In this installment of the AI Toolkit series, we’ll explore practical ways to use AI to quiz yourself, reinforce your knowledge, and retain information more effectively. Whether you’re preparing for an exam, reviewing lecture notes, or tackling challenging subjects, AI can help turn your study sessions into a more interactive, personalized, and productive experience. Below is a list of ideas that can help you leverage AI to master your class materials in no time.
Wondering how AI can supercharge your study sessions?
1. Generate Custom Quizzes and Flashcards
AI can help you turn your class notes, textbook chapters, or lecture slides into interactive quizzes or flashcards. Instead of manually creating them, simply upload your material into an AI tool and ask it to generate multiple-choice questions for self-testing, fill-in-the-blank exercises for recollecting key terms, and flashcards with definitions and examples for quick reviews.
Example prompts:
“Generate a list of 10 multiple-choice questions, with 1 correct answer, based on this class material. After that, review and provide the answer keys to your question suite.”
“Identify key terms in this paragraph and create a fill-in-the-blank exercise that requires those key terms.”
“Identify key terms in this paragraph and create a list of flashcards that have the definitions of those key terms.”
This method will save you the time it would take to create study guides from scratch. Remember to always fact-check and make sure that the AI-generated list is comprehensive. This method should only be treated as a draft for your final study guide.
2. Simulate Exam Conditions
Managing your time while taking a test can be stressful and can affect test performance. To help with this, simulate real exam conditions to build confidence. For example, ask AI to generate a mock test from your notes:
“Generate a 10-question multiple-choice quiz based on the key information from the paragraph provided. Make sure each question only has 1 correct answer, and provide the answer key after the test suite.”
Other than generating multiple-choice quizzes, you can ask AI to provide mock written response questions and ask it to grade your answers once you’re done.
“Generate 3 written response questions with the key information from the provided paragraph. Make sure each question can be answered using only information from the provided paragraph.”
And then,
“Answer as a computer science professor. Grade my answer out of 10 to the question provided in the <question> tag. My answer is provided in the <answer> tag. Provide critiques and perspectives that I may have missed.
<question>Your question here<question>
<answer>Your answer here<answer>”
Pro tip: Ask the AI tool to explain why incorrect answers are wrong, not just the correct choice. Understanding your mistakes is the best way to prevent repeating them.
3. Identify Knowledge Gaps
AI is not only a question generator, but also a powerful reviewer. It can help you identify patterns and find weak spots in your understanding. After a quiz, ask AI to highlight topics you struggled with. Then, follow up by asking it for focused follow-up questions on these topics. Repeat this cycle until you’ve strengthened those areas. An example prompt would be:
“Here are all the questions I got wrong in the practice quiz: <insert questions>. Help me find the topics I’m struggling with, and follow up with questions regarding that topic. Focus on the material I provided, and make sure your question can be answered using only the provided materials.”
4. Leverage AI for More In-Depth Explanations
If you have a study guide in hand, but struggle with understanding the concept, AI is the perfect tool to explain the “why” behind answers. Ask it to explain complex concepts in simpler terms or analogies, provide step-by-step solutions for math or science problems, or offer real-world examples that make abstract ideas easier to grasp.
For example, if you’re studying biology and struggle with cellular respiration, you could ask:
“Explain cellular respiration as if I were 12 years old and give a real-world analogy.”
The AI might respond with a relatable example that makes the process easier to remember. If you find the explanation still doesn’t stick, feel free to provide more context on how you remember things. For example:
“Explain cellular respiration as if I were 12 years old and give a real-world analogy. I remember best when comparing ideas to game concepts. Tailor the analogy to match a Valorant game.”
Turning something hard to remember into subjects you enjoy can increase your learning speed and retention. Try and see if it works for you!
5. Mix and Match Tools for Maximum Impact
It’s important to remember that even AI has its limits, so we should keep an eye out for potential red flags. Sometimes AI can be inaccurate, so to ensure a well-rounded study routine, combine AI with other resources:
1. Mathematics
- Khan Academy – Provides free lessons and AI-powered practice exercises for math concepts across levels.
- Symbolab – Offers detailed solutions for equations, integrals, and derivatives; includes practice problems.
2. Science
- Khan Academy – Covers biology, chemistry, physics, and more with interactive exercises and videos.
- Chegg Study – Offers explanations for homework problems in physics, chemistry, and biology.
3. Languages
- Duolingo – Uses AI to customize exercises to your level for learning vocabulary, grammar, and conversations.
- Memrise – Uses AI to create personalized vocabulary practice and spaced repetition for retention.
4. History & Social Studies
- Quizlet – Generates AI-powered flashcards and quizzes for memorizing dates, events, and historical figures.
- Khan Academy – Gives lessons and practice exercises for history, civics, and economics.
- Socratic by Google – Scans history questions and gives explanations, including context and summaries.
5. Programming & Computer Science
- ChatGPT, Anthorpic, Cursor – Generates practice coding questions, get explanations for algorithms, and debug code.
- Replit – Uses AI-assisted coding environment with instant feedback and coding challenges.
- Codecademy – Gives interactive coding lessons and quizzes with AI hints and guidance.
6. Exam Prep & General Knowledge
- Quizlet – Use or create quizzes for standardized tests (SAT, GRE, AP exams).
- Brainscape – Adaptive flashcards that optimize retention based on your performance.
- Anki – Create AI-generated flashcards for memorization and spaced repetition.
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6. Be critical! Keep up with the challenges
By creating a feedback loop between studying, testing, and reviewing, AI helps you retain knowledge longer and feel more confident in taking exams. Using AI to quiz yourself is about active learning, not passive reading. By generating questions, simulating exams, and providing deeper explanations, AI turns study sessions into a dynamic experience tailored to your learning style.
At Aralia, you never have to navigate your learning journey alone. Our network of experienced tutors and mentors is here to guide you through every challenge. Whether it’s in-class learning, personal projects, or preparing for standardized tests, we’ve got you covered. Start a chat with us today, and let’s achieve your goals together!
Responsible Use of AI in Academic and English Writing
This Responsible Use of AI in Academic and English Writing course is designed to teach students how to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) tools into their academic and English writing processes responsibly, effectively, and ethically.
