Now, any student with a mobile phone can prepare for entrance exams to universities, and for other achievement tests, without paying for review centers and expensive review materials. The free-to-download Zookal app contains digitized review materials and makes learning more affordable and more accessible to Filipinos (all a student needs is a smartphone).
Founded by students in Australia in 2011, Zookal
- contains a database of over 20,000 practice multiple-choice questions designed for school, college and licensure entrance tests and exams. The practice reviewer app covers tests including: UPCAT (University of the Philippines College Admission Test), LET (Licensure Exam for Teachers), NAT (National Achievement Test), NMAT (National Medical Admission Test), IELTS (International English Language Testing System), GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test), Civil Service Exam, NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse RN and Nursing) and TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). Other college entrance tests include ACET (Ateneo College Entrance Test), DLSCET (De La Salle College Entrance Test), USTCET (University of Santo Tomas College Entrance Test).
- simulates the nature of multiple-choice entrance tests, allowing users to swipe through questions and complete quizzes.
- helps make the student psychologically ready for the exams. Often, jitters and nerves can distract the student from answering test questions correctly.
“Buying books and going to review centers are not feasible for every single family, so if we can help some families access resources that were previously unavailable to them, then we will strive to do so on as big a scale as possible,” said Jon Tse, Co-Founder, Zookal.
Free Study Tips
Upon completing the quizzes, students earn bonus Study Tips, which were compiled by students from the University of the Philippines, as well as by teachers from Teach for the Philippines. Study Tips aim to instill effective and healthy study habits in students, so they can improve their study outcomes and enhance their learning experience.
Examples of practical Study Tips include:
- Take note of the scoring schemes for the tests e.g. UP may deduct for wrong answers; ACET may be time-pressured, so if you do not know the answer skip the item and go back to it if you have extra time;
- Book a hotel nearby to avoid stress relating to traffic and delays on the day of the exams;
- Wear comfortable clothes on the day of the exams, among others.
Zookal
- was launched in the Philippine market recently, and has over 20,000 downloads during the first two weeks after its release.
- ranked 2nd, at one point, in the education app rankings in the App Store for iOS devices; and is among the most downloaded apps in Google Play.
- is being improved by its developers, in future updates, toinclude explaining to the users why certain answers are correct and others are wrong.
- is also looking at expanding the content to cover other tests including the NCLEX, IELTS, GMAT, to name a few.
Student Testimonials
- ”You can’t find an app that can compare to Zookal. Effective, absolutely helpful, and best of all, it’s FREE.” – Alexa Doverte
- “This APP is priceless. Both figuratively and literally. Comprehensive and easy to use!” – Monching Aguinaldo
- “Zookal App doesn’t only help me prepare for a test but also gives useful study tips that find my weak points and gives advice as to where I should improve” – Vana Raye Sabanal
- “Thumbs up to this super helpful app! Now, I don’t have to worry about buying costly reviewers cause it’s all here and it’s free!” – Faith Fredeluces
- “This is basically an ALL IN ONE app. Easy to access and you don’t have to download each app, each test. It’s all in Zookal app!” – Lia Martinez
Download Zookal for free for Android and iOS. For devices not compatible with either Android or IOS, you may download the app directly at www.zookal.com.ph.
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