Inside the front cover: the library’s bookplate and a date due slip.
Kiwi’s Library Book 1 of 7
Study
Understand it, then make it stay
Understand it first, then make it stay. Nearly everything here is free.
AI tutors are sometimes wrong, especially about maths. Ask them to quiz you, not to answer for you.
3 chapters, 16 tools
Start with one bookmark
Pick the one that sounds like tonight.
Contents
Each chapter is one job, cheapest first.
Bookmark 1 of 4
If the lecture did not land
Rebuild it slowly, from your own slides.
Tonight, only this
Write down the one question you would ask the lecturer. Ask only that.
The tools for this bookmark
-
Free
Khan Academy (opens in a new tab)
Video lessons with practice, from basic maths to early university level.
Free, exactly: Everything.
-
Free tier
Gemini Notebook (opens in a new tab) (formerly NotebookLM)
Answers questions from your own slides, readings and transcripts, citing the page.
Free, exactly: 100 notebooks, 50 sources each. Chat and audio overviews share an allowance that refills every 5 hours, with a weekly cap.
AI: check its output
-
Free tier
AI chat assistants (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot and others)
Chatbots that explain, quiz you, or rephrase what will not make sense.
Free, exactly: All have a free tier. Limits change with demand.
Paid upgrade is expensiveAI: check its output
Bookmark 2 of 4
If an exam is a week away
Test yourself; do not reread.
Tonight, only this
Take a practice quiz on one lecture before you look at anything else.
The tools for this bookmark
-
Free tier
Gemini Notebook (opens in a new tab) (formerly NotebookLM)
Answers questions from your own slides, readings and transcripts, citing the page.
Free, exactly: 100 notebooks, 50 sources each. Chat and audio overviews share an allowance that refills every 5 hours, with a weekly cap.
AI: check its output
-
Free tier
Knowt (opens in a new tab)
Flashcards and practice tests, with an unlimited Learn mode. Imports Quizlet sets.
Free, exactly: Making and studying sets, including Learn mode.
Check the priceAI: check its output
-
Free
Anki (opens in a new tab)
Flashcards that come back just before you would forget them.
Free, exactly: Everything.
Bookmark 3 of 4
If you have a lot to memorise
A few minutes a day, and the cards do the remembering.
Tonight, only this
Make ten cards from today’s lecture. Review them tomorrow.
The tools for this bookmark
-
Free
Anki (opens in a new tab)
Flashcards that come back just before you would forget them.
Free, exactly: Everything.
-
Free tier
Rember (opens in a new tab)
Turns a link, a video or your notes into one-fact flashcards.
Free, exactly: 30 AI notes a month.
Check the priceAI: check its output
-
Free tier
RemNote (opens in a new tab)
Notes and flashcards in one document.
Free, exactly: Unlimited notes and flashcards. Limited to 3 annotated PDFs, 5 image-occlusion cards, 1 handwritten document and 250 AI credits a month.
AI: check its output
Bookmark 4 of 4
If the maths is in the way
Most problems are lost in the algebra, not the idea.
Tonight, only this
Find the line where your working goes wrong. Look up only that.
The tools for this bookmark
-
Free
Khan Academy (opens in a new tab)
Video lessons with practice, from basic maths to early university level.
Free, exactly: Everything.
-
Free
-
Free tier
Wolfram|Alpha (opens in a new tab)
Type an integral, a conversion or an equation, and it answers.
Free, exactly: Answers and plots. Step-by-step solutions are paid.
Chapter 1
Get it explained
Try the problem first, then ask for a hint, not the answer.
The price ladder
Get it explained, part 1 of 3
-
Free
Khan Academy (opens in a new tab)
Video lessons with practice, from basic maths to early university level.
- Use it for
- Rebuilding a foundation you skipped.
- Costs
- Free. Run by a non-profit.
- Free, exactly
- Everything.
Checked Nov 2026
-
Free
OpenStax (opens in a new tab)
Free, peer-reviewed textbooks for many introductory university courses.
- Use it for
- A free second textbook.
- Costs
- Free online and as PDF. Print copies cost a little.
- Free, exactly
- Every book.
Checked Nov 2026
-
Free
MIT OpenCourseWare (opens in a new tab)
Notes, problem sets, exams and videos from real MIT courses.
- Use it for
- A second explanation, with problems to practise.
- Costs
- Free.
- Free, exactly
- Everything.
Checked Nov 2026
Get it explained, part 2 of 3
-
Free
Learn Your Way (opens in a new tab)
A Google experiment that rewrites textbook material for your level, with mind maps, audio and quizzes.
- Use it for
- Seeing a hard chapter explained another way.
- Costs
- Free.
- Free, exactly
- Everything, once you have access.
Experiment, limited accessAI: check its output
Sign up on its site for access.
Checked Nov 2026
-
Free tier
Gemini Notebook (opens in a new tab) (formerly NotebookLM)
Answers questions from your own slides, readings and transcripts, citing the page.
