Frequently Asked Questions

ZykoStudy is a study website that turns your own notes, slides, or PDFs into arcade games. It generates practice questions from your material, then lets you answer them by playing games like ZykoCross, Launch IQ, and ZykoDash, complete with XP, levels, and daily streaks. A few games, including quiz racing and soccer, are on the Premium plan. It works for any subject because you bring the material.

Yes. ZykoStudy is built specifically to let you study while playing games: your study questions are the gameplay, so every correct answer drives an arcade game forward. It runs in your browser with nothing to install.

Any subject you want. Upload your own notes or paste in text and we'll turn your material into questions (every plan turns YouTube video links into questions too), or pick a ready-made set another student shared in the public library.

ZykoStudy was founded by Kamran Yashouafar and Nathan Tabibian, two students who built it while studying themselves. They found grinding flashcards miserable but could lose hours to a game, so they built the study tool they actually wanted to use. Both review what ZykoStudy publishes.

Quizlet is built around flashcards; Kahoot is built around live, host-led quizzes. ZykoStudy is solo-first arcade gameplay from your own notes: the questions are woven into real games, so you're playing soccer or dodging rockets while you review. Miss one and you get an instant AI explanation, and your Progress page pinpoints your weak topics so you can drill exactly what you're missing. You actually want to keep playing, which means more study time without it feeling like work.

Not at all. You're never limited to AP. Upload your own notes, slides, and readings for any subject and ZykoStudy generates custom questions from them instantly.

Sign up for an account, upload your notes or pick a study set, choose a game, and start playing. Your XP and progress are tracked automatically.

Yes. Every set can be studied in Questions Only mode: instead of picking a game, choose Questions Only and answer straight through like a focused practice quiz. You keep all the smart study tools, so it's still a big upgrade over flashcards. The AI tutor explains anything you miss the moment you miss it, your results feed your Progress page, weak topics are detected automatically so you can drill exactly what you're missing, and at the end you can replay just the questions you got wrong. It's perfect for a quick review before class or whenever you want zero distractions.

Go to Create a set and either type or paste your notes or upload a PDF (you can paste a YouTube link too). Our AI reads the content and generates multiple-choice questions in seconds. You can review, edit, or delete any question before saving. Your set is ready to play immediately.

Yes. ZykoStudy has a Base plan that costs nothing, with no credit card needed. It includes 10 study-set creations a month, up to 20 questions per creation, 30 AI tutor explanations a month, 10 weak-topic practice packs a month, uploads of up to 30 pages, and a core set of games, with your XP and streaks tracked at no cost. It also turns 3 YouTube videos into question sets a month. A few things are paid: uncapped YouTube videos and adding your own questions to an existing set need Plus ($7.99/month) or Premium ($10.99/month). Right now they're included with every plan, Base included, until Nov 1; after that only Premium unlocks them. You can upgrade any time from Profile → Billing, and cancel any time.

There are three plans. Base is $0, with no credit card. Plus is $7.99/month and adds higher monthly limits, bigger uploads, uncapped YouTube-to-questions, and adding your own questions to a set. Premium is $10.99/month and adds 10× the Base limits, unlimited AI tutor explanations, and every premium game. You can subscribe to Plus or Premium from Profile → Billing, and cancel any time.

Base ($0) gives you 10 set creations a month, 20 questions per creation, 30 AI tutor chats a month, 10 weak-topic practice packs a month, uploads up to 30 pages, 3 YouTube videos turned into questions a month, and a core set of games. Plus ($7.99/month) raises those limits (25 creations, 30 questions each, 60 tutor explanations, 25 weak-topic packs, up to 100 pages per upload), lifts the YouTube cap, and unlocks adding your own questions to a set. Premium ($10.99/month) is 10× the Base limits (100 creations, 100 questions each), unlimited AI tutor explanations, 100 weak-topic packs a month, up to 500 pages per upload, and every premium game included. Premium games carry a Premium badge. They're included with every plan, Base included, until Nov 1; after that only Premium unlocks them.

