Library › Study AI › College students

Turn your syllabus into a spaced study plan for midterm 2

Practice: Giving the right context. About 5 minutes.

About this exercise

Your Econ 101 midterm 2 is coming, and you want a spaced study plan for the week of Nov 11, built from the syllabus and the latest course announcement. You work Tuesday and Thursday evenings, so no studying on those days. Get exactly 5 numbered lines, one per study day, in the form 'Day Date: what to do (minutes)', plain text, under 110 words. Each exam chapter must come up on at least two different days, and the last session must be a mixed self-test on all of them the day before the exam.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Using the old syllabus dates. The AI reads the syllabus first and plans for Nov 20 and Ch 8 unless you point it to the announcement. Try: Say: "Use the Nov 8 announcement: exam Monday Nov 18, Ch 5-7 only."
  • Not saying when you're busy. The AI spreads study over every day of the week, including your work nights. Try: Add: "Study only Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat and Sun. I work Tue and Thu."
  • One chapter per day. AI plans in a straight line, one topic once each, which is cramming spread over a week. Try: Add: "Each chapter on at least two different days, and the last day is a mixed self-test on all of them."
  • Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total and it often lands 20% over. Try: Cap each line instead: "each line under 16 words."
  • Getting a formatted schedule. AI loves tables and bold headings, which don't paste cleanly into a phone note. Try: Show one line: "1. Mon Nov 11: Ch 5 problems (45 min)", plain text.

What a strong prompt includes

  • Uses the announcement
  • Says when you can't study
  • Asks for spacing
  • Plans a final self-test
  • Shows the line format

Practice this now ↑

Related exercises