You have the book, not the notes
Before an exam, most of the time goes on making notes. The book's PDF is on your phone, you have photos of the coaching sheets, you have a link to a good lecture, but no time to write it all up neatly.
AI does this job well, if you know three things: how much of each file is read, what happens with a scanned book, and where to check the notes.
Three kinds of source, three ways of reading
| What you give | How to give it | How much is read |
| A text PDF (the text can be selected) | File button | The first 30,000 characters of each file |
| A scanned or photographed PDF | File button | The pages as pictures, up to 12 pages in one message |
| A web page or YouTube lecture | Link button, or paste the link in the message | The first 15,000 characters of each link |
One message takes up to 7 files and links together, and a link pasted in the message counts among them. You can also give separate photos of book pages, up to 4 in one message, apart from a scanned PDF's pages.
A text PDF: give it by chapter
A PDF whose text you can select with the mouse is read best. The file is read in your own browser, and only the text goes to the chat.
But no more than the first 30,000 characters of a file go. One long chapter can be longer than that, and a whole book is far bigger. When a file is too big, the chat tells you that only the first part was taken.
So the rule is simple: not the whole book, but one chapter or half of one. If you take out just the pages you need, the notes are more useful too, because the AI then stays inside that reading.
A scanned book: the pages become pictures
A PDF made with a phone scanner app or from photos does not really hold text, it holds pictures of the pages. The chat notices this and adds the whole PDF as one file: the pages go as pictures, and a Model that can read pictures reads every page.
Keep two things in mind.
Up to 12 pages in one message. If the PDF is longer, the first 12 go, and the chat says so. Give the rest as a separate PDF, or as pictures, in the next message.
The pictures must be clear. Blurred, tilted or shadowed pages are more likely to be misread. A page shot straight, in good light, is read best.
And one difference: a text PDF is read in the browser, but a scanned PDF's pages are uploaded as pictures, because the Model has to be shown the picture.
Links: web pages and lectures
Give an address with the Link button, or paste the link straight into your message, and the chat reads it when you send. If a page cannot be opened it tells you, and the message still goes.
Give a YouTube lecture link and the text comes from the video's captions. A video without captions cannot be read.
If the link is itself a PDF, it is not read directly. Open the link, download the file, and give it through the File button.
What to write to get useful notes
Writing only "make notes" gets a generic summary. Say which class, which exam, and what the notes should look like, and the result is much better.
The "Make study notes" card on the chat's empty page works to this pattern: first three lines on what the whole chapter says, then the main points section by section with an example each, the definitions in a table, ways to remember, and at the end questions likely in the exam, with the answers separately below. If you do not name a class it assumes SSC and says so at the start.
If you want to write it yourself, write like this:
This PDF is chapter two of HSC biology. Make exam notes from these pages only: first the main point of the chapter in three lines, then the points of each part, the meanings of hard words in a table, and at the end five creative questions, with the answers separately at the very bottom. Do not add anything that is not in the book.
The last sentence matters most. Tie it to the source and nothing from outside the syllabus gets in.
How to make questions from the notes and test yourself is in Make your own quiz questions and practice tests. And where studying with AI means learning and where it only means handing in, is in How to use AI in your studies.
Check the notes
Even when AI makes notes from the book's text, it can make mistakes: a number slightly off, two definitions mixed up, or a line that is not in the book. On a scanned page, a blurred letter can also be misread.
So check three things against the book: numbers and formulas, years and names, and definitions. In the exam, the mistake is yours to answer for, not the AI's.
Keep the notes as a PDF
Every chat answer has a "PDF / Print" button. Tap it and the notes are laid out on an A4 page with their tables and headings, and the print page opens, where you can save it as a PDF or print it. The Bangla letters stay right, and why is in Why Bangla text breaks in a PDF.
The full account of how much is read and what happens with a scanned PDF is in the PDF and link guide. If you need to read papers for a thesis or research, see How to write a thesis.
Questions and answers
Will I get notes if I give the whole book's PDF at once? Not all of it will be read. Up to the first 30,000 characters of a file go, the rest is left out, and the chat tells you so. Give it chapter by chapter and all of it is read, and the notes are more useful too.
Can notes be made from a scanned book? Yes. The chat sends the pages as pictures, and a Model that can read pictures reads them. Up to 12 pages go in one message; if there are more, give the rest as a separate PDF in the next message.
Will it work if I take photos of the book's pages? Yes, up to 4 photos in one message. If there are more pages, it is easier to make one PDF from the photos, and then 12 pages go in one message. Make sure the photos are straight and clear.
Can it read a Bangla book's PDF? Yes. A Bangla PDF whose text can be selected is read best. It reads scanned Bangla books too, but on a blurred page a conjunct may be misread, so check the notes.
Can notes be made from a YouTube lecture? Yes, if the video has captions. Paste the link in the message or give it with the Link button, and it makes notes from the captions' text. If there are no captions, give the video's description as text.
Why is a PDF link not read? Only web pages and text are read from a link. If the link is a PDF, download the file and give it through the File button, and then it is read in the browser.
How will I know if the notes have mistakes? Check numbers, formulas, years and definitions against the book, because that is where mistakes usually happen. If you see something in the notes that you did not find in the book, remove it, or ask which page it came from.
Is my book's PDF stored anywhere? A text PDF is read in your own browser, the file is not uploaded, and only its text goes to the AI. A scanned PDF's pages are uploaded as pictures, because the Model has to be shown the picture.
In short
- A text PDF: the first 30,000 characters of each file, so give a chapter, not the book
- A scanned PDF: pages as pictures, up to 12 pages in one message
- Links: a web page or YouTube captions, read even when pasted in the message
- Say the class, the exam and the shape of the notes, and tie it to the source
- Check numbers, years and definitions against the book
- Keep the notes as a PDF with the "PDF / Print" button