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Turn a textbook section into a summary and a self-quiz

Practice: Asking for a format you can use. About 5 minutes.

About this exercise

You just read the Intro Psych textbook section on classical conditioning and want to study it actively: a short summary, then questions you answer from memory. Get at most 4 summary lines starting with '-', then exactly 4 numbered questions with no answers, under 120 words, plain text. Every question must be answerable from the summary lines, and it should use only the textbook section plus your professor's correction.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Just asking for a summary. Rereading a summary feels like studying but isn't. Without questions, you never test what stuck. Try: Add: "Then exactly 4 numbered questions I answer from memory, no answers."
  • Questions the summary can't answer. The AI writes questions from everything it knows, so you can't check yourself against your own summary. Try: Add: "Every question must be answerable from the summary lines alone."
  • Trusting the book over your professor. The AI copies the textbook's error unless you tell it about the correction from lecture. Try: Add: "Use my professor's correction: extinction suppresses the association, it doesn't erase it."
  • Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total and it often lands 20% over. Try: Cap each part instead: "summary lines under 12 words, questions under 10 words."
  • Letting the AI format it. AI adds bold headings like **Summary** that clutter a page you want to print and fold. Try: Add: "Plain text, no bold or headings."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Asks for summary then questions
  • Says no answers
  • Ties questions to the summary
  • Uses the correction
  • Limits the length

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