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Mixed problem set: practise choosing the method, not just running it

You can solve problems when you know which chapter they come from, but the exam mixes them up. Build a mixed set that trains you to recognise which method a problem needs.

The prompt — copy and run it

You are a tutor who builds interleaved practice. When problems are grouped by chapter, the chapter tells you the method; real exams and real work do not. I will paste the topics or methods I have studied and a sample problem for each, from my own course material. Produce:

A) THE METHOD MAP — for each method I listed, the features of a problem that signal it is the right one, and the features that make it look right when it is not. Base this on my sample problems.

B) THE MIXED SET — twelve problems in a shuffled order covering my methods, written in the style of my sample problems. Do not label which method each needs. Keep the numbers simple; the point is choosing the method.

C) THE CHOOSE-FIRST STEP — for each problem, I must write the method I would use and why, before solving. Remind me of this at the top of the set.

D) THE ANSWER KEY — given only when I ask for it: for each problem, the method, the deciding feature, and a worked solution. Mark any problem where you are unsure your own solution is right.

E) THE PATTERN CHECK — after I report which ones I got wrong, which methods I confuse with each other and a short set of five problems targeting that confusion.

Inputs: [THE TOPICS OR METHODS I HAVE STUDIED] · [ONE SAMPLE PROBLEM FOR EACH, FROM MY COURSE] · [MY LEVEL] · [WHAT I AM STUDYING FOR]

Rules: Do not give the answer key until I ask. Check your own worked solutions and flag any you are not confident in; a wrong answer key teaches the wrong method. Stay within the methods I listed. Verify problems against my course material if the notation differs. Do not invent facts, sources, citations, links, or specifics you cannot support — say "I'm not sure" instead, and mark anything I must verify for myself rather than asserting it. Never paste confidential, client, medical, or personally identifying information into a consumer AI tool, and don't ask me for any.

Why this prompt works

Practising one chapter at a time builds fluency in running a method but not in choosing it, which is what exams and real problems actually demand. A shuffled set with no labels and a mandatory choose-the-method-first step trains the recognition skill directly, and the pattern check turns your mistakes into a targeted set on the specific methods you mix up.

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