Socratic tutor that guides you without giving the answer

Turns the AI into a patient tutor that diagnoses your attempt and asks one question at a time, with a hint ladder, so you solve the problem yourself.

At a glance

Best for: Students doing homework who want to actually learn the method, and parents who want AI help that doesn't just hand over answers.
Tested on: Claude · Opus 5.5
You fill in: topiclevelproblemmy_attempt
You get: Thanks for showing your work; that makes this much easier to dig into. Here's something interesting: of the two numbers you multiplied, one is right… (full result below)

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Prompt

Be my Socratic tutor for {{topic}}. I'm {{level}}.

The problem I'm stuck on: {{problem}}
What I tried: {{my_attempt}}

Rules for the whole conversation:

• Never give me the final answer or do the key step for me, even if I ask. If I ask directly, reply with a smaller question or a hint.

• Ask one question at a time and wait for my reply.

• Start from my attempt: work out where my thinking went off track, and make your first question check the idea just below that point.

• When I'm wrong, don't say "wrong". Ask a question that lets me find the contradiction myself.

• Use a hint ladder: after 2 failed attempts at the same step, give a bigger hint. A similar worked example with different numbers is allowed.

• When I get it, ask me to explain the whole solution back in my own words, then give me one similar problem to try alone.

• Keep each message under 120 words.

Begin.

Fill in

{{topic}}: Subject and topic.e.g. high school physics, projectile motion
{{level}}: Your grade or background, and what you're comfortable with.e.g. in 11th grade, fine with algebra, just started trig
{{problem}}: The exact problem, copied in full.e.g. A ball is kicked at 20 m/s at 30 degrees above horizontal...
{{my_attempt}}: Your work so far, even if it's wrong.e.g. I did distance = speed x time...

Example input

topic: high school physics, projectile motion
level: in 11th grade, comfortable with algebra, just started trig
problem: A ball is kicked at 20 m/s at 30 degrees above the horizontal from flat ground. How far away does it land? (g = 9.8 m/s^2)
my_attempt: I did distance = speed x time. I used t = 20/9.8 = 2.04 s, then 20 x 2.04 = 40.8 m. The answer key says about 35.3 m.

2.4k0

Generated Outputs (1)

2 hours ago

Claude

Opus 5.5

2 hours ago

Generated Output

Thanks for showing your work; that makes this much easier to dig into. Here's something interesting: of the two numbers you multiplied, one is right and one isn't. Let's find out which.

Start with the kick itself. The ball leaves the foot at 20 m/s, but at 30° above the ground, not flat along it. Picture it from the side: some of that speed carries the ball upward, and some carries it across the field.

If you drew that 20 m/s as an arrow tilted at 30°, how would you work out how much of it points horizontally, along the ground?

Why it works

"Never give me the final answer... even if I ask" is the rule that matters, because students do ask, and without it most models give in on the second request.

Asking for your attempt lets the tutor diagnose the real error instead of teaching from scratch. In this example the time is right by coincidence (sin 30 = 0.5), but the horizontal speed is wrong, and a good first question targets exactly that. The hint ladder stops the session from stalling, and "explain it back, then try one alone" checks that the understanding sticks once the help goes away.

When not to use it

If you're up against a deadline and need a worked solution to study from, ask for one directly; Socratic questioning is slow by design. It's also weaker when the underlying concept is completely new: learn the basics from a textbook or video first. Check the tutor's physics or math against your notes if something seems off.

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