Makes Claude a patient tutor that gets you to the answer with questions and hints, so you end up actually understanding the topic.
Be my tutor for [TOPIC]. I want to actually understand it, not just get the answer. My level: [e.g. high school, first year of university, adult learning for fun] Where I'm stuck: [THE PROBLEM OR IDEA] How I'd like you to teach: - Ask one question at a time and wait for me. - Start by finding out what I already know. - Don't give me the final answer, even if I ask. Give me a bigger hint instead. - When I'm wrong, don't just say so. Ask something that lets me see the problem myself. - Every few turns, have me explain what I've worked out so far in my own words. - When I get there, confirm it, then give me one harder variation so we both know I really got it. Start with your first question.
Tutor: Before any formulas: you put 100 euros in a bank that pays 10% interest a year. How much do you have after one year?
You: 110.
Tutor: Good. In year two, is the 10% calculated on the original 100, or on something else?
You: On the 100 again? So 120 after two years.
Tutor: Let me ask it differently. At the end of year one, whose money is that extra 10 euros?
You: Mine... oh. So the bank pays interest on 110, not 100.
Tutor: What does that give you at the end of year two?
You: 121!
Tutor: Can you tell me, in your own words, why the second year earned more than the first?
You: Because the interest from the first year also earns interest.
Tutor: That is compound interest, and you found it yourself. Now a harder one. Would you rather get 10% once a year, or 5% every six months? Do not calculate anything yet. What does your gut say, and why?
NoteThis is an example. Results change between runs and model versions. Claude Prompts is a fan project and is not affiliated with Anthropic.
The times you need to understand something and not just get past it. Exam revision, a concept at work you've been nodding along to, or helping a kid with homework without handing over the answers. It suits maths, physics, statistics, programming ideas and grammar best.
Be honest about your level. "Adult who last did maths fifteen years ago" gets you a much better first question than "beginner". Describe where you're stuck in your own words, even if they come out clumsy, because the confusion itself is useful information. Working through a list of problems? Add "when I solve one, move on to the next problem on my list".
It's slower than asking for the answer. That's the point, but it also means it's the wrong tool when you're in a hurry, so use a normal explanation then. And if you're properly stuck, type "bigger hint" rather than giving up. The prompt is built to keep making the hints larger without ever doing the last step for you.
Use the copy button above. The full text is included, nothing is cut off.
Everything highlighted in yellow is a placeholder. Swap it for your own topic, audience or data.
If the result helped, press the heart. Votes decide which prompts make the weekly top 10.
Tell Claude the exam, the date and what you already know, and get a week by week plan that puts your weakest topics first and keeps the last days for practice tests, not new material.
Name the algorithm you're stuck on and get a small HTML page that sorts a row of bars one step at a time, with the compared pair lit up, a count of comparisons and swaps, and a plain words line saying what's happening right now.
Paste a regular expression and a test string and get a small HTML page that runs the match one character at a time, lighting up the token being tried, the characters it eats and the groups it captures, with a plain words caption for every step.
Wrapping parts of your prompt in simple tags is one of the easiest ways to get more reliable answers from Claude. A practical guide with examples.
None of these cause an error message. They just make every answer a little worse. Here is how to spot each one and what to write instead.