Sharpen
Get an overview of Sharpen tools used to analyze learning data and support instruction.
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Sharpen
What is Sharpen?
Sharpen is a college study app offering bite-sized, engaging activities to help students prepare for class and exams. Study activities are organized by chapter and cover over 150 textbooks from McGraw Hill, OpenStax, and other general college disciplines. The app evaluates what students already know, identifies knowledge gaps, and recommends tailored activities to improve exam readiness.
Sharpen includes quizzes, flashcards, chapter summaries, short videos, and guided solutions. The app’s AI study tools allow students to query whatever they need to study, review personalized subject overviews, and create their own study tools.
Where can I get Sharpen?
You can access Sharpen on the web at www.studysharpen.com or download the app on the iOS App Store and Google Play.
Do I have to pay for Sharpen?
There are free and paid versions of Sharpen.
You can download Sharpen and create an account for free.
As a free user, you have access to Sharpen’s full library of over 150 titles and some study activities for each title:
Quiz Bank (ONLY the Basic Level 1, 5 questions per chapter)
Video (1 per chapter)
Guided Solutions (1 per chapter, feature available for select quantitative titles)
Chapter Summary (all: 1 per chapter)
Flashcards (20 per chapter, count varies by title)
Improve (AI-powered, personalized study tips)
To unlock more in-depth content and features, you can upgrade to Sharpen Plus. Learn more about Sharpen Plus here.
What is Sharpen Plus?
Sharpen Plus is the premium version of Sharpen. Sharpen Plus premium users get the above free content, plus unlimited access to all premium content for over 150 titles:
- Quiz Bank: Two more levels (Advanced and Exam for more question types, 20+ questions per chapter, and timed practice tests)
- Unlimited Videos
- Unlimited Guided Solutions (feature available for select quantitative titles)
- Bonus Flashcards (advanced question types in select titles)
- Ask Sharpen AI study engine
How can I upgrade to Sharpen Plus?
Sharpen Plus offers 1-month, 3-month, and 12-month auto-renewing subscription plans that can be purchased directly in the web app, in the iOS App Store, or in Google Play. All subscriptions offer new users a 7-day free trial. Free trials are only available to new users and are provided at our sole discretion. After 7 days, your free trial will automatically be converted to a paid subscription and your payment card will automatically be charged for each subsequent renewal until you cancel.
Students in select courses may also get premium Sharpen access as part of a McGraw Hill Connect® or McGraw Hill GO bundle. For students in courses aligned with Sharpen content, Sharpen Plus can also be purchased as a stand-alone product on McGraw Hill ecommerce platforms here. In these cases, Sharpen Plus is not an auto-renewing subscription and the student’s entitlement is valid for the duration of the bundled course or the period the student selected (e.g., 6-months). These entitlements do not include free trials.
Depending on the student’s license, they may have premium access for a single title or for Sharpen’s entire library of over 150 titles.
Is Sharpen part of or related to Connect, McGraw Hill GO, or eBook?
Sharpen is a supplemental study app designed to align with your college textbook, but it does not replace your textbook or course materials. It complements Connect, McGraw Hill GO, and eBooks by offering additional study activities like quizzes and short videos to help students better understand and practice the material.
How many students are using Sharpen?
Nearly 1 million students have used Sharpen since it launched.
Does Sharpen provide answers to homework assignments or test questions?
Sharpen does NOT provide answers to any McGraw Hill assignments, tests, or other products. We are 100% committed to academic integrity and student success. Sharpen includes original content authored by McGraw Hill subject matter experts.
Who authored the content in Sharpen?
Sharpen’s study content is written, produced, and reviewed by McGraw Hill subject matter experts. It is a resource that both students and instructors can trust.
Ask Sharpen may use third-party generative AI services to generate content from external sources. For questions about Ask Sharpen, see McGraw Hill’s AI disclosure here.
How does Sharpen address academic integrity?
Sharpen was designed with learning science principles as a study tool to promote real learning. It applies the same learning science principles and instructional design best practices as core McGraw Hill products. In Sharpen, students' complete activities step-by step to learn their course material. Sharpen does not give away answers to end-of-chapter assignments, homework, tests, or exam questions.
I don’t have a McGraw Hill login. Can I access Sharpen?
Yes, anyone can create a free account on Sharpen and access it directly via the web or mobile app stores. You do not need a McGraw Hill login. However, if you already have a Connect, ALEKS, or McGraw Hill GO or eBook account, you can access Sharpen using your existing McGraw Hill login credentials.
I don’t see my course, title, or edition on Sharpen.
Sharpen covers over 150 titles, which you can view here. Sharpen is edition-agnostic, so there’s no need to worry if the edition differs from the one used in your course. Pick the Sharpen title that most aligns to your course and use the app's search or Ask Sharpen features to find study content for specific concepts.
How do I delete my Sharpen account?
You can delete your Sharpen account by logging into the web or mobile app, navigating to Settings, scrolling to the bottom, and tapping “Delete.”
Deleting your account does not cancel any Sharpen Plus subscription you may have purchased. Please cancel your Sharpen Plus subscription before deleting your Sharpen account. If you have limited-term Sharpen Plus premium access via McGraw Hill or as part of a Connect or GO bundle, your premium access will automatically expire at the end of the selected time period.
How do I report a potential content issue?
You can flag content within the app. When viewing content within any study activity, click on the ellipsis icon and then tap Give Feedback.
Need additional assistance? Contact the Customer Experience Group here.