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SnapRevise – Free Revision-Based Learning
The great thing about our digital nomad age is that you really can solve a lot of problems with internet resources. Gone are the days when you had to dig through a dusty library catalogue to look for one specific term. Nowadays, a few keyboard taps and clicks will get you where you need to be.
And one of those places we all need to be is in the exam room. From high-school graduation tests to entrance exams and university exam periods – it’s the circle of exams, so to speak. And while no one can take your exams for you (at least not legally), preparing for the big day has been made significantly easier with study apps.
Speaking of study apps, you may have heard of SnapRevise. Looking up revision apps is the bane of every student preparing for A Levels or GCSE exams, and SnapRevise comes up pretty high on the search list. If you already know what it is, you can skip ahead while I introduce the app to those just beginning their revision journey.
What is SnapRevise, and How Does it Work?
SnapRevise is one of the more popular study apps, which, as its name suggests, aims to get you through your educational drama in a snap of your fingers. It’s a free app available for Android and iOS, and there is a relatively bug-free web version that you can easily use from any browser. All you need to do is set up an account and select your status (student, teacher, or parent), and boom, you’re ready to start studying.
You can select your target grades and the type of exam you’re preparing for (A Level or GCSE tests), pick your subjects, and even select how you feel about your upcoming exam, from honest anxiety to lack of motivation.
SnapRevise offers different products to appease more people: courses, seminars, summary sheets, and flashcards. Courses are divided into sizable chunks like monomers and polymers in biology, and you can do a short diagnostic test to see what you need to work on. Courses come with video explanations that are easy to navigate, and there is a list of bullet points covered in each section. Quite neat, but unfortunately, there are no notes available. You can upgrade to a premium membership to get one-on-one tutorship. Each of the courses comes with an exam pack and revision guide.
The app also brags about its flashcards, summary sheets, and seminars, but they are only available for purchase (from 10 to 20 pounds per pack). Flashcards come with condensed information and quick questions. Seminars are held in blocks and are essentially crash courses covering any subject, while summary sheets finally give you some tangible notes to look at.
SnapRevise A Level Prep
If you’re reading this, I don’t have to explain to you what A Levels are because chances are, you’re already hard at work preparing for them. SnapRevise advertises its A Level and GCSE prep success, and its singular goal is to prepare you for these exams. As I already explained above, you can select your subjects and topics and engage in video presentations for free. The library is detailed and constantly in development, although some reviews claim not all syllabus points have been covered yet.
A good aspect of SnapRevise is its exam packs, which are based on previous years’ questions, so it gives you a very good idea of what to expect. These exam guides are pretty versatile and divided according to difficulty to let you challenge yourself. If your sole aim is to get a taste of your upcoming exams, SnapRevise may be a good place to go.
Are SnapRevise GCSE Materials Worth It?
Similar to A-levels, SnapRevise has a wide array of GCSE materials, although many of them are not free of charge. The most useful tools would be summary sheets, which you have to pay separately or through a hefty premium subscription. However, it seems that only basic tools for GCSE are available at the moment. Check what they have before purchasing!
Are these materials worth it? Honest opinion, the notes provided by SnapRevise cover a big chunk of your GCSE subject matter and are well-written. However, in theory, you could find all these materials elsewhere on the internet for free. In fact, we have a solid library of both A Level and GCSE materials. One advantage of SnapRevise, with their narrow focus on exams, is their blog where you can find detailed information about your exams, from which subjects are the hardest to tips on what to bring to your exams.
It’s Time to D-D-D-D-Duel! StudySmarter vs SnapRevise
Shuffle your deck, and get your duelling board ready because this is what you came for! It’s the final stare-down between StudySmarter and SnapRevise and their features.
Interface
Both StudySmarter and SnapRevise have an easy and user-friendly interface. SnapRevise divides its materials into courses, flashcards, summary sheets, and seminars. StudySmarter, on the other hand, has subjects, exams, as well as separate study materials like flashcards, quizzes, and personalised study plans. We offer a much more comprehensive range of exam materials, completely free of charge!
