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Earning Alphas - Timeback

How students earn and lose Alphas: skill rewards, streak bonuses, test payouts, and academic honesty penalties.

Alphas are Alpha Anywhere's virtual currency. Students earn them through academic work and can spend or save them in Alpha Bank. This article covers exactly how Alphas are earned, how they can be lost, and how much each activity is worth.


Ways to Earn

Skill Rewards

Students earn Alphas by mastering skills in their learning apps.

Activity

Alphas Earned

Every 10 XP earned

  • Includes test XP.

1 Alpha

Daily target bonus

  • Hit daily XP target in:

    • Math · Reading · Language · Science

5 Alphas (25 per week - max)

Daily target bonus

  • Hit daily XP target in:

    • Fast Math · Vocabulary

2 Alphas (10 per week - max)

Writing: mastering 1 skill

1 Alpha (10 per week - max)

Streak Bonus

If a student hits their mastery/skill target the previous week, they receive a bonus the following week. The streak resets if a week is missed.

Streak Length

Bonus

1 week

1 Alpha for every 2 earned

2+ weeks in a row

1 Alpha for every 1 earned

Note: AlphaWrite earnings are not eligible for streak bonuses.

Extra Bonuses (Academics Team)

The Academics Team may assign bonus Alphas for subjects where a learner is furthest behind. Active bonuses appear in the Weekly Pulse each Monday.

Duration

Bonus

1 week

Double Alphas (1 becomes 2)

2+ weeks in a row

Triple Alphas (1 becomes 3)

Test Rewards

Mastery Tests

Test XP counts toward the daily XP target and earns per-XP Alphas normally, in addition to the flat bonuses below

Result

Alphas Earned

Mastery test, 90% to 99%

50 Alphas

Mastery test, 100%

100 Alphas

MAP Growth Tests

Result

Alphas Earned

MAP Growth, 2X Growth

30 US Dollars

MAP Growth, 90th to 98th percentile

150 Alphas

MAP Growth, 99th percentile

200 Alphas

Interest

Students can deposit Alphas into a Savings account in Alpha Bank. Alphas in savings earn weekly compounding interest. For details on how savings and interest work, see Using Alpha Bank.

Spending

Students can spend their Alphas in the Alpha Bank store to redeem for prizes and incentives, including instant gift cards and special rewards tied to MAP Growth performance.


Ways to Lose Alphas

Academic Dishonesty

Students lose Alphas for academic dishonesty, which includes:

  • Searching for answers online

  • Using AI tools to generate, find, or select answers

  • Using calculators or AI tools unless they are explicitly allowed

For full details on academic honesty expectations and consequences, see Academic Honesty at Alpha Anywhere.


What Happens Next: Alpha Bank

Once earned, Alphas appear as pending deposits in Alpha Bank. Students allocate them between checking and savings, earn interest, and spend them in the shop. For a full walkthrough, see Using Alpha Bank: Deposits, Savings & Rewards.

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