---
title: Understanding the answers
description: How to read the sources behind an answer, what to do when the assistant doesn't know, and why checking still matters.
sidebar:
  label: Understand answers
  icon: quote
---

The assistant is a study aid, and like any study aid it works best when you understand what it's telling you. Here's how to get the most out of its answers.

## Sources: your receipts

If your instructor turned on sources, each answer shows which course materials it came from. This is powerful:

1. **See where it's from**

    The answer lists the file or page it used.

2. **Go read the original**

    Open that material and read the passage yourself. The answer is a summary —
    the source is the real thing.

3. **Trust, but verify**

    If an answer seems surprising, checking the source is the fastest way to
    confirm it.

## When it says "I don't know"

Sometimes the assistant will tell you a topic isn't in the course materials. That's a feature, not a bug — it's being honest instead of making something up.

When that happens:

- Rephrase your question in case the topic is covered under different wording.
- Check whether it's actually part of your course.
- Ask your instructor — it may be something they haven't added yet.

## It can still be wrong

Even good AI assistants make mistakes. They can misread a passage or summarize it imperfectly.

:::warning[Always sanity-check important answers]
For anything that matters — an exam topic, a formula, a due date — confirm it against your actual course materials or with your instructor. Don't rely on the assistant alone.
:::

## Good things to use it for

**Review**

Recap a lecture or reading in your own pace.

**Clarify**

Get a confusing concept explained a different way.

**Find**

Track down where a topic is covered in the materials.

**Practice**

Ask it to quiz you or check your reasoning.

**[Next: Quiz yourself](/students/quizzes)**

Turn what you've learned into interactive practice quizzes.