Gemini Notebook study prompts: flashcards, mock tests and summaries from your notes

Google's NotebookLM now lives inside the Gemini app as Gemini Notebook, and in September 2026 it got a set of back-to-school tools. Google's Workspace update lists interactive learning overviews that combine summaries with quizzes, flashcards and mind maps, short video overviews in more than 80 languages, an audio recorder for lectures in the mobile app, and live voice conversations with your notebook in nearly 100 languages for users aged 18 and over.

The big advantage over a normal chatbot is that the notebook answers from the sources you upload. That makes it much better for exams: it uses your syllabus and your teacher's notes, not a random website.

Step 1: add the right sources

Create one notebook per subject. Add:

• Your class notes (photos of handwritten pages work if they're clear).
• The textbook chapters for the exam.
• Past papers, if you have them.
• Lecture recordings made with the new audio recorder.

Don't mix subjects in one notebook. Physics formulas get confused with chemistry ones.

Step 2: flashcards from your notes

The built-in flashcard button is quick, but a prompt gives you more control. This is based on our notes to flashcards prompt:

Using only my sources, make [NUMBER, e.g. 25] flashcards for [TOPIC/CHAPTER].
Front: one clear question.
Back: the answer in under 25 words, plus the source it came from.
Include definitions, formulas and the facts most likely to come up in an exam. Skip anything not in my sources.

"Using only my sources" and "the source it came from" keep the answers tied to your material, so you can check anything that looks wrong.

Step 3: a practice test

Make a practice test on [CHAPTERS] in the style of my past papers: [NUMBER] short-answer questions and [NUMBER] long-answer questions, with marks for each.
Don't show the answers yet. When I reply with my answers, mark them strictly like an examiner and tell me what I missed.

This works best when past papers are among your sources. See also the past paper practice prompt.

Step 4: a one-page revision sheet

Make a one-page revision sheet for [TOPIC] from my sources: key terms with one-line definitions, the main formulas or dates, and the 5 points most likely to be examined. Keep it short enough to read in 5 minutes.

Print it or save it to your phone for the bus. The study summary sheet prompt has a version with a memory aid for each point.

Step 5: check you really understand

Reading summaries feels like learning, but explaining is what tests it. Try this in the notebook's voice mode or as text:

I'm going to explain [CONCEPT] in my own words. Compare my explanation with my sources, tell me what I got wrong or left out, and ask me one follow-up question.

This is the Feynman technique: if you can explain it simply, you know it.

Plan the weeks before the exam

If the exam is weeks away, ask for a plan that uses the notebook:

My [SUBJECT] exam is on [DATE]. I can study [HOURS] hours a day. Using the chapters in my sources, make a day-by-day plan with revision days and one full practice test each week.

A word of caution

The notebook can still make mistakes, especially reading messy handwriting or numbers in photos. Check formulas and dates against your textbook, and don't hand in AI-written answers as your own work.

Where to go from here

Our AI prompts for studying post has more study methods that work in any chatbot. All the prompts above are free in the student prompts collection, and the prompt builder can make a custom one for your subject and exam date.

Quick checklist

• One notebook per subject.
• Add your own notes, textbook and past papers.
• Say "using only my sources" in every prompt.
• Test yourself, don't just read summaries.
• Check formulas and dates against the textbook.

Prompts to try

Browse all 1560 prompts →