THE STUDY APP BUILT ON THE EVIDENCE. NOT THE VIBE.
Spaced repetition. Active recall. Deliberate practice. The methods that cognitive science has proven actually work. No passive rereading. No highlighting. No lies.
ShiftGlitch is a free study platform for students that turns cognitive science into a playable system. It gives you spaced repetition flashcards, active recall sessions, a Pomodoro focus timer, and an AI learning planner — all free, with no credit card. Students earn ranks by demonstrating mastery and can complete The 100 — Mastery Protocol to earn a verified digital certificate.
NO CREDIT CARD · NO TRIAL TIMER · NO NONSENSE
YOU'VE BEEN STUDYING WRONG YOUR ENTIRE LIFE.
Every year, millions of students sit down to study and do exactly the same thing: open their notes, read them through, close them again. Highlight in fluorescent colours. Reread the same pages the night before an exam.
It does not work. The research on this is not ambiguous.
> Hermann Ebbinghaus, 1885: humans forget roughly 70% of new information within 24 hours without active reinforcement. 140 years of cognitive science has refined that finding — but never overturned it.
Without active reinforcement, most new memories are gone within a day. This is the Forgetting Curve — and rereading does nothing to stop it.
Roediger & Karpicke (2006): students who tested themselves retained 50% more after one week than those who reread. Testing is not assessment. It is the most powerful learning method known.
Distributed practice over days and weeks produces dramatically stronger retention than cramming. The timing of study matters as much as the amount.
EIGHT TOOLS. ALL GROUNDED IN PEER-REVIEWED SCIENCE.
Every tool is a structured implementation of a known learning method. Students are not just given a timer. They are given a framework.
25-minute focused sessions. Subject tagging. Phone-lock nudge. After 4 consecutive same-domain sessions the Governor blocks you and forces a breakdown. Every session earns rank evidence.
A full implementation of the Leitner System — cards sorted into 5 boxes by retention level. Visual orbit indicators show memory stability. Cards that advance count as rank evidence.
4-phase guided active recall. Write everything from memory. Read your notes. Write again. Compare. Confront exactly what you do and don't know. The most honest study method available.
100-question MCQ knowledge assessment across 5 missions. Every question tied to real learning science. Surfaces knowledge gaps directly. Each submission counts as rank evidence.
If you cannot explain it simply, you do not understand it. Write a plain-language explanation as if teaching a 10-year-old. Add a rough sketch. The explanation reveals the gaps.
Name a knowledge domain. Run 6 ordered cognitive exploits in sequence. Achieve Domain Clearance. Reset and run again. The repeat mechanic is the point — second run is always deeper.
The Mainframe fights back. Full-screen dramatic events fire when decks decay, when you go inactive, when you earn a rank promotion. The app feels alive. The Mainframe feels hostile.
47 messages. Three modes: observer, guide, adversary. Appears unpredictably. Snakes and Ladders progression — streaks earn bonuses, inactivity earns penalties. Non-linear. Unpredictable. Real.
+ 10 COGNITIVE EXPLOIT MODULES · LEADERBOARD · SQUAD MODE · AI MISSION ARCHITECT · TEACHER DASHBOARD
100 evidence-based exploits across 7 intel chapters — every strategy backed by cognitive science. Marty Finch is your guide. Complete challenges. Earn chapter badges. Prove mastery in the Boss Fight. Graduate with a verified certificate.
Across 7 chapters. Each one a proven cognitive strategy with a real-world challenge.
Environment. Time. Recall. Reading. Health. Digital. Mindset.
Gemini-powered AI tutor embedded in every strategy. Ask Marty anything.
Score 75%+ on the Boss Fight to earn a verified Mastery Protocol certificate.
FIVE RANKS. EARNED BY BEHAVIOUR. NOT BY PURCHASES.
Progression is permanent and irreversible. It cannot be bought, skipped, or hacked. Every threshold must be met simultaneously. There are no shortcuts — except the legitimate ones.
