How It Works

How It Works

Everything you need to know about AvaStudy

Getting Started

How does this work?

Upload photos, PDFs, or paste text from your notes. AvaStudyreads your material and automatically creates flashcards, quizzes, and other study games — including questions taken directly from your teacher's review sections. The more you play, the smarter your Study Buddy gets!

For larger study guides, AvaStudy builds a question pool and rotates through it across sessions so you eventually see all of the important material — not just the same few questions each time.

What kind of study guides work best?

AvaStudy works best with material built around facts, definitions, and concepts— the kind of content where there's a clear right answer. Great examples include:

  • History — dates, events, people, causes and effects
  • Science vocabulary — biology terms, chemistry definitions, anatomy
  • English & literature — themes, characters, vocabulary, grammar rules
  • Social studies & geography — capitals, systems, key figures
  • Standardized test prep — SAT, ACT, state exams
  • Medical & nursing — terminology, procedures, pharmacology basics
  • Law & civics — definitions, amendments, case names

Subjects that rely more on performing a skill than recalling a fact are harder to quiz on — things like solving multi-step math problems, lab procedures, music reading, or writing code. AvaStudycan still help you memorize formulas, vocabulary, and rules from those subjects, but it won't replace actually practicing the skill itself.

What file types can I upload?

You can upload in three ways:

  • Photos (JPG, PNG)Great for printed notes, textbook pages, and handouts. Works best when text is clear and large enough to read.
  • PDFsBest accuracy — ideal for digital notes, study guides, and saved textbook pages.
  • Paste textCopy text from any digital source and paste it directly. Fastest and most reliable.

Word (.docx) and PowerPoint (.pptx) files are not directly supported — save them as PDF first, or copy the text and paste it. Handwritten notes work but may have lower accuracy than typed text.

Will I see all the questions from my study guide?

AvaStudytries to preserve every question from your teacher's review sections. For large guides, those questions are saved into a pool and rotated across sessions — each game session shows a fresh set of questions from that pool so you cover more material over time.

Text and PDF uploads tend to be the most accurate. Photos work well too, though very small text or handwriting can reduce how many questions are captured.

For very large question banks (50+ questions), AvaStudy may not capture every single question in one pass — this is a known limitation. Re-uploading with the guide split into smaller files can help in those cases.

Can I replay games?

Yes! You can play any game as many times as you want. Your first play earns full coins and XP. After that it becomes a Practice Session — no coins, but your Study Buddy still gains XP and your progress still counts. Some daily missions even specifically reward you for playing a practice game!

What is Practice Mode?

Each game earns coins once per day. After your first play of a game, the button changes from Play → to Practice → — you can still play as many times as you want, just without earning more coins for that game until tomorrow.

Practice runs still count toward missions, correct-answer totals, and your Study Buddy's XP — so there's always a reason to keep going!

What happens after I finish a game?

The results screen shows your score, coins earned, and any badges you unlocked. It can also show up to three highlight cards:

  • Level Up — shown when your Study Buddy reached a new Level this session.
  • Social nudge — shown when you're in a shared study set and you passed a classmate, are close behind them, or are holding the lead.
  • Tricky items — shown when you missed questions that are now flagged for review.
How accurate are the generated questions?

Generally very accurate for fact-based content — definitions, dates, key people, cause and effect. AvaStudyreads your uploaded material and builds questions directly from what's there.

A few things can affect quality:

  • ·Blurry or low-contrast photos may cause misreads
  • ·Ambiguous phrasing in notes can produce awkward questions
  • ·Very sparse material (a few bullet points) generates fewer questions

After creating a study set, you can view all the generated questions and delete any that don't look right. If quality is consistently low, try re-uploading with a clearer photo or pasted text.

Why didn't my study guide generate many questions?

A few common reasons:

  • Blurry or dark photosText that's hard to read produces fewer (or no) extractions. Retake in good lighting.
  • Sparse notesA page with 5 bullet points will generate 5 questions at most. More content = more questions.
  • Math-heavy or diagram-heavy materialEquations, graphs, and charts are hard to convert to text-based quiz questions.
  • Very short uploadsSingle-page uploads with minimal text naturally yield smaller sets.

For best results: upload a full chapter or set of review notes rather than a few isolated lines. Pasting text directly almost always produces the most questions.

