10 Great Revision Apps and Tools
Do you struggling to muster the motivation to study?
Thanks to the wonder of technology, you can now turn your phone into an effective revision tool. Here’s a round-up of Mentor Education’s top revision apps.
Great Revision Apps, #1: Quizlet
A free revision app, Quizlet allows you to make your own set of flashcards, as well as discovering millions of other sets created by an online community of students and teachers. Revision couldn’t be simpler – or more fun! – with Quizlet’s games, diagrams, and interactive quizcards. Their brand-new GCSE centre, which includes 10,000 ready-made study sets (aligned to exam board specifications) covering 24 GCSE subjects, is truly impressive.
If the above isn’t enough to convince you, how about this: a whopping 90% of students report receiving higher marks after using Quizlet!
#2: Get Revising’s Study Planner
The team at Get Revision believe that revision should not ‘be left to chance’. With this in mind, they’ve developed a really handy Study Planner. User-friendly and simple to navigate, with this tool you can create a detailed, colour-coded plan in 15 minutes or less; once created, the planner will send you reminders to keep you on track, and allow you to adjust revision time according to the subject/exam.
#3: Seneca
Seneca, a learning platform backed by neuroscientists, has been proven to help students learn 2x faster – and it’s free.
Suitable for KS2, KS3, GCSE & A Level, and used by over 4 million students, Seneca’s smart learning algorithms have been formulated to improve information retention and recall: if a student gets a question wrong, Seneca will show the same information again, but in a different format, to try to help the content sink in (and the app will even figure out the optimal time to introduce content, depending on the user and how they learn).
Every element has been cleverly designed to provide an atmosphere that is conducive to learning – even including GIFS and memes to make revision funny and fun rather than stressful!
#4: Gojimo
Claiming to be the UK’s most popular revision app, Gojimo allows users to access over 40,000 practice questions in:
- 20 A Level subjects
- 28 GCSE subjects (AQA, CCEA, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC)
- 11+ and 13+ Common Entrance
There are also practice questions covering Ireland’s Junior Certificate, the South African Matric, and USA’s SAT, ACT, and APS.
Gojimo is, at essence, a quizzing app with a difference. Providing instant feedback and comprehensive explanations of any weak areas or mistakes, the revision app is particularly useful for students who wish to identify problem areas and gain focus.
#5: GCSE Pod
Looking for a GCSE-specific revision app that covers every exam board? GCSE Pod might be the one for you. From study tips to revision and homework tips, each ‘pod’ contains three to five minutes bursts of GCSE learning – all of which have been carefully assessed and quality checked, and which cover 27 subjects and all major GCSE and IGCSE exam boards.
There’s also a useful GCSE Pod YouTube channel which will help you get the most from the app. You can pay for a subscription or gain access via your school’s subscription, but if you don’t want to pay, there is plenty of material available for free.
#6: Penultimate
Chances are, you’ve probably heard of Evernote: one of the most popular apps through which to store information (whether it’s notes you’ve made yourself or webpages you particularly like). Useful for revision in its own right, Evernote is a great way to organise and collate your thoughts.
Penultimate, which is part of Evernote, takes this one step further, adding a handwritten element to Evernote’s list of functions. Creating the feel of writing on paper without any of the waste, Penultimate allows you to write freehand, sketching, creating diagrams, or simply taking notes without ever needing to type.
#7: Ayoa
Formerly known as iMindMap, Ayoa is a revamped, enhanced version of the popular mind-mapping tool, which now also includes task management features.
Visual learning can be really helpful for revision, whatever type of learner you are (dyslexic students, for example, often respond really well to techniques like mind mapping). Ayoa allows you to capture information and ideas by creating a brainstorm or spider diagram; starting with one central idea and then producing ‘branches’ out to develop these thoughts further. As well as helping you condense complex ideas into simpler, memorable chunks, Mind Maps have been proven to boost memory, imaginative skills and productivity.
With a host of features to take advantage of, Ayoa is one of the best revision apps out there when it comes to visual study techniques.
8#: Flow – Focus & Pomodoro Timer
With 4.5 stars on the App Store, Flow is a great way to help you stay on whatever task you’re doing. The apps main premise is structure. It provides a timer and divides each set task into managable chunks so you stay focused, get more done and reduce overall stress.
This app does have a PRO subscription, but there are still great benefits to using the free version.
9#: BBC Bitesize
A tale as old as time, BBC Bitesize is an incredible tool supplied by the British Broadcasting Company. Bitesize has an incredible, responsive website that works on mobiles, tablets and desktops. They also have an App on the Google Play Store as well as the Apple App Store.
Bitesize covers everything from KS1 all the way to A-Levels. They cover every subject on the national curriculum, however, do not cover enterance exams. Here at Mentor Education we have comprehensive guides on entrance exams.
10# Photomath
Have you ever tried to help you child with their mathematics homework and been left confused, annoyed and feeling lost? Photomath uses AI in your cameraphone to scan in maths problems, solve them and give a full, in depth explanation and tutorial.
Photomath does have a paid version, but the free version is also pretty great. It is available on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.