Learning codes are short commands like /80-20 and /quizme that you type into ChatGPT to turn it into the tutor you actually need. Here are the four from my video, in the order I use them, plus my full list of 50 and one prompt that teaches ChatGPT every single one at once.
What you get: The 4 codes from the video as one learning routine, 50 learning codes sorted by what you need, one setup prompt that teaches ChatGPT every code, how to use them together and quick fixes when a code doesn't land.
How Learning Codes Work
The plan · 3 steps
- 1Paste the setup prompt into ChatGPT so it knows every code.
- 2Run the four codes from the video on something you want to learn.
- 3Grab more codes from the full list whenever you need them.
Before you start
Your app
ChatGPT on any plan, including free. Web, desktop or the phone app.
Your topic
One thing you want to learn, big or small. Investing, a language, a chapter for a test.
Your first goal
Run the four-code routine once and finish the quiz.
A code is a shortcut for a full instruction. Instead of typing "explain this like I'm five, with short sentences and one simple example," you just type /ELI5 and ChatGPT knows exactly what to do.
The four codes from my video work in any chat as they are, because ChatGPT gets what they mean from the name. To make all 50 work, and work the same way every time, you teach ChatGPT the list once with the setup prompt below. It takes ten seconds.
How to type them
- Code first, then the topic. /80-20 investing. /quizme the French Revolution.
- Stay in the same chat. Once you've named the topic, every code after that works on it. Just type /ELI5.
- Stack them. /ELI5 /visual gets you a simple explanation and a diagram in one go.
- Say your level. "/80-20 Spanish, I'm a total beginner" gets you a way better answer than the code on its own.
Maverick's tip
The four from my video, in order: /80-20, /ELI5, /Socrates, /quizme. That's the whole routine. Everything else in this guide is for when you want to go further.
Teach ChatGPT Every Code
Open a new chat in ChatGPT, paste this in and send it. ChatGPT replies "Codes ready" and every code in this guide works for the rest of that chat.
Make them work in every chat
Pasting it into a chat only lasts for that chat. To have every code ready in every new chat, save it once:
- Open Settings. Click your name in the bottom left, then Settings.
- Open Personalization. Scroll down to Custom instructions and click ChatGPT.
- Paste and save. Paste the setup prompt into the box and click Save.
Now open a brand new chat, type /80-20 and anything you want to learn, and it just works.
Maverick's tip
Already have custom instructions? Paste the setup prompt underneath them. The box holds about 5,000 characters and the full prompt fits on its own, so if it doesn't all fit with your other instructions, cut the groups you won't use.
The Routine: My 4 Codes, In Order
This is the exact routine from my video. Do all four in one chat, in this order, because each code builds on what ChatGPT just told you.
- /80-20: Find what matters. Type /80-20 and whatever you want to learn, like /80-20 investing. ChatGPT pulls out the 20% of the topic that gets you 80% of the results, so you only study what matters. You get the handful of things that actually move the needle, why each one matters and what you can skip for now.
- /ELI5: Make it simple. Stay in the same chat and type /ELI5. It explains the whole thing so simply that a five-year-old could understand it. Everyday words, one simple example. If one part still feels fuzzy, type /ELI5 and that part.
- /Socrates: Let it teach you. Type /Socrates. ChatGPT stops giving you answers and starts teaching you with questions, like a real tutor. Answer in your own words, even if you're not sure. This is where it actually sticks, because you're working it out yourself instead of just reading.
- /quizme: Know it cold. Finish with /quizme. It quizzes you one question at a time until you actually know it cold, and anything you get wrong comes back until you get it right.
Maverick's tip
Stuck on a /Socrates question? Type /hint and you get a nudge instead of the answer. Want it harder after the quiz? Type /hardmode.
All 50 Learning Codes
Looking for one you saw in a video? Press Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on a Mac) and type it in. Every code here is in the setup prompt, so once you've pasted it, they all work.
