// Study Schedule Generator — FAQ
How does this study schedule generator work?
Add each subject with its exam date and how many hours you think you need. The planner counts every available day between your start date and each exam, subtracts your busy days, then spreads the hours across those days — weighted by difficulty and how soon the exam is. You get a day-by-day calendar you can tick off as you go.
What is spaced repetition and why does it matter?
Spaced repetition means revisiting material at growing intervals instead of once. This planner automatically adds short review sessions roughly 1 day, 3 days and 7 days after you first study something, plus a final pass just before the exam. Decades of memory research show spaced review beats the same number of hours crammed together, because each retrieval strengthens recall.
What does interleaving do?
Interleaving mixes two or three subjects in a day instead of spending the whole day on one. It feels harder, and that is the point — switching forces your brain to retrieve rather than coast, which improves long-term retention and helps you tell similar topics apart. Turn it off in Settings if you prefer single-subject days.
Can I split a subject into topics or chapters?
Yes. Expand any subject and add topics with their own hour estimates. The planner then schedules individual topics rather than a vague block of study, so each session tells you exactly what to open. Topic hours replace the subject total when present.
How do I block out work shifts, classes or days off?
Use the Busy times panel. You can block specific dates (a holiday, a wedding) or recurring weekdays (every Tuesday, every Monday and Thursday). Blocked days get no study sessions, and their hours are redistributed across your remaining days automatically.
Can I export the plan to Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook?
Yes — click .ics to download a standard calendar file with each session as a timed event. Import it into Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook or any calendar app. CSV and plain-text exports are also available, plus a clean print view.
Does it track my progress?
Yes. Tick off sessions as you complete them and the planner shows hours done versus hours remaining per subject, an overall completion bar, and how many sessions are left before each exam. Progress is saved in your browser.
What happens if I do not have enough time before an exam?
The planner warns you when the hours you asked for do not fit the days available. It still produces the best plan it can, filling every available hour, and tells you how many hours short you are so you can either add study days, raise your daily limit, or trim your target hours.
How many hours a day should I study?
Most people do well with three to five hours of focused study per day, in blocks rather than one long stretch. More than that and quality usually drops. Set your realistic daily limit in Settings — a plan you actually follow beats an ambitious one you abandon on day three.
What is the buffer before an exam for?
The buffer reserves the last day or two before each exam for light review instead of new material. Cramming new content the night before tends to crowd out what you already know and costs you sleep, which is when memory consolidates. Set it to zero if you disagree.
How long should each study session be?
The default is 50 minutes of work with a short break, close to the classic pomodoro rhythm. Sessions of roughly 25 to 90 minutes suit most people. Adjust the session length in Settings and the planner will split each day into blocks with breaks between them.
Does the difficulty setting actually change anything?
Yes. Harder subjects receive proportionally more of each day and get scheduled earlier, so the material you find toughest gets the most spaced exposure. Easy subjects are compressed toward their exam date.
Front-load, even or cram — which should I choose?
Front-load puts more hours early, leaving room to react when something takes longer than planned; it suits most people. Even spreads hours uniformly. Cram back-loads toward the exam — it is offered because sometimes you genuinely start late, but it is the weakest option for retention.
Is my data private? Is anything uploaded?
Everything runs in your browser. Your subjects, settings and progress are saved to localStorage on your own device and never sent to a server. There is no account, no tracking of your plan, and no ads. Use the exports to keep a copy elsewhere.
Will I lose my plan if I close the tab?
No — it is saved automatically in your browser and reloads next visit on the same device and browser. Clearing your browser data or using private browsing will remove it, so export a copy if it matters.
Can I use it on my phone?
Yes, the layout adapts to small screens and the calendar scrolls. You can plan on a laptop and export to your phone's calendar with the .ics file, which is usually the most practical way to carry the schedule around.
Is it really free?
Yes — completely free, no signup, no ads, no limits. It is one of a set of free browser tools on this site. If it saved you time you are welcome to buy me a coffee, but nothing is gated.
How accurate are the hour estimates I should enter?
Estimate the total hours of active work each subject needs — reading, practice questions, past papers — not calendar time. If you are unsure, a common starting point is ten to fifteen hours per exam credit or one to two hours per lecture, then adjust after the first week once you see your real pace.