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[Before Paying 100,000 Yen for Summer School] Unlocking a Completely Free, Personalized Summer Exam Revolution with the AI Tutor 'NotebookLM'

2026年6月27日 06:54

"He who controls the summer, controls the entrance exams."

This is a phrase we have heard until we are sick of it. As summer vacation approaches, thick pamphlets from cram schools and prep schools arrive in the hands of students.

"Target School Prep Set: 150,000 yen" "Weakness Overcoming Pack: 80,000 yen"

Even while feeling guilty toward their parents, students wonder if they have no choice but to take these courses to pass... Driven by such anxiety and impatience, many families pay 100,000 yen, 200,000 yen, or even more for summer courses every year.

However, I want you to stop here, put your hand on your heart, and think for a moment.

"Will your deviation score really improve just by paying a lot of money, sitting in the back of a large classroom, and blankly listening to the same lecture as everyone else?"

What you truly need during summer vacation, the climax of your exam preparation, is not 'time spent passively listening to lectures.' It is 'time to thoroughly crush your own weaknesses until you are satisfied.'

What if that 'perfect, personalized one-on-one tutoring' were completely free and, furthermore, available 24 hours a day at your desk at home?

In this article, I will reveal a NotebookLM—a free AI learning tool provided by Google—and show you a super-concrete, step-by-step guide to turning it into your own 'highly capable AI tutor' and making this summer your greatest weapon.

1. Why choose NotebookLM over expensive summer courses?

The biggest reason grades stagnate in cram school summer courses is 'indigestion.' In group classes, the lesson moves forward rapidly without giving you a moment to pause and wonder, 'Wait, why did this formula change like this?'

If you use NotebookLM, this indigestion will vanish from the world. There are three main reasons.

① A textbook just for you that 'never lies' General AI (like ChatGPT) sometimes tells plausible lies (hallucinations) based on uncertain information on the internet, which is fatal for exam study. However, NotebookLM operates using 'only the materials you upload' as its brain. If you feed it textbooks or past exam PDFs, it becomes a '100% reliable tutor' that will never utter any uncertain knowledge outside of those sources.
② It will stick with you 10,000 times without a sour face until you understand There is no need to worry that 'the teacher might get annoyed if I ask too many questions.' Whether you ask it to 'change your approach until I understand' or 'go back to middle school-level knowledge,' the AI will explain things as many times as needed until you shout from the bottom of your heart, 'Oh, I get it!'
③ It will 'run alongside you' 24 hours a day Commute time is zero. Even at 2:00 AM, in that moment when you think, 'I want to clear this up right now before I go to sleep,' your tutor is sitting right next to you.

2. [Complete Illustration] A practical guide to making NotebookLM your 'ultimate one-on-one tutor'

"I understand that it sounds good, but specifically, what should I click first and how should I proceed?" For students like you, I will thoroughly explain the steps to open your own 'cram school for passing top-tier universities' starting tonight.

There are only four major steps, divided into 'preparation' and 'practice (dialogue).'

【NotebookLM 過去問攻略黄金サイクル】
① 過去問URL/PDFをソースに追加
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② 実際にノートに過去問を解く（血を流す）
  ▼
③ 自分の「生々しい失敗プロセス」をチャットに入力
  ▼
④ 納得いくまでAIと対話して「護身術」を身につける

■ STEP 1: Set up your 'textbook' in NotebookLM (Preparation)

First, you will provide the AI with a 'textbook' to drill the level of your target school into it.

NotebookLM (free) by logging in with your Google account and creating a 'New Notebook.' Give it a title like 'University XX English Prep.'
Click the 'Add Source' button at the top left of the screen.
Paste the URLs of the university's past exam papers and their 'answers/explanations' (from reliable sites like Pass Navi, the university's official website, or Toshin's past exam database) directly.
- *If you have physical copies of past exam books (Akahon/Aohon), you can also scan the explanation pages with a smartphone app and upload them as PDFs.

With just this, you have created a private booth that will be available for you 24/7.

■ STEP 2: Solve past exam papers on your own (Your challenge)

This is the most important part. Before relying on AI, please try to bleed for it with your own strength first.

Using the past exam papers prepared in STEP 1, time yourself against the actual exam duration andsolve them in your notebook on your own.
Grade your work and identify the questions you got wrong, or the 'frustrating questions where you narrowed it down to two choices but fell for a trap at the very last moment.'
When you were solving those questions, write down your raw thoughts on loose-leaf paper or in a notebook: 'How did I think to choose that option?' or 'Why did I write that description?'

■ STEP 3: Input your 'failure process' into the AI

Throw the numbers of the questions you got wrong and your 'raw reasons for failure' that you noted in STEP 2 directly into the NotebookLM chat box.

[Specific example of text to enter into the chat]

'I have a question about (3) in Section 2 of the 202X English exam. The correct answer is ③, but I was torn between ② and ③ until the end, and I chose ② and got it wrong. I read the sentence '...' in the text and interpreted it as 'therefore ② is correct,' but could you tell me from a professional perspective where the trap was in my thinking?'

