We may earn a commission from links on this page.Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding Lifehacker as a preferred source for tech news.While it's true that hand-writing helps you retain more of what you're studying, it's also true that the convenience of a phone or computer just can't be beaten. Taking your study materials with you wherever you are and having digital access to them can be a major benefit, whether you're preparing for a test in school or memorizing points before a big work presentation.It's important, however, to choose the right apps. There are thousands of vaguely "academic" apps out there, and plenty of developers who would love for you to choose theirs (and, often, pay a monthly subscription fee), but some are definitely more useful than others. Ideally, you'll choose apps that align with a specific approach or studying method that works for you. Here are seven of my favorites, based on what I think they're most useful for.The best study app for flashcards: Brainscape Credit: Lindsey Ellefson I recently reviewed a boatload of flashcard apps—some for foreign languages, some that turn your Google Sheets into study materials, and some that are super simple to use—but my absolute favorite was Brainscape. I gave it five stars out of five because it has so many standout features. For instance, There's a giant library of existing card decks that have been reviewed and approved by experts and some of those decks come straight from credentialing boards to help you study for specific entry or certification exams. You can also use AI to quickly generate the cards you need for a specific class. It works across your phone and computer, which I find helpful because I actually prefer using my computer for work tasks whenever possible. Maybe most crucially, Brainscape uses the all-important Leitner method to help you study with spaced repetition for maximum retention. It does all this and it's relatively cheap at $19.99 per month, at least compared to its less-involved competitors. Out of all the apps I've reviewed, this is the one I use the most, often in conjunction with Google's NotebookLM, to study for an upcoming certification exam. The credentialing board behind that test uploaded official study materials to Brainscape, so when I study those flashcard decks, I know I'm reviewing the genuine test content. Because the app utilizes the Leitner method, I'm also reviewing the questions I struggle with more frequently than the ones I've mastered. I use it every day for about 20 minutes, and will continue to do so until I take my test. It's available on iOS, Android, and in your browser. The best study app for mind maps: Xmind Credit: Xmind You like studying with mind maps more than flashcards? No problem. Some people are visual learners who prefer seeing how concepts connect over committing individual facts to their memory. If that sounds like you, download Xmind, which is free on the iOS App Store, but will cost you $99 per year after your two-week trial. You can make a blank mind map to organize your notes, but it also comes with a ton of templates for mind maps that focus on problem-solving, business plan creation, project management, or whatever else. They're color-coded, easy to create and edit, and can be accessed by multiple accounts, so you can work on them in tandem with others on your team. Perfect for group projects! Read my full review here. Bear in mind that you can make a mind map with a pencil and paper or software like Canva, but I'm not particularly artistically gifted myself. The nice thing about Xmind is that you don't need to sketch out the diagram yourself, waste time erasing or rearranging, or do much of anything beyond pulling up a template. Mind maps are a helpful complement to other study methods, like REAP, because they give you a new way to revise your notes. The more ways you revise and review, the more likely the material is to stick with you. Don't make it harder than it has to be.The best study app to minimize distractions: Flora Credit: Flora Flora, available on iOS (and soon on Android and Chrome extension), isn't actually a study app so much as a focus app—but when you're studying, that matters a lot, as I explained in my full review. It's similar to some other apps on the market in that you grow "trees" in a virtual forest, but they only grow as long as you don't interrupt them by using your phone. What I like about this one, though, is that it's free to download and use. You have the option to donate if you want to plant real-life trees based on your own forest and the option to bet actual money on the fact that you won't kill your tree, which will only happen if you abandon your task during the preset time you scheduled the app for focusing. For instance, I grew a tree successfully by telling the app I wanted to work for 10 minutes straight, then take a five-minute break. You can pick the kinds of trees you grow, how long you spend working, how long your breaks are, and whether your app keeps data on your focus times and/or resets after a week or a month. It's easy to use and very relaxing. This technique—focusing for a period of time, then getting a small break before starting again—is known as the Pomodoro method. There are lots of variations of the method, but the classic form calls for you to work for 