Can I upload photos from my phone?

Yes — you can take a photo right from your phone and upload it directly. When you tap Upload, you'll be able to choose an existing photo from your camera roll or take a new one on the spot.

Works best for printed notes, textbook pages, and teacher handouts. Make sure the text is well-lit, in focus, and fills the frame. Avoid shadows across the page.

Games

What study games can I play?
Boss BattleFace off against a boss. Answer correctly to deal damage before your health runs out.
Chat QuestYour Study Buddy texts you questions — tap the right reply bubble to answer!
Fill in the BlankRead the definition and type the term from memory — the best way to test real recall.
FlashcardsFlip through cards to review terms and definitions at your own pace.
MatchingTap a term, then its matching definition. Earn coins for first-try matches!
QuizPick the right answer from 4 choices. Great for testing what you know.
Speed TapTap the right answer as fast as you can. Speed counts!
Study BlocksAnswer questions to earn block pieces, then place them on the board to clear rows and columns!
Study TowerAnswer correctly to stack blocks and build your tower as high as you can before it falls.
Swipe ChallengeSwipe right for correct, left for wrong — quick and fast.
Pet ProfessorTeach your pet! Explain concepts in your own words and watch your pet learn.
Which game is best for memorization vs. test prep?

Different games train different skills — mixing them gives the best results:

FlashcardsPassive review — best for first exposure to new material
MatchingRecognition — connecting terms to definitions quickly
QuizTest simulation — multiple choice under mild pressure
Fill in the BlankDeep recall — typing answers from scratch, no hints
Pet ProfessorTrue understanding — explaining concepts in your own words
Speed TapFast recognition — great for high-volume vocab drilling
Swipe ChallengeQuick sweep — rapid true/false review before a test

A good study session: start with Flashcards to review, then Quiz or Fill in the Blank to test yourself, then Practice What You Missed to close the gaps.

How does Boss Battle work?

You face a boss with a health bar. Each correct answer deals damage to the boss. Each wrong answer costs you one of your 3 health hearts. Lose all your hearts and it's game over — even if the boss is nearly defeated.

Drain the boss's health bar to win. Your score is based on how much damage you dealt and how many hearts you had remaining. The fastest, most accurate runs earn the most.

How does Chat Quest work?

Your study buddy sends a question as a chat message. Tap the correct reply bubblefrom the options that appear below — it's designed to feel like a real text conversation.

Questions auto-advance after each answer, keeping a fast pace. Wrong answers show a correction before moving on.

How does Fill in the Blank work?

A definition appears on screen and you type the correct term from memory. There's no word bank or multiple choice — it's pure recall. Capitalization doesn't matter, but spelling does.

This is the most challenging game mode and the best for deep retention. If you can produce the answer from scratch, you've truly learned it.

How does Flashcards work?

Tap a card to flip between the term and its definition. Use the arrows to move forward or back through the deck at your own pace. There's no scoring or time pressure — Flashcards is best for a relaxed pre-test review when you just want to see all the material.

How does Matching work?

A grid of cards appears — some showing terms, others showing definitions. Tap a term, then tap its matching definition to clear the pair. Matched pairs disappear from the board.

First-try correct matches earn bonus coins. The game ends when all pairs are cleared. Fewer mistakes and faster clears mean a higher score.

How does Pet Professor work?

A concept is shown and you type an explanation in your own words. Your answer is evaluated by AI for accuracy — not exact wording, so you don't need to memorize definitions verbatim. Your pet reacts to how well you explained it.

This mode tests real understanding, not just recognition. It's the hardest to fake — if you can explain it clearly, you know it.

How does Quiz work?

Each question gives you 4 answer choices — tap the correct one. Wrong answers are immediately shown with the correct answer so you learn as you go. Simple and effective for a quick check of what you know.

How does Speed Tap work?

A definition flashes on screen along with several term options. Tap the correct term as fast as you can — speed is factored into your score alongside accuracy.

Wrong answers add a time penalty, so rushing and guessing hurts more than taking a moment to think. The best scores come from fast and accurate answers.

How does Study Blocks work?

Study Blocks is a block-placement game inspired by Block Blast. Each correct answer earns you a random block piece to place on the 7×7 grid. Wrong answers skip the piece — so studying well gives you more to work with!

