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Lessons · 2026-07-19

How I Learn Theory: Self-Testing with AI

TL;DR - Don't re-read presentations. Drop the materials into AI, have it generate tests, answer them, get corrected. Then explain the topic to a friend.

The best way to learn theory in CS is simple: you need to feel friction. If you're passively reading the presentations and books, you're falling behind.

What to do instead: drop the lecture materials into an AI - Claude, Gemini, NotebookLM, whatever (I mostly used Claude Code). Have it create tests from them: multiple choice, open questions. Answer them. The AI tells you what was right, what was wrong, and what to do better.

Then test yourself again. And again.

The final lock-in: talk about the topic with a friend and explain it to them. If you can teach it, you know it. The information retains far harder once you've said it out loud.

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