Nine study formats, one source — which to reach for, and when

Lumo turns one source into nine formats — notes, flashcards, quiz, mind map, slides, audio overview, infographic, simplified explainer, and study guide. The common question is fair: which one do I actually use? The answer is that they're not nine versions of the same thing — they're nine different jobs, and each fits a different moment in how learning actually works.

Here's the cycle, and the format for each stage.

Stage 1 — First contact: understand it

You've just met the material and it's a fog. Reach for:

• Simplified explainer when a concept is over your head — it re-teaches at a gentler level (calibrated from Class 5 to university).
• Audio overview when you'd rather hear it — two hosts talk you through it, and you can interrupt to ask questions.

Goal: go from "what is this" to "okay, I get the shape of it."

Stage 2 — Organise it: see the structure

Now make the material legible.

• Notes are your clean reference — headings, key terms, equations.
• Mind map shows how the pieces connect — ideal for subjects where the relationships matter more than the list.
• Slides and the infographic compress a topic into a scannable overview you can review at a glance.

Goal: turn a wall of information into a map you can hold in your head.

Stage 3 — Make it stick: active recall

Reading is not remembering. This stage is where the learning actually happens.

• Flashcards with spaced repetition — the highest-return tool for facts, definitions, and formulas. Drill them offline, a few minutes a day.
• Quiz to surface what you only think you know — the gaps you can't feel by re-reading.

Goal: move from recognition ("looks familiar") to recall ("I can produce it").

Stage 4 — Exam run-up: consolidate

The week before, you don't want to re-learn — you want to tighten.

• Study guide is your exam-ready consolidation: the whole topic, organised for revision.
• Re-drill the flashcards you keep missing, and let the Exam Planner decide what to hit each day.

Goal: walk in confident, not cramming.

The point of nine

You won't use all nine for every note — and you shouldn't. The value is that whatever the material and whatever stage you're at, the right tool is one click away from the same source. Match the format to the moment, and the nine stop being a menu and become a method.

Try the full set on one source — start from the public demo, no sign-up needed.