Post by Advik Punugu

Sometimes studying harder isn’t the problem — studying the same way is. While preparing for exams recently, I hit a point where reading notes and browsing through slides just wasn’t working. There are plenty of resources online, but none of them really matched what we actually needed as students: concise, reliable, and structured material we could directly work with. So I decided to build something myself. Within 2 hours, I vibe-coded two flashcard web apps in HTML for my own exam preparation in Computer Science and Physics. The workflow I designed was simple: 1. First, I generate a 30 page or less PDF of focused notes on the topic I need to study, compiled from reliable sources that are typically used as primary references. 2. The content from those notes feeds into a flashcard system I built called “The Arena.” 3. Instead of static cards, the app gamifies revision — flashcards are “shot” at you rapidly, and in a randomised order, forcing quick recall and keeping the brain engaged. I originally built it because I felt stuck in the usual study loop. Coding the tools gave me a break from traditional revision while still pushing me to engage deeply with the material. I also quickly read up on common study methods and came across Leitner boxes and spaced repetition, concepts which I implemented into "The Arena". When I sent it to my friends, it also turned into something they started using. Seeing them find it helpful — and hearing their appreciation — was easily the best part of the project. In times like these, the fastest way to learn something isn’t to find the perfect resource. It’s to build the tool you wish existed.