Module 4: Level Up
Make AI Think Step by Step
One phrase dramatically improves AI answers on complex problems. It's called "chain of thought" prompting—and it takes 5 words to use.
When AI tries to answer complex questions in one shot, it often gets things wrong. But when you ask it to show its work, accuracy jumps significantly.
The magic phrase
"Think through this step by step"
Why It Works
AI models can "think" through a problem, but only if you ask them to. By default, they jump straight to an answer. Adding "step by step" forces the model to work through the reasoning—catching errors along the way.
Without step by step
What's 17 × 24?
AI: 388 ← Wrong! (Correct: 408)
With step by step
Think through 17 × 24 step by step.
AI: Let me break this down:
17 × 24 = 17 × (20 + 4)
17 × 20 = 340
17 × 4 = 68
340 + 68 = 408 ✓
When to Use It
Math & Logic
Any calculation or reasoning problem
Analysis
Breaking down complex situations
Planning
Multi-step strategies or processes
Debugging
Finding errors in logic or code
Variations That Work
Different phrasings
"Think through this step by step"
"Walk me through your reasoning"
"Show your work"
"Let's solve this systematically"
"Break this down into steps"
Full Example
Step by step in action
I'm trying to decide if I should take a job offer. The new role pays 20% more but requires a longer commute and I'd lose some work-life flexibility.
Think through this step by step:
1. What factors should I consider?
2. How do I weigh short-term vs long-term?
3. What questions should I ask the company?
4. What's the framework for making this decision?
By explicitly asking for step-by-step thinking, you get a much more thorough and reliable response.
Try It Now
Take a complex question and ask it two ways: once normally, once with "think through this step by step." Compare the quality of responses.
Key Takeaway
"Think step by step" makes AI show its work—and catches errors along the way.