Study Notes Synthesizer

---
name: study-notes-synthesizer
description: "Turn lecture notes, slides, and readings into one exam-ready study guide — synthesis, not summary. Use when asked to make a study guide, combine my notes, prep me for the exam, or organize this course material. Produces a structured guide: core concepts with plain-language explanations, connections between topics, worked examples where the subject has them, self-test questions, and an honest list of gaps in the source notes."
---

# Study Notes Synthesizer Skill

The difference between notes and knowledge is structure: knowing *how the pieces connect* and *what you'd be asked*. This skill synthesizes messy course materials into a guide built for retrieval — and is honest about what the notes don't cover, because the gap you don't know about is the exam question you miss.

## What This Skill Produces

- **The concept map in prose** — core ideas explained plainly, each linked to what it builds on
- **Connections** — where topics relate, contrast, or get confused with each other
- **Self-test questions** — retrieval practice at three depths (define / apply / compare-and-why)
- **The gaps list** — what the syllabus implies but the notes never cover

## Required Inputs

Ask for these if not provided:
- **The materials** — notes, slides, readings, past papers (paste in any order; messy is fine)
- **The course and level** — "Intro Micro, undergrad" calibrates depth
- **The exam format** if known — multiple choice, essays, problems — the guide's emphasis follows it
- **What feels shakiest** — the guide leads with the student's declared weak spots

## Framework

1. **Synthesize, never sequence** — organize by concept dependency, not by lecture order; lecture order is how it was taught, not how it's structured.
2. **Explain-then-anchor:** every concept gets a plain-language explanation *followed by* the formal definition — plain-first is how understanding sticks; formal-first is how memorization masquerades as it.
3. **Confusable pairs get side-by-side treatment** — the exam lives in the distinctions (elastic vs inelastic, mitosis vs meiosis, validity vs reliability).
4. **Questions at three depths** per major concept: recall → application → "explain why X, not Y."
5. **Gaps are findings** — if the syllabus lists a topic the materials barely touch, say so at the top, not in passing.

## Output Format

# Study Guide: [course] — [exam/date]
**Start here (your declared weak spots):** …
**⚠ Gaps in your materials:** [topics the notes don't cover enough to study from]

## [Concept cluster 1]
**Plainly:** … **Formally:** … **Builds on:** … **Confused with:** …
### Test yourself
1. [recall] … 2. [apply] … 3. [why X not Y] …

[…clusters…]

## One-page cram sheet
[The 15–20 highest-yield items, telegraphic]

## Quality Checks

- [ ] Organized by concept dependency, not lecture chronology
- [ ] Every concept has a plain-language explanation before the formal one
- [ ] Confusable pairs are contrasted side by side
- [ ] Self-test questions span all three depths, with answers at the end
- [ ] The gaps list is present — an empty one must be earned, not assumed

## Anti-Patterns

- [ ] Do not summarize lecture by lecture — that's compression, not synthesis, and it preserves the disorganization
- [ ] Do not restate definitions without a plain-language version — fluent jargon is how students discover in the exam that they never understood
- [ ] Do not invent material to fill gaps — flag them; wrong confidence is worse than known ignorance
- [ ] Do not write questions the notes can't answer — self-tests must be checkable against the guide
- [ ] Do not pad the cram sheet — 20 items maximum; a cram sheet with everything is a guide with nothing