7 Best Apps to Help You Study Better

Trying to get new information to stick can be an arduous task, especially if you’re trying to cram before an exam or quiz. Or, maybe you’re procrastinating with studying and just can’t get your mind to focus on the content. If all you find yourself doing is reading from textbooks, taking notes, and making the occasional flashcard, you could benefit from changing up your regular study routine. 

Although you may be trying to avoid it while studying, your smartphone can be helpful if you’re using some apps designed to help you study better. These apps enable you to learn more, help you with challenging content, and keep you focused.

1. Quizlet

Making flashcards by yourself can be tedious, although it’s a great way to study. Quizlet can help you with this task by making the process of writing flashcards faster and giving you multiple ways to study with them. For example, you can match terms, write the answers, or even do a mock test with the flashcards you’ve created.

If you don’t have time to make your flashcards, you can also try searching the database of other user-created flashcards. Many teachers create them, so you can definitely find relevant ones to use.

Highlights:

• Sort flashcards by class and files
• Quickly create your own flashcard sets
• Multiple ways to use flashcards
• Hundreds of user-made sets are available

Download: Quizlet for iOS and Android

2. Khan Academy 

Khan Academy started with videos to help students learn math, and it was extremely well received because it was easy to understand. Today, Khan Academy boasts hundreds of videos now, spanning not only math-related topics but others such as Art & Humanities, Economics, and even Life Skills.

Besides the videos themselves, the app to help you study also has quizzes after lessons to help you retain knowledge and discussion sections if you need further help. Khan Academy is a tried and true program for many students to help understand concepts and get you through difficult homework or test problems. The app itself is very well-made and organized so that you can study with less hassle.

Highlights:

• Explains concepts very well
• Hundreds of videos are available
• No-frills videos to keep you focused on content
• Provides quizzes to test your knowledge

Download: Khan Academy for iOS and Android

3. Socratic by Google

Stuck on a tricky homework question? Socratic was made just for this situation. It walks you through a question when you might not have someone there to help. You can scan a question directly from an assignment, and the app will search Google to find you the most relevant answers.

After you scan a question, Socratic will give you a top answer, and then below that, you’ll find even more content to help you understand it, such as Explainers, Q&A, example problems from YouTube, and more answers found online.

You can also find resources on specific subjects by scrolling down through the different topics. No matter what you need to study or homework you need to complete, you’re likely to find answers with this app.

Highlights:

• Provides multiple resources for questions
• Scans your problems directly from your assignments
• Finds videos to explain problems
• Easy to use

Download: Socratic for iOS and Android

4. Study Bunny

Having a study buddy is a great way to stay accountable, but sometimes it’s not always possible even if you use tools like Zoom to study with others. However, the Study Bunny app is a great replacement to help you stay focused and make your study sessions more fun. 

You can set a timer for how long you want to focus on studying, and after each session, you’ll get some coins in return. You can use these coins to buy extras for your bunny, such as clothes or backgrounds. There are many other features in the app, like links to study music, checklists, and flashcards.

You can also access a graph that tracks your studying habits over the month, like how long or often you stay focused. Study Bunny is a unique app that’ll help get you motivated to study.

Highlights:

• Fun to use
• Timer helps keep focused
• Lots of features to help you study
• Keeps track of your studying habits

Download: Study Bunny for iOS and Android

5. Chegg Study

Chegg Study has many resources available for students to help you with assignments, complicated concepts, or just studying in general. With this app, you can enter or scan questions and get answers instantly.

You can also create flashcards within the app or search for sets that others have made. This app is great if you’re stuck on some problematic homework and need explanations to questions quickly. Chegg Study is simple and easy to use, so it won’t interfere with your study sessions.

To use all the features on the app, you can subscribe for $14.99 a month.

Highlights:

• Get help from experts
• Scan problems directly from assignments
• Create flashcards

Download: Chegg Study for iOS and Android

6. Crash Course

Crash Course videos are widely popular informational videos covering everything from chemistry to philosophy. Hank Green originally hosted crash Course videos, but you’ll find many other teachers in these videos as well. The videos became favorites of students because of their quick and fun style while still giving you meaningful insight into whatever it is you’re learning.

Crash Course is excellent for getting the bigger picture on concepts you may be having trouble grasping, and they explain things in ways that are easy to understand. In the app, you can download courses, so they’re always available to you, and all the videos are free. Some courses also come with flashcards to help you remember information from the videos. 

Highlights:

• Easy-to-digest videos
• Large array of topics
• Downloadable videos to watch anywhere

Download: Crash Course for iOS and Android

7. Brain.fm

Sick of studying in silence? Certain types of music can help you keep your focus, motivate you, and help you retain information. Brain.fm has compiled tons of music such as this for you to play in the background while you study. 

When you first open the app to study, you’ll answer some questions so that Brain.fm can determine what kind of music to play for you. Then, you can pull the music/timer screen down to search for other types of music if you wish. You can also skip the music if you’re looking for something else.

Highlights:

• Focus, Relax, Sleep, and Meditate categories for types of music
• Timer to help you track your focus
• Select the intensity level of the music
• Filter music by genre

Download: Brain.fm for iOS and Android