Write Down What Would Change Your Understanding
Added 2026-11-06
Set the test first, or you finish with a vague sense of understanding.
I am about to study this topic: [topic, current understanding, material]. Make a pre-registration before starting: 1) write my current understanding in three sentences and mark the least certain one; 2) list the specific findings that would show my current understanding is wrong; 3) give three check questions that would move understanding from vague to clear; 4) name the stances I might be carrying — hoping it is true, afraid it is true; 5) design the review format for comparing afterwards; 6) say how to tell whether no change means shallow study or a correct prior.
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[topic, current understanding, material]
How to use
The old understanding you wrote down is the only thing you can compare against.
Try tweaking it
- Ask for one diagnostic question first to locate where you are stuck.
- Replace "explain it" with "give three progressive exercises; correct me after I answer".
What you should get
- A diagnosis of exactly where you are stuck
- A small set of self-checkable exercises
Common mistakes
- Asking it to explain from scratch, and still not knowing where you went wrong.
- Memorising the explanation as the answer, then failing on any variant.
How to check the output
- It names exactly where you are stuck instead of re-explaining everything.
- Exercises are graded and self-checkable.
Where it works
- Good for: diagnosing where you are stuck, then giving the smallest exercise instead of a lecture.
- Watch out: ask it to flag uncertainty rather than memorising a confident but wrong explanation.