ChatGPT

100 ChatGPT codes to study any book.

Oct 14, 202611 min read

📚 100 ChatGPT codes to study any book. Each section has ten codes. Copy the code and its instruction, paste it into ChatGPT along with your book or chapter, and go.

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Understand the book

/tldr: Orient me before I read: write five sentences covering the subject, central claim, supporting reasoning, implications, and conclusion.
/bigidea: Identify the book’s thesis in one sentence. Under it, explain the three strongest lines of reasoning the author uses.
/chapters: Build a reading map using the actual chapter titles. Add one sentence explaining the contribution of each chapter; flag missing chapters.
/keytakeaways: Rank ten lessons a reader should retain. For each, explain briefly what it changes about how I think or act.
/themes: Track the ideas that recur across the material. Attach a chapter or passage reference to each appearance when available.
/premise: Separate the author’s starting assumptions from demonstrated conclusions. Assess the evidence connecting them.
/whoisitfor: Describe who would benefit most from this book, their likely need, and any readers for whom it may be less useful.
/arc: Follow the development of the main argument from opening to ending, showing the important transitions.
/oneliner: Write an original, memorable sentence that captures the book’s message. Label it as a paraphrase, not an author quotation.
/context: Explain the historical setting and intellectual conversation surrounding this work. Distinguish supplied evidence from background knowledge.

Extract useful material

/summary200: Produce a chapter digest of exactly 200 words, concentrating on the argument and evidence. Check the word count before returning it.
/bullets: Restructure the passage into concise notes under descriptive subtopic headings. Keep qualifications that affect meaning.
/quotes: Select up to ten brief, useful quotations from the supplied text. Preserve exact wording and record available locations; never invent page numbers.
/stats: Audit the passage for numerical claims. Record each value, what it measures, its context, and any cited origin.
/definitions: Create a glossary from the author’s defined terminology. Separate explicit definitions from meanings inferred from context.
/examples: Collect the examples and case studies in the material. Explain which claim each example is meant to illustrate.
/framework: Reconstruct the models or methods presented here, including their components, sequence, assumptions, and intended use.
/checklist: Convert the chapter’s recommendations into checkable actions, ordered so I can work through them.
/objections: Pair each objection discussed in the text with the author’s response. Flag any objection left unresolved.
/soundbites: Write eight original takeaway lines that stand alone. Keep them faithful to the ideas and identify them as paraphrases.

Remember and review

/clozecards: Create 15 retrieval cards with one meaningful blank each. Put the missing answer separately so I can test myself.
/ankicsv: Prepare an importable CSV with a Front column and a Back column. Use one clear retrieval question per row and escape CSV values correctly.
/spacedplan: Lay out a 30-day spaced review calendar for this material. Specify what to retrieve at each session and how to revisit errors.
/mnemonics: For each important sequence or list, invent a memory aid and explain how its parts map to the original items.
/keywords10: Choose ten recall cues for this chapter. Pair each cue with the idea it should help me reconstruct.
/quizme: Tutor me through retrieval practice. Ask a single question, wait for my response, then give feedback before continuing.
/recallgrid: Make a self-test table with a term in the first column and an empty answer cell in the second. Keep solutions in a separate section.
/whatdidimiss: Compare my recollection with the supplied material. Report omissions and inaccuracies, with focused corrections.
/minitest: Design a ten-question checkpoint mixing multiple-choice and short responses. Place solutions after all questions.
/rapidfire: Create twenty compact factual question-and-answer pairs for a fast revision round.

Build understanding quickly

/eli5: Introduce the concept using familiar words and one child-friendly analogy. Explain briefly where the analogy stops working.
/eli15: Explain the idea at a secondary-school level and work through one concrete example.
/prereqs: Identify the knowledge this chapter assumes. Arrange those prerequisites in a sensible learning sequence.
/analogy: Offer three everyday comparisons for the idea, explaining both the useful connection and each comparison’s limits.
/firstprinciples: Identify the basic facts or assumptions underneath the concept, then show how the larger idea follows from them.
/connectdots: Explain the relationships among this chapter’s major ideas. Name each relationship rather than simply listing topics.
/whyitmatters: Show the practical significance of the concept with an example of what goes wrong when it is overlooked.
/commonconfusions: Identify five likely misunderstandings. For each, contrast the mistaken interpretation with a precise correction.
/crashcourse: Create a lesson I can complete in about ten minutes: essentials first, a worked example, then a quick understanding check.
/compareideas: Select the two central ideas and compare them across consistent dimensions, including shared features and meaningful differences.

