To master a textbook chapter with Ritsu, work through it one unit per sitting. Upload it once to get a plan of units. In each unit, answer a question before you read, build what you missed and solve one problem; then add the chapter to Review so it comes back. The first sitting, on a three-page physics chapter, took us about 40 minutes, and a longer chapter is split into more units. You need a free account and the chapter as a PDF of up to 40 pages.
Ritsu is an AI tutor that turns your own chapter into a study plan, then questions you on it and grades your answers.
| You'll make | Time (tested) | You need | Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| A unit-by-unit plan for one chapter, graded work on every unit, a filled-in Knowledge Map and a review schedule | About 40 minutes for the first sitting (upload, plan, one unit, Add to Review) on our run; each later unit skips the upload and the plan | One chapter as a PDF, a pen, one sitting per unit over the week | Free (up to 40 pages per source) |
Try it in Ritsu as you read: Start Learning Free
Before you start
Rereading a chapter feels productive because the page gets familiar. Familiar is not the same as being able to answer a question on it, and the exam asks the question. This tutorial spends your time on producing answers, one unit at a time, and leaves reading for the parts your answers show you need.
- An account. A free one is enough; the link is above.
- The file. A PDF of up to 40 pages, the Free plan's limit per source. A scanned chapter works as well as the scan is clean. For a longer chapter, cut it into sections with Split PDF on the New Session page and run one section as its own session.
- Credits. The Free plan has no time limit but includes 600 credits a month, and every activity spends some: the pricing page puts an /explain at about 8 credits and a quiz at about 20. A chapter worked every day can run through a month's credits; the same page lists the paid plans.
- Three commands. You type them in the message box: /askme asks you one question, /explain teaches a concept, /exercise gives you a problem to solve. Each step below says which one to use.
- No chapter at hand? Save section 4.5, The Carnot Cycle, of OpenStax's free University Physics Volume 2 as a PDF. It is the topic in every screenshot below.
How we tested. We ran these steps on the live app on October 1, 2026, on a three-page chapter about heat engines, and recorded the screen. The first sitting, from upload to Add to Review, took about 40 minutes without the recorder's pauses, including a second /explain run we made for the video. We timed only that sitting, not the later ones. Screenshots are frames of that recording, with numbers and account details painted out.
How the week runs. The plan sets the number of sittings: one per unit. A longer chapter gets more units; if they outnumber your days, split the PDF or do two units in a sitting.
| Sitting | What you do |
|---|---|
| First | Steps 1 to 7: upload, plan, the first unit, Add to Review |
| Each next one | Answer whatever Review has due, then steps 3 to 6 on the next unit |
| After the last unit | Only the reviews, as they come due |
Step 1: Upload the chapter and type one goal
Open ritsu.ai in a new tab, sign in and press New Session. Click File, pick your PDF, and type one goal you can check in the box, as a task rather than a topic. Ours: "Help me understand heat engines and the Carnot cycle well enough to solve exam problems." Press Start Learning.
You'll see the file marked Uploaded, then, after a wait (about two and a half minutes on our chapter), the plan.
If the upload fails: check the file is a PDF under 40 pages; the upload troubleshooting page covers the rest.
Step 2: Read the plan and give each unit its own sitting
Read the unit titles in order, then open the first unit to see its objectives and its Points of Knowledge, the focused ideas it covers (what a Point of Knowledge is). Count the units: that is how many sittings the chapter needs.
You'll see the units in order, each marked Not started, and a Ready to continue? card naming the next unit with a Start button. Our chapter came back as three units.
If you come back on another day: click the session in the sidebar; the same card names the unit you are on.
Step 3: Open each unit with a question, not the lesson
Press Start. A short lesson opens; scroll past it to the cards that suggest a next step. Pick the one that runs /askme, the command that asks one open question for you to answer in your own words; on a fresh unit it is often marked Recommended. Close your textbook, don't scroll back up to the lesson, write your answer in full sentences and press Enter.
You'll see a grade, then Feedback, a Next step, an Explanation and the Model answer last. Before you read the model answer, write on paper the one thing you missed.
If no card shows /askme: type /askme in the message box. The /askme help page explains the options.
Step 4: Build what you missed with /explain in Guided discovery
Type /explain and the concept you missed, for example "Carnot efficiency". In the Configure /explain window, choose Guided discovery under Mode, leave Check on Read only (no extra question after the explanation), and press OK.
