AI, with seemingly infinite applications, can be pretty exciting as a student. Free answers for your hardest homework problems, without any effort from yourself. But we all know that when it comes time for the midterms and finals, using AI in this way is only going to hurt you academically.
With that being said, AI can also be a powerful study tool. It cuts down your exam prep time and lets you focus on actually learning, rather than rewriting notes or lecture slides.
For me, I was always a bit intimidated by AI and really didn’t know how to start using it for studying. There are thousands of websites out there that all promise to get you an A on your exam, but which ones are actually useful? And which ones are actually free?
I ended up doing a bit of research on AI platforms, and have come up with a few that I believe to be the most useful and most effective for all of us trying to kill it during midterm or finals season this quarter (essentially every week here at UCSB).
My favorite ai sites
My first suggestion for college students would be Feynman AI. This platform can be used on the web or as an app on your phone, turning videos, PDFs, or even your own voice into many different study tools.
I submitted a video on Cellular Respiration and it provided notes, flashcards, a quiz, and a transcript of the video. The app uses the Feynman Technique for studying, which finds that if you can’t explain a concept to a twelve-year-old, you don’t really understand the topic you’re studying. I would suggest the App Store version for those who want the ability to use this technique fully because it allows you to use your phone’s microphone to speak to the platform.
The only true downside to Feynman AI is that it does sit behind a paywall, so I don’t know if I’d personally purchase it, but if you live for the method it’s definitely worth it. If you’re like me and don’t want to pay for the platform, try explaining things to friends in class who can tell you where you go wrong!
None of my other suggestions require any money spent, but I know that the Feynman Technique is super advantageous so it’s worth giving a try if notes and practice problems just aren’t enough.
The next platform I found is Goblin Tools. This one can create “Magic To-Do” lists that will break down an assignment into the most digestible tasks it can so they don’t seem so daunting. For example, I wrote “study for my chemistry exam,” and it told me to review practice exams, quiz myself, and solve practice problems.
While these may seem like obvious tasks, Goblin Tools can help you figure out where to start on a big project or boost productivity if you love checking things off a to-do list like myself. It will also explain things to you like a professor or act as a consultant by giving you the pros and cons of any situation.
Overall, this platform is fun, easy to use, and great for feeling more productive and getting quick explanations to add to your notes.
Jungle AI was another platform I found to be very fruitful. It’s similar to Feynman AI in that it will create quizzes for you based on a video or PDF that you upload. While you can’t talk to it, it’s super useful for those wanting multiple-choice practice questions over lecture material or your textbook.
While ChatGPT is a tried and true method for a lot of us, consider using DeepSeek for a similar kind of experience but without the paywall that ChatGPT now has. This site is great for explaining how to actually get to the right answer. While it can be easy to just scroll past the explanation, it’s an amazing way to learn how to solve these questions on your own.
I hope all of these suggestions help you implement AI in your study routines. I know that I’m definitely going to start using these platforms to prepare for my midterms and make my life a little bit easier throughout the school year.