how to Use ChatGPT Effectively (How to Ask Precise Questions)

How to Use ChatGPT Effectively (How to Ask Precise Questions)

To make the most of ChatGPT, it's crucial to know how to craft precise prompts. By following these methods, you can get more accurate and helpful answers!


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1. Ask Specific Questions

✔️ Bad (Vague Question): "Tell me how to study English."
✔️ Good (Specific Question): "Tell me five ways for beginners to quickly improve their English speaking skills."

➡️ Key Point: Narrow the scope and clearly specify the information you need.


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2. Assign a Role

✔️ Good: "You are an English teacher. Explain effective vocabulary memorization techniques to students."
✔️ Good: "You are an interviewer. Give me five common job interview questions."

➡️ Assigning a role makes responses more professional and relevant.


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3. Specify the Desired Format

✔️ Good: "Write a 3-minute presentation script."
✔️ Good: "Summarize in less than 200 characters."
✔️ Good: "Organize it in a table format."

➡️ If you specify the output format (e.g., table, list, summary), you'll get more useful answers.


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4. Ask Step by Step

✔️ Good:

1. "I chose ‘Buddhist Culture in Silla’ as my thesis topic. Suggest three research questions."


2. "Create an outline based on these research questions."


3. "Write a draft introduction for me."



➡️ Instead of requesting everything at once, asking in stages produces more refined answers.


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5. Provide Examples

✔️ Bad: "Make this sentence sound more natural."
✔️ Good: "Rewrite ‘I met a friend yesterday.’ to sound more natural and sophisticated."

➡️ Providing examples helps ChatGPT give more accurate responses.


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6. Use Critical Thinking

✔️ Good: "Verify the reliability of this information."
✔️ Good: "Provide sources if available."

➡️ ChatGPT is not perfect, so always fact-check important information!


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Real-Life Examples of Effective Prompting

1. Get Better Answers by Asking Specific Questions

❌ Bad Prompt: "Tell me about the Joseon Dynasty."
➡️ The response may be too broad and miss the details you need.

✅ Good Prompt: "Explain the civil service examination system in the Joseon Dynasty and its impact in 300 words."
➡️ A specific topic (civil service exam) and word limit (300 words) ensure a more useful response.


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2. Get Professional Responses by Assigning a Role

❌ Bad Prompt: "Help me prepare for an interview."
➡️ Lacks details like job type, common questions, etc.

✅ Good Prompt: "You are a recruiter with five years of experience. Provide five common interview questions for a junior software developer and model answers."
➡️ By assigning a role (recruiter), the response becomes more expert-level.


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3. Improve Readability by Specifying Format

❌ Bad Prompt: "Tell me the differences between the U.S. and Korean education systems."
➡️ A paragraph-style response may be harder to read.

✅ Good Prompt: "Summarize the differences between U.S. and Korean education in a table format."
➡️ Table format improves clarity.

Example Output:


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4. Get a More Structured Response with Step-by-Step Requests

❌ Bad Prompt: "Write a thesis draft for me."
➡️ The response may be too generic and lack logical flow.

✅ Good Prompt (Step-by-Step Requests):

1. "Suggest three research questions on ‘The Economic Impact of Climate Change.’"


2. "Create an outline based on these research questions."


3. "Write a 300-word introduction."



➡️ Step-by-step requests lead to a more structured and logical output.


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5. Get a More Accurate Rewrite by Providing Examples

❌ Bad Prompt: "Make this sentence sound more natural."
➡️ ChatGPT doesn’t know what style you prefer.

✅ Good Prompt: "Rewrite ‘I met a friend yesterday and went to a café.’ to sound more natural and literary."

Example Output:
✔️ "Yesterday, I reunited with a dear friend and shared deep conversations over coffee in a cozy café."


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By following these techniques, you can get more precise and helpful answers from ChatGPT!