B · PatternsIntermediate40 min read
6. Decompose, rubric, chain-of-thought
Prompt Engineering · 48 pages source format
Complex tasks fail in one shot. Outline → draft → critique → revise. Score outputs with rubrics. Ask models to think step-by-step for reasoning tasks.
What you'll learn
- Task decomposition
- Rubrics
- Chain-of-thought
Build a rubric
Criteria with 1–5 scores: accuracy, completeness, clarity, actionability. Improve the prompt until scores rise.
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Code-review prompt + rubric. Score 3 outputs. Iterate once.
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Chain-of-thought for hard problems
"Think step by step" or "show your reasoning before the final answer." Useful for debugging, math, logic.
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Compare direct answer vs step-by-step on a tricky QA scenario question.
Pro tip. For production: ask for reasoning in a separate block you can discard.
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