Roediger and Karpicke (2006), Washington University
How it works
Mapped question bank
Every question tagged by subject, chapter, and year.
Spaced repetition
Scientifically schedules what to revise and when.
Rich Explanations
Not just the right answer. The reasoning behind it.
Progress tracking
Exact progress by subject and chapter.
The science behind it
Built on decades of memory research.
Hermann Ebbinghaus
University of Berlin, 1885
Discovered the Forgetting Curve. Proved humans forget 70% of new information within 24 hours without review, and that spaced repetition stops it.
Smart Review scheduling
Robert Bjork
UCLA Memory Lab
Proved that desirable difficulty (struggling to retrieve an answer) builds far stronger memory than passively re-reading. This is why MCQs beat notes.
Answer-first format
Roediger and Karpicke
Washington University, 2006
The Testing Effect: being tested on material increases retention dramatically more than studying it again. Direct proof that answering questions is the right method.
MCQ-first approach
John Dunlosky
Kent State University, 2013
Ranked 10 study techniques across 700 studies. Practice testing ranked highest. Re-reading ranked near the bottom. The data is unambiguous about what works.
Question bank design
Nate Kornell
Williams College
Demonstrated that spaced practice feels harder than massed study but produces dramatically stronger long-term retention. The difficulty is the mechanism, not a side effect.
Spaced interval logic
Robert Gagné
Florida State University, 1965
Conditions of Learning: retention requires retrieval at increasing intervals. You cannot rush from exposure to mastery. The schedule must match how memory actually consolidates.
Review interval spacing
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Progress tracking, spaced repetition, streak tracking — free to start.
Ebbinghaus Curve
Without review, 70% is forgotten within 24 hours. Each Smart Review session resets the clock.