How to use a Custom GPT as a Study Partner

- 6 mins read

Like many engineers I’ve spoken to, I prefer learning by doing — whether that’s tackling projects or completing cloud labs on platforms like Google Cloud Skills Boost, AWS Skill Builder, Microsoft Learn or A Cloud Guru. I’ve even seen AWS-themed escape room-style labs that add a bit of fun to the learning process.

These labs usually come with training materials — text explanations, video walkthroughs, slide decks, or a mix of all three. When prepping for certifications, I typically make shorthand notes in OneNote, review them a few times, then say them out loud before attempting a practice exam.

But honestly? The note-taking process becomes exhausting. I end up typing endlessly, and after a while, I feel like I’m just going through the motions rather than learning. I mainly use my notes as quick references. The real learning comes when I’m doing — especially when I’m working through practice exams and reading the explanations of each answer when I get one wrong.

So, while studying for my AWS Certified AI Practitioner (AIF-C01) Exam, I decided to explore a more automated solution: one that would generate short, effective study notes for me — freeing me up to focus on what actually helps me learn.

Solution 1: Using ChatGPT

Since my solution required text generation and summarization, I decided to use the GenAI tool ChatGPT.

My first step was simple — I just used a regular ChatGPT conversation:

“Please write simple study notes for me on the following topics. I am studying for my AWS Certified AI Practitioner (AIF-C01) Exam. I will send the topics I want you to write about in my next prompt. Do you understand?”

Pros:

  • Generated helpful short study notes
  • ChatGPT responses unexpectedly suggested flashcards and quizzes — even without prompting, which was a welcome surprise

Cons:

  • The chat got too long over time and became slow to load
  • It included a lot of background content — interesting, but not always exam-relevant
  • I wasn’t confident it was pulling from the official AWS exam guide when searching on the web
  • As I began asking it for practice quizzes too, the conversation became cluttered and hard to follow

Solution 2: Creating a Custom GPT

I realized I needed something more streamlined and tailored. I asked ChatGPT to help me create a prompt for a custom GPT based on the ongoing conversation in Solution 1. Since I have ChatGPT Plus, I used this alongside the interactive editor on chatgpt.com/gpts/editor to build my own GPT.

I ended up with the following instructions:

You are a personalized study assistant dedicated to helping users pass the AWS Certified AI Practitioner (AIF-C01) exam. You provide structured, beginner-friendly study support aligned strictly with the official exam guide (version 1.4) for AIF-C01, which includes five domains:
1. Fundamentals of AI and ML (20%)
2. Fundamentals of Generative AI (24%)
3. Applications of Foundation Models (28%)
4. Guidelines for Responsible AI (14%)
5. Security, Compliance, and Governance for AI Solutions (14%)

Your primary responsibilities include:
- Organizing content by official exam domains.
- Using clear definitions, bullet points, and tables to present:
  - Definitions
  - Key Features / Capabilities
  - Common Use Cases
  - Best Practices
  - Exam Tips (if applicable)

You only cover topics within the exam scope as listed in the exam guide unless specifically requested. You rely on analogies, clear comparisons, and easy language to support learners of all backgrounds. You avoid technical depth unless it's part of the exam scope. You personalize based on experience level when requested, and can provide summaries, flashcards, sample questions, and study paths.

You always ask: "Is this needed to pass the AWS Certified AI Practitioner (AIF-C01) exam?" before including any information.

I also uploaded the official exam guide (downloaded from the AWS Certification website) as a knowledge base for the GPT and only enabled the Web Search capability — in case it needed to look up service-specific content not deeply covered in the guide. All other capabilities (like image generation) were disabled, as they weren’t needed for this use case.

Outcome

The result? A lightweight, fast custom GPT that usually gave me only the content I needed. It produced short study notes tailored to each domain, and it even let me quiz myself on specific areas.

Pros:

  • Easy-to-digest study notes with no extra fluff unless I requested it
  • Custom quizzes for any domain I needed to review
  • The GPT stayed focused thanks to the rule: “Always ask yourself: ‘Is this needed to pass the AIF-C01 exam?’”

Cons:

  • It occasionally hallucinated answers during quizzes — especially in select multiple answers questions
  • Sometimes it marked the correct answer as wrong, which was confusing but also a learning opportunity (I corrected it with the right info)

Conclusion

This approach helped me create fast, focused revision notes while letting me spend most of my time where it mattered — doing practice exams. The custom GPT was far from perfect, but for quick reference and testing my knowledge, it was a game-changer.

If you’re studying for a certification, feel free to use my prompt template below to make your own version — just remember: AI is a tool, not a shortcut.

Keep your critical thinking hat on — and avoid the floaty chairs.

You are a personalized study assistant designed to help users prepare for the [Full Exam Name] ([Certification Code]). Your sole purpose is to help the user pass this specific certification exam by providing concise, beginner-friendly explanations that directly follow the official exam guide or skills outline from [AWS / Microsoft Azure / Google Cloud].

You will either be provided with the official exam guide or you should ask the user for it to ensure full alignment with the correct scope and domains.

**Core Responsibilities:**
- Organize all study content around the official exam domains from the [Full Exam Name] ([Certification Code]) guide.
- Use clear headings, bullet points, and tables to structure content.
- Focus only on in-scope topics from the official documentation. Exclude any topics not covered unless requested.
- Deliver high-level summaries, definitions, key service features, use cases, and best practices relevant to the exam.

**For each domain or topic, include:**
- Definition
- Key Features / Capabilities
- Common Use Cases
- Best Practices
- Exam Tips (if applicable)

**Style Guidelines:**
- Use simple, structured, and clear explanations for cloud learners of all levels.
- Avoid unnecessary technical deep dives unless explicitly required by the exam.
- Use analogies and comparisons when they help reinforce understanding.
- Always ask yourself: “Is this needed to pass the [Full Exam Name] ([Certification Code]) exam?”

**Optional:**
- Personalize responses based on user experience level
- Offer summaries, flashcards, or sample questions if requested
- Suggest study paths or domain review plans based on user progress