■ STEP 4: 'Dialogue until you are satisfied' with your AI tutor

Once the AI receives your account of the failure, it will begin to dissect your 'brain's habits' with a level of passion that the thin explanations in exam books cannot compare to. From here on, proceed in a conversational format.

AI's response: 'I see, it's sharp of you to have focused on that sentence! However, the question creator is aiming exactly for that. Please look two lines after that...'
Your next reply: 'Oh, you're right. But I don't have the confidence to notice that two lines later under the tension of the actual exam. To avoid falling for the same trap next time, where should I put a check mark in the question text?'
AI's response: 'In that case, I will give you '3 self-defense techniques (checklists)' that you can use from now on. The first one is...'

In this way, for 'the one question you got wrong,' keep asking questions in the chat as many times as needed until you are 100% convinced and can pump your fist, knowing 'I will definitely be able to solve this next time!'

3. [By Subject] Concrete Examples of Engaging in Satisfying Dialogue with an AI Tutor

To help you visualize this further, here are concrete examples of 'dialogues' common in difficult university entrance exams across three subjects. You can copy and paste these directly into the chat box.

■ [English] Dissecting the 'Structure' of Difficult Long Passages

When you encounter an English sentence in a long reading comprehension passage from a past exam (red book) that is so grammatically complex that even reading the Japanese translation doesn't make sense, copy and paste that sentence and give the following instructions.

Prompt for copy-paste: 'Break down the following English sentence into Subject (S), Verb (V), Object (O), and Complement (C), and visually illustrate the modification relationships (which clause modifies what) in an easy-to-understand way. Also, present the literal translation and the natural Japanese idiomatic translation side-by-side, and explain one important construction used in the sentence. [Paste English sentence here]'

Instead of memorizing long passages by rote, you will be able to see through the 'framework' that makes up English sentences, dramatically improving your ability to read unseen passages.

■ [Mathematics] Filling in the Gaps in Explanations (Why think of that formula?)

When you are reading an explanation in a problem book and feel completely lost, wondering, 'Why would you suddenly think to use this formula?' or 'How did the equation transform from the first line to the second line?'

Prompt for copy-paste: 'I am reading the explanation for the uploaded problem, but I cannot understand the transformation (the logic) from [Line X] to [Line Y]. To help me understand, please write out all the intermediate steps without skipping any, and explain it step-by-step in a way that even someone who is bad at math can understand. Also, please tell me where the 'hints in the problem statement' are that would allow me to think of this approach in an actual exam setting.'

AI will visualize all the omitted 'intermediate steps' and 'reasons for applying formulas,' ensuring you are never left behind.

■ [History/Science] Memorizing Stories through 'Guided Learning'

Once you have uploaded textbooks or summary handouts for memorization subjects, let the AI become the 'questioner'.

Prompt for copy-paste: 'I want to perfect the basics of [Japanese History / Chemistry]. Based on the uploaded materials, please ask me quiz questions about important terms that I absolutely cannot afford to miss for passing, [one question at a time] in a dialogue format. After I answer, please not only judge if I am correct or incorrect but also explain in detail, incorporating peripheral knowledge and historical background (the story) of the term, and work alongside me to deepen my understanding.'

Rote memorization is quickly forgotten, but knowledge input as a 'story' while conversing with AI will be firmly established in your brain as a powerful memory that you will never forget until the actual exam.

4. Turning Your Ears into the Best Study Time: The Secret Trick 'Audio Overview'

One of the most powerful features included in NotebookLM is 'Audio Overview'.

This is a feature that, based on the vast amount of reference books and past exam data you have uploaded, automatically generates an audio file with one click where two AIs explain the content while chatting happily, just like a popular radio program or podcast.

Etymology explanations for English words
The flow of a specific era in Japanese history
Key points of essential classical grammar

If you turn these into audio files and download them to your smartphone,

On the train or bus while commuting to cram school or school
In bed when you just can't find the motivation to sit at your desk
While you are in the bath

All of these "gap times" will instantly transform into "top-tier audio lectures" customized just for you. When you get tired of studying with your eyes, let's input efficiently through your ears.

Finally: Stop buying 'peace of mind' with money

When you pay a lot of money for a summer cram school course, you get a temporary 'sense of security.' You think, 'I've paid this much money and am attending classes, so I'm sure I'll be fine.'

However, to tell you the harsh reality, it is not the people who pay high tuition fees who win the acceptance. It is only those who 'do not run away from their own I don't understand' and who diligently accumulate the work of turning that into 'I understand' within the same day.'

Before signing up for a 100,000 yen summer course, first try building your own personal learning base with NotebookLM. Solve problems yourself, get hurt, show those wounds to the AI, and treat them together. This gritty back-and-forth is exactly what will provide the explosive power to flip your mock exam results during the summer.

With you now armed with the ultimate weapon that is AI, you should be able to pull off a dramatic comeback this summer that will surprise everyone.

Come on, let's start a summer that will change your future from your desk!

'Example'