There are 21 arcade game modes. Some fan favorites: ZykoCross (hop roads and rivers by answering questions), Kickoff Study (3D soccer: sink a shot when you get one right), Launch IQ (answer fast to keep your rocket climbing), Quiz Rush (a 3D racing game where right answers keep you fast), Crystal Descent, Archery Aim, and Blackjack. Most are playable on any plan; five games carry a Premium badge. Right now they're included with every plan, Base included, until Nov 1; after that only Premium unlocks them. New games are added regularly, so check the Games page for the full list.

Yes — Live Race. Anyone can host a race on any study set: you get a 6-character code, your friends or classmates enter it on the Race page, and everyone races the same questions in real time on the Quiz Rush engine. Right answers keep your car fast, and a live leaderboard shows who's ahead as you play. Teachers use it for whole-class review, and friends use it to turn a study session into a competition. Every other game mode is solo, with leaderboards and XP to compete on between races.

Yes! Xbox and PlayStation controllers work across the arcade. Pair one with your phone, iPad, or computer over Bluetooth or USB, then press any button while a game is open and it connects automatically. Steer and aim with the sticks, pick answers with the D-pad, and check the button legend in the corner of each game for the controls.

The games track which topics you miss and surface them more often. Over time, the system focuses your practice on your weakest areas so you improve faster.

After each game, you can review every question with AI-powered tutor explanations. You can also ask follow-up questions to go deeper on any concept.

After you answer any question, an "Explain with Zyko" button appears. Tap it and our AI tutor gives you a plain-English breakdown of why the correct answer is right (and why yours was wrong if you missed it). You can ask follow-up questions in a chat. It's like texting a teacher who knows your exact question.

XP (experience points) are earned every time you answer questions correctly during a game. Harder questions in longer streaks earn more. Your total XP is displayed on your profile and on the leaderboard. Streaks track how many days in a row you've studied, and keeping your streak going gives XP bonuses.

Yes. If you are signed in, your XP, streaks, accuracy stats, and session history are saved to your account and synced across devices.

After every game session, ZykoStudy records which topics you got right and which you missed. Your progress page shows accuracy by topic over time, a heatmap of days you've studied, badges you've earned, and a "Sharpen weak topics" section that auto-generates new questions on the specific topics you keep missing.

Yes. Every set has a shareable link you can send to anyone. They can play it without an account (as a guest) or save it to their library if they sign up. You can also share sets inside a class so everyone studies the same material.

Yes. Teachers can create a class, invite students with a join code, assign custom question sets, and track class progress, all from one dashboard. It works great as a bell-ringer, review activity, or homework alternative.

Go to Question Sets, build or upload a question set, then assign it to your class with a due date. Students complete it in-game and you can view results.

Yes. Each class has its own leaderboard ranked by XP earned, which you can view from the class page. There is also a global leaderboard.

Yes, ZykoStudy runs in any modern browser on phones, tablets, and laptops. No app download needed. Some fast-paced games (like Soccer) play best on a laptop where you can use a keyboard, but the question and flashcard modes work great on mobile.

We don't sell your data, and we don't currently run ads or third-party trackers. Your study sets, answers, and progress are used to run the Service (powering things like weak-topic recommendations, class dashboards for your teacher, and leaderboards), not for advertising. You can delete your account and your associated personal data at any time from your profile settings; limited security logs and backup copies are retained for a period as described in our Privacy Policy.

Yes — through a supervised account you create and control. Kids under 13 can't sign up on their own (that's U.S. children's privacy law, COPPA). Instead, a parent or guardian makes their own free account, opens Profile → Family, and adds the child with a login email and password after giving consent. You can watch their progress by game and subject from your Family dashboard, reset their password, and delete the account at any time. Supervised accounts can play every game but can't use chat or direct messages, don't appear on leaderboards, and AI features stay off unless you turn them on.