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Five types of mobile apps you need for studying

Boost your productivity and manage your time better with these helpful phone applications.

Sarah Chan

Likes museum trips and is sometimes artsy. Can be found in pattern prints.

Published: 30 October 2020, 2:07 PM

Tis’ the season for exams!

As the end-of-year examinations near, you might be looking for ways to study on the go and prepare yourselves fully for your papers.

Since we spend a good amount of time on our mobile devices, what better way than to utilise technology to aid your studies. Here are five types of mobile applications you need for studying.

1. Task tracking

Study tips often recommend the Pomodoro Technique – a time management system usually comprising 25 minutes of work and five-minute breaks that is said to improve your attention span.

Instead of mugging for hours on end and feeling burnt out at the end of the day, improve your study experience with apps such as Forest.

 

Aside from assigning a virtual tree under your care, Forest is also a sponsor for an actual tree-planting organisation, Trees for the Future. PHOTO CREDIT: MASHABLE COMPOSITE

 

Forest takes on a fun twist on the Pomodoro Technique. It is an app that gets users to “plant” a tree that grows during the time that you stay away from your devices. By leaving the app during a cycle, users will only have a minute to return before your little animated tree “dies”.

The sight of your cute little tree withering away stings, but it does the job to keep your eyes away from other distracting apps.

Forest is available for $2.98 on iOS and free on Android.

2. Revision on the go

Carrying a bulky stack of revision notes or textbooks is not convenient, especially if you would like to study on the go.

Flashcards are a great complementary tool for revisions as it is known to promote active recall when you try to remember a particular subject without much contextual clues.

Create online flashcards using apps such as Quizlet for easy on-the-go learning that is both interactive and customisable within your mobile devices.

 

Create flashcards with ease using their smart suggestions to fill your cards quickly and accurately. PHOTO CREDIT: SCREENSHOT FROM QUIZLET

 

Quizlet allows users to create ‘study sets’ that are shareable within the platform. Aside from viewing decks of flashcards, its interactive features also include a guided learning function and assessment feature to test your knowledge.

Quizlet is free on iOS and Android.

3. Language

Mastering a language is something that does not happen overnight. It requires constant practice and review to grasp even just a handful of vocabulary fluently.

Learning a language is a practical skill that can go a long way though, whether it is to prepare for your exams or just to understand your K-dramas better.

While it might seem intimidating to pick up a new language at first, apps like Memrise are here to make your learning experience fun and stress free.

 

Memrise keeps track of your language learning and provides a practical instant translation feature for you to learn on the go. PHOTO CREDIT: SCREENSHOT FROM MEMRISE

 

Memrise offers free language courses of various difficulty levels. The platform utilises visual learning with the use of picture associations and has an audio feature to boost your listening and speaking skills.

Memrise is free on iOS and Android.

4. Countdown

With every exam season, you could either be counting down the days to your next paper or just awaiting your holidays to arrive. Either ways, the light at the end of the tunnel is always a great motivational boost to signal the coming end of a stressful exam journey.

 

Having a visible countdown is both exciting and motivating as it injects a sense of urgency especially for impending deadlines. PHOTO CREDIT: SCREENSHOT FROM COUNTDOWNS

 

Countdown applications such as Countdowns are convenient as they can be viewed easily as widgets on your homescreen while providing a hassle-free summary without flipping through pages of your calendar.

Countdowns is free on iOS.

5. Educational fun

Educational games may not necessarily be a tool to help with your studies, but it is an engaging way of destressing while having some fun.

If you are feeling restless between your study sessions, reward yourself with some time away from the books and try out these fun brain games!

 

The activities on Geist Memorado are simply designed but are intuitive and complex enough to catch your attention. PHOTO CREDIT: SCREENSHOT FROM GEIST MEMORADO: BRAIN & MIND

 

Geist Memorado: Brain & Mind is an engaging memory game to sharpen your mind through its various activities and difficulty levels. Play games for improving concentration, memory, logic, reaction and more, or learn to meditate with their guided features.

Geist Memorado: Brain & Mind is free on iOS.

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