Drops makes learning a new language easy by building your vocabulary with fun games. We’re always seeking ways to make learning with us even more effective so you can use these new phrases and words in real-life contexts with ease and confidence. This is why we’re excited to launch Quiz Mode, designed to help you retain vocabulary with engaging context-based questions.
Quiz Mode is based on the pedagogical concept of meaningful learning, which is a more effective way to retain information by linking new vocabulary with what you already know about the world. Quiz Mode takes this approach and turns it into a fun and engaging gameplay experience. Once you’ve been introduced to vocabulary in our core gameplay, Quiz Mode builds upon your practice to help you understand how the terms relate to each other and to relevant concepts and contexts.
As you discover useful words and phrases in your daily sessions, we start pairing them with contextual questions for a personalized review session. In each encounter with Quiz Mode, you'll be presented with various types of questions that test your understanding of those words and phrases. Some questions might ask you to match a phrase with the contexts you would use it, while others might ask you to use your new vocabulary to describe what’s going on in a picture, or require you to spot the odd one out of a group of terms.
For example, with Quiz Mode, you’ll be challenged to think about a “highlighter” outside of the context of our Work or School categories, and be tested on it in new situations, such as, “What can be yellow?”, “What could fit in your carry-on?”, “What can often be found in a freezer?” (Spoiler alert: you’ll likely not find it in your freezer). Other questions in Quiz Mode ask the learner to make new connections between items learned previously, such as combining “table” and “elephant” as correct answers to the question: “What often has four legs?”
Have you ever learned a new phrase and then when it comes up in a new context, you can't remember it? In Quiz Mode, the questions are tied to each term, and not to the topic you might’ve learned it in, which provides opportunities of various language use beyond our Drops structure. This means the phrases you’ll practice phrases you learned in our Work category that might also relevant for going out with friends, traveling to a new country, or impressing a romantic interest.
Another great feature of Quiz Mode is that it adapts to your level of knowledge. Every term that appears in a Quiz Mode question is one you’ve practiced previously. You’ll never be tested on words you don’t know. If you're just starting out, you'll see simpler questions that focus on that basic vocabulary. As you progress into more advanced contexts, the questions will become more complex and challenging, helping you to build your skills and confidence.
What sets Quiz Mode apart from other review modes is that it's not just about getting the right answer. We’re testing you on your knowledge of the incorrect answers too! Each question is designed to help you reinforce your understanding of the vocabulary in a meaningful way. For example, when asked to match a phrase with a context you would use it in, you'll see multiple options that are similar but not quite right. This forces you to really think about the meaning of each phrase and how it relates to the others, really making you engage with everything on the screen. Every single encounter you have with a term regardless if it’s the answer or the distractor is going to help you better retain it so you’ll be able to use it with confidence in real life!
Lastly, Quiz Mode will help you learn more about the culture behind the language you’re learning. Take these examples from our Japanese course that test your knowledge of the cultural concepts beyond the vocabulary:
If you’re an existing user, Quiz Mode should already appear in your Review Tools. If you’re a new user, Quiz Mode will unlock as soon as 5 questions have been generated (which should happen as early as after your first session with the Starter Pack topic). Free users can work through their Quiz Mode questions once a day in addition to their daily 5-minute session, while premium users can enjoy unlimited sessions of Quiz Mode (as long as they have questions to answer).
We're excited to bring Quiz Mode to Drops and we think you'll love it too. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced learner, Quiz Mode is a great way to review your vocabulary and reinforce your understanding in a fun and meaningful way. So what are you waiting for? Download Drops now and start playing Quiz Mode today!
Chelsea Roden (she/they) is the Head of Learning Content at Drops where they develop and curate courses in 48+ languages. Previously she worked in educational publishing and taught language and writing courses. They’re currently based in Germany.