From My Video
| Code | What it does |
|---|---|
| /80-20 | Pulls out the 20% of any topic that gets you 80% of the results |
| /ELI5 | Explains it so simply a five-year-old could understand it |
| /Socrates | Stops giving answers and teaches you with questions, like a real tutor |
| /quizme | Quizzes you one question at a time until you know it cold |
Understand It
| Code | What it does |
|---|---|
| /bigpicture | The whole topic on one page: the main parts and how they fit together |
| /analogy | Explains it by comparing it to something you already know |
| /showme | Three real-life examples, from obvious to tricky |
| /howitworks | What's actually happening behind the scenes, step by step |
| /jargon | Every key term you'll run into, in plain words, in the order you'll meet them |
| /compare | Puts two things side by side so you stop mixing them up |
| /myths | The most common wrong ideas about it, and what's actually true |
| /expert | How an expert thinks about it, and what beginners miss |
| /visual | Draws it as a simple labeled diagram or chart |
Remember It
| Code | What it does |
|---|---|
| /flashcards | Turns it into flashcards and runs you through them one at a time |
| /mnemonic | A catchy memory trick for any list, rule or fact |
| /chunk | Splits it into bite-size pieces and teaches you one at a time |
| /cheatsheet | The whole topic on one page you can save |
| /recap | Sums up everything you covered in the chat in five bullets |
| /spaced | A review schedule (day 1, 3, 7, 14 and 30) and what to review each time |
| /story | Turns the key facts into a short story you won't forget |
Practice It
| Code | What it does |
|---|---|
| /practice | Five practice problems, easy to hard, answers hidden until you ask |
| /hint | One hint at a time, never the full answer |
| /checkme | Checks your answer and shows exactly where you went wrong |
| /spotthemistake | A worked answer with hidden mistakes for you to find |
| /roleplay | Plays out a real situation with you so you can practice it |
| /realworld | A real situation where you'd use this, and asks what you'd do |
| /project | A small hands-on project to use what you've learned |
Test Yourself
| Code | What it does |
|---|---|
| /test | A 10-question test with your score and what to review at the end |
| /rapidfire | Ten quick questions in a row, marked when you're done |
| /truefalse | A fast true-or-false round to catch what you only half know |
| /teachback | You explain it in your own words, it grades you and finds the gaps |
| /hardmode | Only the toughest questions, no hints |
| /weakspots | Looks at your answers in the chat and lists what you're still shaky on |
| /retry | Quizzes you again, only on the questions you got wrong |
| /boss | One final question that mixes everything you've learned |
Study Plans
| Code | What it does |
|---|---|
| /levelcheck | A few quick questions to find your level, then where to start |
| /roadmap | A step-by-step path from zero to good, with milestones |
| /30days | A 30-day plan, about 20 minutes a day |
| /deadline | A crash plan to learn it by the date you give it |
| /today | Today's 20-minute lesson, then what to do next time |
| /whatsnext | The one thing to learn next, based on what you know now |
| /resources | The best books, videos and courses to go deeper, with real links |
| /checkin | Checks how your plan is going and adjusts it |
By Subject
| Code | What it does |
|---|---|
| /teachthis | Turns any article, PDF, transcript or notes into a short lesson with a quiz |
| /bookbrief | The big ideas from any book and how to use them in real life |
| /language | A mini lesson in the language you're learning: words, phrases and a practice chat |
| /convo | Chats with you in the language you're learning and gently fixes your mistakes |
| /mathsteps | Walks through one problem step by step, then gives you a similar one to solve |
| /skill | Breaks a hands-on skill (guitar, cooking, coding) into small daily drills |
| /history | Any event as a short timeline of causes, key moments and effects |
How to Use Them Together
- One topic, one sitting: Run the four from the video in one chat: /80-20, then /ELI5, then /Socrates, then /quizme. Finish with /recap and save it, so you have your notes.
- Something big (a language, a skill, a whole subject): Start with /levelcheck, then /roadmap or /30days. Every session, type /today and run the four codes on that lesson. At the end of each week, do /test, then /weakspots and /retry. /spaced tells you when to come back.
- A test coming up: /deadline with your test date, /80-20 on each chapter, /cheatsheet, then /rapidfire and /retry until you stop missing questions.
Stuck? Try these
| If you're... | Type |
|---|---|
| Confused | /analogy, /showme or /visual |
| Forgetting things | /mnemonic, /story or /flashcards |
| Bored of reading | /roleplay, /realworld or /project |
| Learning from a video or article | /teachthis, then /quizme |
| Not sure what to learn next | /whatsnext |
Common Mistakes and Quick Fixes
| If this happens | Try this |
|---|---|
| ChatGPT doesn't know a code | Paste the setup prompt at the top of the chat, or save it in your custom instructions so it's there every time. |
| The codes worked yesterday but not in a new chat | A pasted setup prompt only lasts for that chat. Save it under Settings > Personalization > Custom instructions. |
| A menu pops up when you type / | Ignore it and keep typing. The code still works. |
| /Socrates gives you the answer anyway | Say "Don't tell me, just ask me." Then keep answering its questions. |
| /quizme stops after one question | Type /quizme again or say "keep going, one question at a time." |
| It's too hard or too easy | Say your level after the code ("/ELI5, I've never heard of this") or switch to /hardmode. |
| It forgot the topic | Put the topic after the code: /quizme photosynthesis. |
| An answer seems off | Ask it to search the web and show sources, and double-check anything important against your textbook or teacher. |
DO THIS TODAY
Pick one thing you've been meaning to learn. Open ChatGPT, paste the setup prompt, then type /80-20 and that topic. Run /ELI5, /Socrates and /quizme in the same chat, and don't stop until you've finished the quiz.
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