studybuddy

your smart companion for better learning

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Inspiration

During exam season, we noticed that studying alone was hard to stay consistent with. Friends would forget to revise, lose track of topics, and had no easy way to quiz each other. We wanted to build StudyBuddy - a simple app that acts like a study partner who reminds you, quizzes you, and tracks your progress so learning feels less overwhelming.

What it does

StudyBuddy is a web app that helps students study smarter:

  • Smart Reminders: Set study schedules and get notified for revision
  • AI Quiz Generator: Upload notes and get instant MCQs/flashcards
  • Progress Tracking: See how much of a subject you’ve covered
  • Study Streaks: Gamified system to keep you motivated Basically, it turns your notes into an active learning session instead of passive reading.

How we built it

We built StudyBuddy in 48 hours during the hackathon.

  • Frontend: React + TailwindCSS for a clean, mobile-friendly UI
  • Backend: Node.js + Express
  • Database: MongoDB to store users, notes, and progress
  • AI: OpenAI API to generate quizzes from uploaded text/notes
  • Auth: JWT for user login We deployed it on Vercel so anyone can try it instantly.

Challenges we ran into

  • Time constraint: Fitting AI + auth + UI in 2 days was tough
  • AI accuracy: Getting the quiz generator to make relevant questions from messy notes took prompt tuning
  • State management: Syncing study progress across devices without lag
  • First-time deployment: Debugging CORS and env variables on Vercel

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Shipped a working MVP in 48 hours
  • AI quiz feature that turns any notes into 10 questions in <5 seconds
  • Clean UI that even non-tech users found easy to use
  • Implemented a streak system that actually made us use the app while testing 😅

What we learned

  • How to integrate an LLM API into a real product
  • The importance of planning features: "less is more" for hackathons
  • Better teamwork and git workflow under pressure
  • Deploying full-stack apps and handling real user data

What's next for studybuddy

  • Add group study rooms and collaborative quizzes
  • Support PDFs, images, and handwritten notes with OCR
  • Mobile app version with push notifications
  • Analytics dashboard for teachers to track class progress
  • Goal: Make StudyBuddy the default "study partner" for every student

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