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Study Scheduler

How to get started with and use the Study Scheduler

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Written by Erin Sunderlin
Updated yesterday

Exam Stress? We’ve Got You Covered!

The Picmonic Study Scheduler is an adaptive tool designed to help you efficiently learn and review all the material you need before your exam date.

Step 1: Set Up Your Study Plan

To get started, sign in through the website and click “Schedule” in the left-side navigation menu. You’ll be prompted to enter a few key details:

  • Your exam date

  • The number of days per week you plan to study

  • Topics covered on your exam

  • The order of content to align with your class schedule

From there, the Study Scheduler calculates a personalized plan, including time recommendations and buffer days, to help you stay on track.


Smart Time Recommendations

The Study Scheduler uses your input to estimate:

  • How much time you'll need to study per week

  • How long each Lesson should take

  • The best order to study topics for optimal retention

It assumes you're completing each Lesson fully — watching videos, taking quizzes, and using the Smart Review Quiz — while factoring in review frequency and buffer time.

Time to Learn & Review

  • To Learn a Picmonic: Time = educational audio + story audio (optional) + multiple-choice quiz

  • To Review: Time = optimal number of reviews × number of questions × 15 seconds per question

The number of recommended reviews varies based on how far away your exam is — the longer the timeline, the more spaced repetition you'll need.


What Are Buffer Days?

Buffer time is extra time built into your schedule before the exam to account for unexpected delays. These days are added automatically based on your total available study time.


Step 2: Completing Your Lessons

The Scheduler generates Lessons, which include a mix of new content and review material. You’ll need to complete a set number of Lessons each week, based on your selected study days.

Lesson Components:

  • Learning Queue: New Picmonic topics for the day

  • Smart Review Queue: Previously learned material prioritized for review

  • Lesson Duration: Varies depending on the number of topics and review questions

Learning Queue

A Picmonic is marked “Learned” once you’ve:

  • Seen all the facts (via audio or manual click-through)

  • Quizzed on all facts (correct or not)

Any incorrectly answered facts are added to the Smart Review Quiz. If a Picmonic is skipped or exited early, it won’t count as complete.

Smart Review Queue

This quiz dynamically pulls in previously missed or less-recently reviewed facts. It adjusts based on your accuracy and how long it’s been since you last saw the information. Get it wrong? You’ll see it more often. Get it right? You’ll see it less.


Learn–Review Progression

Each Lesson balances new learning and review. Over time, the Scheduler gradually shifts your time toward review using an exponential decay model. This ensures long-term retention by increasing your review load closer to your exam.

Example:
If your study plan includes 10 Lessons at 60 minutes each, early Lessons may be 80% learning / 20% review, while later ones flip to 20% learning / 80% review.


Completion Criteria

  • A Lesson is complete once you’ve played and quizzed on all Learning topics and answered all Smart Review questions correctly.

  • Your Study Schedule is complete the day after your exam — at which point you’ll be prompted to give feedback and can set up a new plan.


Need Help?

Reach out to us at feedback@picmonic.com or click the chat icon in the bottom-right corner of your screen.


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