Terms of Service

We recognize that students preparing for standardized exams such as IELTS Academic can be younger than university or postgraduate medical and finance examinees. However, to comply with international child privacy regulations (including the U.S. Children's Online Privacy Protection Act "COPPA" and Article 8 of the EU GDPR / GDPR-K), we enforce a strict age threshold:

• Minimum Age of 16: You must be at least 16 years of age to access the website, join our waitlist, or use any part of the Service. Individuals under 16 are strictly prohibited from submitting personal information or using the Service.
• Minors (Ages 16 to 18): If you are between 16 and 18 years of age (or the age of legal majority in your country of residence), you represent and warrant that you have obtained the consent of your parent or legal guardian to agree to these Terms and use the Service.

We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16. If we learn that we have inadvertently received information from someone under 16, we will delete that information promptly upon notice.

The waitlist allows prospective users to express interest in upcoming beta releases and cohort testing phases:

• No Guaranteed Access or Timeline: Submitting an email address to the waitlist does not create an account, guarantee admission, or obligate us to provide access to the software by any specific date.
• Cohort Selection Discretion: We reserve the sole right to determine cohort criteria, test capacity, and rollout sequencing based on exam categories (e.g. USMLE Step 1, IELTS Academic, MCAT, CFA Level I, or semester finals).
• Experimental Nature: Any beta software provided to early cohort members is pre-release, experimental, and may contain bugs, incomplete modules, or calculation inconsistencies.

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMISSIBLE UNDER APPLICABLE LAW, THE SERVICE, INCLUDING ALL ADAPTIVE SCHEDULING ALGORITHMS, TIMETABLE RECALCULATIONS, RESOURCE ESTIMATIONS, TIMERS, AND MATERIALS, IS PROVIDED EXCLUSIVELY ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED.

WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, BALANSD EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS:

• Academic & Examination Outcomes: We make no warranty or guarantee that using our scheduling instruments will ensure passing scores, grade improvements, exam readiness, or specific performance outcomes on any test or course.
• Continuous or Error-Free Operation: We do not warrant that the website or adaptive schedule calculations will operate uninterrupted, secure, or free from algorithmic errors, delays, or data sync anomalies.
• Third-Party Material Accuracy: Any referenced third-party study resources (such as First Aid, Pathoma, Sketchy, or Cambridge IELTS suites) are cited solely for study-volume planning. We do not warrant the accuracy, timeliness, or completeness of third-party syllabi or exam structures.
• Independent Aid: balansd is an independent organizational tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or accredited by NBME, USMLE, British Council, IDP, AAMC, CFA Institute, or any educational testing organization.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL BALANSD, ITS FOUNDERS, DEVELOPERS, CONTRIBUTORS, OR AFFILIATES BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR ACCESS OR INABILITY TO ACCESS THE SERVICE.

THIS LIMITATION APPLIES TO, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES ARISING FROM:

• Lost study time, disrupted preparation plans, missed registration or examination deadlines, or adverse exam results.
• Unplanned schedule recalculations, data synchronization issues, or server downtime.
• Any decisions, study adjustments, or actions taken in reliance on the Service.

IN NO EVENT SHALL OUR TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY UNDER ANY LEGAL THEORY EXCEED THE GREATER OF THE AMOUNT YOU HAVE PAID US (IF ANY) IN THE TWELVE MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM, OR TEN UNITED STATES DOLLARS ($10.00 USD).