Simulators have a few extra moving parts compared to coursework, so they're a common source of "it's not working" questions. Here's how to diagnose.
Issue: I Don't See the Simulator Settings in Quick Links
If you don't see Budget Simulator Settings, Stock Simulator Settings, or Startup Simulator Settings in your Quick Links panel:
Check your plan tier:
Budget Simulator — Core tier and above
Stock Market Simulator — Plus tier and above
Startup Simulator — Pro tier only
If your plan doesn't include the simulator, the settings won't appear. See 10.2 Upgrading or Changing Your Plan.
Issue: I See the Settings, But the Simulator Isn't Activated for My Class
If you can access Simulator Settings but students can't use the simulator:
Open the relevant Simulator Settings (e.g., Budget Simulator Settings from Quick Links).
Look for the blue Activate Budget Sim (or equivalent) button in the top-right.
Click it to activate.
Without activation, students see the simulator option but can't begin playing.
Issue: A Student's Simulator Won't Load
If a student logs in and the simulator doesn't load properly:
Step 1: Hard refresh Have the student press Ctrl+F5 (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+R (Mac) to force a full reload.
Step 2: Different browser The simulator is most reliable on Chrome or Edge. If they're on Safari or Firefox, have them try Chrome.
Step 3: Clear cache Clear browser cache and cookies for the Intertwined domain. Stale cache is a common cause of UI bugs.
Step 4: Check internet connection Simulators require a stable connection. If the student is on weak school Wi-Fi or a poor home network, performance may suffer.
Step 5: Disable browser extensions Some browser extensions (ad blockers, privacy tools, screen recorders) interfere with simulator JavaScript. Try disabling extensions or using an incognito/private window.
Issue: Simulator Events Aren't Appearing
For the Budget Simulator specifically, students sometimes report "I'm not getting any events." Possible causes:
The student hasn't progressed far enough into the simulator timeline yet
The simulator is in beta mode and may have intermittent event generation
The student needs to refresh the page or log out and back in
The Budget Simulator simulates six simulated months of scenarios with AI-generated events. Events generate as the student progresses, not all at once.
Issue: Simulator Data Looks Wrong
If a student's simulator data appears incorrect (wrong balance, missing transactions, wrong phase):
Have the student log out and back in.
Check the Student Performance tab for that student to see what data you're seeing on your side.
If your view differs from theirs, there may be a sync issue — contact support.
If your view matches theirs, the data is correctly recorded — they may be misremembering or misreading.
Issue: Stock Simulator Trades Aren't Going Through
If students report that buy or sell orders aren't processing:
Check that the simulator is activated for the classroom
Verify the student has sufficient cash balance for buys
Verify the student owns the stock they're trying to sell
Try a hard refresh
Try a different browser
Issue: Startup Simulator Decisions Aren't Saving
If students make business decisions that don't seem to take effect:
Confirm they clicked the final "Confirm" or "Submit" button (some decisions have multi-step confirmations)
Check for browser pop-up blockers that might be suppressing confirmation dialogs
Hard refresh and try again
When to Escalate
Contact support if:
Multiple students simultaneously can't access a simulator (suggests platform issue)
Simulator data is consistently incorrect across students
Activation buttons don't respond to clicks
The simulator loads but is visually broken (missing UI elements)
When contacting support, include:
Which simulator (Budget, Stock, Startup)
Browser and operating system
Whether the issue affects all students or specific ones
A screenshot of the error if possible
Related articles:
1.3 Understanding Your Plan Tier
12.1 Getting Help
12.3 Submitting Feature Requests and Bug Reports