Library › Everyday Life AI › College students

Order your debts for payoff and show the math

  • For College students
  • You practice Showing an example of what you want
  • Time about 5 minutes

About this exercise

You've already decided to pay extra toward the highest interest rate first. Get your 4 debts as numbered lines from highest to lowest rate, each showing one month of interest like "1. Card: $2,400 x 24% / 12 = $48 interest", then a final line saying which debt gets this month's extra $150. Use the updated card rate. Plain text, under 90 words, and give no other money advice. Write a prompt that gets you exactly that.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Using the old rate. The AI reads the 18% in the list and misses Summit's letter raising it to 24%. Try: Add: "Use Summit's new 24% APR from the 10/15 letter."
  • Not showing the math. The AI lists the order but not the monthly interest, so you can't see why. Try: Show it: "Format each line like: 1. Card: $2,400 x 24% / 12 = $48 interest".
  • Reopening the decision. The AI compares avalanche and snowball methods, or brings up investing, though you've already chosen. Try: Add: "I've decided on highest rate first. Give no other money advice."
  • Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for "under 90 words" and it often lands well over. Try: Cap each part: "each line under 14 words."
  • Leaving the format to the AI. The AI adds a title, bold labels and sub-bullets, which turns a quick note into a page. Try: Add: "Plain text, no bold, no headings, no intro."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Says the method is decided
  • Uses the updated rate
  • Shows an example line
  • Rules out extra advice
  • Sets a word limit

Practice this now ↑

Related exercises