Picmonic Review 2024 : Should You Buy it?

For the past few years, people have been talking about Picmonic, which is an interactive learning platform aimed at helping students grasp difficult topics through an audio and visual approach. But, does the platform really live up to its popularity?

Today, we’ll talk about our experience in using Picmonic and what we think about the whole process.

What we will cover?

About Picmonic

The Picmonic name comes from two words: picture and mnemonic. It, therefore, uses stories and characters to help teach difficult topics.

The characters and stories used are funny and in-depth, which makes learning more fun and educational at the same time. Due to this, it is perceived that this methodology can level up exam scores to 50% and retention to 331% thus eliminating stress while studying.

Picmonic was established in 2011 with its founders being former med students; Adeel Yang and Ronnie Robertson. The two established the platform to help other students to survive the pressure that studying for hard exams brings. Initially, the platform had a series of funny stories and pictures that helped students understand and remember what they are studying.

With time, they enhanced the platform with the help of two other people; Jonny who is a tattoo artist, and Ozzie, who took part in designing excellent picture mnemonics. Currently, their company has developed nationally and numerous students are happy with the results.

The Curriculum of Picmonic

Picmonic is like a central library that offers topics and facts that are healthcare-based. As of now, the platform has 1,650+ in-depth med school topics and subjects like physiology, pathology, genetics, pharmacology, biochemistry, and so much more.

In addition, they have created playlists that are based on:

Types of courses like pharmacology, biochemistry, and more.
Textbooks like First Aid for USMLE, master the Boards, and more.
Body systems like cardiovascular
Certain exams like FNP, USMLE steps 1 & 2, NAPLEX, and more.

All these playlists can be personalized to suit all your needs for studying. This means that you can add additional images or information, which can in return help you to remember

After creating your profile you can access learning materials like videos and MCQ quizzes. The videos operate in a smart and smooth manner so you can grasp more information within a short period. Moreover, they are arranged in a way that every video gets partnered up with its specific mnemonic.

To help keep users’ attention engaged, these videos go for 1-3 minutes with clear English and in-depth information included. At the bottom of each video, there is a brief summary, an audio transcript, and a link that directs you to additional resources.

When you have finished a video, you can take a relevant quiz to test your knowledge. The quiz includes multiple-choice options and character hints and is the best way to know if you have understood anything. In addition, their quizzes are designed on a special repetition algorithm to create a long-lasting remembrance.

After every activity, Picmonic records your performance so that you can see your learning progress and know where you stand. These are the kinds of things you may see on your progress board:

The accuracy of your quizzes.
The number of questions you have left for the day.
Your XP goal, which should motivate you to attain a certain score. It also allows you to know where you stand when your score is compared with the scores of other users.
Certain recommendations.
Your weak spots.
Your recent views.
Trending topics on Quick Start List.

Overall, this feature helps track every activity you perform on the platform.

Who This is For

Picmonic is ideal for med students who need to pass their medical exams and become professionals. The platform mainly focuses on fields such as:

Physician assistants
Physicians (for those who are medical students)
Nurse Practitioners
Paramedics
Physical therapists
Pharmacy Students
Occupational Therapists

The platform can also provide relevant content for colleges, law, K-12, and Graduate Record Examinations (GRE).

Advantages of Picmonic

Customizing feature

Picmonic allows you to personalize certain content, which can allow you to study better or in a way that fits your needs. To be precise, you can add images, facts, or videos to your profile for strengthening the ability of your memory.

High-quality interface

Firstly, the videos run smoothly without any sign of lag. Secondly, the mnemonics are short to help you remember and understand tough concepts.

Tracking mode

Picmonic can track and record every activity you do thereby enabling you to know your weak points and where you stand. As a result, you can figure out how or which topics you need to study if you want to improve your performance.

Includes quizzes

After watching the videos, you can know what you have understood by taking the included quizzes.

Regular updates

This allows you to know what is trending and if there are any new features, which can help you to study effectively.