- Use it for
- Asking your own course material, not the whole internet.
- Costs
- Free with a Google account. Higher limits come with Google’s paid AI plans.
- Free, exactly
- 100 notebooks, 50 sources each. Chat and audio overviews share an allowance that refills every 5 hours, with a weekly cap.
AI: check its output
Old NotebookLM links still work.
Checked Nov 2026
Get it explained, part 3 of 3
-
Free tier
AI chat assistants (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot and others)
Chatbots that explain, quiz you, or rephrase what will not make sense.
- Use it for
- Use its study mode: it asks questions and gives hints instead of answers.
- Costs
- Paid plans are around $20 a month.
- Free, exactly
- All have a free tier. Limits change with demand.
Paid upgrade is expensiveAI: check its output
Checked Nov 2026
-
Free tier
ahaboard (opens in a new tab)
An AI tutor that explains out loud while drawing on a whiteboard.
- Use it for
- A topic that will not click from reading. Use homework mode for hints.
- Costs
- Weekly, quarterly and yearly plans; prices are not published.
- Free, exactly
- A 30-minute trial, then 2 ten-minute lessons a day.
Check the priceAI: check its output
Watch out for weekly billing.
10 languages, in the browser.
Checked Nov 2026
Chapter 2
Check the maths
Graph it before you trust the algebra.
The price ladder
Check the maths
-
Free
Desmos (opens in a new tab)
A graphing calculator in the browser.
- Use it for
- Seeing what a function does.
- Costs
- Free.
- Free, exactly
- Everything.
Checked Nov 2026
-
Free
GeoGebra (opens in a new tab)
Graphing, geometry, 3D and algebra apps.
- Use it for
- 3D surfaces, vectors and checking algebra.
- Costs
- Free.
- Free, exactly
- Everything.
Checked Nov 2026
-
Free tier
Wolfram|Alpha (opens in a new tab)
Type an integral, a conversion or an equation, and it answers.
- Use it for
- Checking an answer you worked out yourself.
- Costs
- Pro for Students is $5 a month or $60 a year.
- Free, exactly
- Answers and plots. Step-by-step solutions are paid.
Checked Nov 2026
Chapter 3
Make it stay
Testing yourself beats rereading.
The price ladder
Make it stay, part 1 of 3
-
Free
Anki (opens in a new tab)
Flashcards that come back just before you would forget them.
- Use it for
- Anything you must recall cold: definitions, formulas, vocabulary.
- Costs
- Free on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and the web. The iPhone app is $24.99 once.
- Free, exactly
- Everything.
Checked Nov 2026
-
Free tier
Gemini Notebook (opens in a new tab) (formerly NotebookLM)
Answers questions from your own slides, readings and transcripts, citing the page.
- Use it for
- Flashcards and quizzes from your own slides.
- Costs
- Free with a Google account. Higher limits come with Google’s paid AI plans.
- Free, exactly
- 100 notebooks, 50 sources each. Chat and audio overviews share an allowance that refills every 5 hours, with a weekly cap.
AI: check its output
Old NotebookLM links still work.
Checked Nov 2026
Make it stay, part 2 of 3
-
Free tier
Knowt (opens in a new tab)
Flashcards and practice tests, with an unlimited Learn mode. Imports Quizlet sets.
- Use it for
- Leaving Quizlet without retyping.
- Costs
- Ultra is $7.99 a month billed yearly, or $24.99 monthly.
- Free, exactly
- Making and studying sets, including Learn mode.
Check the priceAI: check its output
Prices from a third-party comparison.
Checked Nov 2026
-
Free tier
Rember (opens in a new tab)
Turns a link, a video or your notes into one-fact flashcards.
- Use it for
- Making good cards fast. Exports to Anki.
- Costs
- Pro is $8 a month.
- Free, exactly
- 30 AI notes a month.
Check the priceAI: check its output
Figures from an independent review.
Browser only.
Checked Nov 2026
Make it stay, part 3 of 3
-
Free tier
RemNote (opens in a new tab)
Notes and flashcards in one document.
- Use it for
- Notes and spaced repetition in one app.
- Costs
- Pro is $8 a month, or $96 a year.
- Free, exactly
- Unlimited notes and flashcards. Limited to 3 annotated PDFs, 5 image-occlusion cards, 1 handwritten document and 250 AI credits a month.
AI: check its output
Checked Nov 2026
-
Free tier
Quizlet (opens in a new tab)
Flashcard sets you make or borrow, with games and practice tests.
- Use it for
- Studying a set someone has already made.
- Costs
- Quizlet Plus is $7.99 a month or $35.99 a year.
- Free, exactly
- Unlimited flashcards and the Match game. Learn and Test modes are limited each day, with ads.
Checked Nov 2026
At the back
About this book
Prices are in US dollars, checked in November 2026. They change and vary by country.
Tools are ordered by what they cost each month to use at all. No affiliate links, no paid places.
Inside the back cover.