EasySB & SmarterBook vs ExamGhost: Why SmartBook-Only Tools Leave You Stranded on Graded Exams
If you searched for a McGraw-Hill SmartBook solver, you likely ran into two names: SmarterBook (which was permanently shut down after a publisher copyright cease-and-desist letter) and EasySB (easysb.org, which only scrapes SmartBook 2.0 reading modules into Excel spreadsheets). Neither tool can help you when you open a graded McGraw-Hill Connect exam, Canvas midterm, Blackboard quiz, or ALEKS assessment.
Permanently discontinued by dev Micah Lindley after publisher legal action
Exports SmartBook 2.0 to Excel; 0% support for Connect Exams or Canvas
Solves SmartBook 2.0, Connect Exams, Canvas, Blackboard, MyLab & ALEKS
EasySB & SmarterBook (2026)
- SmarterBook Status:
- Discontinued (Copyright Cease & Desist)
- SmarterBook Author:
- Micah Lindley (Archived GitHub)
- EasySB Domain:
- easysb.org
- EasySB Core Mechanism:
- SmartBook Module → Excel Exporter
- Graded Connect Exams:
- Unsupported (Fails)
- Canvas / Blackboard / MyLab:
- Unsupported (0% Coverage)
SmarterBook's repository and Chrome Web Store distribution were permanently terminated after developer Micah Lindley received a formal copyright cease-and-desist notice from textbook publisher legal counsel.
EasySB only parses McGraw-Hill SmartBook 2.0 adaptive reading concepts and exports them to Excel spreadsheets—it cannot solve graded McGraw-Hill Connect homework, timed exams, or any university LMS quiz.
SmartBook Reading Modules Are Only 10% of Your Final Grade
Even in classes that use McGraw-Hill SmartBook 2.0 for weekly textbook reading completion, 80%–90% of your course grade comes from McGraw-Hill Connect Graded Homework/Exams and Canvas / Blackboard Midterms. Explore the 4 tabs below to see why EasySB and SmarterBook fall short.
Blind on Graded McGraw-Hill Connect Homework & Timed Exams
McGraw-Hill has two completely different engines: SmartBook 2.0 (ungraded/completion adaptive textbook reading with High/Medium/Low confidence buttons) and McGraw-Hill Connect Assessments (graded problem sets, accounting ledgers, chemistry equations, and timed midterms). EasySB only hooks SmartBook 2.0 reading JSON—meaning it cannot solve a single graded Connect problem set or exam.
- ✗ Fails on McGraw-Hill Connect Graded Homework & Quizzes
- ✗ Fails on McGraw-Hill ALEKS Math & Chemistry
- ✗ Fails on Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, & Pearson MyLab
Crushes Both SmartBook 2.0 AND Graded Connect / Canvas Exams
With ExamGhost, you don't need a separate tool for SmartBook reading and another tool for graded exams. Press ⌘+Shift+A inside SmartBook 2.0 to breeze through multi-select confidence questions in 0.3s, then use the exact same hotkey on your graded McGraw-Hill Connect accounting tables, ALEKS math, and Canvas midterms.
- ✓ Solves SmartBook 2.0 "Select all that apply" & fill-in-blanks
- ✓ Solves graded McGraw-Hill Connect accounting, finance, & STEM exams
- ✓ Works seamlessly across Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, D2L, & MyLab
Bulk Module Scraping + Switching to Excel Leaves Two Telemetry Trails
EasySB's flagship feature is exporting SmartBook modules into an Excel spreadsheet so you can Ctrl+F answers. That workflow creates two glaring problems:
window.blur and visibilitychange events.Stay Inside the Browser Tab With Zero API Scraping Bursts
ExamGhost never bulk-queries McGraw-Hill's backend APIs and never forces you to switch over to an Excel window. It reads only the currently rendered question on your screen, solves it in 0.3s inside a Closed Shadow DOM overlay, and keeps Focus Shield locked so your session records zero page-left events.
Why Unpacked GitHub Forks of SmarterBook Are Dangerous in 2026
After SmarterBook's original author (Micah Lindley) shut down the project following a publisher cease-and-desist letter, copycat GitHub repositories and sketchy zip downloads popped up claiming to be “SmarterBook 2026.”
- ✗ Original repo archived & unmaintained since legal notice
- ✗ Injects visible DOM styles directly into SmartBook answer nodes
- ✗ Copycat unpacked .zip forks frequently contain session-stealing scripts
Actively Maintained, Closed Shadow DOM, Zero Publisher API Scraping
Because ExamGhost uses independent Multi-Model AI + Vision OCR inside an isolatedClosed Shadow DOM rather than redistributing proprietary McGraw-Hill answer keys, it works reliably across every 2026 textbook edition and platform update.
- ✓ Works on every 2026 McGraw-Hill SmartBook & Connect update
- ✓ No reliance on leaked or scraped publisher answer keys
- ✓ Zero host DOM style mutations on answer choice elements
Paying for a Tool That Only Works in 1 Class Out of 5
A typical college student takes 4 to 5 courses per semester: one class might use McGraw-Hill SmartBook, another uses Pearson MyLab Math, and all five use Canvas or Blackboard for midterms and finals. Buying a SmartBook-only tool leaves 80% of your semester uncovered.