Tap a piece in the tray to rotate it, then tap the board to place it (or drag it directly). Filling a complete row or column clears it and earns you 5 bonus coins and 17 points per line — so aim for combos!

Your board is persistent: it saves after every session and picks up exactly where you left off the next day. Each study set has its own board. After 7 days the cycle resets and the board clears so you can build again. You can track your progress with the Day X/7 counter shown on the study set card.

How does Study Tower work?

Answer questions correctly to stack blocks and build your tower as high as you can. Each correct answer adds a block to the top. Each wrong answer shakes the tower, knocks the top block off, and costs you one stability heart.

You start with 3 stability hearts. Lose all three and the tower falls — game over! But you can earn hearts back: every 5 correct answers in a row restores one heart (up to the max of 3).

Your score is the final block count when the game ends — so keep building and protect those hearts!

How does Swipe Challenge work?

A card slides in showing a term or statement. Swipe right if it's correct (matches the definition shown), swipe left if it doesn't. Fast and instinctive — great for rapid-fire review when you're short on time.

Coins & Rewards

What are coins and how do I earn them?

Coins are earned by playing games, hitting milestones, and unlocking badges. Spend them on background colors, hats, glasses, and frames for your Study Buddy in the Pet Closet!

Per game

Each correct answer
+3
Complete any game
+8
Perfect score (100%)
+15
Active streak bonus(per game)
+5
Complete daily challenge
+20
Perfect daily challenge
+10
3-day streak (one-time)(one-time)
+25
7-day streak (one-time)(one-time)
+50

Milestone bonuses (one-time each)

Create your first study guide
+15
Complete your first game
+10
Add to your home screen
+20
Share your first study guide
+20

Badge bonuses (one-time each)

Perfect Score!
+15
Speed Demon
+25
Daily Champion
+25
Game Explorer
+30
Boss Slayer
+30
Daily Warrior
+40
Scholar
+75
Do coins affect learning or are they cosmetic only?

Coins are purely cosmetic— they're used to buy pet backgrounds, hats, glasses, frames, and new animals. They have no effect on your scores, question difficulty, or what content you can study.

There's no pay-to-win and nothing academically useful is locked behind coins. Parents can feel confident that spending (or not spending) coins doesn't change how well the app teaches.

Is there a daily coin limit?

Yes — you can earn up to 300 coins per day. This resets every day, so there's always a fresh chance to earn. Replaying games still counts toward the limit, so every session you put in has value.

What do I spend coins on?

Visit the My Study Buddy page (tap the paw icon) to customize your buddy and unlock new animals.

  • Background colors — 3 colors are free; more unlock for 100–1,000 coins. Shown everywhere your buddy appears.
  • Hats, glasses & frames (Pet Closet) — range from free to 250 coins. Bought items are yours forever.
  • New animals — rarer animals cost more and may require earning specific badges first.
What are badges and how do I earn them?

There are 12 badges to collect. Tap the badge icon in the header to see which ones you've earned. Many badges award a one-time coin bonus when first earned.

Perfect Score!

Got 100% on any game

+15

3-Day Streak

Played 3 days in a row

Week Warrior

Played 7 days in a row

Speed Demon

Aced a Speed Tap with a perfect score

+25

Collector

Created 5 study sets

Daily Warrior

Completed 7 daily challenges

+40

Game Explorer

Played every game type at least once

+30

Boss Slayer

Defeated the Boss 5 times

+30

Hot Streak

Got 5 perfect scores

Legend

Completed 30 daily challenges in a row

Scholar

Got 500 correct answers total

+75

Daily Champion

Played every game for one study set in a single day

+25

Daily Progress & Streaks

Do I lose my streak if I miss a day?

Not necessarily — if you have Streak Freezes, you're covered. A freeze kicks in automatically the next time you play after missing a day — no action needed. 1 freeze covers 1 missed day, 2 freezes cover 2 consecutive missed days.

Without freezes, yes — missing a day resets your streak to zero. Subscribers earn one freeze at every 7-day streak milestone, up to 3 at a time.

