If you prefer to listen to your lectures, quiz yourself on your own notes or polish your presentations with a touch of AI magic, we think these apps will show just how versatile learning can be.

One of NotebookLM’s coolest features is its ability to turn your study material into a podcast. No recording studio (or tech skills) needed – just upload PDFs, web pages or your own notes, and the app generates a conversation between two virtual speakers who break down the key takeaways. It’s perfect for revision on the go, or for getting a better grasp on tricky topics.

Goodnotes has come a long way from its beginnings as a digital notebook. You can now ask it questions based on the content you’ve uploaded and the app replies with relevant answers. Even better? It can turn your notes into custom quiz questions in seconds. Ideal for exam prep or testing what you’ve really understood. It’s fast, intuitive and feels like having your own personal learning coach right there on your iPad.

Got a PDF? Open it in Word on your iPad and you can do way more than just read it. Mark it up, annotate it, edit the text or even convert it to a Word doc and back again. Even scanned files can be tweaked and commented on. And with Microsoft’s Copilot built in, you can ask the AI to summarise content or answer questions based on it. Suddenly, a static document becomes an interactive workspace.

When you have a class presentation, group project or design brief to deliver, Canva is already a go-to for slides – but when you use its built-in apps, it becomes a full-on creative powerhouse. Drop in mock-ups, shift image perspectives, upscale blurry visuals or even build animated explainers with AI avatars and voiceovers. Feeling extra creative? Sketch out your idea and let the Sketch to Life app turn it into digital art. Or use the Speed Paint app to bring your concepts to life with whiteboard animations. The result? Presentations that impress – and stick.