Examtime.com review - By Mustafa Mahmoud

Examtime.com – trying to change the way we learn…only slightly

Studying for exams can be quite a difficult and stressful time. With all the different subjects and with limited time, discovering an efficient method of studying is very important. We’ve all tried the many different ways of studying, from flash cards to binge reading, all with varying degrees of success, entirely dependent on each individual’s preferences. Examtime.com tries to take the most popular forms of studying, and bring it into the modern world. “Does it succeed?” Well, let’s see.

The good:

·        Examtime.com, as with many websites nowadays, gives you multiple ways of signing up. You can sign up using your Facebook, google+ or email address, making the sign up process fast and easy.

·        Has a dedicated format for its mobile site, adapting the UI for mobile screens.

·        Allows you to view other peoples “resources*”

*what are essentially the notes

The main focus:

The website allows you to both read and create your own study “resources” in four different formats:

·        Mind map

·        Quiz

·        Flash cards

·        Note

Mind map

The mind map, as you can see, is essentially what it says. It allows you to view the information in an attractive way, possibly allowing you to soak in the information better. However for some it may just be an annoyance, getting in the way of the information.

Quiz

The quiz section is divided into three subsections: multiple choice, check boxes and true or false quizzes. This can be used to test your knowledge AFTER studying, and puts it in a way that is simple, easy to read, and in some cases, a lot more fun than just reading it.

Flashcards

The flashcards work almost exactly in the same way that it works in real life, except being virtual means that you can make it a lot more fun (as is evident in the screenshot). This also allows for it to be more portable as you can carry it with you and view it anywhere…if you’re using the mobile website anyway (we’ll get to that later).

Notes

The final format is in the way of notes. This is very simplistic, being shown like a PowerPoint presentation, with the information right in front of you. No distractions, no time wasters, just the good ol’ information you need to help you pass.

The bad:

As with all good things there must be at least a few quirks     

• Editing any already available “resources” costs a monthly subscription, starting from £1.95 for the basics, going up to £3.95 per month for the premium plus subscription. Although it’s not a lot, it’s still money   
• The resources that are available seem to be rather useless as it is hard to find what you are looking for, with the search system bringing up irrelevant results, and the category system being equally as vague.
• It does not have a native app which causes a lot of loss of functionality when compared to what the mobile site can do.
• The mobile site itself is hard to operate when trying to create or edit “resources”. The developers seem to have not taken the touchscreen into consideration when converting the site into mobile format (but at least they tried).

Conclusion:

This is just a simple look at the base layer of examtime.com with more features and customisation revealed as you dig deeper into the website. As for the main question as to whether this is a valid replacement for the vintage pen and paper, well that is entirely subjective. I personally (due to being able to memorise easier by reading my own handwriting) prefer the old way of the paper and pen, but check it out and see if you like it nonetheless.

Written by Mustafa Mahmoud

Click here to go to the website