25 minutes, break for five, repeat the cycle four times, and then take a longer break. This app, which is pleasant to look at and gives you the "reward" of virtual and real-life trees, makes sticking with that practice a lot easier. The best study app for staying organized: MyStudyLife Credit: MyStudyLife I like MyStudyLife as a planner because it's specially designed for school, while apps like iCal and Google Calendar aren't (although you can import your iCal data on here, too). Available on iOS and Android, this tool is free but extremely customizable: You can enter in assignments, tests, and course details right down to the room the class is in and the name of the professor who teaches it. The app will remind you whenever you have something coming up and keeps it all organized in a very simple calendar. It's got a bare-bones interface that is super easy to use and navigate and, for $4.99 per month or $29.99 per year (after a free one-week trial), you can access additional features like grade tracking, widgets, and dark mode. It works absolutely fine on the free version, though, which is why it's the best planner on the market right now. Read my full review here.A scheduling app like this one is helpful for staying organized, but it really shines when you're following a scheduled study routine, like 2357, which calls on you to review and revise your material on the second, third, fifth, and seventh day of a study cycle. Spacing out the time between study sessions is crucial for entrenching information in your brain, but a schedule so rigid can tough to stick to unless you take the time to pre-plan, which is where My Study Life comes in.The best study app for note-taking: Notion Credit: Lindsey Ellefson Previously, I thought Evernote was the best app for note-taking, but during the process of reviewing it, I learned that some of its fans have been abandoning it in favor of Notion—so I reviewed that, too, and found that it is superior. This isn't to say Evernote is the worst, but rather that there exists an app that does what Evernote does and does it better: Notion is easy to use, manages your home, school, and work lives seamlessly, comes pre-loaded with templates (like to-do lists, meal and recipe planners, and class schedulers), has a built-in AI assistant, performs well across platforms, and generally shines as a life-management tool. By providing you space to take notes, whether on your iPhone or Android or using your browser, it makes it possible to keep everything in order. You can record lectures, upload study materials, and just generally stay organized. Best of all, you only need to pay if you're using it on a big team, like in a work setting. If you're using it to manage your personal life or as a studying tool, the free version works excellently. It gets you a calendar, subtasks, formulas, basic automations, charts, and more.The best study app for perparing for a specific class: NotebookLM Credit: Google I am a bit of an evangelist for NotebookLM, and though its mobile app isn't nearly as useful as the browser version, I'm including it here because it's my favorite study tool right now, and you can use it just fine in your phone's browser. For studying, it's elite, because it's a large language model like any other AI chatbot, but it only pulls its answers from the materials you input. That means you can stick whatever your professor gives you—slide decks, study guides, chapter scans, links, YouTube videos—in there, ask it questions, and know that you're only getting information from those sources, not the wider Internet. In addition to being able to help you identify themes, answer questions, and create outlines through the chatbot, it can generate quizzes, flashcards, and mind maps. It also creates podcasts with two AI hosts discussing your materials. I've found those invaluable because I can listen to them while I do other tasks. For free, you get 100 notebooks (which are the designated folders you can sort into), 50 sources per notebook, 50 daily chat queries, and three daily audio podcasts. It bumps up to $20 per month if you need more than that, but even as someone who uses it every day, I have never needed to pay. The free version is plenty. The best study app for standardized test prep: Khan Academy Credit: Khan Academy If you're studying for a specific standardized test, like the SAT or an AP exam, you need to know your materials are in line with the test content. You have college credits and money riding on this, after all, so it's no time to just review whatever random study guides you can find online. Enter Khan Academy, a nonprofit and partner of the College Board. The company has free courses in a bunch of AP classes, a variety of subjects, and, of course, standardized tests like the SAT and LSAT. Depending on your educational journey, you could start with Khan Academy in high school and stick with it all the way through law school. In addition to the classic study guides and quizzes, KA also has videos that walk you through practice problems or even give overviews of things like the calculator policy for the SAT. Studying material is one thing, but being prepared for the experience is another, and this app is well-rounded there.Again, this one performs better on desktop than mobile, but its phone app is great for watching videos on the go.