Before the language exam
A few weeks left, not a reason to start from zero
Whether you left it to the last minute or you've been grinding for months without it sticking, most language exams test reading comprehension above everything else. Lira trains you on real texts at your level to move fast on what actually matters, without redoing years of grammar.
Start for freeQuick verdict
- ✗Redoing all your grammar: too slow this close to the exam
- ✓Lira: reading comprehension + vocabulary, what matters most
- ✓Lira: free to start
Quick verdict
- ✗Redoing all your grammar: too slow this close to the exam
- ✓Lira: reading comprehension + vocabulary, what matters most
- ✓Lira: free to start
Two profiles show up constantly ahead of a language exam: the one who left it to the last minute and needs to catch up on the essentials fast, and the one who's been working hard for months but whose fundamentals stay shaky despite the effort. Neither one benefits from redoing grammar from scratch: the reading comprehension section tests your ability to understand an unfamiliar text, not recite rules. Lira trains you directly on that, on texts at your real level, so you move fast on what matters most in the time you have left.
What matters most, in the time you have
Not a generic revision plan: targeted reading, calibrated to your level, that directly builds the reading comprehension exams test.
Right now
A first text calibrated to your real level, on something that won't bore you in thirty seconds.
Every day
Vocabulary you run into resurfaces for review right before you forget it, not the night before the exam.
Exam day
An unfamiliar text reads faster and makes more sense, without panicking over unknown words.
The committee reached a consensus after two hours of debate.
What Lira actually does
Reading comprehension, not isolated drills
Most exams test your ability to understand an unfamiliar text. Lira trains you on exactly that, on real texts calibrated to your level, instead of decontextualized sentences.
Vocabulary that comes back at the right time
Every word you look up gets scheduled for review by the FSRS algorithm right before you're about to forget it. Vocabulary builds up over days instead of being crammed once the night before and disappearing after.
Pronunciation, one click away
Any word can be read aloud (text-to-speech) while you read, so you attach it to its real sound. It's not active speaking coaching, but it stops you from learning a word with an imagined pronunciation.
Your progress, tracked until exam day
Vocabulary you run into while reading turns into a review card, and your progress before the exam stays in view.
Vocabulary translated without leaving your reading
Your progress before the exam, at a glance
Vocabulary reviewed as a game, not rote memorization
The science
Why cramming the night before isn't enough: spaced repetition (FSRS)
FSRS calculates, for every word you learn, the exact moment you're about to forget it, and resurfaces it right before that happens. Reviewing a word once, the night before the exam, produces memory that fades fast (the gray curve). With reviews spaced over several days, retention climbs in steps and stabilizes (the green curve): that's the difference between a word you vaguely recognize on exam day and one you understand instantly in an unfamiliar text.
Vocabulary retention before the exam
I started three weeks before my exam without much hope. My reading comprehension genuinely improved, and the score followed.
Liam, 17
I've had a weak level for years despite hours of tutoring. Reading stuff I actually cared about instead of vocabulary sheets unlocked something nothing else had.
Ava, 16
15 minutes at night between other subjects was the only format I could actually stick to.
Ethan, 18
Why not just vocabulary flashcards or Duolingo?
Flashcards fade fast once memorized without context, and Duolingo teaches isolated vocabulary through repetitive drills, not the comprehension of an unfamiliar text that exams actually test. Lira does the opposite: you read real texts at your level, and FSRS handles memorization in the background.
| Vocabulary flashcards | Duolingo | Lira | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trains comprehension of an unfamiliar text | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Long-term memory (FSRS) | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Vocabulary in context | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Free to start | ~ | ~ | ✓ |
Go further
Complete guideLearn a Language by Reading: The Complete Guide
How to learn a language by reading real texts: the research behind it, how much reading is enough, and a step-by-step method.
Complete guideExtensive Reading: The Complete Guide to Learning a Language
Extensive reading means picking texts you already understand at 90-95%. Here's why it works, how to start with Lira, and how to avoid common mistakes.
Ready to move fast on what actually matters before the exam?
Start today, for free, with a text at your level.
Start for free