Alex – MCAT Exam Study

Next.js app with PostgreSQL: sections, segments, and questions are stored in the database. Progress and daily stats are persisted per client (anonymous client_id in localStorage).

Setup

1. Create a PostgreSQL database
   Use Vercel Storage (e.g. Neon), Supabase, or any Postgres host. Copy the connection string.

2. Environment
   Create .env in the project root:

   DATABASE_URL=postgresql://...

3. Schema and seed
   From the project root:

   npm install
   npm run db:setup
   npm run db:seed

   (db:seed requires scripts/seed-questions.json; run node scripts/extract-seed-json.js once to generate it from demo.js.)

4. Run locally

   npm run dev

   Open http://localhost:3000.

Deploy on Vercel (project name: Alex)

1. Push the repo and import the project in Vercel under your account (e.g. under “juelzs” / your team). Name the project Alex.

2. In Vercel → Project → Settings → Environment Variables, add:

   • DATABASE_URL = your Postgres connection string (Production, Preview, Development if needed).

3. After the first deploy, run migrations and seed against the same database (from your machine or a one-off script):

   DATABASE_URL="your-production-url" npm run db:setup
   DATABASE_URL="your-production-url" npm run db:seed

4. Redeploy or trigger a new deployment so the app uses the seeded data.

Scripts

• npm run dev – local dev server
• npm run build – production build
• npm run start – run production build locally
• npm run db:setup – apply scripts/schema.sql
• npm run db:seed – insert sections and questions (requires seed-questions.json)
• node scripts/extract-seed-json.js – generate seed-questions.json from demo.js

Data model

• sections / segments – MCAT sections and segments (labels, colors, icons).
• questions – seed questions plus custom questions per client_id.
• progress – per client/segment/question: attempts, correct, streak, notes, last_seen.
• daily – per client/day: attempts and correct count.

All content is read from the database; no hardcoded question bank in the app.