Follow AiTechWorlds on LinkedIn for professional AI content!Follow Now →
AI Learning

Prompt Engineering Cheat Sheet

Every prompt technique you need — chain-of-thought, few-shot, role-based, structured outputs and more.

Back to Notes Library

Prompt Engineering Cheat Sheet

Core Techniques

1. Role-Based Prompting

text
You are a [ROLE] with expertise in [DOMAIN].
[Your task here]

2. Chain-of-Thought (CoT)

text
Think through this step by step:
1. First, analyze...
2. Then, consider...
3. Finally, conclude...

3. Few-Shot Prompting

text
Input: [example 1 input]
Output: [example 1 output]

Input: [example 2 input]
Output: [example 2 output]

Input: [your actual input]
Output:

4. Structured Output

text
Return the result as JSON:
{
  "field1": "value",
  "field2": ["item1", "item2"]
}

5. Negative Prompting

text
Do NOT use: [word/phrase/format]
Avoid: [thing to avoid]
Never: [absolute constraint]

Quick Templates

Use CasePrompt Starter
Writing"You are an expert writer. Write a..."
Code"You are a senior developer. Write clean..."
Research"Act as a research analyst. Analyze..."
Teaching"Explain [topic] to a 10-year-old..."
Review"Review this and provide detailed feedback on..."
Summary"Summarize the following in 3 bullet points..."
Debug"Debug this code and explain the issue..."

The Perfect Prompt Formula

text
[ROLE] + [CONTEXT] + [TASK] + [FORMAT] + [CONSTRAINTS]

Example:

text
You are a senior Python developer (ROLE).
I have a Flask REST API with slow endpoints (CONTEXT).
Refactor the code below to use async/await (TASK).
Return the full updated code with comments (FORMAT).
Keep the same function signatures (CONSTRAINTS).

Power Modifiers

  • More creative: imagine, envision, creatively explore, think outside the box
  • More precise: exactly, specifically, precisely, word for word
  • More structured: step-by-step, systematically, in order, as a numbered list
  • More critical: challenge, critique, find flaws in, devil's advocate
  • More concise: in one sentence, in under 100 words, briefly

Advanced Techniques

ReAct Prompting

text
Think: [reasoning step]
Act: [action to take]
Observe: [what you see]
Think: [next reasoning step]
Answer: [final answer]

Persona Stacking

text
You are a debate panel with 3 experts:
- Expert A (optimist): argues FOR the idea
- Expert B (critic): argues AGAINST the idea
- Expert C (neutral): provides balanced analysis
Discuss: [topic]

Self-Consistency

text
Generate 3 different approaches to solve this problem.
Then select the best approach and explain why.
Problem: [your problem]

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Being too vague: "write something about AI"
  • No context: just pasting code without explanation
  • No format specified: AI gives walls of text
  • Too many tasks at once: combine 5 requests in 1 prompt
  • Not iterating: accepting first response without refinement
📱

Get more notes like this daily on Telegram!

Free study notes, cheat sheets & AI tips

Join Free →
10K+ Members Growing Daily

Get Free AI Notes Daily

Join AiTechWorlds on Telegram and get daily AI tips, prompt engineering templates, coding resources, and exclusive content — 100% free!

📚 Free Study Notes🤖 AI Tips Daily⚡ Prompt Templates💻 Coding Resources
Join Free Channel

No spam. Leave anytime.

!