Frequently Asked Questions
Table of Contents
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- How is DrillVocab.com different from other oline flashcard websites?
- What is a "Frequency Based Approach"?
- What is this "language map" that shows up?
- What is Auto-Select Mode?
- What is Scan-Mapping Mode?
- What is Sequential Mode
- Do I really not need to register?
- Who is responsable for DrillVocab.com?
- How is DrillVocab.com free?
Questions & Answers
How is DrillVocab.com different from the other online flashcard websites?
DrillVocab.com differs in many signifant ways from other websites. First, we utilize our frequency based approach to vocab learning which we have coupled with a sophisticated Auto-Select algorithm which together hone in on the vocab you don't know, while maximizing the payoff of your learning effort.
What is a "Frequency Based Approach"?
Unlike other vocabulary drills, DrillVocab.com uses a frequency based approach to learning vocabulary. This means that you are learning the most frequently used words first, and thus maximizing the return for your effort. The use of our Auto-Select Mode ensures that your time isn't wasted on grossly simple words either, this way the quiz is constantly geared to your skill level.
The value of a frequency based approach cannot be understated. Using this approach, is is extremely possible to learn vocabularly tens or even potentially hundreds of times faster than other approaches. For example, if word A", "word B", and "word C" have frequencies of 1000 ipm, 17000 ipm, and 43000 ipm respectively, you would be wasting your time learning words "B" and "C" if you did not know "word A". In this case, it would take thirty words like "word B" and "word C" (and thus 30x the effort) to gain the same advance in the language as simply learning the one "word A". This website drills you on these high-frequency words so that you get the most for your effort.
What is this "language map" that shows up?
The language map literally "maps" your personal knowledge of the language you are studying. If you knew 100% of the langauge, it would be completely filled up.
We use statistical methods to determine estimated upper and lower bounds of your knowledge, which are shown in lighter and darker colors, respectively. These are only estimates though! The more questions you have answered, the more accurate the map will be.
What is Auto-Select Mode?
The auto-select mode continually adjusts your quiz's vocabulary difficulty level, based on how you have scored previous answers. It will quickly find the words that you most need to improve upon, while intermixing incorrectly answered words with those which have yet to be answered. This creates a strong reinforcement environment where the most frequently used words that you don't know are the first that you will learn. It also prevents you from wasting your time "learning" words that you already know.
What is Scan-Mapping Mode?
Using Scan-Mapping mode is a great way to determine your vocabulary size. It will quickly "scan" through a wide variety of vocab (both easy and hard) in order to rapidly detect your vocab size. This will be graphically displayed in your personal language map at the bottom of the screen.
What is Sequential Mode?
Sequential mode is a non-adaptive option whereby the words you are quized on will simply come from their frequency rating, starting from the lowest first. This could be useful for absolute beginners and extremely thorough users, however most people would find this tedious, and should instead use auto select.
Do I really not need to register?
No registration is needed to use DrillVocab.com. This decision was made because we thought, like us, you probably hate registering for every single online service. In the future we may implement a registration system so that you can easily track your progress, but currently there are no plans to make this mandatory.
Who is responsable for DrillVocab.com?
The code that runs DrillVocab.com was written by aerospace engineer Nic Reveles, who also currently maintains the website. Significant help has come from many other individuals, notably Prashant Khare and Ирина Вячеславовна.
How is DrillVocab.com free?
DrillVocab.com was dreamed up by an engineer who was fed up with the lack of a good adaptive, skill based, vocabulary learning website. He believed the best way to create on was to put it online on a small, private website. After seeing how great it worked, he wanted to share his work with fellow language enthusiasts and made it available to the public. The [hopefully light] advertising pays for costs associated with keeping it online.