Study notes from PDF: notes, cards and quizzes
Study notes from a PDF start with a text chapter or slide deck.
Updated
How it works
Add a chapter or lecture PDF
Open the tool (it may ask you to sign in) and drop in one text PDF. A chapter works better than a whole book.
Pick notes, flashcards or a quiz
Run Study notes. The cost is shown first. The result streams in as text.
Copy it and test yourself
Copy the notes or cards where you study. Check a few facts against the page before you memorize them.
What can I make from a PDF?
Three things. Notes: a structured outline of the chapter. Flashcards: question on one side, answer on the other, written as plain text that you copy where you like. A quiz: questions with answers at the end, so you can cover them up.
The tool runs on GPT-4o mini at 1 Gem per message, which makes it cheap to ask again with a different focus.
Study prompts that work
Make study notes for this chapter: headings, key terms in bold with one-line definitions, and any formulas. Keep it to one page.
Use the tool aboveWrite 20 flashcards from this chapter. Format each as Q: ... and A: ... Focus on definitions, dates and cause and effect.
Use the tool aboveWrite a 10-question quiz on pages 12-25: 6 multiple choice, 4 short answer. Put the answers at the end with the page for each.
Use the tool aboveQuiz me one question at a time on this chapter. Wait for my answer, then tell me if I was right and why.
Use the tool aboveExplain the three hardest ideas in this chapter as if I were new to the subject, with one example each.
Use the tool aboveHow do I get better cards and notes?
Give it a job. "Flashcards for the exam on Friday, definitions and formulas only" beats "make flashcards".
Work one chapter at a time. A short PDF gives sharper cards than a 300-page book, and it stays inside the size limit. Ask for the page next to each card so you can look things up.
Then read the output once. A model can write a confident card with a wrong fact. If a card looks odd, check it against the source before you learn it.
What it will not do
- It can't read scanned lecture notes or photos of a textbook. There's no OCR.
- It doesn't make a deck file. Flashcards are text you copy.
- It won't know what your teacher will test. Tell it the focus.
- A very long PDF gets cut or refused. Pick a page range instead.
What does it cost, and what leaves my device?
1 Gem per message on GPT-4o mini. New accounts start with 30 Gems. See pricing for packs and plans.
The PDF is uploaded to the model provider you picked, and sent again with each message. To pull one chapter out of a big file first, use the split tool. It works on your device.
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Questions about Study notes from PDF
Can I turn a PDF into flashcards?
Yes. Choose flashcards and you get question and answer pairs as plain text. Copy them into your notes app or wherever you revise. Skim them against the PDF first, since a card can contain a mistake.
How long can my study PDF be?
About 5.7 MB, and a PDF counts as roughly 6,000 input tokens, so very long books get cut or refused. Work chapter by chapter, or cut a page range out first on your device.
Can it make a quiz with answers?
Yes. Ask for a number of questions, the type (multiple choice or short answer) and the answers at the end. You can also ask it to quiz you one question at a time.
Will it work on my scanned lecture slides?
Only if the PDF has real text. Scans and photos show "No text found", because there's no OCR. Slides exported straight from presentation software usually work.
Are the notes always correct?
No. Models can summarize something wrongly or invent a detail. Treat the notes as a draft, check key facts on the cited page when there is one, and fix anything that doesn't match your textbook.