Looking for a way to practise mental arithmetic without doing another worksheet?

I've been developing CalcuLoop NoLimit, a free Android game built around quick mental calculations. You solve as many calculations as you can, try to keep your streak going, and aim to beat your personal best.

I thought it could be a fun way for students to practise calculation speed for a few minutes between study sessions. It isn't a replacement for studying or understanding the material, but it can make basic arithmetic practice a little more engaging.

Watch a short gameplay video:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Bddg3dTlpHM

Try it free on Android:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.benmaths.calculoop.nolimit

I'm the developer, so I'd genuinely appreciate feedback. Do you use games, apps, or other small challenges to practise skills between study sessions?

i'm a freshman who kept opening linkedin "for five minutes" and surfacing an hour later, so i built focusticker: a chrome extension that tracks active time across 10 social sites and shows a small draggable timer right on the page. current session plus today's total. the visible timer is the whole point — it's harder to zone out when the number's right there. free, no signup, everything stays in your browser: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/pghicmhngfmldcnoglcodkbaiaknjlah. would genuinely appreciate feedback on whether it helps you catch yourself scrolling.

https://reddit.com/link/1xhop19/video/ep3b2phoq7yh1/player

Smth most people don't know: airpods can tell where your head is pointing. it's the same sensors spatial audio uses to follow you when you turn your head.

Why that matters for studying: the hours were never my neck's real problem. Noticing was. I'm a robotics student so most of my day is on my mac, and I'd only realize my head was down once my neck was already DONE (also from scrolling after, not gonna pretend otherwise lol 😅).

Tried posture exercises many times in the past, that barely helped. But the tip I'd actually give anyone doing long sessions is you need something that tells you the moment your head drops, not an hour later when it already hurts. A break timer helps with breaks, but it has no idea if your head is down.

So I built that for myself. It's called Chinly, an iphone app that plays a little sound in your airpods when you slouch and stops when you sit up. it also works with the phone locked and music playing. It can also lock apps such as tiktok while you slouch, which honestly works on me more than I'd like lol. So basically it forces me to scroll with good posture lmao/

Would love to hear what you guys think, and how you deal with your neck on long study days.

If anyone wants to try the app for free (it's in beta), im happy to share the link!!

One annoying thing about recorded lectures is having to dig through a 50-minute video just to find that one explanation you didn't fully understand.

Here's an idea for anyone revising from recordings.

When you come across a useful explanation, note the timestamps. If you're allowed to save the recording, extract that section as an MP3 and name it after the actual topic instead of something like "lecture_08_final.mp4".

Then when you're reviewing, listen to that section, pause, and try explaining it without looking at your notes.

If you can't, you know what to go back and study.

This probably works better for spoken explanations, language lessons and theory-heavy subjects. If your lecturer spends the whole time drawing diagrams, you'll obviously need the video.

For the MP3 part, Tunexa can extract audio from supported video links and trim it to the section you need.

Full disclosure: I'm connected with Tunexa. There's a 3-day free premium trial, followed by a paid subscription.

Curious if anyone here actually uses audio recordings for revision, or if you mostly stick to written notes?

I've always noticed that there is a frustration, where you read your notes and you're like this makes sense, but still not able to explain the topic when you close it. How do you figure that out, like a checkpoint that it's okay not and you can move on to the next thing?

I’m 18, in Class 12, and preparing for the CLAT law entrance exam in December 2026. Between boards and prep, my tasks, schedule and notes were scattered across three different apps, so I built one place for all of it, mainly for myself.

What it does:

Tasks, goals, calendar and notes in one place, with a daily dashboard

Mock test and sectional tracking, so I can see how prep is going

A Deep Focus timer and a weekly review to look back on the week

Built with React, Vite, Tailwind and Supabase, hosted on Netlify. It’s live and free: https://life-organiser.amanvirani.com

It’s made for students juggling boards and entrance exams, but it should work for anyone with too many things to track.

I’d really like honest feedback on two things:

What’s confusing in the first 30 seconds of using it?

What would make you open it every day, or what’s missing that would stop you? Code and architecture feedback is welcome too.

anyone who wants to be my friend in Focus Jungle

Suggest me please as there people talk that if you have learned the coading languages like java,c++,python etc then you could get slight edge in the placement rather than other students

always did practice questions without a clock cause i figured the clock only matters when it’s real. finally set 75 min last night. the multiple choice, the part i thought was free, took me 38 min. that left 37 for all the hard stuff
i would’ve found that out in the actual exam which would’ve been a disaster. now i time the first 5 questions of every practice set so i know my real speed instead of guessing.

I wanted to start a thread about studying effectively. Here are a few methods worth trying:

1. Test yourself before you feel ready
After reading a section, close your notes and write down what you remember. Answer a question, explain a concept, or solve a problem without looking. Then check your answer and fill in the gaps.

2. Revisit topics over several days
Give yourself more than one encounter with the material. For example, review it tomorrow, a few days later, and again next week. Adjust the gaps depending on what you can still remember.

3. Explain the “why,” with an example
Go beyond remembering a definition. Why does it work that way? How does it connect to something you already know? Can you come up with an example of your own? Check your explanation against the source afterward.

4. Practice what you’ll need to do
If your exam involves solving problems, spend time solving them. If it involves essays, practice building an argument and writing an answer. Flashcards can help with the facts, but give yourself practice using those facts too.

5. Turn mistakes into your next study session
Keep a small list of questions you missed and why you missed them. Did you forget something, misunderstand the idea, or choose the wrong approach? Come back later and try again without checking the solution first.

A simple routine to try: study a small section -> recall it from memory -> check the gaps -> revisit it later.

Whether you use StudyRPG, paper flashcards, or practice questions, you can build these habits into your sessions.

What are you studying right now, and which method has helped you most? Specific examples would be useful for anyone trying to improve their routine.

Do you struggle to remember home work deadlines?

Is it difficult to decide what subjet to study first?

Do you make timetable but struggle to follow it?

What would make astudy planner more seful for you?