You'll see one question at a time instead of a finished explanation. Answer each one; when your answer has a gap, the next question is smaller. The full explanation comes at the end, after you have tried to build it.
If you only need a definition: choose Direct explanation and read it. The /explain help page lists the options.
Step 5: Solve one problem with /exercise and retry after a miss
Type /exercise. In Configure /exercise, pick a problem type that fits your subject (we chose Calculation · Application; the list also has types such as case study, analysis and evaluation), keep DIY (Write & Grade), choose 2 attempts and 1 Hint, and press OK. Work the problem on paper, then type your answer.
You'll see a grade on your first attempt. If it misses, the feedback names what is off and the worked solution stays closed while you have an attempt left. Fix it yourself and submit again; Show Solution opens after that.
If you are stuck before the first attempt: press Hint 1 rather than asking for the answer. The /exercise help page lists the other problem types.
Step 6: Check the Knowledge Map before the next unit
Open the Knowledge Map panel with the map button, second of the icons at the top right of the session. Look for three kinds of item: the ones your answers have shown you know, the weak ones, and the ones you haven't touched.
You'll see the chapter's units with every item listed, a bar for each item you have practiced and a Review flag on weak ones. Reading alone barely moves a bar; answers do. Start the next sitting on a weak item, or on the next unit if this one looks solid.
You're done with a unit when each of its items has a bar and none carries a Review flag. If every bar is empty: you have read but not answered yet; go back to step 3 on this unit.
Step 7: Add the chapter to Review and answer what comes due
Do this once, at the end of the first sitting: go back to the session's plan page and press Add to Review at the top right. Then keep working through the units on the days you planned. When something is due, it appears under Review in the sidebar: open it, press Review due units and answer from memory.
You'll see the chapter listed under This week with its next review date. By default, material comes back after one day, then three, seven, 16 and 35 days; how you answer can move the next review farther out or closer.
If there is no Add to Review button: you are inside a lesson. The plan page is the one with the units listed, as in step 2.
What you just did
Every unit started with a question you answered before reading, which is a pretest: in five experiments by Lindsey Richland, Nate Kornell and Liche Sean Kao (2009), people who tried to answer questions on an essay before reading it remembered more later than people who spent the time reading, even on questions they got wrong. Answering from memory again later is retrieval practice, which beat restudying on a delayed test in Henry Roediger and Jeffrey Karpicke's (2006) experiments. Spreading units and reviews over days uses spacing, which Nicholas Cepeda and colleagues (2006) found well supported across hundreds of experiments. These studies used word lists and prose, not an app or a physics course; more in active recall with AI and spaced repetition.
Q: Do I have to read the lessons at all?
Yes, after the question. The verdict tells you what to read for, so the lesson and your chapter answer a gap you can name. Skipping reading entirely leaves you with the gaps the questions found and no fix for them.
Q: What if the exam is in three days, not a week?
Run the same steps on more units per day, and use the review that comes due. For a short runway, the three-day exam tutorial is built for it.
Q: Can I trust the grades?
Use them as a second reader's opinion. Each verdict says what it found in your answer and what it thinks is missing, so you can check each point against your chapter. If the two disagree, the chapter wins.
Next steps
Try it in Ritsu on the chapter you have to know this week: upload it, type one goal, and answer the first question before you read. Start Learning Free Free forever · No credit card · No time limit
- Practice the chapter's end-of-chapter problems: solve textbook exercises with Ritsu.
- Help with the session itself: start your first learning session.
- See the whole flow on one page: the textbook chapter use case.
Sources
- Richland, L. E., Kornell, N., & Kao, L. S. (2009). The pretesting effect: Do unsuccessful retrieval attempts enhance learning? Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 15(3), 243–257. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016496
- Roediger, H. L., III, & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). Test-enhanced learning: Taking memory tests improves long-term retention. Psychological Science, 17(3), 249–255. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01693.x
- Cepeda, N. J., Pashler, H., Vul, E., Wixted, J. T., & Rohrer, D. (2006). Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks: A review and quantitative synthesis. Psychological Bulletin, 132(3), 354–380. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.132.3.354
- OpenStax. University Physics Volume 2, section 4.5, The Carnot Cycle (read 2026-10-19). https://openstax.org/books/university-physics-volume-2/pages/4-5-the-carnot-cycle
By Ritsu Team · Last updated October 19, 2026
