Studying can be a tedious and boring process, but Quizlet is a popular tool that many students use to create and study your own flashcards.
Due to its popularity Quizlet is regarded one of the best flashcard apps out there so far because it has a free plan and has many features that make studying more interactive. We say free - but they charge a fee to use even basic functions like to add images for instance or to use their advanced learning features. As a result people also look at popular flashcard apps like Anki and NoteDex.
Quizlet Inc. was founded in 2005 by Andrew Sutherland, a high school senior who wanted to make it easier to quiz himself to learn Spanish vocabulary. Quizlet began as a simple website that let users make their own flashcards online, and soon became the most popular online flashcard tool in the world. In 2012, Quizlet launched its first iPhone app, and has since become one of the most popular education apps in the App Store.
Quizlet's main competitors are apps such as Anki and Brainscape. Quizlet has some features that set it apart from these apps, but they are all fairly similar. Quizlet is probably the most popular flashcards app among students, but there are plenty of other flashcard apps that are worth checking out. More than 50 million users use Quizlet daily which just shows how popular it is! Let's take a deeper dive into the Quizlet Flashcards app and if it really is the ultimate flashcard app?
Quizlet Features
Quizlet has some features that make it different from other flashcard apps. Quizlet has a quiz mode is one of the main features that really sets Quizlet apart from its competitors. Quizlet's quiz mode allows you to quiz yourself on a set of cards, and progress through levels as you answer more questions correctly.
Quizlet also has a study mode that allows you to see your progress, which can be important part of studying if you're trying to memorize things, like vocabulary words or math formulas. Quizlet also has a feature called bookmarks, which lets you bookmark cards as favorites so they'll show up at the top of your feed when you click on them.
Quizlet flashcards are primarily text-based (in the free version). This can be extremely helpful for people who want to learn another language because they can see all of the words and their translations together. Flashcards have also been updated with better fonts, graphics recently (paid version)
What's New in the Quizlet?
Quizlet Learn (formerly known as Quizlet Learning Assistants) is the main app, and Quizlet Live is a learning-related interactive video game.
Quizlet Learn helps in achieving your study goals and has a lot of good features - it is their version of spaced repetition. Quizlet creates an interactive learning pathway from what you have responded. It is Quizlet's attempt to make a more personalized study paths program using science backed study tools that will help you to put your memory to the test.
Quizlet Live is a nice tool that helps teachers in a classroom create an interactive fast paced video game with student engagement. Quizlet also offers offline access (in the paid version).
Who uses Quizlet?
Quizlet users are mainly school children from kindergarten through secondary age, and the app has been adopted by many primary and secondary school students (grade K-12). It can be found in students who have to remember information—such as those who study for the trade exams, standardized test prep, or other foreign languages like for instance to learn Spanish.
Teachers can use Quizlet to create homework sheets to teach their students in the classroom. Instructors can upload the information they want their students to learn. They can share flashcards with other users and invite the class members to use their study set.
What are Quizlet Study Sets?
Quizlet can be used for studying any subjects. It is essentially a flash card study app with advanced features that allows the image uploading, diagrams and audio files. As a result, it is possible to create one or several different study sets for each student. The flashcard app Learn feature is intelligent enough for you to focus on anything you struggle to remember instead of simply using what you already know, helping to create personalized study paths. Quizlet offers many advanced functions in the Plus version, as well as an excellent free account.
The Problem of User-Created Study Sets
Quizlet allows the user to access millions of created study sets, and even share flashcards to other students. The problems arise from these user-generated materials can be confusing, contain errors or otherwise problematic. Parents or teachers are concerned about content. Despite this fact, 80% of the problems we found in Quizlet were minor. The application automatically filters content based on user behavior, meaning higher quality content may be seen while low quality content may be ignored. In addition, there is an opportunity to submit a complaint on any issue you may be having. The availability of pre-prepared cards is useful for learning other foreign languages like for instance to learn Spanish or for standardized tests, and can make the process faster. However it is unclear if there are expert verified textbook solutions.
While it is convenient to use pre-prepared study materials at school level, when students are studying at University level the use of cards from other people can be limiting since the course information might be slightly different. Furthermore, there are many studies that say the process of copying your study notes / creating cards is part of the reinforcement and learning process so for advanced subjects it may still be best to create your own cards.
Many Ways to Study
Quizlet app users have up to 7 ways to study: 1) Learn 2) Flashcards 3) Write 4) Spells 5) Test 6) Match 7) Gravity. The first 5 are found on mobile apps, whereas they can be accessed via the website apps. Learn and Flashcards are the most common digital memory flash card methods used in preparing your studies.
Learn option allows for prompts and you pick your correct response using multiple option selections and all answers available from your Study Set.
Flashcard is what you would expect - simple front and back test.
The option Write shows you an instruction and the user must write the answer. Given the comprehensive features, it is no wonder many consider Quizlet the best studying app and useful for upcoming tests and being test day ready. All these options certainly do help to establish and improve study habits.
How Much does Quizlet Cost?
Based on a look of the Quizlet website, Quizlet Free provides a free version with limited functions as well as a version called Quizlet Plus for around $36 each year to access premium features. It is free to use and includes free features such as Quizlet learning and quizzes. Quizlet Plus is available month by month for recurring payments. There is a seven-day trial available, but credit card must be provided. It's easy to cancel a subscription before it is charged but you need to be on top of your subscription cancellations in your account settings so that it does not renew automatically.
Quizlet Plus gives you an AI learning assistant, ability for image uploading, audio uploads and diagrams, Ad free studying, and offline access when lacking an internet connection. Quizlet has a mobile app, a useful app when on the road and getting yourself to be test day ready.
Alternatives to Quizlet
If your focus is on creating high quality flashcards where you want more editing capability then you may want to check out NoteDex. While NoteDex does not have the range of 'study' modes available in the Quizlet app, it does have a robust Study Mode using the Leitner system help in your spaced repetition and memorization, great for learning a foreign language and putting your memory to the test! Unlike the Quizlet app, it offers the best in class text, image and even ink drawing capability, and you can also share your card stacks with other students. It also offers offline access when you don't have an internet connection.
You can see the difference here between how you create a flashcard in Quizlet and how you do in NoteDex. Quizlet as you can see is very much focused on 'single lines/words' whereas NoteDex is about a capturing your question like a real index card. Which you prefer and which creates the best flashcards likely depends on how simple you want the cards to be and which interface you like better. If you are drawing characters for foreign languages then NoteDex inking function might be useful for you.
NoteDex is available for a one-time fee of $24.99 for one year, $49.99 lifetime if you buy within the Free 7 day trial (No need for subscription cancellations or worry about renew automatically). It can be used on all computers - Windows, Android and Web. Purchasing the app ensures you can continue to use the app and access premium features. Quizlet Free does not allow you to add images, but even the free version of NoteDex does. Therefore, if you don't need the advanced study modes from Quizlet, but do want a good app where you create nice looking flash cards and study them, then you should check out NoteDex.
Conclusion
Quizlet is a quiz app that provides many useful features to help you study for your upcoming tests. The quiz functions are easy to use and allow the user to pick from several options when answering questions, which can be helpful in terms of boosting memory retention. Quizlet also has an offline mode so it's accessible even without internet connection. If this sounds like something you could benefit from but don't want or need all the other features available with Quizlet Plus, then check out NoteDex to make high quality flashcards!