Practise using the ideas

/exercises: Set five application exercises that increase in difficulty. Keep worked solutions separate from the tasks.
/scenario: Present a believable situation requiring this concept. Pause for my solution before revealing your analysis.
/roleplay: Set up a practice conversation with clear roles and an objective. Play your role, then debrief my choices.
/worksheet: Create a worksheet with short instructions, completion spaces, and tasks grounded in the chapter.
/projectidea: Propose a manageable practical project, its deliverable, and the evidence that would demonstrate understanding.
/debate: Challenge the chapter’s position with reasoned objections. Let me respond and help me strengthen weak defenses.
/casestudy: Present a case with enough detail to use the chapter’s framework. Ask for my analysis before offering a worked response.
/grademe: Assess my answer on a ten-point scale using stated criteria. Explain the lost marks and the highest-value revision.
/steps: Translate the method into an executable sequence, including required inputs and the result of each step.
/ifthen: Express the practical advice as conditional rules: situation, recommended response, and any important exception.

See the structure

/timeline: Arrange the relevant events or developments in chronological order. Mark uncertain dates and inferred sequencing.
/flowchart: Represent the process in valid Mermaid flowchart code, with labeled decision points and clear endpoints.
/table: Choose useful comparison dimensions and organize the supplied information in a readable table.
/matrix: Choose two meaningful axes and place the ideas in a four-quadrant matrix. Explain the placements and any ambiguity.
/orgchart: Display the conceptual hierarchy as an indented tree, with consistent parent-child relationships.
/venn: Specify the unique and shared elements of a two- or three-set Venn diagram. Clearly identify each overlap.
/infographic: Plan a single-page infographic: headline, visual hierarchy, key facts, and suggested placement of each element.
/diagramimage: Create a labeled explanatory diagram image from the material. If image tools are unavailable, provide a complete text diagram specification.
/processmap: Trace the cause-and-effect sequence using arrows. Distinguish demonstrated causal links from proposed ones.
/conceptmap: Generate Mermaid code for a network of the key ideas, labeling the relationships between connected nodes.

Learn by explaining

/feynman: Give a beginner-friendly account of the concept, identify places that need clarification, then invite me to explain it back.
/teachback: Listen to my explanation and assess its accuracy, clarity, and missing links. Ask me to revise the weakest part.
/socratic: Guide my reasoning with one question at a time. Use my answers to choose the next question instead of delivering a lecture.
/dumbquestions: Answer ten foundational questions a newcomer might hesitate to ask. Use a patient tone and define unfamiliar terms.
/explainlikeexpert: Explain the same idea at beginner, intermediate, and expert depth, showing what additional detail each level introduces.
/whatif: Pose five hypothetical changes to the situation that test the boundaries of the concept. Let me reason through their effects.
/translate: Restate this difficult passage in accessible language while preserving the author’s meaning and qualifications.
/steelman: Reconstruct the most defensible version of the author’s position, making its reasoning and assumptions explicit.
/gaps: Identify unanswered questions and knowledge missing from this chapter that would be needed for a fuller understanding.
/interrogate: Simulate an interview about the chapter from the author’s perspective. Label responses as a simulation and distinguish textual support from inference.

Prepare for assessment

/studyguide: Assemble a revision guide with a clear topic structure, essential explanations, key terms, and self-check questions.
/examquestions: Write ten plausible assessment questions grounded in the chapter. Explain their relevance without claiming to know the actual exam.
/mcq: Construct ten multiple-choice items, each with four options and one best answer. Put the key and explanations afterward.
/shortanswer: Prepare eight short-response questions and a separate set of model answers showing the expected level of detail.
/essayprompts: Develop five essay questions with possible thesis directions and a structured outline for each.
/cheatsheet: Design a compact reference sheet that fits roughly one page, emphasizing the concepts and details most useful during revision.
/highyield: Prioritize the material for revision using its centrality and any supplied syllabus. Explain the ranking and label uncertainty about exam relevance.
/markingguide: Draft an assessment rubric with criteria, performance levels, and credit-worthy points. Label it as proposed unless an official rubric is supplied.
/mockexam: Build a timed practice paper with instructions and a suggested duration. Separate the complete answers and marking guidance from the questions.
/weakspots: Run a diagnostic quiz and maintain an error log. After the round, recommend targeted review based on the mistakes I actually made.

