Grockit: “Get addicted to studying”

Grockit.com, a test-prep website otherwise known as “the new social networking site for learning,” has become an overnight sensation for students as they prepare for their SAT exams.

The goal of the site is to make studying for the SAT, ACT, GMAT, GRE, or LSAT “less expensive and more enjoyable” for students by offering three different modes of study: Individual practice, peer group sessions (or a virtual study group), and instructor-led sessions.

After creating an account on the site, users can upload a profile picture, complete lesson plans, chat with other users, and compete in educational challenges. Users can also award each other with Grockit Points if they provide tips to other users, and these results are displayed beside their name and photo. (Users can choose to keep their points hidden).

For the Grockit Speed Challenge Game, users can invite their friends to the competition to see who answers the most questions correctly in the fastest amount of time. The winner of the competition will receive Grockit points for the challenge, and users can also post their results on Facebook or Twitter.

Grockit also offers free live courses which are taught by qualified tutors, and any user can view a tutor’s test scores and ratings on the site. For a fee of $50 an hour, users can hire a tutor who will then audio chat with the student via Skype, and even draw diagrams on a whiteboard to explain certain problems.

There is a free section of the site where users can participate in group studies and solo test questions, each of which are customized to the student’s academic level and study needs. There is also a $100 Premium subscription which allows users to gain access to an unlimited number of solo practice questions as well as personalized performance analytics which tracks each user’s progress. The free version of Grockit.com offers SAT writing diagnostic tests, while the Premium account offers diagnostic tests for writing as well as reading and math.

Grockit TV

Grockit also recently launched Grockit TV, an “online educational TV network” which produces live and interactive events to be streamed online in HD.

Students can enroll in a live Grockit TV course free of charge, and will receive e-mail reminders as well as a link to the upcoming live sessions. Each course takes approximately 20 hours to complete, (16 hours of test prep and four hours of college admissions guidance), and will take place twice a week for a one hour session. Each session will focus on a specific topic, such as admissions, financial aid, athletic recruiting, and of course test prep, and the entire course can be downloaded for $99.99 after it is recorded and archived.

“Until now, comprehensive college test prep and college admission counseling – both online and in the classroom – have only been available to a select group of students because of the cost and sometimes the geographic barrier,” said Farb Niv, Grockit’s founder. “With Grockit TV, we are leveling the playing field by providing students everywhere with easy and free access to world class instructors. We’ve gone to great lengths to find experts like Stacy and David who are the foremost experts in their respective fields to make Grockit TV the most comprehensive library of online educational content currently available.”