Study Guide Prompt for Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM)

A good study guide prompt for Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) tells it what the exam covers and what shape you want back. Add your lecture slides, notes and readings to one notebook, tick the ones the exam covers, paste the prompt below and fill in the subject and date. You get the key concepts ranked by weight, plain explanations, a term table, practice questions with a separate answer key and a one-page review for the night before.

The study guide prompt

I have an exam on [SUBJECT OR UNIT] on [DATE]. Make me a study guide from the selected sources only.

1. The 10 most important concepts, ranked by how much space the sources give them. One-sentence definition each.
2. For each concept: a plain-language explanation in 3 to 4 sentences, one example from the sources, and any confusion or common mistake the sources point out.
3. Key terms: a two-column table of Term | Definition, using the sources' wording.
4. Formulas, dates or lists I need to memorize, if the sources have any.
5. 10 practice questions that mix recall and application. Put all the answers in a separate "Answers" section at the end.
6. A one-page summary I can reread the night before.

Cite the source for each concept. Flag anything the sources treat as uncertain or debated.

When to use it

Run it one to two weeks before the exam, once all the unit’s materials are in the notebook. Ranking concepts by how much space the sources give them is a rough proxy for what the course stresses, so make sure the slides and readings are all there and untick anything from other units. Then study from the guide, not instead of it: work the practice questions before you look at the answers.

What it returns

A long, structured answer that reads like a handout: a ranked concept list, a short explanation and example under each concept, a term table, then practice questions and an answer section at the bottom. Each concept carries a citation, so when an explanation feels thin you can open the slide or page it came from. If a concept you know matters is missing, ask for it by name in a follow-up message.

That one prompt covers a whole unit. Next term it covers the next one, if you can find it again.

Variations

Reviewer (condensed notes). The short form many students print and carry.

Make a reviewer for [SUBJECT] from the selected sources: short headings per topic, bullet points of 12 words or fewer, key terms in bold, and every formula or definition I need for the exam. No long paragraphs. Cite the source under each heading.

Cram sheet. For the last evening.

Make a one-page cram sheet for [SUBJECT] from the selected sources: the 15 facts most likely to be tested, each in one line, then the 5 ideas most often confused with each other and how to tell them apart.

Lecture by lecture. When the exam follows the course order.

Make a study guide with one section per selected source, in the order of the course. For each: the 3 main ideas, the key terms, and 2 practice questions with answers at the end of the section.

For the wider routine around these prompts, see how to use Gemini Notebook for studying. Once the guide is done, test yourself with the quiz prompt or the flashcards prompt.