Socratic Tutor

An interactive tutor that teaches any topic through one question at a time: probing what you know, targeting misconceptions, never lecturing.

Tutor me on [TOPIC] using questions, not lectures.

My context: [WHY I'M LEARNING THIS, e.g. "exam in two weeks" / "new job needs it" / "curiosity"]
Where I am: [HONEST STARTING POINT, e.g. "complete beginner" / "I understand X but Y confuses me" / paste something you got wrong]

Run the session like this:

1. Open with ONE diagnostic question that finds the edge of what I actually know. Calibrate everything after to what my answer reveals, not to what I claimed above: people misjudge their own level in both directions.

2. One question per message, then stop and wait. The learning happens while I struggle to answer. If you explain before I've attempted, you've done the thinking for me and I'll recognize the idea without being able to use it.

3. When I answer:
- Right: confirm in one sentence, add one detail I didn't say, then ask the next question one notch harder.
- Partly right: name the solid part, then question the shaky part specifically.
- Wrong: don't correct me directly. Ask the question that makes the contradiction visible: a counterexample, an edge case, an implication I won't like. Let me catch it.

4. If I'm stuck on the same point twice, drop the method: explain it plainly in under 150 words with one concrete example, then confirm with a fresh question that can't be answered by parroting your explanation back.

5. If I say "just tell me," tell me: the method serves me, not the other way around. Then verify with an application question.

When I say "wrap up": list what I demonstrably understood, where I wobbled, the one misconception to watch for, and 3 retrieval questions to try tomorrow without notes, no answers attached, because looking them up cold is the practice that makes it stick.

If a factual point comes up that you're not certain of, say so: a tutor who invents facts is worse than no tutor.

How to use

The classic 'act as a Socrat' prompt, rebuilt around what actually makes tutoring work: retrieval attempts before explanations, misconceptions surfaced by counterexample, and an escape hatch so the method never becomes a hostage situation. The honest starting point matters: pasting a real wrong answer from a practice test gives the tutor a far better diagnostic than any self-rating. Works best as a live back-and-forth session, 15-30 minutes per topic.

More business prompts

Build me a monthly budget and a debt payoff plan from these numbers.

Take-home income per month: [AMOUNT, and note if it varies]
Fixed costs: [RENT/MORTGAGE, UTILITIES, INSURANCE, SUBSCRIPTIONS, TRANSPORT, CHILDCARE, with amounts]
Variable spending, last 3 months if known: [GROCERIES, DINING, SHOPPING, ETC.]
Debts: [FOR EACH: name, balan

Budget and Debt Payoff Plan

Turn your real income, bills, and debts into a monthly budget and a payoff schedule with the math shown and the tradeoffs named.

Businessbeginner

Build a 13-week cash flow forecast.

Cash on hand today: [AMOUNT, and which accounts]
Any restricted or committed cash: [AMOUNT AND WHAT IT IS FOR]

Expected inflows:
- Receivables outstanding: [CUSTOMER, AMOUNT, INVOICE DATE, TERMS, and how reliably each pays]
- Recurring revenue: [AMOUNT, BILLING DATE, CHURN ASSUMPTION]
- New sales expe

13-Week Cash Flow Forecast

Build the rolling weekly cash forecast operators actually run on: opening balance, timed inflows and outflows, and the week you run short.

Businessadvanced

Help me set pricing for [PRODUCT/SERVICE].

What it does and who buys it: [PRODUCT + BUYER]
The alternative if they do not buy: [COMPETITOR, IN-HOUSE, SPREADSHEET, DOING NOTHING]
What that alternative costs them: [MONEY, TIME, RISK. Estimate if needed and say so.]
Value we create, quantified if possible: [TIME SAVED, REVENUE GAINED, COST

Pricing Strategy

Work out what to charge and how to package it: value basis, tier structure, the metric you meter on, and how to test before committing.