Should You Use AI To Start The Question?
Everyone says: “Try it yourself first.”
Cool.
But that advice ignores the real problem most of us have:
You’re not stuck at step 7.
You’re stuck at step 0.
So today’s Tuesday AI Verdict is simple:
If you haven’t written your first move, AI is not allowed yet.
The Trap: The Blank-Page Spiral
You open a question.
You kind of know the topic.
But your brain can’t pick a first step, so you do what everyone does:
You ask AI to “get you started.”
And it works.
It gives you a clean setup, a diagram, the first equation, the whole vibe.
You feel relieved.
Then you try the next question and you’re blank again.
So you ask again.
And you accidentally train a bad habit:
AI becomes your starter motor.
Not your tutor.
This is why people say “AI makes me feel smart but I still bomb the test.”
Because you never trained the only part that decides exam performance:
Starting under pressure.
The Fix: The 3-Line Start Snapshot
New rule:
Before you touch AI, you must write three lines.
No exceptions.
Start Snapshot (Write This Every Time)
What’s being asked (in your own words)
What’s given (numbers, conditions, diagram info)
Your first move (equation, principle, or sketch)
That’s it.
Not the full solution.
Just proof you can begin.
Because once you can start, you can usually grind.
If you can’t start, nothing else matters.
The “Starter Motor” Prompt
Once your 3 lines are done, then you ask AI, but you ask it like this:
Prompt:
I’ve written my Start Snapshot. Do not solve the whole question.
Here’s the question:
[paste]
Here’s my Start Snapshot:
1. Asked: …
2. Given: …
3. First move: …
Your job:
1. Tell me if my first move is valid.
2. If not, give me 2 alternative first moves (no full solution).
3. Ask me one question that forces me to choose the correct start.
4. Then give me the next step only after I answer.
This keeps the ownership on you, but removes the “stare at the wall” time.
Why This Is Way More Real Than “Just Try First”
Because “try first” is vague.
The Start Snapshot is measurable.
You either wrote the 3 lines or you didn’t.
And it directly fixes the most common student experience:
“I know it when I see it”
“I just can’t start”
“I always mess up the setup”
“I blank in exams”
It turns AI into a coach for your starting move, not a solution machine.
The Verdict
AI shouldn’t be your starter motor.
If you want exam-proof skill, you need to train the first move.
So the loop is:
3-Line Start Snapshot → AI checks your start → you continue → repeat
Stay autonomous out there.
– The Prompted Learner Newsletter