How to check if AI is wrong in 60 seconds

1 November 2026 · 2 min read

AI tools write fluently, which makes them sound right even when they're not. For studying, that's risky: a wrong fact you've memorised is worse than a gap, because you don't know to fix it. The solution isn't to avoid AI. It's to build a quick checking habit.

Where AI most often goes wrong

• Numbers and calculations. Arithmetic slips, wrong units, wrong formulae.
• Quotations. Misquoted or entirely invented lines from books and poems.
• Dates and names. Plausible-sounding but wrong.
• Specific wording. Exam-board terms, command words and what earns marks.
• Anything very recent or very niche. It may not know, but it might not say so.

The 60-second check

Do these five steps on anything you plan to rely on:

1. Spot the claim (10 seconds). Underline the one or two facts that matter most.
2. Check against a trusted source (20 seconds). Your textbook, class notes or the exam board's specification. Is it there, and does it say the same thing?
3. Test with an example (15 seconds). For maths and science, put real numbers in. Does the answer make sense and have sensible units?
4. Ask it to justify (10 seconds). "Why is that right?" or "Show the steps." A shaky answer often falls apart when asked to explain.
5. Note the result (5 seconds). If it's wrong, tell the tool. If you can't check it, mark it as "unsure" and ask your teacher.

Tricks that help

• Ask for sources and then check them. AI can invent references, so look them up rather than trusting them.
• Ask the opposite question. If it says A causes B, ask "what are the arguments against?" and see if the answer holds up.
• Compare two explanations. If your textbook and the AI disagree, assume the textbook is right until proven otherwise, and ask your teacher.
• Be extra careful with quotes. Copy quotations from your own book, not from AI.

Make checking part of revising

The nice thing is that checking is itself revision. Looking something up to confirm it makes you think about it a second time. If you catch an error, you'll remember that fact better than if you'd never seen the mistake.

For parents

Ask your child to show you an AI answer and tell you how they checked it. That one question teaches the most important habit. Praise them for catching a mistake rather than for the tool being right.

An honest note about every AI tool

Study Buddy is no different. It can make mistakes, and the site says so. We'd rather you use it, check the important parts and tell us when it's wrong than treat it as an oracle. Good studying has always included checking your sources.