ChatGPT Novice tutorial

Novice · step 1 of 7

The 5-part prompt formula

Role, context, task, format, constraints.

Role: you're helping a small-business owner.
Context: [paste facts].
Task: [one clear job].
Format: [table / 5 bullets / 120 words].
Constraints: say "unknown" instead of guessing; cite sources.

A good result: the answer follows the format and length you set, and the audience and goal are reflected in its wording. Missing parts in the prompt show up as generic parts in the answer.

Why this step matters: The same model gives much better answers to a specific prompt. This is the cheapest improvement you can make.

Novice · step 2 of 7

Organize your work

Projects, listed by OpenAI on every plan including Free. One project per client or job, with files and standing instructions.

Why this step matters: Grouping chats and files keeps context together, so you stop re-explaining and re-uploading.

Novice · step 3 of 7

Files and research

Free has limited uploads; paid plans allow more (OpenAI). Ask for page or row references so you can check.

Search for current facts; deep research for report-length questions. Free includes limited deep research (OpenAI).

Why this step matters: Grounding answers in your own files or live sources cuts made-up details and makes them checkable.

Novice · step 4 of 7

Limits you'll hit

Context on Free is about 27K tokens (~12 pages), per OpenAI's pricing page. In a long chat, early parts fall out, so start fresh with a summary.

• Start a new chat when a thread gets long; paste a short summary.
• Don't re-upload the same big files every time.

Why this step matters: Knowing when limits reset and what drains them stops you getting cut off mid-task.

Novice · step 5 of 7

Two-source rule

For anything you'll act on, confirm with two independent sources, one of them official.

1. Ask for the source of any fact you'll reuse.
2. Open the link and find the exact sentence (Ctrl+F).
3. If you can't find it, treat the claim as unverified.
4. For files, check two page or row references yourself.

Before you answer: separate what you checked from what you're assuming. Write "unknown" instead of guessing. Give a link for every number.

Why this step matters: Chatbots state wrong facts in the same confident tone as right ones. Checking is the only way to tell them apart.

Novice · step 6 of 7

Bad vs good prompts

Bad: help me

Good: Write a 120-word email to a customer whose order is 3 days late. Apologize once, give the new date (Friday), offer 10% off. Warm, no jargon.

Why: a clear situation, task, format and limits.

Bad: is this right?

Good: Check this against the official page. Quote the sentence that supports it, or say it isn't there.

Why: asks for evidence instead of agreement.

Why this step matters: The same model gives much better answers to a specific prompt. This is the cheapest improvement you can make.

Novice · step 7 of 7

Three starter workflows

Why this step matters: Small steps with a checked output each fail visibly and early, instead of one big answer that is wrong somewhere.