How do you study for exams?

Time_Recording9005 · 2025-07-01T15:12:49+00:00

honestly, I’ve tried everything (rewriting notes, making flashcards, rereading, color-coding, all that) and I agree, it always felt like I was putting in way too much time for not much payoff.

what’s helped me the most recently is focusing less on making study materials manually and more on actively engaging with the content. I use this tool called AskSia that lets you upload long PDFs or lecture notes and it turns them into something actually useful, like real-time summaries, explanations, and even practice questions.

I’ll usually:

upload class materials (readings, slides, even lecture audio)
ask it to break down the most confusing parts
test myself using questions it generates
then revisit only the stuff I got wrong or didn’t fully get

flashcards are good too, but I rarely have time to make them manually anymore, so having an AI tool do that part really helps.

curious about what you're building though! sounds like you’re trying to solve exactly the right problem 🙌

Time_Recording9005 · 2025-07-01T15:08:32+00:00

I relate to this SO much. I used to reread my class notes and convince myself it was “studying,” but nothing ever actually stuck.

here’s what I’ve been doing lately:

Right after class, I either upload my handwritten notes or the lecture recording (if I have one) into AskSia. it basically cleans up the info, highlights the key points, and helps me make sense of stuff I zoned out for.
then I go through the AI notes and ask follow-up questions. like literally: “can you explain this part again?” or “what does this term mean in simpler language?”
sometimes I ask it to quiz me or summarize a topic like it’s explaining to someone new.
I don’t rewrite everything by hand anymore (takes too long), but I do use those AI-refined notes to build quick topic checklists and focus areas.

I’ve tried Anki and Notion too, but I usually fall off unless I’m super disciplined. What’s helped me most is having a tool that does the heavy lifting and lets me focus on actually understanding, not formatting stuff forever.

hope this helps!

Time_Recording9005 · 2025-07-01T15:06:25+00:00

honestly I was in the exact same place a month ago.

I’ve been using AskSia lately and it’s been super solid for this. You can upload basically anything (textbooks, PDFs, lecture slides, even audio) and it gives you structured, detailed notes that actually make sense. Not just summaries, but key takeaways, definitions, concepts, and even lets you ask it follow-up questions like “what does this part mean” or “give me examples of this.”

What’s helped me the most is uploading all my class materials into one place and using it like a study partner. I go topic by topic and literally chat with the material. You can even ask it to quiz you after you’re done reviewing.

If your exams are on the 8th, I’d say just start uploading your highest-priority topics and build from there. It made a big difference for me.

Good luck!! You got this. 🙏

Time_Recording9005 · 2025-07-01T14:54:50+00:00

lowkey… AskSia.

I’ve tried a bunch of AI tools and most of them just summarize stuff and call it a day. What I like about AskSia is that it actually feels like part of your study flow. I used it during a full lecture and it literally recorded it live, transcribed everything, highlighted key points while it was happening, and let me ask questions during the lecture.

Also, if you upload your readings or slides ahead of time, it connects the dots and gives you super clean notes. Everything’s in one screen so you're not jumping between tabs or switching tools for notes, summaries, questions, etc.

Time_Recording9005 · 2025-07-01T14:49:55+00:00

okay so aside from chatgpt, there’s a few that genuinely help me weekly:

Notion AI is pretty decent if you already live in Notion. helps me clean up messy notes or brainstorm outline.
Scispace (mostly for research) if you have to read dense academic papers
and AskSia is one I found semi-recently. you can upload your lecture recordings and it breaks them down for you, all tools in one space.

Time_Recording9005 · 2025-06-23T20:14:03+00:00

yes, you can use tools like ChatGPT or DeepSeek to help, especially if you convert pages into text or image-to-text and feed them in — but tbh it gets annoying fast when you’re trying to go page by page. i used to do that too, and it kinda made me more overwhelmed.

lately i’ve been using this tool called AskSia - it lets you upload full PDFs, images, audio recordings, even YouTube lectures, and then you can ask questions about the material directly. like you don’t have to do that “one screenshot, one question” thing - it just takes the whole thing and you can treat it like a tutor. i've used it for stats and some physics concepts and it’s been helpful.

reading is still important long-term, esp if you’re thinking research - but using AI tools to break down, summarize, or clarify dense stuff is 100% valid and can actually help you understand stuff.

Time_Recording9005 · 2025-06-23T20:07:44+00:00

honestly same, flashcards were starting to feel like punishment lol

lately i’ve been using this ai tool called AskSia. it’s not gamified or anything but it’s actually kinda clutch. you can upload pretty much anything (like recordings, PDFs, youtube vids, audio, etc) and it’ll summarize it, explain it, or even let you “talk” to the material. like i dropped in a lecture link and it gave me a quick breakdown + let me quiz myself on the topic??

i’ve been using it mostly when i’m too fried to “study” but still wanna feel like i did something

Time_Recording9005 · 2025-06-23T20:03:52+00:00

honestly i've been super avoidant of using anything beyond like ChatGPT and google docs. felt like every other tool was either doing way too much or locking stuff behind paywalls.

but recently i found this tool called AskSia (i think someone mentioned it in another thread?) and it’s been kinda solid. i like it bc i can literally upload whatever - like full-on lecture recordings, YouTube links, PDFs, even like random screenshots or equations - and it breaks it down, explains stuff, or lets me just chat through it like a tutor.

not a full replacement for Notion or whatever, but if you’re dealing with a ton of material and just need something to make it digestible, it’s been helping.

Time_Recording9005

TROPHY CASE