Academic

Study Hours Planner (deadline backward scheduler)

Spread assignments over the days you have, weighted by their grade impact.

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All calculations happen in your browser. Nothing leaves this page.

Maximum study hours per day Include only realistic deep-work hours.

No weekend work Reserve Sat/Sun for rest.

Assignments JSON (name, daysUntil, weight%, hours) Format: [{name,daysUntil,weight,hours},...] up to 10. Daily cap respected.

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How to use this calculator well

Set a realistic daily cap — 3-5 hours for most students.
Type your assignments as JSON. Each item has a name, daysUntil (whole days), weight (% of final grade), and hours (estimated time).
The tool spreads each assignment across its remaining days, weighted by grade impact and urgency.
If your daily cap × available days is less than total hours needed, you'll get a warning.

Frequently asked questions

How do I estimate hours per assignment?

Use a rule of thumb: 1 page double-spaced ≈ 1 hour for first draft. Add 0.5 hour per page for revisions. Coding assignments: ~20-40 lines per hour including testing.

What about group work time?

Treat half of group work as 'your' hours — the other half is shared. The remaining workload is meetings, coordination, and asynchronous waiting.

Should I skip weekends?

Yes for most students. Cognitive science research shows 50+ hours of academic work per week degrades next-week retention.

Where this estimate falls short

We can't predict mid-semester surprises. Rebuild the plan after each major deliverable.
Doesn't model deadline collisions across multiple courses — those are real.
Doesn't account for variable work speed due to illness, mental health, or sleep.

Study Hours Planner (deadline backward scheduler)

Try it

How to use this calculator well

Frequently asked questions

Where this estimate falls short

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