaks, which is right in line with the Pomodoro method. You can use the timer to start and stop your 25-minute work blocks, and then get up and take short breaks when complete. Using this app will help you stay focused and keep you on track when studying. Distractions are one of the biggest enemies of studying, so Focus Booster can help remedy that.
Easy Bib
Technically this tool is for citations in papers, but it’s too useful not to include in this roundup. Especially since many classes at both the high school and collegiate level are now including essays and research papers as part of your final grade.
When you’re writing a paper, you can skip the manual process of putting together MLA or APA citations, with Easy Bib. With this online resource, you just input the core information for any reference resource, and the tool will format citations in the approved style for you to copy and paste into your References section. Plus, you can even search for the citation by scanning the barcode of your textbook or resource book with your smartphone.
The next time you have a test to study for (after consulting the mcgill final exam schedule, or your own school’s exam schedule), try one of these resources. They’ll save you precious time and energy, and reduce stress throughout the studying process.
Hi Emily,
The features of these apps are really helpful and will help in increasing productivity. Yes, there are lots of productivity apps available for us, but we need to choose better. I really enjoy reading this post.
Praveen