How to Use AI for Studying: 8 Best Practices

Learning how to use AI for studying is about more than getting ChatGPT to summarize your notes or give instant explanations. You can do that, of course, but exposure to information alone will only get you so far. 

Real learning comes from actively working with the material. You know, trying to recall concepts and apply them in context, then noticing where your understanding is off.

Fortunately, ChatGPT and other generative AI tools can help you do that, too.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at some of the best ways to use AI for studying so you can go beyond basic summaries and use AI as a more active study tool.

Key Takeaways (TL;DR) 

• AI works best for studying when you give it context from what you’re actually learning, like class notes and study guides.
• If an explanation doesn’t click, AI can help simplify it, break down processes step-by-step, or point out common misunderstandings
• Before asking for help, telling AI what you already know about a topic can help make its feedback more useful
• Rather than just asking for and reading definitions, AI can help make studying more active by generating quizzes, flashcards, and scenario-based questions
• Asking AI for edge cases and challenging scenarios can help you apply what you’re learning and challenge what you think you know about topics
• AI can help you build a study plan around the topics, questions, or weak spots you still need to review
• AI can get things wrong, so it’s important to verify any information it gives you before trusting it

1. Give AI the Material You’re Actually Studying

AI can definitely give you a general explanation of just about any topic, but its responses are just that: general. It doesn’t know what your teacher is specifically covering in class. 

So, before you ask AI to help you learn or practice something, you should give it some context from what you’re actually studying, such as:

• Notes you’ve taken in class
• Study guides
• Textbook notes
• Practice questions

You typically have a few options that’ll allow you to share these with AI tools. Depending on the tool you’re using, you may be able to upload or copy and paste a digital file, or type out key points from handwritten notes.

One thing you’ll want to be careful with, though, is copyrighted materials. It’s an important part of using AI ethically as a student.

Once the AI has your (approved) study materials, you can ask it questions like:

• “Use this study guide to help me figure out which topics I should review first.”
• “Based only on these notes, ask me questions to help prepare for a test.”

With the extra context from your specific classroom, AI’s responses are more likely to match what your teacher or professor expects you to know.

2. Get Different Explanations When Something Doesn’t Click

Sometimes, your teacher’s or textbook’s explanation of a concept just doesn’t click. And that’s fine — not everyone learns the same way. Besides, AI can be great for approaching a topic from different angles.

You can try asking AI to explain confusing concepts with questions like:

• “Explain this in simpler terms, then give me an example.”
• “Walk me through this process step by step.”
• “Is there anything that’s commonly misunderstood about this topic?”
• “How does this example apply to this concept?”

AI can help break down classroom material in a way that makes sense for you. 

3. Ask AI to Quiz You

AI can be useful for much more than just explanations. A clear breakdown of a concept can be helpful, sure, but recognizing what something is and actually recalling and applying it yourself are very different things.

A better use of AI for studying would be to ask it to test you on the topic. For example, you could tell AI: 

• “Turn these notes into flashcards, then quiz me on the ones I get wrong.”
• “Test me on scenario-based questions rather than definitions.” 
• “Give me multiple-choice questions one at a time, and make them progressively harder each time I get one right.” 

This forces your brain to take what you’ve learned and actively use it. Rather than just reading through explanations, you have to retrieve the relevant information from memory and see if you understand it well enough to apply it correctly.

It’s not just getting right answers that can help you learn, either — wrong answers can be helpful here too. You can ask AI to explain why an answer was wrong, and use that to figure out what to review next.

4. Explain What You Know Before Asking for Help

Before you ask ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or whatever other AI tool you’d like to use for study help, try writing out your understanding of the material first. It’s fine if it’s messy or wrong. The point is to let the AI in on what you already know so it can help you understand what you don’t.

For example, you could ask:

• "Here's how I understand this. Where am I off?”
• “Here’s my summary of this concept. What did I miss?”

This AI study method can be especially useful for tests that require you to write out answers. By having AI pinpoint holes in your understanding and explain what you’re missing, it can help you figure out what you need to review for test day.