What are streaks?
  • Complete the Daily Challenge or play any Study Guide game each day to keep your streak alive. Each day you play earns a streak bonus per game (+5 coins). Hit 3 days in a row for a one-time +25 coin bonus, 7 days for +50, and 30 days for the legendary Legend badge!
  • Missing a day resets your streak — unless you have a Streak Freeze. Subscribers earn one freeze at every 7-day streak milestone (up to 3 at a time). A freeze kicks in automatically the next time you play after missing a day — no action needed. 1 freeze covers 1 missed day, 2 freezes cover 2 consecutive missed days.

    What is the Daily Challenge?

    A short 3-question quiz that refreshes every day. Questions come from your most recent study set and from general knowledge topics. Complete it for +20 coins (or +30 for a perfect score!). It also counts toward your Daily Challenge Streak. You can only do it once per day.

    Smart review: If you have tricky items in your study set, AvaStudy will include one of them in your daily challenge automatically — so your weakest spots get extra practice even when you're not in a full game session.

    How do daily missions work?

    Three missions refresh every day — one Easy, one Medium, one Hard. Each has a coin reward. Complete them for bonus coins on top of what you earn from playing.

    Missions include things like: play a specific game type, score above a threshold, get a set number of correct answers, or try practice mode. Each mission links directly to the relevant game — just tap it to jump straight in.

    Missions reset at midnight. Partially completed missions don't carry over — each day starts fresh.

    Study Buddy & Progression

    How do I level up my Study Buddy faster?

    Your Study Buddy earns XP every time you play. Here's what each action gives:

    Correct answer+5 XP
    Complete a game+20 XP
    Perfect score+30 XP bonus
    Daily Challenge+25 XP
    Streak milestone+15 XP

    Practice sessions count too — so replaying games still earns XP even after coins stop. Going for perfect scores and completing the Daily Challenge every day is the fastest path.

    Do different pets have different abilities?

    All pets play the same games and earn XP at the same rate — there are no stat differences or gameplay advantages between animals.

    Where they differ: personality. Each pet has its own set of speech bubble messages, reactions, and idle lines that reflect its character. A dragon talks differently than a bunny.

    Cosmetic and personality differences only — no pay-to-win, no ability gates. Rarer pets cost more coins but don't give you any learning edge.

    What are the different animal rarities?

    Every animal on the My Study Buddy screen has a rarity tier. Rarer animals cost more coins and may require earning a special achievement to unlock.

    Rarity Tiers

    CommonFree — available from the start
    Rare125 – 300 coins
    Epic600 – 950 coins
    Legendary1,400 – 1,800 coins, some require badges
    Mythic3,000 – 5,000 coins + special badge

    Animals are sorted on the screen as a progression ladder — your active buddy appears first, then other unlocked animals, then locked ones ordered by rarity and cost.

    What is my Study Buddy and what do Levels mean?

    Your Study Buddy represents your learning friendship — it grows every time you study together. Playing games earns XP, which raises your Level. There's no cap — your bond keeps growing as long as you keep learning.

    Friendship Milestones

    Lv 1–2Getting To Know Each Other
    Level 3New Friends
    Level 5Good Friends
    Level 7Best Friends
    Level 10True Companions
    Level 25Legendary Buddy
    Level 50Forever Partner
    Level 100Mythic Bond

    XP comes from correct answers (5 XP each), completing a game (+20 XP), perfect scores (+30 XP bonus), daily challenges (+25 XP), and streak milestones (+15 XP). Early levels take 2–3 games; later levels gradually require more.

    What are "Tricky Items to Review"?

    AvaStudy tracks the items you get wrong most often and marks them as tricky. When you have tricky items, an orange banner appears on your study set page so you can jump straight into a focused practice session. As you get them right more consistently, they move to improving and eventually clear completely. It's like built-in reinforcement — the app keeps nudging you on the hard stuff until it sticks.

    What is "Practice What You Missed"?

    After finishing a game where you got some questions wrong, a button appears on the results screen: Practice What You Missed. Tap it to replay only the questions you got wrong. Perfect for zeroing in on the hard stuff.

    Sharing

    What are shared study sets and leaderboards?

    You can share any study set with classmates using a 5-character share code. Anyone who joins with the code can play all the same games on that material.

