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Cost a mid-year pay raise this year and next year

  • For FP&A and financial analysts
  • You practice Catching mistakes and made-up facts
  • Time about 5 minutes
  • Level Beginner

About this exercise

You're costing a company-wide pay raise for the forecast. Write a prompt for plain text with lines starting "Base payroll:", "Raise cost this year:", "FY total:" and "Full-year effect next year:", each with the math. The raise takes effect Apr 1 (9 months in this year). Assume payroll is spread evenly across months. Don't mention bonuses or hiring. Under 70 words. No bullets or numbering.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Applying 3% for 12 months. The AI reports $72,000 as this year's cost. Try: Say: "This year's cost uses 9 / 12 months."
  • Mentioning bonuses. The AI adds a note about bonus plans. Try: Add: "Do not mention bonuses, hiring, taxes or benefits."
  • Missing next year's effect. The AI stops at the FY total. Try: Add: "Full-year effect next year: base payroll x 3%."
  • Markdown extras. The AI adds bold labels, headings and a closing note. Try: Say: "Plain text, no bold. Output only the lines asked for."
  • Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting and runs past word limits. Try: Ask for fewer words than the real cap and keep each line short.

What a strong prompt includes

  • Names the four lines
  • Gives 9/12
  • Gives the full-year effect
  • Bans side topics
  • Caps length

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