OpenAI just rolled out a new feature inside ChatGPT. No, it's not ChatGPT-5, yet. This feature could change the way you learn. Even if you’re not currently a student, ChatGPT’s new Study Mode is designed to help anyone master a subject.
The new feature turns the chatbot into a more structured, focused tutor that not only answers questions, but helps you understand them.
If you’re a ChatGPT Plus subscriber, Study mode is a built-in to the chat. You can simply type “/study” and the feature will turn off (“study and learn” is what it says). This mode can be easily turned off by starting a new chat.
To use Study mode, you can choose a subject (like biology, history or statistics), set your level of knowledge (beginner, intermediate or advanced) and even tell the AI how you want to study such as with flashcards, Q&A, breakdowns of concepts or practice problems.
It’s like a fully personalized tutor at your fingertips. Although I’ve been out of college for years, as a lifelong learner, I was eager to test the feature. Here’s my report card.
1. Concept Breakdown Test
Goal: See how well Study mode explains complex topics.
Prompt: “Teach me what standard deviation means at a beginner level.”
ChatGPT immediately shifted to a tone that was like a friendly tutor. Instead of giving me a definition, it focused on teaching me to truly help me understand. This meant breaking down the steps, starting with the big idea before diving into examples.
The AI used analogies and even offered a mini quiz for interactive learning. I appreciate that the chatbot avoided jargon, or any words that might be foreign or intimidating so things remained clear and beginner friendly. I felt guided, rather than a typical ChatGPT response that sometimes feels more like a search engine.
2. Active recall and flashcard test
Goal: Test the flashcard and memory features.
Prompt: “Test my US history with flashcards.”
Ask anyone who knew me in high school or in any of my classes at NYU and they will tell you I am a huge fan of flashcards. Now that ChatGPT has the ability to create flashcards on the fly about nearly any subject, it is sure to be a game changer for students.
It’s been said that AI causes a dip in critical thinking, but I’d argue that features like this can help strengthen at least some of your unused brain cells.
Just for fun, I answered a flash card wrong, and it immediately gave me the answer. This was a little disappointing because I feel like it should have had me either guess again or give me another try.
After ten rounds, I asked for the chatbot to round up the answers I got wrong and to quiz me again, which it did.
3. Custom material upload test
Goal: See how well it works with your own files.
Prompt: “Make a quiz from this document”
Because I’m not a real student, I don’t have a class syllabus, notes or a textbook, so I used one of my older Tom’s Guide articles for this test. I asked ChatGPT to make a quiz from one of my articles.
I was impressed by how quickly it made a multiple-choice quiz. I can see how beneficial this would be for students, especially because ChatGPT is able to read handwriting. Students could upload their own notes from class and get a quiz to help them study.
It almost makes me want to go back to school. Almost.
4. Writing support test
Goal: Use it for essay planning or outlining.
Prompt: “Help me outline a 1,000-word essay on electric vehicles for high school level.”
As a student, I remember one of my biggest hurdles was sitting down to a blank screen. With the help of ChatGPT, students can get right to work. Teachers, professors and parents can rest assured that the chatbot does not do the writing part for the students.
Instead, the AI comes back with how to structure the essay by suggesting what each portion of the essay should look like. This is something a tutor would do and understanding the structure of an essay in this hands-on way can help students grasp the knowledge for next time.
5. Practice problem test
Goal: See how it handles problem-solving and feedback.
Prompt: “Can you give me practice problems in algebra at a middle school level?”
Although math is not my strong suit, I assure you that I purposely got the answer wrong to see what ChatGPT would do. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it walked me through how to solve the problem to get the answer.
The step-by-step breakdown to help spot areas where mistakes happen could be really helpful for students. I know my fifth grader will enjoy practicing math with this new feature.
6. Exam cram simulation
Prompt: “I have an exam in 20 minutes, please help me review the important stuff fast.”
Goal: Test it as a last-minute study partner.
Going back to the quiz of my Perplexity article, I told ChatGPT that I have an exam on the information and only have 20 minutes to review. It got to work immediately by giving me several flashcards. This time I was presented with all of the flashcards at once, which I found helpful.
It was obvious that the chatbot prioritized the most important aspects and balanced speed with depth.
7. Retention test
Prompt: “Please go back and quiz me on everything I got wrong.”
Goal: Check if memory works across sessions.
Because of ChatGPT’s memory feature, it is able to retain and revisit topics even after a chat is closed. This is an important feature for busy students balancing a hectic schedule. They can close the chatbot and pick up where they left off, whether it’s on their desktop or within the mobile app.
Study mode adapts to your learning style
One of the best parts about Study mode is that it adapts to your learning style and remembers your preferences. Once I told it I preferred real-world examples and shorter sessions, it adapted future lessons accordingly.
It also remembered which concepts I struggled with (like standard deviation vs. variance) and circled back to them in future sessions, making it feel less like a chatbot and more like a personal tutor.
What ChatGPT Study Mode is missing
Study mode still has some limitations. There’s no built-in scheduling system or daily streak tracker (yet), and while it does well with facts and logic, it’s less ideal for subjects that require creative feedback, like writing or design critique.
Still, for most academic subjects, it’s an incredibly helpful tool that could seriously replace or at least supplement tutoring apps, online flashcard platforms and study guides.
Final thoughts
ChatGPT’s Study mode offers a completely new way to learn. It puts the power of a personal tutor at your fingertips and actually makes studying feel (dare I say it?) fun.
Students of all ages and levels prepping for exams, revisiting subjects or just learning something new for the joy of it, should try this tool. After testing the new feature with a variety of prompts, this update feels like the smartest way to study yet.
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