    Shared sets have a leaderboard showing everyone's best scores per game type. AvaStudy also shows Challenge nudges on your home screen when a classmate has recently passed you, you're within striking distance of them, or you're ahead and should keep your lead. Tap the nudge to jump straight into the relevant game.

    Joining a shared set is always free — no subscription required. It doesn't count toward your 3-guide upload limit either.

    Challenge nudges can be dismissed and won't reappear for 24 hours.

    Account & Subscription

    Can teachers or parents use AvaStudy?

    Absolutely. Teachers can create study sets from their own materials and share them with an entire class using a 5-letter code. Every student who joins can play the same games on that content — great for review sessions, test prep, and homework practice.

    Parents can use AvaStudy to help their kids study, or create their own account to build sets for family learning. There's no age gate — the app works for any learner.

    Joining a shared set is always free and never uses the 3-guide upload limit.

    Does AvaStudy save my study guides?

    Yes — all your study guides are saved to your account automatically and accessible from any device you sign into. They stay there indefinitely unless you archive or delete them yourself.

    Archived guides are removed from your active list but not permanently deleted. Deleted guides are gone permanently. Your coins, XP, streaks, and pet data are also saved to your account and sync across devices.

    Can I use AvaStudy on multiple devices?

    Yes — sign into the same account on any device and everything syncs automatically: study guides, coins, pets, XP, streaks, and badges. Works on iPhone, Android, iPad, and any modern desktop browser.

    Is AvaStudy free? What does the subscription include?

    AvaStudy is free to start — your first 3 study guide uploads are completely free with full access to all 11 games, all pets, coins, streaks, and every other feature.

    After your 3 free uploads, an Unlimited plan at $6.99/month unlocks unlimited study guide uploads. Everything else stays exactly the same — there are no game modes or features locked behind the subscription, just the upload limit.

    Unlimited Plan — $6.99/month

    Unlimited study guide uploads
    All 11 game modes (already included for everyone)
    All pets & cosmetics (already included for everyone)
    Cancel anytime — no contracts

    Joining a shared study set from a classmate or teacher is always free — it never counts toward your upload limit. The 3-guide limit only applies to guides you create yourself.

    You can manage or cancel your subscription at any time from Settings → Subscription. Billing is handled securely by Stripe — we never store your payment information.

    How do I cancel my subscription?

    You can cancel at any time from within the app — no need to contact anyone.

    1. 1.Tap the gear icon (⚙) to open Settings
    2. 2.Tap "Subscription"
    3. 3.Tap "Manage Subscription" to open the billing portal
    4. 4.Select "Cancel plan" and confirm

    After canceling, you keep unlimited access through the end of your current billing period. After that, your account reverts to the free plan (3 study guide uploads). Your existing study guides, progress, coins, and pets are never deleted.

    Can I add AvaStudy to my home screen?

    Yes! Adding AvaStudyto your home screen makes it load instantly, hides the browser address bar, and makes it feel like a real app. You'll earn +20 coins the first time you open it from your home screen — look for the coin reward popup when it launches!

    iPhone / iPad (Safari)

    1. 1.Open AvaStudy in Safari (not Chrome)
    2. 2.Tap the Share button at the bottom of the screen
    3. 3.Scroll down and tap "Add to Home Screen"
    4. 4.Tap "Add" in the top-right corner
    5. 5.Open the app from your home screen to claim your coins!

    Android (Chrome)

    1. 1.Open AvaStudy in Chrome
    2. 2.Tap the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right
    3. 3.Tap "Add to Home screen" or "Install app"
    4. 4.Tap "Add" to confirm
    5. 5.Open the app from your home screen to claim your coins!

    The coin reward fires automatically the first time AvaStudy opens in full-screen mode from your home screen.

    How do I delete my account?

    You can permanently delete your account and all associated data at any time directly from the app — no need to contact anyone.

    1. 1.Tap the gear icon (⚙) in the top-right corner to open Settings
    2. 2.Tap "Reset progress or delete account" to go to Parents & Safety
    3. 3.Tap "Delete My Account" and confirm with "Yes, Delete Everything"

    Deletion is immediate and permanent. Everything is erased — your profile, coins, XP, streaks, badges, pet, all study sets you created, and your entries on any shared leaderboards. You will be signed out automatically. This cannot be undone.

    Still have questions?