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Show HN: Prepform – AI and spaced-repetition to optimize learning

prepform.com

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Show HN: Prepform – AI and spaced-repetition to optimize learning

#1

Post by techmowgli »

Hi, I'm Eric and I'm the founder and lead developer of Prepform.

A high-quality education helped me pursue my interests and achieve my goals. I started Prepform so students of all backgrounds have access to the same kind of education.

I grew up in Southern California, surrounded by dozens of SAT prep programs, and I swear I must have gone to all of them. Different programs followed different styles and techniques, but the strategy they shared was to create a study plan and review mistakes.

A study plan is taking a diagnostic test,

setting a target score,

creating a study schedule,

identifying mistakes, and finally

reviewing those mistakes.

I wanted to take this structure and optimize it with machine learning, while accounting for elements of human learning and memory. I'm a big fan of SuperMemo, a memorization technique developed by Piotr Wozniak, where you review material just as you're about to forget it. Cognitive psychology tells us human forgetting follows a pattern, but Piotr quantified this behavior to identify the precise moment forgetting happens.

The goal was to build on his research with AI and tailor it to not only test prep but to the individual student, and make it the engine of the study plan.

The result is Blended Prep, which guides students to internalize knowledge rather than memorize material, and gives them the best chance to ace their next exam.

I'm so excited to share this with the HN community, and would love to know what you think. You can try it out at https://prepform.com. Thanks for reading.

Show HN: Prepform – AI and spaced-repetition to optimize learning
prepform.com

Re: Show HN: Prepform – AI and spaced-repetition to optimize learning

#2

Post by awb »

The concept sounds interesting.

My kids use DuoLingo and Khan Academy for learning and their methods seem effective. Would you consider yourself a “DuoLingo for exams”, or is your learning philosophy different enough that that’s not accurate?

Some feedback on the site:

1) I’d suggest replace “Remember everything” with something less absolute. I don’t that’s a realistic goal and had me doubting the rest of what I was reading. Humans forget sometimes and that’s OK.

2) A lot of words were underlined. I thought they were links.

Good luck with your business!

Re: Show HN: Prepform – AI and spaced-repetition to optimize learning

#3

Post by rahimnathwani »

Some feedback:

1. Good that you can try it out without signing in.

2. Bad that the screen where you select the things is so complicated.

3. Bad that the maximum # questions is 0, even though I've chosen options that have questions (see screenshot)

https://i.imgur.com/ZMfZwHs.png

Re: Show HN: Prepform – AI and spaced-repetition to optimize learning

#4

Post by danuker »

rahimnathwani wrote: post #3

Some feedback: 1. Good that you can try it out without signing in. 2. Bad that the screen where you select the things is so complicated. 3. Bad that the maximum # questions is 0, even though I've chosen options that have questions (see screenshot) https://i.imgur.com/ZMfZwHs.png

I see it happens when I check the "High" difficulty.

I can't tell the difference between radio buttons and checkboxes (which should be square).

Re: Show HN: Prepform – AI and spaced-repetition to optimize learning

#5

Post by techmowgli »

awb wrote: post #2

The concept sounds interesting. My kids use DuoLingo and Khan Academy for learning and their methods seem effective. Would you consider yourself a “DuoLingo for exams”, or is your learning philosophy different enough that that’s not accurate? Some feedback on the site: 1) I’d suggest replace “Remember everything” with something less absolute. I don’t that’s a realistic goal and had me doubting the rest of what I was…

Thanks! My learning philosophy is that the bulk of learning happens when you review material. I want students to see the topics they missed, and answer 3 questions about their mistakes: "What did I do wrong?", "What should I have done instead?", and "What is the clue in this question that I missed?".

This "mistake log" will use spaced-repetition to show their mistake just as they are about to forget it. I think this is a huge missed opportunity for companies like Duolingo and Khan Academy. My goal is to guide students through a study plan, so they know what to study and for how long.

I appreciate the feedback!

Re: Show HN: Prepform – AI and spaced-repetition to optimize learning

#6

Post by techmowgli »

rahimnathwani wrote: post #3

Some feedback: 1. Good that you can try it out without signing in. 2. Bad that the screen where you select the things is so complicated. 3. Bad that the maximum # questions is 0, even though I've chosen options that have questions (see screenshot) https://i.imgur.com/ZMfZwHs.png

Thanks for taking the time for the screenshot and highlighting! I'll look into the bug.

Re: Show HN: Prepform – AI and spaced-repetition to optimize learning

#7

Post by techmowgli »

danuker wrote: post #4
rahimnathwani wrote: post #3

Some feedback: 1. Good that you can try it out without signing in. 2. Bad that the screen where you select the things is so complicated. 3. Bad that the maximum # questions is 0, even though I've chosen options that have questions (see screenshot) https://i.imgur.com/ZMfZwHs.png

I see it happens when I check the "High" difficulty. I can't tell the difference between radio buttons and checkboxes (which should be square).

Agreed. It's nice to have fresh eyes looking at the site. Thanks!

Re: Show HN: Prepform – AI and spaced-repetition to optimize learning

#8

Post by onemoresoop »

rahimnathwani wrote: post #3

Some feedback: 1. Good that you can try it out without signing in. 2. Bad that the screen where you select the things is so complicated. 3. Bad that the maximum # questions is 0, even though I've chosen options that have questions (see screenshot) https://i.imgur.com/ZMfZwHs.png

It would be nice to be able to see pricing too.

Re: Show HN: Prepform – AI and spaced-repetition to optimize learning

#9

Post by techmowgli »

onemoresoop wrote: post #8
rahimnathwani wrote: post #3

Some feedback: 1. Good that you can try it out without signing in. 2. Bad that the screen where you select the things is so complicated. 3. Bad that the maximum # questions is 0, even though I've chosen options that have questions (see screenshot) https://i.imgur.com/ZMfZwHs.png

It would be nice to be able to see pricing too.

I'll make it clearer that it's free! The business model is B2B, and the B2C part is to show off the tech.

Re: Show HN: Prepform – AI and spaced-repetition to optimize learning

#10

Post by skyde »

the website and the idea look great overall. But compared to Kahn academy I miss that each test (set of question) is not focused on one single new concept.

When using Kahn academy, the sequencing is basically

1- watch video about 1 new concept you do not already know 2- try to do a bunch of question about that new concept to make sure you master it 3- if not go back to step #1 but if you master it (progress to the next concept)

It feels more like a video game where you unlock level sequentially and it is more fun.

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