Biological Bases of the Brain Study Apps

Here again, on my love for technology, is a post about using educational apps about the brain for study purposes. (As you probably have guessed, I just reached that particular portion of my study materials.) I'm a more visual person (or "right-brained" in study terms) and have always appreciated having a visual aid to accompany lecture or study materials. Since most study materials for the EPPP do not offer that (or it's very basic, if that), here are some cool apps for your phone or iPad that can help you master all of those portions of the brain that might be more difficult to visualize.

Screenshot from 3D Brain App

3D Brain (Free!!) - is a free app (iOS and Android) that outlines basic brain structures, and allows you to move them around in 3D space using your fingers. Its very basic, but also very free! I found so far it seems to do the job pretty well in identifying structures.


Brain Tutor 3D (Free!!) - Provides images of the brain using MRI imaging from multiple views. It also gives information for certain areas of the brain in terms of its parts, location, and function. The images on this app don't look the best, like someone took MRI images and then used Microsoft paint to color in the parts that are labeled. Brain Tutor 3D HD is also available for $1.99, and looks a little bit cleaner and provides more detailed images of the brain. 

Pocket Brain ($14.99) - Obviously, this one is very expensive in contrast to free or $1.99. It appears to be designed more for our friends in the medical field, but there is still potentially some use. It has comprehensive imaging and information about the brain, 3D rotating brain with 9 layers of interactivity, interactive clinical cases, multiple quizes, and the ability to add your own notes to the app. Here is an additional review of this app. 

Another study material that can be handy, and if you enjoyed coloring books as a child (and secretly love doing it now) is "The Human Brain Coloring Book". Just as a warning, this book is designed for anatomy students, so it is probably more comprehensive than for our purposes, but you can always take the color the pages that fit your study needs. Otherwise, just find some diagrams of various parts of the brain online, and pull out those colored pencils! 

Stage 1: Neuroticism

I have been studying for the EPPP these past couple of weeks using study materials from Academic Review, and I am finding myself feeling incredibly overwhelmed with the amount of material. This is not to bash the materials, I'm just realizing they don't work very well for me personally. I'm finding myself creating insane amounts of flashcards after also trying outlines - either of which I am not finding to be helpful in absorbing the dense material. I've decided to look at other study programs, specifically PsychPrep's program, which seems to present more condensed materials, and more prescribed program of study.

PsychPrep offers a free introductory package to those interested in getting a taste of their materials, including 1 section from learning/behavioral theory study materials, a set of mp3 tracks to listen to the associated lecture material, and the mp3 tracks and lecture materials for their free study strategies workshop offered in California (that normally the rest of us wouldn't be able to get to).

After listening to the study strategies workshop, I identified with a lot of the faults in my current study habits, like doing endless amounts of flashcards or outlines that don't help you absorb the materials. At this point, I am planning on using PsychPrep's program to get through the rest of my studying process. They can be a bit pricey, but I don't know a set of materials that isn't at this point, and additionally you can still receive some return when you sell the materials after you pass the EPPP, which I don't believe is hard to do considering all of the used EPPP study materials I replied to and they told me the materials were already sold.

Either way, if you can sample study materials, you might be able to get a feel for what is best for you. Most study material companies have return policies on their materials, so you should be able to purchase and give it a try. If it's not for you, return them and find a system that works best for your study method! In addition to PsychPrep, the Taylor Method also offers an online trial of their materials. If you are considering either of these methods, they are worth a try before you buy!

Flashcard Exchange and Quizlet Apps

Flashcardexchange.com and Quizlet.com are excellent resources for both making your own flashcard sets, or borrowing from others who have made EPPP flashcards. I've been wanting to make my own for on-the-go use, using my iPhone or iPad, and you can easily upload flashcard sets from the exchange to your mobile device. I'm a technology lover personally, and so I love to take any opportunity I can to incorporate the excessive amount of money I have spent on electronics. Here are some of the top apps for flashcards. All of these apps are compatible with Flashcard Exchange, Quizlet, or both.

Quizard ($2.99) and Quizard Lite (free!) - Has flashcard, quiz, and test mode. Warning - the "lite" version only allows sets of 20 cards, so it won't be long before you'll have to purchase the full app.

Mental Case Flashcards HD ($5.99) - This app allows you to record audio and add photos to your flashcards, and can upload flashcard sets from Flashcard Exchange or Quizlet. This app looks beautifully designed and is also available for iPad. They also have software for Mac computers.

Flashcards Deluxe ($3.99) and Flashcards Deluxe Lite (free!) - This one seems to have some of the best user ratings on the iTunes store. Offers a variety of study modes and can hold over 10,000 flashcards. Again, the free version is more like a demo version to see if you want to purchase the app - it allows 4 decks with 6 cards each.

Flashcards++ ($3.99) - High user ratings like Flashcards Deluxe, offers over 20,000 flashcards in a deck (most of these apps are designed for foreign language study), and like Flashcards Deluxe, you can rate yourself on how well you know the answer. This one seems more aimed for foreign language study, so I think I would go with Flashcards Deluxe.

Flashcards to Go ($3.99) and Flashcards to Go Lite (free!) for iPad - This app, like most apps specifically designed for iPad, can have more features and fit more on the screen due to the iPad's screen size. It's more organized, prettier, but has a lot of similar features to the other apps. You can record audio with the flashcards, and beyond using Quizlet or Flashcard Exchange, you can also use CSV and other file forms to upload cards.

If you're up for technology, check out some of these apps for flashcard studying! You can also search for pre-made decks from those before us so you don't have to reinvent the wheel! Click on the "Free Study Materials" link above for links to previously made EPPP flashcards on FlashcardExchange.com and Quizlet.com.

Use those coupons!

If you are considering getting a new set of purchased study materials, I strongly encourage you to sign up for emails from the companies you are looking at. For example, I am looking to buy the 6 month access to Academic Review's ExamCenter database, which is basically where you can take all of their practice tests, and currently receive emails from them on a fairly regular basis.

When you sign up for emails, you will periodically receive offers like the one you see here, for either a percentage or specific dollar amount off of their products. I get an email from Academic Review for discounts at least once a month, and I expect to get another one around the 4th of July Holiday too. (It's almost like these companies know how poor we are! LOL!) You can also find these coupons in APA's Monitor on Psychology and GradPSYCH magazines. The back of this month's APA Monitor features an offer for $150 off Academic Review's Home Study Package, and on the last page there is a 20% off any EPPP study package from the AATBS - both being the two major companies in EPPP home study materials.

Bottom Line: You should NEVER pay full retail price for new materials, should you be looking to buy. Look around for offer codes around the web, through emails, or print magazines from APA.