How to Use GenAI to Pass Exams Like a Pro: A Real-World Study Example

✨ Why This Matters

Walltechnam, a Korean learner struggled for 10 months to prepare for the US CPA exam. Then, in just 6 months, he passed 3 out of 4 CPA sections (FAR, AUD, BEC) with scores over 85—using AI as his main study partner. His method is not only replicable, it’s adaptable for anyone preparing for exams in any language.

Let’s dive into why it worked, how he did it, and what you can do today to study smarter with GenAI.

🧑‍🏫 Why He Switched to GenAI

He was overwhelmed by how scattered and complex the exam prep was. Traditional learning methods were too slow, and passive reading wasn’t helping. So he turned to AI to become an active learner—someone who can inspect their own understanding and learn dynamically.

His guiding thought: “If I can train the AI to teach me my way, I can learn twice as fast.”

🧰 Tools Used

📚 Step-by-Step GenAI Study Method

1. Upload the Problem

He would purposely answer questions incorrectly, take a screenshot, and prompt the AI:

<INPUT>

If I give you a photo of a question, explain it from first principles. Give intuitive examples so I can understand deeply.

2. Ground the AI in Reality

To avoid hallucinations, he uploaded his PDF textbook and told the AI:

Only use this PDF to explain. Don’t bring in outside knowledge.

3. Request Examples and Analogies

AI responded with relatable stories like buying rare Jordans on Craigslist—making abstract rules stick.

Give me a real-world analogy or story.

4. Consolidate Across Chapters

This saved hours of review time as he had to organize these one by one.

Can you horizontally summarize all items related to carryforward periods from every chapter?

<OUTPUT>

5. Ask for Mnemonics & Memory Systems to help you remember better

Give me a keyword association method or storytelling trick.

Results Includes: logic-based groups, first-letter acronyms, storytelling.

<OUTPUT>

6. Gamify Your Learning

Gamify to make it more fun and for you to practice more 🙂

Turn these into quiz games.

<OUTPUT>

7. Build Metacognition

Humans often lack meta-awareness, so it’s helpful to ask AI to uncover what we don’t know. AI acts like a mirror, revealing blind spots we might otherwise miss.

Based on what I’ve studied, tell me what I likely don’t understand yet.

🔍 Results

• Passed 3 of 4 CPA sections (FAR, AUD, BEC)
• Scores: 85+
• Used English AI tools in Korean while studying from English contents
• Plans to use this method for CFA Level 1
• Achieved 2x study productivity

🌍 Why This Works for Everyone

• Works in any language (via translation)
• Requires no technical background
• Great for high schoolers, university students, and professionals

🧠 The Bigger Insight: The Future of Learning

Old Way (Bottom-up): Memorize → Understand → Apply
New Way (Top-down): Encounter a problem → Use AI to understand → Learn on demand

The key skill now? Not knowing everything—but knowing where and how to retrieve it (aka “know-where” instead of “know-how”).

🤖 Ethan Mollick’s Dual Brain Method

1. Invite AI to the table – try it on everything
2. Be the human in the loop – guide it with prompts
3. Treat AI as a collaborator – assign roles, follow up
4. Assume this is the worst AI you’ll ever use – it’ll only get better

🚀 How to Try This Yourself

1. Upload your study PDF
2. Use these prompts:
   • “Explain this concept from scratch with analogies”
   • “Visualize”
   • “Make a quiz from this chapter”
   • “Create a memory trick”
   • “What am I likely missing?”
3. Adjust based on your own gaps

📣 Final Thought

You don’t need to be technical to become a super-learner.
You just need the right prompts, mindset, and AI partner.