Study guides are everywhere these days! Let’s face it, teachers are overworked and overwhelmed, and the same is true of parents who home school their kids. They’re all looking for tools to help their students to succeed. Older students may even be looking for study guides on their own, in search of that extra edge to help them get into their first-choice college.
The popularity of digital study guides is good news for you. You can use digital and AI tools to create study guides to sell, and it’s not at all difficult to do. To help you out, here are 9 unique study guide ideas to get you started.
#1: Anatomy and Physiology
Anybody who’s in school to become a doctor or another type of healthcare professional needs to know human anatomy and physiology.
Study guides could include flash cards with parts of the body, bones, and systems such as circulation, respiration, and digestion. You might also include study pages and schedules, stickers for marking progress, and a calendar to track exams and assignments.
#2: Nursing
On a related note, you might want to consider making complete study guides for nursing students. There would necessarily be some overlap with the anatomy and physiology guides, but a nursing student would need additional topics covered, including:
- Pediatrics
- Pharmacology
- OB/Gyn
- Medical/Surgical
You could also include study pages reviewing symptoms and treatments for common diseases such as diabetes or asthma.
#3: LSAT
The Law School Admissions Test, or LSAT, is a required exam for anybody who wants to attend law school. In fact, it’s usually a combination of an applicant’s undergrad GPA and LSAT score that determines whether they’re accepted. Some recent changes to the LSAT, namely the elimination of an entire class of hypothetical questions, may increase the demand for study guides.
A good LSAT study guide might include things like an overview of the exam and how it’s structured, test-taking tips and advice, content overview divided by subject, and full-length practice exams. These things can all help law school applicants prepare for the exam.
#4: GMAT
The Graduate Management Admission Text or GMAT is a test that’s designed to assess candidates for admission to business school. Like any other graduate school entrance exam, it can be tough. Preparation is essential, and that’s where your study guide can come in.
While there are tons of study guides for doctors, nurses, and lawyers, there aren’t as many available for people who want to go into business. In other words, GMAT study guides represent a real opportunity.
Like the LSAT, the GMAT format was changed in 2024. It now includes three sections: Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, and Data Insights. A comprehensive study guide should include an overview of the exam, studying tools for each section, and complete practice tests.
#5: Studying with ADHD
Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, is a common diagnosis and one that can make studying difficult for people who have it. Because ADHD impacts executive function, it can be useful to have tools that break down studying into manageable parts.
Instead of focusing on a single subject, an ADHD guide should focus more on techniques to improve focus. Overwhelm is common among people with ADHD, so some things to include might be:
- Sheets explaining different study “hacks” such as the Pomodoro Technique
- Schedule templates showing students how to break down large tasks into smaller ones
- Ideas for working with ADHD instead of against it
You could also include flash card templates and worksheet templates designed for use by students, parents, or teachers.
#6: Foreign Languages
Many school districts and colleges require students to study a second language. Learning a new language requires hard work and repetition—and study guides can help! Some of the most popular languages taught in high schools include:
- Spanish
- French
- German
- American Sign Language (ASL)
- Japanese
- Chinese
- Latin
Of course, it simplifies the creation process to choose a language that you’re familiar with. Items to include might be vocabulary sheets and flash cards, verb conjugations, tenses, numbers, and much more.
#7: Math Guides
It’s common for some students to struggle with math, which means there’s a sizeable market for math-related study guides. “Math” is too broad a category, but here are some specific suggestions for what you could do.
- Word problems (a lot of people struggle with these)
- Algebra
- Geometry
- Trigonometry
- Calculus
- Math ACT
Items to create could include sheets to explain important concepts, flash cards, sample problems, and test-taking tips.
#8: Science Guides
Like math, “science” is a broad topic, but something many students may need assistance with, particularly in junior high and high school. Here are some more specific topics for guides.
- Physical science and physics
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Organic chemistry (more for college than high school)
- Geology
- Ecology
Here again, you could include overview sheets of important concepts, such as an explainer sheet for how to solve chemical equations. You could also include lab assignments, sample test questions, and even charts to use in lieu of doing actual dissections in biology class, with body parts labelled.
#9: Grammar and Writing Guides
Every student needs to study grammar and writing, so study guides in this area are always popular. You could do grade or age-specific study guides. For example:
- Grammar school students should focus on parts of speech, sentence structure, and simple grammar rules.
- Junior high or middle school students should learn more complex grammar and elevate their writing skills.
- High school students should be focusing on perfecting grammar and punctuation and learning how to write college-level essays.
Your study guide could include flash cards, grammar concepts, quizzes, and sample essay topics.
Conclusion
Study guides are always popular and in demand. The key is choosing the right topics and target audience to make your guide the one that people line up to buy. This list of 9 study guide ideas can be the thing that inspires you to jump in and create your very first guide—and be on your way to having the most popular study guides online!
Need help? Check out AI Study Guide Publishing Bonanza to learn how to fast-track study guide creation with AI tools!