Starting rank. No evidence required. This is where everyone begins — being moved by systems they don't understand.
No evidence required. This is where everyone begins.
You've started using the tools. Consistency is forming. The Mainframe acknowledges your presence.
Evidence of sustained practice. No longer just using the tools — you understand what they do and why.
Significant demonstrated behaviour. Real mastery is taking shape — not claimed, proven.
The highest rank. Sustained, documented evidence across weeks and months. Permanent. Irreversible. Impossible to fake.
7-day streak → 10% threshold reduction on all rank requirements.
10+ day inactivity → rank promotion blocked until activity resumes.
BrainDump 200+ words + Boss Fight 90%+ + Speed Run 5/5 → immediate clearance boost.
FREE IS GENUINELY FREE. PRO IS WORTH IT.
Progression is earned, not purchased. No rank can be bought. Monetisation never affects learning outcomes.
- ✓ Unlimited flashcard decks
- ✓ Full Learning Governor (Pomodoro)
- ✓ Blurting Method — BrainDump sessions
- ✓ MCQ Diagnostic Boss Fights
- ✓ Babel Fish Metaphor Lab
- ✓ Full 5-rank progression system
- ✓ System INTERRUPT + The Warden
- ✓ Memory Palace + Mind Map + Chunking
- ✓ Global leaderboard
The free tier is genuinely useful. Always.
- ✓ Everything in Free
- ✓ AI Mission Architect (study plan generator)
- ✓ Squad Mode — co-op groups up to 4
- ✓ Advanced Cognitive Exploit Modules
- ✓ Mistake Vault + Teach It + Dual Coding
- ✓ The Interleave + Concept Mapper
- ✓ Operative Status Board — full analytics
- ✓ Pro access for all enrolled students
- ✓ Teacher Dashboard — class analytics
- ✓ At-risk students flagged automatically
- ✓ Printable individual progress reports
- ✓ JSON export — one file per student
- ✓ Dedicated support channel
- ✓ Formal invoice for finance department
Heads of department can often approve this without committee.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE SYSTEM
Every ShiftGlitch tool is built on peer-reviewed cognitive science. Read the research behind the strategies — free, no account required.
The forgetting curve, the Leitner system, and why reviewing at the right moment beats cramming every time.
Testing yourself produces 80% retention after one week. Rereading produces 40%. The testing effect is real.
If you cannot explain it simply, you do not understand it. A four-step method for closing knowledge gaps.
25 minutes. Full attention. Forced rest. Why time-boxing beats marathon sessions on every metric.
K. Anders Ericsson's research: focused work on specific weaknesses, with immediate feedback, beats comfortable repetition.
Your working memory holds 4–7 items max. Every distraction steals from your learning budget. Sweller's CLT explains how to study within that limit.
The method of loci: 2,500 years old, neuroscientifically proven. How to encode information into spatial memory for near-perfect recall.
Why associative networks outperform linear notes for understanding. How to build a mind map that doubles as an active recall tool.
A practical evidence-based guide combining the most effective study techniques into a single workflow you can deploy today.
How to structure the final weeks before an exam — spacing, retrieval practice, sleep, and avoiding the most common pre-exam mistakes.
DOWNLOAD THE
OFFLINE STUDY APP
Synapse Light is a self-contained HTML file you download once and use forever — no internet, no login, no account. Four core study tools, space theme, rank progression.
Focus timer · Leitner flashcards · Brain dump · MCQ quizzes
Open the file in any browser. Works on planes, in libraries, anywhere. Your data stays on your device.
The same four proven techniques ShiftGlitch is built on — spaced repetition, active recall, Pomodoro, and MCQ self-testing.
No spam. Unsubscribe any time.
READY TO JACK IN?
The app is live. Create your account and start earning rank immediately. Or join the waitlist for early access intel.