5. Ask for Edge Cases to Help Concepts Stick

When studying, it often makes sense to start with what your textbook or class notes say on a particular subject. However, tests often involve application, so reading the same definitions and examples over and over again may only help you memorize the material, not understand how to use it.

So, if you want to make sure you actually understand something, have AI generate a few edge cases, or examples where the concept is a little less straightforward. By seeing how a concept works in tricky situations, you can get a better idea of when it applies, when it doesn’t, and how it might show up on a test.

Try asking AI for edge case examples with prompts like:

• “Give me an example where this idea seems like it should apply, but doesn’t.”
• “Create a tricky situation that would confuse someone who only understands the basics of this subject.”

If you can understand how a concept applies across different situations, you’ll be better prepared for whatever application questions show up on a test.

6. Challenge Your Thinking

You can also help make a concept stick by interacting with it. Since ChatGPT and other generative AI tools are built for back-and-forth conversation, you could prompt AI:

• For learning a new language: “Simulate a conversation where I have to order food in [language] and respond naturally.” 
• For debate prep or argumentative essays: “Act as a debate partner and push back on my argument about [topic].”

The goal is to move from passively reading about the material to responding to it. When you actually put yourself in the middle of what you’re learning about and have to make a decision, answer naturally, or defend your reasoning, it can be easier to notice what you actually understand and where your thinking still needs some work.

7. Build a Study Plan With AI

Once you know what you need to work on, AI can help you turn random, one-off study sessions into a more consistent plan. This can be especially helpful if you’re studying for a major test or exam over several days or weeks and have a lot of material to cover.

A good approach to building a study plan with AI is to ask it to organize what you should review and when, with prompts like:

• “Help me build a 2-week study plan for mastering [topic or course].” 
• “What should I review daily vs. weekly to understand [topic or course]?” 
• “What’s the best way to review these [lesson materials] so I can retain them better?”

You can use what you’ve learned from the other AI study methods listed above to help inform the plan. For example, if you keep getting the same AI quiz questions wrong or it points out a gap in your understanding, you can ask it to add the related concepts into the plan for later review.

One of the best things about using AI for a study plan is that you can easily keep making adjustments based on what you need to review. You just need to give it that context.

8. Double-Check AI’s Answers Before You Trust Them

This is perhaps the most important best practice for studying with AI.

AI may give confident-sounding answers to your questions, but that doesn’t mean they’re automatically accurate. AI can hallucinate and generate incorrect facts, citations, and data that have nothing to do with your class materials, so it’s important to verify its responses before you trust them.

Fortunately, there are a few ways you can double-check AI responses, such as:

• Fact-checking tools
• Textbooks
• Your teacher or professor
• Class notes
• Reputable websites

Keep in mind that AI can really be a great source of information and study partner, especially if it can refer to your class materials. 

However, when your grades are on the line, it’s better to double-check its accuracy.

Besides, catching and correcting AI’s mistakes may just help you learn a few things too.

AI Shouldn’t Do the Learning, or the Work, for You

Although AI can explain concepts in different ways, create practice questions and examples, and just generally help you understand your study materials better, it can’t do the learning for you.

And AI shouldn’t do the work for you, either.

Using AI for studying is one thing, but having it complete take-home tests, essays, or other assignments for you is another story. AI is supposed to help you understand things better, not replace your work.

If you’re using AI as part of your writing process, try the Originality.ai Chrome Extension. It can help you identify areas of likely AI writing and even plagiarism in your writing for review, so you can make sure your work is truly your own.

Learn more about Originality.ai for Education.

Further Reading:

• How Do Professors Check for AI?
• Claude and ChatGPT For Education
• 70+ AI in Education Statistics
• AI in Academia

FAQs about How to Use AI for Studying

Which AI is best for studying?

The best AI for studying really depends on your preferences and goals. For example, Google NotebookLM is great for asking AI for questions about lessons, while something like Knowt is more useful for turning notes into flashcards.

Can ChatGPT help with studying?

Yes, ChatGPT can help with studying by generating definitions, flash cards, practice questions, and examples on various topics. There’s even a ChatGPT Study Mode. However, it can also generate inaccurate information, so it’s best to double-check its answers from reliable sources before trusting them.