Planning for exams or large projects often opens the door to procrastination. Most people can create effective long-term plans and prioritize material, but putting those ideas into action is a different challenge.
For many students, knowing when to review which lectures or when to complete specific project components takes time, usually an hour or two to build a concrete plan of attack. However, that planning can be cut down significantly and optimized by using AI tools such as ChatGPT.
Currently, I’m preparing for my first board exam in medical school, a nine-hour test with 352 multiple-choice questions covering every foundational area of osteopathic medicine. To organize my six-week dedicated study period, I asked ChatGPT to help create a study schedule. I’ll outline here how I used it so educators and students alike can replicate or adapt the process for lessons, standardized test prep, or large-scale projects.
Planning matters, and procrastination kills progress. The method I describe here can help you quickly create more precise, robust, and realistic schedules.
AI Prompting: Start with the End in Mind
A tool is only as good as the person using it. The same goes for AI, and it all starts with effective prompting.
When I begin a new request, I first state my end goal and then ask ChatGPT what it needs from me to achieve that result. Here was my initial prompt:
“I need to make a study schedule for my 6-week dedicated study period starting on May 12th and ending on June 16th (the day of my COMLEX Level 1 exam). I want to include a lot of details. What would you need from me to help?”
ChatGPT responded by listing all the inputs it would need, effectively giving me a “worksheet” to complete before it could generate a proper schedule.
Completing the Worksheet
You’ll usually get a set of open-ended questions designed to clarify and customize your project. Here’s what ChatGPT asked me:
1. Daily Time Availability
- How many hours per day can you study during the week and on weekends?
- Do you have any mandatory obligations (appointments, research, etc.)?
2. Resources You Want to Use
- e.g., Pathoma, Sketchy, Boards & Beyond, Bootcamp, UWorld, COMBANK, TrueLearn, AnKing deck, First Aid, Savarese
3. Topics/Systems You’re Weak In
- What do you want to prioritize?
- Any topics you’ve mastered and only need to review lightly?
4. Practice Exams
- Are you taking NBME, COMSAE, or COMLEX practice tests?
- What dates?
5. Study Preferences
- Prefer focused subject days or mixed reviews?
- Do you want built-in review or flex days?
6. Flashcards (Anki)
- How many new/review cards per day?
- Should Anki be scheduled into the plan?
7. Catch-up or Rest Days
- Do you want scheduled buffer days or a regular day off?
This step ensures the AI understands the nuances of your needs before generating anything.
Refine: Feedback Makes It Better
Once ChatGPT delivers a draft, usually a sample week/day when making a schedule, you’ll likely need to refine it. Even though these large language models are great at organization, the nuance that humans bring to personal planning can be missing.
For example, I disliked the date formatting (“2025-05-12”) and requested a more readable style (“May 12”). I also noticed the AI scheduled three days for cardiovascular review when I only wanted two. This back-and-forth is crucial, just like giving feedback to a colleague. The more specific you are, the better the final product.
Finalize: Export and Customize
After refining a schedule, you can export it into a format that works best for you. ChatGPT can generate:
- A .csv file for Excel or Google Sheets
- A .pdf for printing
- An .ics file for syncing with your Google Calendar (my personal favorite)
These outputs turn your AI-generated plan into an actionable calendar you can further tweak.
Just remember: the AI provides a fantastic draft—you still need to tailor it. Add granularity where you need it, remove excess, and make it your own.
Conclusion
AI tools such as ChatGPT can be powerful assistants when it comes to scheduling individual projects and academic goals. Used properly, these can save hours of prep time and provide a strong framework to build on.
Whether you’re creating lesson plans, study schedules, or managing larger projects, the process remains the same: Prompt, Provide, Refine, Finalize. After reading this article, I hope you feel more confident using ChatGPT not just as a Q&A tool but as a time-saving planning partner.