Step-by-Step Problem Solving (Chain-of-Thought) › Building Intuition

Start by applying chain-of-thought to problems where the model makes mistakes. If a simple prompt produces wrong answers, try adding "Let's think step by step." You'll quickly notice which types of problems benefit most from explicit reasoning.

Keep track of what works. When you find a prompt pattern that produces good reasoning for a particular type of problem, save it. Over time, you'll build a library of effective chain-of-thought prompts you can reuse and adapt.

Pay attention to how the model structures its reasoning. You'll start recognizing good reasoning patterns versus sloppy ones. This helps you craft better prompts and evaluate the model's outputs more effectively.