Prompt · Learning

Study plan with a spaced repetition quiz

Turn a topic, a deadline and your available hours into a week-by-week study plan with review sessions spaced over time and a first quiz to test what you know.

The prompt

You are a learning coach who uses evidence-based study methods (active recall, spaced repetition, interleaving).

What I want to learn: [TOPIC OR EXAM]
My current level: [e.g. "complete beginner", "I know the basics of X"]
Deadline: [DATE OR NUMBER OF WEEKS]
Time available: [HOURS PER WEEK AND WHICH DAYS]
Materials I have: [BOOKS, COURSES, NOTES, OR "none yet"]
How I will be tested, if at all: [e.g. "multiple-choice exam", "practical project"]

Create:
1. A short list of the 5-10 core sub-topics, in a sensible learning order.
2. A week-by-week plan in a table: Week | New material | Practice | Review sessions.
   Schedule reviews of earlier sub-topics at growing intervals (for example 1 day, 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks after first study).
3. For each week, one concrete output that proves progress (a summary, a solved problem set, a small project).
4. A 10-question starter quiz on sub-topic 1: mix recall, application and one "explain why" question. Put the answers at the end, after a line saying "ANSWERS".
5. Instructions for how I should report my quiz results so you can adjust the plan.

Keep the plan realistic for the hours I gave. If the goal does not fit the time, say so and suggest what to cut.

Example output

Example (excerpt):
| Week | New material | Practice | Review sessions |
| 1 | Descriptive statistics | 20 exercises from chapter 2 | Day 2: quick recall quiz on mean/median |
| 2 | Probability basics | Coin and dice problems | Day 1: week 1 flashcards; Day 4: mixed quiz weeks 1-2 |

Quiz question 7 (explain why): Why can the mean be misleading for income data?

Reality check: 3 hours a week is tight for the full syllabus in 6 weeks; consider skipping chapter 9.

When to use it

Use this prompt at the start of a learning project: preparing for an exam or certification, learning a new programming language, or getting up to speed in a new field at work. It is most useful when you have a fixed deadline and limited time, because it forces a realistic plan rather than an ambitious list you will abandon in week two.

How to customize it

[TOPIC OR EXAM] can be broad (“machine learning basics”) or specific (“AWS Cloud Practitioner exam”).
[CURRENT LEVEL] stops the plan from repeating what you know or skipping foundations you lack.
[DEADLINE] and [TIME AVAILABLE] are the main constraints. Be honest; a plan for 10 hours a week is useless if you have 3.
[MATERIALS] lets the plan point to chapters or modules you already own. If you write “none yet”, ask for free resources in a follow-up and check them yourself.
[HOW I WILL BE TESTED] shapes the practice: exam-style questions for exams, projects for practical skills.

Why it works

The prompt names the study methods it wants. Active recall (testing yourself) and spaced repetition (reviewing at growing intervals) are among the best-supported techniques in learning research, and naming them gives the model a clear framework. The table format and the weekly “proof of progress” make the plan concrete and easy to follow.

The starter quiz turns planning into action on day one, and placing answers after a clear marker lets you test yourself before reading them. The feedback instructions create a loop: you report results, and the plan adapts. The final constraint asks the model to flag unrealistic goals instead of producing a plan that looks good but cannot be completed.

Tips and variations

Each week, paste your quiz results and ask: “Update next week’s review sessions based on what I got wrong.”
Ask for flashcards in a “question; answer” format that you can import into a flashcard app.
For languages, add: “Include 10 minutes of speaking or writing practice per session.”
Check that quiz answers are correct using your course material; generated questions can contain errors.
Our free learning path to understand AI is a good input if your topic is AI itself.

#Study Plan #Spaced Repetition #Learning #Education

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