Solve a math problem step by step

This prompt makes the AI a patient maths tutor. You paste the problem, the topic and grade and where you got stuck, and it helps you solve it rather than handing over the answer.

text-math-step-by-step — chatgpt — 63 words

Act as a patient maths tutor. Help me solve this problem without just giving the answer.

Problem: [PASTE PROBLEM]
Topic and level: [TOPIC, GRADE]
Where I got stuck: [WHERE]

First ask what I have tried. Then give one hint at a time, checking my understanding after each. Only show the full worked solution if I ask, and end with a similar practice problem.

Edit in the builder Copy & open ChatGPT ↗Copy & open Gemini ↗Copy & open Claude ↗

Say "hint only" to keep the AI from spoiling the answer.

Get a better result

What you will get

A patient tutor chat: it first asks what you have tried, then gives one hint at a time and checks your understanding after each. The full worked answer only appears if you ask for it, followed by a similar practice problem.

Common mistake

The AI gives the whole solution in its very first reply.

Fix: Start with “do not show any working until I type SHOW SOLUTION”. Say “hint only” whenever you want a nudge and nothing more.

Also watch for

It confidently confirms a wrong step, or makes an arithmetic slip. Ask “check my last step by putting the answer back into the equation”. AI tutors do make mistakes, so compare the final answer with your textbook’s.
A photographed or handwritten problem is misread. Type the problem, or ask “repeat the problem back exactly as you read it” before you start. One wrong symbol sends the whole lesson in the wrong direction.

Try a variation: exam practice

When you feel ready, send “give me three practice questions at this level, wait until I answer all three, then mark them and tell me which topic to revise”. Practice under test conditions shows what you really know.

Still not right? Reply with this

Do not give the answer or the next step. Ask me one question about the part I am stuck on, then wait for my reply.

FAQ

About this prompt

Can ChatGPT help me with maths without just giving me the answer?

Yes. This prompt tells it to ask what you have tried first, give one hint at a time and show the full solution only when you ask. The same prompt works in Gemini and Claude, and you should still check final answers against your textbook.