Organize lasting notes

/cornell: Arrange the content in Cornell format: recall cues, corresponding notes, and a brief synthesis at the end.
/outline: Build a nested outline that reflects the chapter’s structure and distinguishes main claims from supporting details.
/markdownnotes: Clean up my notes into consistent Markdown headings and lists, retaining their meaning and identifying unresolved points.
/notion: Design a page suitable for Notion, with a short overview, useful sections, suggested callouts, and collapsible detail. Supply content unless connected publishing tools are available.
/index: Compile a topic index with chapter or passage locations from the available text. Mark entries whose location cannot be verified.
/tagsystem: Propose a small, consistent tagging scheme for these notes, with definitions and examples that prevent overlapping categories.
/studysheet: Merge my notes with the chapter into one coherent study sheet. Resolve duplication and flag contradictions for review.
/revisioncards: Split these notes into compact cards, each focused on a single idea and a cue for recalling it.
/summaryladder: Create three nested summaries: a sentence, a paragraph, and about a page. Keep the central message consistent across all three.
/keyvalue: Represent the important facts as label–value pairs with clear labels and enough context to interpret each value.

Apply learning to life and work

/actionplan: Build a 30-day implementation plan grounded in the book. Give each week a goal, feasible actions, and a progress check.
/applytome: Ask for the context needed to understand my situation, then connect the chapter’s ideas to realistic choices I can make.
/habits: Translate the book’s recommendations into five repeatable habits. Specify each habit’s cue, frequency, and observable action.
/worktemplate: Create a reusable work template from this framework, with labeled fields, short instructions, and an illustrative filled example.
/decisionrules: Derive rules for the decisions I describe, showing when each rule applies and when an exception is reasonable.
/firstthreesteps: Choose three concrete actions for this week, ordered by dependency and expected usefulness.
/metrics: Suggest observable measures of successful application, with a baseline, review interval, and limitations for each.
/pitfalls: Identify foreseeable mistakes when using this advice, their early warning signs, and practical ways to avoid them.
/reflection: Write five reflection questions that connect the chapter to my experiences, assumptions, and next actions.
/teachsomeone: Outline a five-minute lesson for a friend or colleague, including a learning goal, example, brief activity, and closing check.

Power prompts

Longer versions of four codes from the list, for deeper sessions.

🎯 Exam rehearsal · /mockexam

Create a practice paper from my supplied material with ten four-option multiple-choice questions, four short responses, and one essay. State a suggested time limit and proposed marks. Put the answer key, essay outline, and marking notes in a separate final section so I can attempt the paper first. Do not claim these are actual or predicted exam questions.

❓ Guided reasoning · /socratic

Run a ten-question tutoring session. Ask only one question at a time, starting with the foundations. After I answer, give brief feedback and choose a follow-up that addresses my reasoning. Keep track of recurring difficulties and finish with a focused review list.

📅 One month of application · /actionplan

Use the book’s actual recommendations to create four weekly stages and a final two-day review. For each stage, state an objective, two or three realistic actions, and a way to assess progress. Identify prerequisites and adapt actions to constraints I supply. End by choosing one useful habit to continue.

🔁 Explain, find gaps, explain again · /feynman

Explain the concept in everyday language with a concrete example. Point out any remaining ambiguity and ask me to teach it back. Assess my explanation, correct misconceptions, and invite a revised version until it is accurate enough for a beginner.

A study path to follow

Orient: /bigidea → /highyield
Understand: /firstprinciples → /feynman
Retrieve: /quizme → /whatdidimiss
Revisit: /weakspots → /spacedplan
Use: /firstthreesteps → /reflection

🚀 Tip: start with /tldr before you read and /whatdidimiss after each chapter. That alone will change how much you remember.