Free tool
A free, no-signup Pomodoro timer with customizable work and break lengths. Set it, start it, and it auto-advances through work and break phases, counting completed sessions as it goes.
Runs entirely in this tabThe timer gets you sitting down; Encodr's feed decides what's worth reviewing once you are.
Get started freeThe classic structure is 25 minutes of focused work followed by a 5-minute break, with a longer 15-20 minute break after every 4th work session - all of it adjustable here to fit a longer or shorter attention span. The mechanism it's really solving for is starting: a fixed, short work block lowers the activation energy to sit down, since "25 minutes" feels far more finishable than "study until done." It doesn't change what you retain from that time - that still depends on what you do inside each block (active recall beats passive rereading regardless of the timer), so pair it with material that's actually testing you, not just re-reading notes on a clock.
A fixed timer doesn't change what spaced repetition or retrieval practice do - it changes whether you sit down at all.
Where the rule comes from, when it overshoots, and when it badly undershoots what a course actually needs.
Spaced repetition and retrieval practice were tested on word lists and vocabulary, not just MCAT content - what carries over to engineering, business, and art courses.
Enter your exam date, hours needed, and difficulty to see how much less time targeted review actually takes.
Open tool →See the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve for cramming vs. spaced review, and where each review session resets your retention.
Open tool →Enter a course, its credit hours, and how memorization-heavy it is to get a recommended daily and weekly study load.
Open tool →Enter your current grade, the final's weight, and your target grade to see the exact score you need on the final.
Open tool →Calculate your unweighted and weighted GPA (honors +0.5, AP/IB +1.0) side by side - not just pre-med, works for any transcript.
Open tool →Enter total questions and the passing percentage to see exactly how many you can miss and still pass.
Open tool →