One Extension for Every Course, LMS, and Homework Portal
ExamGhost covers your entire semester schedule under a single lightweight extension—and lets you start with 50 Free Solves ($0, no card) to verify it on both SmartBook 2.0 and your Canvas/Blackboard quizzes.
McGraw-Hill Connect & Canvas Telemetry: EasySB vs ExamGhost
Compare the network and window-focus footprint of scraping SmartBook to Excel versus solving in-page with ExamGhost.
window.blur & visibilitychange fired repeatedly).⌘+Shift+A on adaptive multi-select question. Solved in 0.3s in-page with zero bulk API scraping.Focus Shield blocks all window.blur events while Closed Shadow DOM keeps host DOM 100% clean.EasySB vs SmarterBook vs ExamGhost (2026)
| Capability | SmarterBook (Archived) | EasySB (easysb.org) | ExamGhost (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Operational Status | ✗ Discontinued (Publisher cease-and-desist) | Active (SmartBook 2.0 exporter only) | ✓ Actively maintained across all 2026 LMS platforms |
| McGraw-Hill SmartBook 2.0 | ✗ Broken on 2026 updates | Exports reading concepts to Excel | ✓ Solves live in-page in 0.3s (no Excel switching) |
| Graded McGraw-Hill Connect Exams & Homework | ✗ No | ✗ No (SmartBook reading modules only) | ✓ Full support for graded Connect homework & timed exams |
| Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, D2L, MyLab & ALEKS | ✗ No (0% support) | ✗ No (0% support) | ✓ Native support across all major LMS & STEM platforms |
| Closed Shadow DOM + Focus Shield | ✗ Direct DOM CSS highlighting | ✗ None (Excel switching fires window.blur) | ✓ Closed Shadow DOM v1 + Prototype Focus Shield |
| Free Trial | Discontinued | Limited demo | ✓ 50 Free Solves ($0, No Credit Card Required) |
📂 VIEW SMARTERBOOK CEASE-AND-DESIST & EASYSB ARCHITECTURE NOTES▼
1. SmarterBook (by Micah Lindley / micahlindley.com):
- Open-source Chrome extension targeting McGraw-Hill
SmartBook 2.0 reading assignments.
- Permanently discontinued and archived on GitHub after
the developer received a formal copyright cease-and-desist
letter from legal counsel representing textbook publishers.
2. EasySB (https://easysb.org):
- Niche web/extension utility focused on exporting
McGraw-Hill SmartBook 2.0 modules into Excel sheets.
- Does not operate on graded McGraw-Hill Connect exams,
ALEKS, Canvas, Blackboard, or Pearson MyLab.SmartBook 2.0 penalizes wrong guesses heavily by adding extra remedial concept questions whenever you miss a “Select all that apply” or fill-in-blank prompt at High Confidence.
Instead of forcing you to export an Excel file and hunt through rows, ExamGhost evaluates the exact SmartBook prompt on screen in 0.3 seconds so you can click the right choices + High Confidence and finish a 45-concept reading module in under 6 minutes.
“I used SmarterBook last year before it got hit with a cease-and-desist, then tried EasySB. The problem is my Managerial Accounting class only counts SmartBook reading for 5% of our grade—the other 95% is graded McGraw-Hill Connect problem sets and Canvas exams where EasySB doesn't work at all. ExamGhost works right inside SmartBook 2.0 without making me export Excel files AND solves my graded Connect accounting tables and Canvas midterms.”
EasySB & SmarterBook vs ExamGhost: FAQ
1. What happened to the SmarterBook Chrome extension for McGraw-Hill?▼
SmarterBook (originally created by developer Micah Lindley) was permanently discontinued and archived on GitHub after receiving a copyright cease-and-desist letter from legal counsel representing major textbook publishers. Unmaintained forks no longer match 2026 McGraw-Hill SmartBook 2.0 security checks.
2. Does EasySB (easysb.org) work on graded McGraw-Hill Connect exams or Canvas quizzes?▼
No. EasySB is a single-purpose utility built strictly for McGraw-Hill SmartBook 2.0 adaptive reading modules (including exporting module questions into Excel spreadsheets). It does not work on timed McGraw-Hill Connect homework/exams, Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, Pearson MyLab, or ALEKS. ExamGhost works across SmartBook 2.0 AND every graded LMS exam platform.
3. Can exporting SmartBook modules to Excel trigger McGraw-Hill Connect detection?▼
Yes, in two ways: first, bulk-scraping an entire SmartBook module to generate an Excel sheet sends rapid sequential API requests through your authenticated mheducation.com session; second, switching between your browser and Excel during an assignment fires window.blur and document.visibilitychange events. ExamGhost solves questions one-by-one at natural human speed inside a Closed Shadow DOM with Focus Shield active.
4. How does ExamGhost handle McGraw-Hill SmartBook 2.0 confidence ratings and multi-select questions?▼
ExamGhost's Multi-Model STEM & Business Consensus engine evaluates every option in McGraw-Hill SmartBook 2.0 (“Select all that apply”, fill-in-the-blank, and matching) plus graded McGraw-Hill Connect accounting tables and finance formulas, displaying the exact verified choices silently in-page so you can click High Confidence with 99.4% accuracy.
Try ExamGhost Free With 50 Solves ($0, No Card)
Stop exporting Excel spreadsheets or hunting for dead SmarterBook forks. Solve McGraw-Hill SmartBook 2.0, graded Connect exams, and Canvas midterms live in 0.3s.