With StudySmarter, you will find subject-specific flashcards in each subject group, and you get to choose your topics. Unlike SnapRevise, which uses flashcards as short and condensed notes, we prefer to keep them quick and engaging to boost your memory. Another high-quality feature StudySmarter offers is the ability to create your own study sets. You can write and rewrite your notes, upload documents or PowerPoint presentations, and create your own flashcards. All that in a very visually-appealing layout (in other words, your eyes won’t hurt after studying with us!).
Materials Provided
Both SnapRevise and StudySmarter boast a lovely library of subject-specific materials. Where they differ is accessibility. We at StudySmarter strongly believe that educational materials should be available to everyone. We will not charge you for our expertly written and quality-checked materials on any subject or topic. Additionally, SnapRevise only has A Level and GCSE exam materials, whereas StudySmarter has a broader scope that allows you to expand your knowledge in areas beyond simple exams (we offer content for AP, SATs, and ACTs). I believe you shouldn’t be studying for exams but for life and, believe it or not, there is life after your A Levels!
One thing I particularly disliked about SnapRevise is its inflexibility in presentation. Most lessons are given as short videos. Although they are perfectly well explained, they don’t fulfil my needs because I prefer to read and take notes rather than have something told to me. In this case, StudySmarter caters to a broader range of learning styles, promoting higher success rates.
Progress-Tracking
SnapRevise uses smart technology to track your progress and guess what kind of materials or boosters you might need in your studies. But with StudySmarter, you are encouraged to take charge of your progress. When you play around with flashcards, you get to choose whether you’ve got the answer right, and the app does a good deal of analytics for you. Still, we won’t force you to revise what you’re unsure about, and we’ll give you some more explanations and help instead!
Additionally, StudySmarter has an internal reward system to help boost your motivation. You can score points for each achievement (for example, ‘studied 45 minutes’). These little landmarks help you focus better as you go through your materials and prevent distractions.
Community
One thing we are particularly proud of is how helpful the community is. When you use StudySmarter, you have a chance to connect with other students and exchange study materials, notes, and flashcards to challenge one another. So, in addition to articles and explanations written by experts, you get study sets provided by peers. And, let me tell you honestly, this is exactly what you need. I teach at a university, and I have found that students sometimes translate my words into a student-friendly language in the most creative and helpful ways. As you know, you’re all in this together, so you might as well make the most of it!
Life Is Not All about Studying
To cap it all off, both SnapRevise and StudySmarter have a blog covering life in and beyond school and university. SnapRevise focuses mainly on A Levels and GCSE, guiding you through your days leading up to exams and giving tips on how to revise. On the other hand, the StudySmarter Magazine is more versatile as we are interested in students’ lives beyond simple exams.
StudySmarter Magazine covers topics about both high-school and university students. We have many meticulously-researched articles covering just about any aspect of life you might need some advice on. For instance, we don’t believe studying is the be-all and end-all. We strongly advocate taking regular breaks to keep yourself motivated and avoid burnout. On the other hand, if you need help in deciding whether to do a semester abroad, we have some compelling reasons why you should! Lastly, StudySmarter is an international team bristling with insights into other cultures, which we love to share (ever heard of hygge or wabi-sabi? Ha, well, now you have!).
If you need help finding motivation, adjusting your learning style, or picking out a good playlist, you know where to find us. And once done with studying, you can plan your next weekend trip with us too!
A quick summary of features:
The Verdict: StudySmarter Not Harder
Gentlepeople of the jury, bear with me while I swear in court to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. And the truth is: StudySmarter wins this round!
SnapRevise is a great app for revising for A Levels and GCSEs, but that’s where its reach stops. On the other hand, we know that studying is a lifelong process, and regardless of whether you go to university or not, you will find the most diverse topics on our website.
Additional high scores of StudySmarter include:
- Versatile flashcards.
- Expertly-written articles and explanations.
- A highly-supportive community to exchange notes and challenges.
- Informative and entertaining magazine to help you with any glitches in your academic journey.
The duel is won; it’s time to clear the field. See you on Android or iOS 😉!
