Introduction: The Fear of the Blank Page
You have read the textbook. You have highlighted your notes. But do you actually know the material?
The scariest part of an exam is the surprise. You don't know what questions will be on the page. Most students study by just re-reading, which gives you a false sense of confidence.
The best way to study is Active Recall—forcing your brain to retrieve information without looking. ChatGPT is the perfect tool for this because it can generate infinite practice tests on any topic instantly.
Here is how to use it to simulate the real exam before you ever step into the classroom.
1. Create a "Look-Alike" Practice Test
The best practice is doing questions that look exactly like the ones your teacher writes. Whether it is multiple-choice or short-answer, you can tell the AI to mimic the format.
How to do it: Paste a summary of your notes or a list of topics into the chat. Then use this prompt:
"I have a history exam on the Cold War. Create a 10-question multiple-choice test. Make the questions tricky, similar to an AP exam. Do NOT show me the answers yet."
Why this works: It forces you to think critically rather than just recognizing keywords.
Tool to try: ChatGPT – The standard for generating text-based quizzes.
2. Simulate the "Short Answer" Pressure
Multiple choice is easy because the answer is right there. Writing from scratch is harder. Use ChatGPT to practice your written responses.
How to do it: Ask for an open-ended question:
"Ask me one short-answer question about the function of the mitochondria. I will type my answer, and then I want you to grade it."
Type out your best guess, even if it is messy.
Tool to try: Khan Academy – Great for cross-referencing if you get the answer wrong.
3. Get Instant Grading and Feedback
This is the game-changer. Usually, you have to wait a week for your teacher to grade a quiz. AI does it in one second.
How to do it: After you submit your answer to the prompt above, ask:
"Grade my answer on a scale of 1-5. Tell me exactly what I missed and how I could word it better next time."
The AI will point out that you forgot to mention "ATP production" or that your definition was too vague.
Tools to try:
Grammarly – Use this to check the grammar of your practice essays.
Hemingway Editor – Helps make your written answers clearer and bolder.
4. The "Explain It to a 5-Year-Old" Test
If you can't explain a concept simply, you don't understand it well enough. This is called the Feynman Technique.
How to do it: Tell ChatGPT to pretend to be a student who is confused.
"Act as a middle school student who doesn't understand 'photosynthesis.' I am going to explain it to you. Keep asking me 'Why?' until I have explained every part of the process."
If you get stuck answering a "Why?" question, you know exactly what you need to study again.
Resource: The Feynman Technique – A guide to this powerful mental model.
Conclusion: Fail Here so You Win There
The goal of these practice tests isn't to get a perfect score; it is to find out what you don't know while the stakes are low. By using AI to test yourself today, you save yourself from panic on exam day.
