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Compare two car repair quotes on parts and labor

  • For Job seekers
  • You practice Showing an example of what you want
  • Time about 5 minutes

About this exercise

Your car needs new brakes before interviews next week, and you have two quotes. Get exactly 3 numbered lines in plain text, under 70 words: 1. Shop A's total (parts plus labor hours times rate) with the math; 2. Shop B's total, same shape, using its corrected labor hours; 3. which costs less and by how much. No advice. Write a prompt that gets you exactly that.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Missing the correction. The AI uses 2 hours for Shop B and gets a lower total. Try: Add: "Shop B labor is 2.5 hours."
  • Forgetting the fee. The AI leaves out Shop A's $15 supplies fee. Try: Say: "Include every fee."
  • No math shown. The AI gives totals with no working, so you can't check them. Try: Show it: "1. Shop A: $220 + 2 x $110 + $15 = $455".
  • Getting advice. The AI weighs pros and cons and nudges you toward one option. Try: Add: "The last line only says which costs less and by how much. No advice."
  • 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: "each line under 16 words."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Uses the correction
  • Counts every fee
  • Shows the math
  • Sets the number of lines
  • Sets a word limit

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