Is there an app that helps me when my professor cold calls me?
Yes. Praesto has Cold-call assist, part of Essential and Pro and in beta. When your name is spoken while you are recording, a drawer opens by itself with a sentence starter and likely answers. They come from your notes, your readings and the last few minutes of the room, as a starting point you put in your own words.
It does not know the question ahead of time, and it can be wrong. It gives you a place to start. What you say is still yours.
How does Cold-call assist work?
Cold-call assist listens for your callsign, the name people call you in class, while you record. When it hears the name, a drawer opens by itself with nothing to tap first. It shows a sentence starter and likely answers drawn from your notes, your readings and the last few minutes of the room.
- Set your callsign once, in Profile.
- Record as usual. When your name is spoken, the drawer opens by itself.
- Read the sentence starter and the likely answers, then say it your way.
- Find the drafted answer later, under that line of the transcript. It is still there weeks later.
When nothing you brought applies, an answer may use a web search or general knowledge, so check it before you rely on it.
How do I set up my callsign in Praesto?
Open Profile and add the name people call you in class, and how it sounds, for example SEER-shah. If you are called more than one way, separate the names with commas. You set it once. After that, whenever you record and your name is spoken, the drawer opens by itself.
How do I prepare for a cold call with Praesto?
Prepare in three parts. Before class, set your callsign and add your readings and notes to the session. During class, record and let the drawer open when your name comes up. After class, practice from the same lecture and review it. Praesto draws on what you brought, so the preparation is still yours.
Before class
- Set your callsign in Profile, with how it sounds.
- Add your readings to the session in Docs. Cold-call assist draws on them.
- Write your own notes and marks on the readings. They are what the drawer draws on too.
- Ask Chat about a reading. It answers from your documents and notes.
- Flip Teach mode on in Chat, on iPhone, iPad or Mac, and replies come back as guiding questions, so you can rehearse being asked the next question.
During class
- Start recording. Praesto writes a live transcript as the room talks.
- When your name is spoken, the drawer opens by itself with a sentence starter and likely answers.
- Chat answers from what has been said so far while recording continues.
If you would like to join in before you are called, Clever questions keeps two questions per topic in their own tab (Essential and Pro).
After class
- The drafted answer stays under that line of the transcript, so you can read it back.
- Make a practice set from your own transcript, notes and documents. Each question is cited and graded.
- Review brings back what you answered on a spaced schedule, and lists only the questions that are due.
Does Praesto help with MBA case discussions?
In a case discussion, a professor may open by asking one student to lay out the situation and a recommendation. Praesto cannot know the question ahead of time. When your name is spoken, it offers a sentence starter and likely answers from the readings and notes you added and the last few minutes of the room.
Add the case and your notes to the session before class. The drawer draws on them, along with what was said in the room a moment ago.
Does Praesto help law students with cold calls?
In a Socratic class, a professor may question one student about a case and follow each answer with another question. When your name is spoken, Praesto opens a drawer with a sentence starter and likely answers from your case readings, your notes and the last few minutes of the room. It does not replace reading the case.
Afterward the drafted answer stays under that line of the transcript. Practice questions from the same session come back on a spaced schedule in the weeks that follow.
Questions
Which plans include Cold-call assist?
Cold-call assist is part of Essential and Pro, and it is in beta, so details may change. The free plan does not include it. It runs in the iPhone, iPad and Mac apps while you record. The pricing page lists every plan and its limits.
Does Cold-call assist write my answer for me?
No. It gives you a sentence starter and likely answers as a starting point, and you say them your way. It can be wrong, so check before you rely on it. When nothing you brought applies, a draft may use a web search or general knowledge, which is why your own prep matters.
What can I add as my readings?
In Docs you can add PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, CSV, plain text and Markdown. Praesto reads them so the assistant can use them, and each file shows a Ready label once it is set to help. Only upload files you have the right to use.
Can Praesto’s AI get things wrong?
Yes. Like any AI, it can misread a point or state something that was not said, so check before you rely on it. Praesto keeps the source close: Chat answers from your session, each practice question shows the moment it came from, and research answers list their sources. A cold-call answer starts from your material, but when nothing you brought applies it may use a web search or general knowledge.
How accurate is the transcript?
It depends on the room. A clear voice near the device transcribes best; noise, distance, fast speech and rare terms make mistakes more likely. You can edit any line yourself, or ask for a correction pass: every suggested change arrives with a checkbox and an editable box, and only what you tick is applied.
Will Praesto distract me in class?
You decide how much appears. Quiz cards are short, and in Settings you choose how often one can appear during a long session, or turn them off. Clever questions wait in their own tab until you look. Praesto does the writing, so you can listen and glance down only when you need to.
What does Praesto do after class?
It turns the lecture into practice. Practice sets come from your own transcript, notes and documents, and each question is cited and graded. Every quiz and practice question you answer comes back on a spaced schedule, and Review lists only the ones that are due. You can also make a session report, ask Chat about the lecture, and search every class.
More about Praesto
Free to start. For iPhone, iPad and Mac, or Chrome or Edge on a computer.