Total a department's card spending by category

About this exercise

Your department head wants October card spending by category. Write exactly 3 numbered lines, one per category, sorted by total from highest to lowest, each in the form "Category: $total (a + b + ...)" so the addition is visible. Count the refund as a negative, skip the declined charge, keep it under 70 words, and use plain text. Write a prompt that gets you exactly that.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

• No fixed shape. The AI builds a table with every transaction and a summary. Try: Be exact: "Exactly 3 numbered lines: Category: $total (a + b)."
• Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for "under 70 words" and it often lands well over. Try: Cap each part instead: "each line under 15 words."
• Counting what didn't post. The AI adds the declined charge or treats the refund as spending. Try: Add: "Skip the declined charge. Subtract the refund."
• Hiding the addition. A bare total can't be checked. Try: Add: "Show the addition in parentheses on each line."
• Keeping table order. The AI lists categories in the order they first appear. Try: Add: "Sort from highest total to lowest."

What a strong prompt includes

• Handles the refund
• Skips the declined charge
• Shows the addition
• Sorts by total
• Sets a word limit

Practice this now ↑

Related exercises

• Alert sales to a competitor's price change, facts only (Research AI · Product managers)
• Approve or return expense claims against the policy (Productivity AI · Finance and accounting)
• Approve part of an overtime request with the math (Writing AI · Managers and team leads)
• Average daily call activity after fixing a dialer glitch (Data AI · Sales and customer success)
• Average handle times after removing outage calls (Data AI · Customer support teams)