Privacy notice
Last updated October 2026
The Retake Lab is run by Heloise L Smith (contact: heloiselsmith@gmail.com). This notice explains what information the site keeps, why, and the choices you have. We wrote it to be read, not skimmed past.
What we collect
- Account details: your name, email address and a password, which is stored only as a salted, one-way hash and never in readable form.
- Information you choose to give during setup: your intended exam date, target scores, previous MCAT and practice-exam scores, study history, schedule, and optional answers about exam stress, fatigue or testing accommodations. Every sensitive question is optional.
- Study activity: the questions you answer, your choices, time taken, confidence ratings, journal reflections, flashcards and the reports the app generates from them.
- Files you upload (for example, a score report), if you choose to upload any.
- One sign-in cookie that keeps you logged in. We use no advertising, tracking or analytics cookies.
Why we use it
Only to run the study program for you: diagnosing what is holding your score back, scheduling practice, verifying mastery and producing your reports. We do not sell your information, use it for advertising, or share it with schools, employers or the AAMC.
Who else handles it
- Hosting: the site and its database run on Render (render.com), which stores the data on our behalf.
- AI tutor: the AI tutor is currently turned off, so tutor conversations never leave this site.
Your information may be stored or processed in a country other than your own. These providers are only allowed to use it to provide their service to us.
How long we keep it
For as long as your account exists. Database backups are kept for about two weeks and then deleted automatically, so deleted information disappears from backups within that time.
Your choices and rights
- See and download everything stored about you: Settings → Export all my data.
- Correct your information at any time in Settings or Score History.
- Delete your progress, or your whole account and all its data: Settings → Reset progress / Delete account.
- Ask us any question about your data at heloiselsmith@gmail.com. Depending on where you live, you may have additional legal rights, and you may complain to your local data-protection authority.
Security
The site is served only over encrypted connections (HTTPS), passwords are hashed, and each person can see only their own data. No system is perfectly secure; if we learn of a breach affecting your data, we will tell you.
Children
The site is intended for adults preparing for the MCAT and is not directed to children under 16.
Changes
If this notice changes in a meaningful way, we will show a message in the app.