Review by Galen McQuillen, Common Sense Education | Updated May 2016

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Mobile Learning & Study App

Name: Mobile Learning & Study App
Item: Mobile Learning & Study App
Rating: 2
Author: Galen McQuillen

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Tutoring service app offers huge but typical test-prep question bank

Subjects & skills

Grades This grade range is based on learning appropriateness and doesn't take into account privacy. It's determined by Common Sense Education, not the product's publisher.

1–12

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Every question is a spartan, easy-to-read multiple-choice experience.

Explanations are available, but they're not terrifically deep.

There's a huge variety of subjects available.

It's very easy to get started finding a one-on-one tutor.

Pros: Tons of content from first-grade math and science all the way up to advanced tests such as GRE, MCAT, and LSAT.

Cons: Multiple-choice questions are really only good for test preparation, not for learning; explanations are too brief and don't emphasize concepts.

Bottom Line: For test prep, this is a perfectly fine, on-the-go practice-and-review option but is not an effective learning tool on its own.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

You really shouldn't rely on the Mobile Learning & Study App as a regular part of your classroom routine or for daily practice. However, for students who need some casual, free, on-the-go friendly review to get over those standardized-testing slumps, its a great choice. For those students who can't make it to after-school review sessions but could really use it, help them install this on their mobile devices and set up "Question Of The Day." Or use the diagnostic tests to highlight areas for additional review.

The Mobile Learning & Study App is certainly cheaper than online or printed practice tests and prep books or expensive decks of review flash cards. It's fast and easy enough for anyone working toward a big test to get some extra practice without any real overhead.

What Is It?

Mobile Learning & Study App is a test-prep and tutoring app offered by Varsity Tutors. As a company, Varsity Tutors is primarily known for in-person and online tutoring services. This app, however, offers a large and free bank of multiple-choice questions across a broad array of subjects and assessments in addition to being a portal to paid live-tutoring services. Students can take diagnostic and practice tests with nicely presented results or answer the same test questions presented as daily reviews, conceptual reviews (with brief explanations), or customizable flash card decks.

There's a nice breadth of coverage across grades 1–12, including material for the Common Core (CCSS) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and the most common high school tests (SAT, AP, ACT, GED, and more). Beyond K–12, there are resources for professional and graduate-level tests such as the MCAT, LSAT, and GRE. Each question is presented full-screen, with easily selectable options and immediate feedback.

Is It Good for Learning?

The Mobile Learning & Study App app by itself isn't a tool for learning concepts or gaining new knowledge. It's designed mostly for practice and review of content already learned in a classroom or from some other source. Since every question is a test-style multiple-choice question, it won't help with mastery of skills and procedures, nor give learners any deep conceptual understanding. It's useful for preparing for standardized tests, however, familiarizing students with question styles and multiple-choice techniques, or reviewing content before a big assessment.

The "learn by concept" section presents a question with the correct solution already identified, followed by a brief explanation, often with some work shown. This won't really help kids learn much, unless they're already great at sitting down with a textbook and example problems and teaching themselves, which most aren't. However, the app makes up for its lack of depth with a huge number of questions and problems -- for students who need repetition to get things to stick, the Mobile Learning & Study App is a fine option.

Rating Details

Overall Rating

Engagement Is the product stimulating, entertaining, and engrossing? Will kids want to return?

It works well and provides students with easy access to whatever subject or test they're interested in reviewing, but the learning experiences amount to nothing more than standardized test questions.

Pedagogy Is learning content seamlessly baked-in, and do kids build conceptual understanding? Is the product adaptable and empowering? Will skills transfer?

It's perfectly fine for memorization and testing review leading up to a standardized test, but only if the user is already familiar with the content.

Support Does the product take into account learners of varying abilities, skill levels, and learning styles? Does it address both struggling and advanced students?

Outside of paying for the optional live tutoring (which will provide excellent support), students are on their own since there's minimal content help inside the app beyond diagnostics and scoring.

Common Sense Reviewer

Galen McQuillen Researcher

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