coding prompt
Post-mortem for a problem you got wrong: names the pattern, shows the tell in the statement, and fixes your attempt with the smallest possible change.
fill in
I attempted this coding problem and did not get it, or got it late. Help me learn the pattern, not just the answer.
Problem:
{{question}}
My attempt (code or approach, including where I got stuck):
{{my_attempt}}
Respond in this order:
- The pattern this problem belongs to, in one line, and the exact phrase or constraint in the statement that should have signalled it.
- What my attempt got right. Be specific.
- The smallest change to my attempt that makes it correct. Prefer editing my code over rewriting it.
- The complexity before and after.
- Three other problems that use the same pattern, ordered easy to hard, with a one-line note on how each disguises the pattern.
- One question I should ask myself next time I see a statement like this.
Do not write a fresh solution from scratch unless my attempt is unsalvageable, and say so if it is.
how to run it
Use it right after a failed practice problem, while your reasoning is fresh. Paste your real code, including the broken parts. If the model rewrites everything, push back: ask for the minimal edit again.
what good output looks like
It points at a specific word in the problem statement, edits your code rather than replacing it, and the three sibling problems are ones you could go solve immediately.
pair it with
Useful next steps:
