Ever wondered “Is it worth it?” Absolutely!

“Are those free brain training apps worth downloading” is a question and the conversation I have had with more than one person. While there was curiosity, most had not taken the plunge as they were questioning if it was worth trying or not. My answer is “absolutely” and more specifically try Elevate, your personal brain trainer. After playing it for almost a year I can honestly say it is my favorite brain training game.

It was no surprise to me to find out Elevate was selected by Apple as 2014’s App of the Year and was highly praised on the popular download site CNET. As of today, the app has been downloaded 147,999 times in Play Store and I did not even check iTunes. Although I have the free version, I am planning to upgrade to pro version with a lifetime membership. I just need to get a new google play card brought down in order to do so and time it when Elevate is having a 30% off sale. The paid version has 16 exclusive games and 36 in total with a new game being added every month.

Elevate Brain Training App Free Version

In the free version of Elevate, you get to play 3 games per day and have the option to switch recommendations for each game to get your 3. It has no in-app ads and they do not bug you to upgrade it. You will, however, get emails for the pro version being on sale which is not overly annoying as they also give you scientific information about the benefits you get from playing. The more consistently you train the more you will improve productivity boosting skills. Not only are the games challenging, they are also fun.

What does it do for you and does it work?

Regular training with Elevate improves communication, focus, memory, processing, math, precision, and comprehension to name a few. The idea behind the app is to improve your overall skills and help you process information faster and easier. For me, the repetition also works well, as that is how dyslexics learn better.

Games are widely varied. You might be speed reading and tested on facts, asked to read a sentence or short paragraph to improve the grammar or spot errors. Sometimes you will be listening for mistakes or practicing audio name recall. All these games will help you broaden your vocabulary, better your grammar, spelling, writing, and your reading comprehension. These games will also help your memory and attention which is a big deal for me.

The app also has you doing fast estimation math or calculating percentages. This makes it easier for you to quickly and accurately guesstimate a total in your grocery basket or calculate restaurant tips faster. These are 2 great real-life applications where you benefit from playing the games.

As you play more, your training program adjusts based on your results. The app helps you to see your progress by ranking your score against past sessions. You get to see if you’re improving as you play and you can definitely see if you are tired or unfocused by your scores on a particular day.

Other game features

Personalized daily workouts with valuable skills.
Difficulty progression to increase the challenge level of your workouts.
Detailed performance tracking for writing, listening, speaking, reading, and math.
Compares your scores against other players for all areas and by individual games.
Workout calendar to help you track your streaks and stay motivated.
Study aids to help you do better and some of the games prompt you how to work it out when you make a mistake. Do-overs; If you don’t do well on your first attempt, you have to play the game until you pass and can move onto the next one.

Why I like it

Not only do I find Elevate fun, it also challenges, motivates and praises me when I do well. Being Dyslexic and having ADD I was not the best in school and my brain has lots of room for improvement so this game is a perfect match for me. It was not long after I started playing that I shocked myself by often picking a math game when I was wanting to switch recommendations to see which other 3 games were available to me that day.

I can feel my brain being stretched while playing and sometimes I get frustrated not knowing how to do certain things I should have learned in school. I always feel motivated to keep trying because it is an enjoyable way for me to learn what works well. I have also noticed difficulty when it comes to measuring and fractions. It is easier for me to divide them in half than it is to double them. That may not seem like a big deal to you but for someone who has been extremely challenged at math and spent my life trying to figure out how my dyslexic brain works and make it better, it is huge.

My only complaint so far is that I can not get the game on my Kindle but it is available for smartphones and tablets. On the plus side, I never had a smartphone tablet or Kindle until I moved to Belize so I consider myself fortunate to be able to download apps. I still remember a time when that was a foreign world to me.

Bottom line – download Elevate, brain training app, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Featured Elevate-iOS picture courtesy of The Ultralinx