Anki add-on

You can access topics via flashcards, all thanks to the free Anki add-on. After adding this feature to your desktop, a pop-up window with an in-depth fact list, a thumbnail photo, and related topics will show. When you click it, you gain access to full Picmonic quizzes, resources, and mnemonic videos.

Picmonic app

There is a Picmonic app that is available for download on Android and iOS. This allows you to access the platform whenever you prefer. Moreover, the app includes similar features and functionalities that are found on the main website including quizzes, mnemonics, and more.

Disadvantages of Picmonic

Limited to only medical students

If you are a medical student, Picmonic is the best choice for you. The only issue is that students from other healthcare sectors cannot use it since the platform is too detail-oriented.

The stories and characters may not be as per everyone’s want

Don’t get me wrong. The mnemonic features found on this platform are awesome. However, they may not be to the taste of every user since they mostly apply cultural features found in the U.S.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does studying at Picmonic cost?

Studying at Picmonic can vary in price based on the duration of your subscription. Here’s the pricing information:

For lifetime access pay $7.99 every month (10 years plus)
For 48 months pay $9.99 every month.
For 24 months pay $11.99 each month.
For 12 months pay $14.99 every month.
For 6 months pay $19.99 each month of the semester.
For a month pay $24.99.

If you choose the premium plan, you gain timeless access to every content you require for studying as well as all Picmonic features.

A point to remember is that Picmonic offers 100% refunds to those subscriptions that are purchased within 7 days, meaning that they will become nonrefundable after 7 days are over.

In case you need to test the platform first before paying, then you need to try out its free trial until you upgrade. As a result, you can access:

20 multiple-choice quizzes for free.
2 Picmonic videos for free.
An everyday quiz with spaced repetition.

To get your free trial, you can sign up for free using email registration, Google, and Facebook.

What is the most effective way to use Picmonic?

Sometimes, you will probably need to use a few strategies that ensure effective study. These may include:

Accessing the platform early thereby allowing you to enjoy every feature they have before you sit for certain exams.
Apply the Anki add-on, which allows you to use any missing information from your flashcards.
Customize images, mnemonics, and references, this way, you can easily remember tough concepts.

Can you use Picmonic for USMLE?

If you want to use Picmonic for USMLE, then you will be glad to know that it brings great results if used. This is because it covers most topics that are found in the USMLE exam.

Factually, its content can help you polish your weak points before the actual exam begins, and as a bonus feature, you can customize the content so you can feel more comfortable when taking your exam.

Can you get institutional access to Picmonic?

For educators, Picmonic provides an access code at significant discounts that go for 12 months. The price is less than what students pay annually.

In addition, Picmonic can also create a purchasing portal for institutions that would like their students to receive a 40% discount. The number of students should however exceed 25.

The institutions will also receive scholarships for 5% of their classes. Apart from that, Picmonic provides scholarships to students in certain institutions that need financial help.

Is Picmonic a legit platform?

We have researched the web to find more information about Picmonic, so we can confidently conclude that it is legit and not a scam. Even the reviews from various students suggest that it is worth your time and money.

To support this, Picmonic has worked with numerous teachers and professors at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and Northeast Texas Community College. In addition to this, students from The Student Doctor Network claimed that it is a great platform for medical students.

If you need more proof that Picmonic is not a scam, then you can head over to their platform and check the terms of use as well as the privacy policy, which is all open and clear. The platform even provides free demos and presentations on request and live or pre-recorded videos that explain everything you need to know about it.

What is community Picmonics?

Community Picmonics was created in 2016, as a way of empowering people to embrace mnemonic studying. As of today, more than 15,000 community Picmonics are used so you can learn from other students. These fellow students are verified by the real Picmonic team before they create the Picmonics community so you do not have to worry about receiving the wrong information.

Conclusion

To conclude, Picmonic is a fun, motivating, and effective way of studying for the tough exam. This is all thanks to the combination of mnemonics, quizzes for testing your memory, explanations, and brief videos.