One of the most essential skills for college students to develop to succeed is their study skills. Studies have shown that procrastinating and cramming the night before an exam is not a productive way to study. Properly studying does take up time and effort, and college students are already extremely busy: classes, work, sleep (or lack thereof), social times. It’s hard for them to justify taking time to effectively study. But studying well and studying right has its positive effects: in 2007, the NBER report tracked the performance of those who studied against those who didn’t. Unsurprisingly, the NBER found that those who studied effectively received higher grades than the rest.

The NBER also found that it’s not the amount of time spent studying that is important, but the way students study. Students who use effective study habits, skills, and strategies were more successful than the rest. In college, there are many ways to be successful at studying. Students can take advantage of study groups, a tutor, or even talking personally with the professor or teacher’s assistant. However, many can’t fit a chunk of time to be able to do so. So, there are a few wonderful study apps that can really help students effectively study around their busy schedules.

#1 iStudiez Pro

This all-in-one app is supported by iOS, macOS, Windows, and Android devices. It is available in the App Store for only $2.99. There is even a “lite” version for free. iStudiez Pro is the best app for students which combines tracking schedule, homework and grades with a delightful user experience.” This app lets students input their assignments, has a planner, calculates grades, sends notifications, syncs with other devices, and integrates other apps. With the overview, students see a calendar with color coded class times and assignment due dates, which can even be synced with Google Calendars. Students can sort through their homework assignments by priority. If students download this app on different devices, they can sync each program, and can even sync their app to the iCloud. Notifications can be used to set reminders to study for different tests.

#2 Evernote

The popular note taking and organizing computer program is now available as an app, as well. This app is free (but has in-app purchases for premium packets) and can sync with the program on a laptop. Students can take notes from their classes using Evernote. Then, they can pull up the app while walking to class or on their lunch break, and study. Notes can be customized with different fonts or colors. Drawings can also be included, which would help students in science classes. Evernote even comes with a search tool to help students sift through all their different class notes. Students can even share their notes easily with classmates in a group notebook, making Evernote just as useful as Google Drive applications. If a student has trouble studying or doesn’t understand a concept that they wrote down, Evernote even connects with email servers so students can email their professors through the app. The best thing about Evernote is that it syncs to many different apps as well: Google Drive, Feedly, Mohiomap, Scanner Pro, Noteshelf, Smartsheet, and many more.

#3 G Suite

Students have been utilizing Google Drive applications for college classes and studying for years. The ability to collaborate on Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, and the rest have been very helpful for not only group projects, but also study groups. However, students had to always have their clunky laptop with them to access Google Drive. But now, Google Drive is available for smart devices as the app, G Suite. For only $5 a month, students can download G Suite and get access to all the different applications on Google Drive, plus manage their Gmail, participate in Google Hangouts, integrate their Google Calendar, and much more. Starting at 30 GB of storage, students will be able to include all notes and study for their entire college career. Students can easily share documents with other students who have the app. And, if a student in their study group doesn’t have the G Suite app, but access to Google Drive on their laptop, the documents are still synced!

Again, it’s not the amount of studying that students do that makes them successful—it’s the effectiveness of the studying. With these three apps, students can organize their college life, consolidate all class information in one space, and carry it all on their phones. This allows them to be more effective in staying on top of classes, assignments, and ultimately be more successful in their college career.

Here are a few bonus apps, that students can use to stay on top of their grades.

College GPA Calculator– Allows college students to calculate and save their college GPA, record their semester performance and track out their entire academic career.

High School GPA Calculator– Allows high school students to calculate and track their high school GPA, record their scores and keep a handle on their cumulative academic performance.

Cumulative GPA Calculator– Allows high school and college students to calculate and save their cumulative GPA, and find out how their future and current grades will affect their academic performance.

Grade Calculator– Allows students to find out what their class grade is by adding together their assignments to calculate their total score.

Weighted Grade Calculator– Allows students to swiftly calculate their weighted class grade by adding each assignment and its total value.

Final Grade Calculator– Allows students to calculate what score they must receive on their final exam to achieve their desired final class grade.