How do you use NotebookLM for studying?
Open NotebookLM, sign in with a Google account, create a notebook and add your sources: PDFs, Google Docs, web links or YouTube videos. Ask questions in the chat, which answers from your sources with citations, then use the Studio panel to make study guides, flashcards, quizzes or mind maps. Keep one notebook per course or exam.
Drafted with AI by the StudyPDF team. We check dates, numbers and research claims against official sources and read pages on a sample basis. How we write these pages
In more detail
NotebookLM is Google's free assistant that answers from the sources you give it. Each answer carries citations you can click. A source can be a PDF, a Google Doc or Slides file, a web page, pasted text, an audio file or a public YouTube video with captions. A free notebook holds up to 50 sources (as of October 2026, check Google's help page for current limits). Google also uses the name Gemini Notebook on some pages, so you may see either.
It helps most with quick cited answers, summaries of a long reading and a first pass at a new topic. The Studio panel can generate audio overviews, video overviews, mind maps, reports such as a study guide or FAQ, flashcards and quizzes.
Its focus is questions and generated study aids. It is not built to score what you know per topic over a whole semester or to plan your revision to an exam date, so pair it with something that tests you.
Step by step
- 1
Open NotebookLM and sign in with your Google account.
- 2
Create a new notebook and name it after the course or the exam.
- 3
Add sources: upload your PDFs and slides, paste links to web pages, add Google Docs or a YouTube video that has captions. Stay under 50 sources.
- 4
Read the automatic summary, then ask specific questions in the chat. Click the citations to check each answer against the source.
- 5
Open the Studio panel and generate a study guide, flashcards or a quiz for the part you are studying.
- 6
Test yourself before you look: try the quiz first, then check the answers.
- 7
Save useful answers as notes, and add new lecture files as the course goes on.
How StudyPDF helps
StudyPDF is built for the step after the answer. Upload your lectures once and it splits the course into topics and concepts, builds flashcards, quizzes, practice exams and study guides from your own pages with citations, scores what you get wrong per concept, and plans your revision up to the exam date in the Plan tab. A free account needs no card and gives about 4 materials a week.
See also
- AnswerHow do you use AI to study?
- AnswerCan ChatGPT make flashcards?
- AnswerWhat is the best AI to study for exams?
- AnswerHow do you study from a YouTube video?
- AlternativesThe best NotebookLM alternatives in 2026
- ComparisonNotebookLM vs ChatGPT: which is better for studying?
- ComparisonStudyPDF vs Google NotebookLM
- Best picksBest AI tools for medical students
- TermCognitive offloading
- TermCognitive load
More questions
Is NotebookLM good for studying?
Yes for asking questions about your own material with citations, and for turning a reading into a summary or a quiz. It is less suited to tracking what you know across a whole course or planning your revision to a date.
What is the difference between NotebookLM and ChatGPT?
NotebookLM answers from the sources you add and cites them. ChatGPT is a general chatbot that answers from its training and whatever you paste in, so check its claims against your own material.
Is NotebookLM free?
There is a free plan with limits, such as 50 sources per notebook. Google also sells paid plans with higher limits, so check the current limits and prices before you rely on it.
Do it on your own course
Upload your lectures and ask Bo. Cited answers, plus flashcards, exams, and more built from your material.