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Find your problem in the following sections. Each one lists what you see and what to do. If nothing here helps, contact Polya support.

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Signing in

Google sign-in didn’t finish. Select Continue with Google again. If it keeps failing, make sure your browser allows cookies for askpolya.com, then try again.
Email and password sign-in only works for accounts that already have a password. Most accounts use Google. Select Use Google instead, then Continue with Google.
You may be signed in with a different Google account than the one you used before. Check the email address under your name at the bottom of the sidebar. If it’s wrong, select Sign out and sign in with the other account.
Polya couldn’t confirm your session, usually because of a brief outage. You’re still signed in, and your courses and progress are safe. Select Try Again in a moment.
Your session ended. Sign in again at askpolya.com/login. Polya takes you back to the page you were on.

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Importing a course

The token was mistyped, incomplete, or deleted in Canvas. Copy the whole token again, or create a new one in Canvas under Account > Settings > Approved Integrations. Also check that Your school’s Canvas web address is the address you use to reach Canvas, starting with https://.
The token expired or was deleted in Canvas. Create a new token in Canvas, then select Add a course > Paste a Canvas access token and enter it. See Add a course with a Canvas access token.
Canvas didn’t list any current courses for you. Your term may not have started, or the course may not be published yet. Check back once the course appears in Canvas. If you have more than one Canvas account, select Use a different Canvas.
  • Make sure the extension is signed in with the same Google account you use on askpolya.com.
  • Make sure you’re on the course’s page in Canvas when you choose Study in Polya.
  • Keep the Add a course page open in Polya. It updates by itself.
If nothing arrives after a few minutes, select paste a Canvas access token on the Polya page and use a token instead. For help with the extension, see Scope extension overview.
Imports run in the background and can pause when Polya is under heavy use. The sidebar then says Things are busier than usual, so this import is waiting its turn. It continues on its own, and you can close Polya.Polya also limits how many pages it reads for one account each day. If you brought in several large courses at once, part of the import can wait until the next day.
  • Polya brings in only PDF files from Canvas. Save Word or PowerPoint files as PDFs and upload them.
  • If your instructor hides a part of the course, such as Files, Polya may not be able to see it.
  • If the course changed since you added it, select Check for updates on the Materials tab. See Check for updates.
The course is too large to send in one go from the extension. Use a Canvas access token instead.
The course website didn’t respond or isn’t public. Check that the address opens in your browser without signing in. See Add a course website.

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A file shows Couldn’t read

Polya couldn’t read the item. Try the following:
  • For an item from Canvas or a course website, select Check for updates on the Materials tab. Polya tries items that couldn’t be read again.
  • For a file you uploaded, check that it opens on your computer, then upload it again. If it’s a PDF that was printed from another app, export it again as a PDF first.
  • For a Google file on a course website, it may be shared only with your school’s Google accounts. Polya can’t open those. Download it as a PDF and upload it.

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A file shows Scanned — skipped

Polya found no readable text in the file, even after reading the images of its pages. This can happen with very faint scans or handwriting. If you have a clearer copy, upload it.

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Storage is full

If Polya shows Couldn’t import with Your Lectra storage is full, your Scope account has used all of its storage. Polya and Lectra share the same storage, so files in either app count toward it. Nothing you’ve already imported is affected. To make room, remove courses you no longer need from Polya, or free up space in Lectra. Then try again. To learn more, see Lectra backups.

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Chat

Polya is under heavy use. Your question stays in the box. Select Try Again in a little while.
Each account can send 100 chat messages a day. You can still use the Study tab, and your materials and conversations are safe.
Polya couldn’t find the topic in your materials, so it answered from general knowledge. Check that the course’s materials are Ready on the Materials tab. If the material is missing, upload it or check for updates.
Polya can make mistakes. Open the citation to see what the source says. If the answer doesn’t match your course, trust the source and your instructor. You can tell Polya what looks off and ask it to check again.
The course’s study mode limits how much Polya gives away. In Guided mode, show your attempt first or select I’m stuck — next step. To get full answers, switch the course to Open or Review. See Study modes.
Polya recognizes answer keys by their file names. Files named with words like “solutions”, “answers”, or “soln” are hidden in Practice mode. An answer key with a different name isn’t recognized. If you uploaded it, upload it again with “solutions” in the name.
Phone browsers often can’t show a PDF inside the page. Select Open the PDF ↗ to open it in its own tab.

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Study tab

Suggest topics only shows while the exam has no topics. If you’ve already added topics, edit the map yourself with Edit, or add topics with Add.
Select Edit details and paste what the exam covers in What it covers, or mark the formula sheet under Formula sheet & past exams. Then select Suggest topics again.
No new question passed Polya’s checks for that topic. Select Try again, or practice another topic. Topics with more course material behind them work best.
You’ve asked for new questions about eight times today. Questions you missed still come back for review. You can write new ones tomorrow.
Polya shows why under the box, for example Check the parentheses. or Use * between numbers and names, like 2*pi. Fix the expression and try again. For what you can type, see Writing expressions.
Below the worked solution, select Report a problem with this question, add a note if you like, and select Send report. The question won’t come up again.

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ChatGPT and Claude

Adding Polya needs ChatGPT’s developer mode, which isn’t available on every ChatGPT plan, and ChatGPT’s menus change from time to time. Check OpenAI’s help center for how to turn on developer mode and add a custom app. See Use Polya in ChatGPT.
Free Claude accounts can add one custom connector. Remove a connector you don’t use, or use a paid Claude plan. On a Team or Enterprise plan, ask an owner of your organization to add Polya. See Use Polya in Claude.
Polya tells ChatGPT and Claude your mode, but it can’t force them to follow it. Ask the assistant to check the course’s study rules again. If you changed the mode recently, start a new chat.
Polya is still importing the course. Wait until it finishes in Polya, then ask again.
The assistant is connected to a different Polya account. Disconnect Polya in the assistant’s settings, then connect again and sign in with the right Google account.

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Limits at a glance

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Get more help

Email hello@askpolya.com from the address you sign in with. Say which course and page you were on and what message you saw. For other ways to reach Scope, see Get help.