Heads up: this guide was last verified on May 19, 2024 — over 2 years ago. Free-tier limits change often — re-check the provider's current pricing page before relying on it. Report an outdated limit.
Upload a textbook PDF and get a custom multiple-choice quiz in seconds using Google AI Studio's free tier—free forever, no card required, handles up to 1,500 requests a day.
Quizlet Plus ($35.99/year) or Chegg Study ($14.95/month) for generating custom practice tests from your specific course materials.
The Walkthrough
Step 1: Get your textbook PDF
If you don't have one, download a free, peer-reviewed textbook from OpenStax (openstax.org).
Step 2: Open Google AI Studio
Go to aistudio.google.com and log in with a Google account. No credit card is required to access the free tier.
Step 3: Create a Structured Prompt
Click "Create new prompt" and select "Structured prompt". This lets you set strict behavior rules so the AI doesn't waste your quota on chatty filler.
Step 4: Set System Instructions
In the System Instructions box, paste the following:
You are an expert quiz generator. Read the provided text. Generate a 10-question multiple-choice quiz based on the key concepts. For each question, provide 4 options (A-D), indicate the correct answer, and provide a 1-sentence explanation referencing the text. Do not include conversational filler.
Step 5: Upload the PDF
In the prompt area, click the attachment icon (or type @) and upload your textbook PDF. This uses the model's native document reading ability, saving thousands of tokens compared to copy-pasting text.
Step 6: Add your prompt
Below the file, type:
Generate a quiz focusing on the main definitions and concepts from Chapter 1.
Step 7: Run it
Click "Run". Review the output. If it hallucinates a wrong answer, use the thumbs down to provide feedback, then re-run.
Quota Checker
Google AI Studio free tier allows 1,500 requests per day (resetting at midnight Pacific Time).
Rate limits: You get 15 requests per minute and 1,500 per day. If you hit the limit, the API throws a 429 error. Wait 60 seconds (for RPM) or until midnight Pacific Time (for RPD) to resume.
Hallucinations: The model will occasionally invent plausible-but-wrong answers. Always verify the correct answer against your text.
PDF parsing failures: Scanned image PDFs without OCR won't work. The model needs selectable text.
Three Things
Forcing strict output formatting prevents the AI from wasting your daily quota on conversational prose, keeping responses dense and useful.
Uploading a PDF directly to AI Studio saves thousands of input tokens and preserves formatting better than copy-pasting text into the prompt box.
OpenStax provides free, legal textbook PDFs, giving you unlimited study material to feed the AI without hitting paywalls or copyright issues.