150+ ChatGPT Commands for Students & Teachers

Ask ChatGPT to explain something simply, and the next day you retype almost the same instruction from scratch. A short library of saved commands fixes that, for both a student revising tonight and a teacher prepping tomorrow's class.

The short answer: ChatGPT does not ship these commands built in. You write each one once as a plain instruction, save the set in custom instructions, a project or a custom GPT, and from then on typing a short trigger like /eli5 gets that exact response every time. Below is a set of 150 to start from, grouped by what you are actually trying to do, from quick notes to a full mock exam.

This list was built for two people using the same tool for different jobs: a student who wants faster notes and sharper practice questions, and a teacher who wants faster lesson material and grading help. Neither needs anything technical. A command here is just a short trigger word paired with an instruction you write out once and ask ChatGPT to keep following.

How these commands actually work

ChatGPT does not have a slash command menu built into its chat box the way some coding tools do. Typing /eli5 into a blank chat on its own does nothing. What makes it work is telling ChatGPT, once, what each shorthand should trigger, and asking it to keep applying that instruction going forward. There are three places to store that instruction, and which one fits depends on how widely you want it to apply.

Custom instructions. This is a personalisation setting inside ChatGPT that applies to every new chat you start, on every plan including the free one. Paste your full command list in here once, and any chat can trigger any command from that list.

A project. Projects group chats and files around one thing, a subject, a class, a term, and carry their own instructions that apply only inside that project. Projects are free to use, though free accounts can attach fewer files to one than a paid plan can. Use a project when you want a command set scoped to one subject rather than every chat you open.

A custom GPT. This builds the command set into a standalone, shareable assistant with its own link. Creating one needs a paid ChatGPT plan, but it is the option worth it for a teacher who wants an entire class using the identical set without every student setting anything up themselves.

Start small. Do not paste all 150 into custom instructions in one sitting. Pick a handful you know you will actually reach for this week, most people start with notes, one explanation style and a quiz format, and add the rest only once those are genuinely part of the routine.

Notes and study materials

Use these when the raw material already exists, a chapter, a slide deck, a set of notes, and you need it repackaged into something you will actually revise from.

/cheatnotes — compress a topic into short notes you can scan right before an exam.

/stickynotes — break the material into small, sticky-note sized points.

/quicknotes — give the fastest possible revision notes, nothing extra.

/smartnotes — build organised notes with headings, examples and the key points marked out.

/cornellnotes — lay the material out in the Cornell notes format, cues on one side, notes on the other.

/outline — turn the topic into a nested, hierarchical outline.

/mindmap — describe the topic as a text based mind map you can redraw by hand.

/conceptmap — show how the different concepts in a topic connect to each other.

/oneline — boil every concept down to one line you will actually remember.

/keypoints — pull out only the points that matter most.

/definitions — list the important definitions in plain, simple language.

/formulas — list the formulas involved and explain when to reach for each one.

/timeline — lay out historical events or a process as a timeline.

/glossary — build a glossary of the terms that come up in this topic.

/summary — summarise whatever material you paste in.

/ultrasummary — cut a summary down to the bare essentials, nothing more.

/chaptermap — map out every concept covered across an entire chapter.

/revisioncard — build one compact card you can revise from in minutes.

/memorysheet — build a sheet built specifically to help you memorise the material.

/lastminute — put together notes meant for the night before the exam.

Learning and explanations

Use these when a concept has not clicked yet and you need it explained a different way, not just repeated louder.

/eli5 — explain the topic the way you would to someone meeting it for the first time.

/simple — simplify something that reads as too complicated.

/deepdive — go into real depth on the topic.

/stepbystep — walk through a process one step at a time.

/why — explain why something works the way it does.

/how — explain how something actually works.

/analogy — explain the idea using a comparison you will actually relate to.

/reallife — give real-world examples of where this shows up.

/storymode — explain the topic as a short story.

/teachme — take on the role of a personal tutor for this topic.

/socratic — teach through questions rather than handing over the answer.

/compare — compare two or more concepts side by side.

/contrast — focus only on how the concepts differ.

/connections — show how this concept links to ideas you already know.

/prerequisites — list what you need to understand before this topic makes sense.

/commonmistakes — point out the mistakes students usually make with this topic.

/misconceptions — flag the misconceptions people commonly hold about it.

/intuition — start with the intuitive picture before the technical detail.

/technical — give the full, technically precise explanation.

/levels — explain the same topic at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels.

Exams and revision

Use these to turn material into practice, from a single quiz to a full mock exam.

/quiz — turn the material into a quiz.

/mcq — generate multiple choice questions from it.

/shortq — generate short-answer questions.

/longq — generate long-answer questions.

/truefalse — generate true or false questions.

/fillblanks — turn key facts into fill-in-the-blank questions.

/flashcards — build a set of flashcards.

/exam — put together a complete mock exam.

/mocktest — simulate a real, timed test.

/viva — run a spoken, viva-style examination on the topic.

/rapidfire — fire off quick questions one after another.

/hardmode — set questions on the difficult end.

/easypractice — set beginner-level practice questions.

/pastpaper — model the questions on past exam papers.

/trickquestions — write questions around the traps students usually fall into.

/examiner — take on the role of a strict examiner.

/markscheme — build a marking scheme for the answers.

/grade — grade an answer against a rubric.

/weaknesses — point out the gaps in your understanding.

/examstrategy — build a strategy for tackling the exam itself.

Writing

Use these for essays, reports and any writing task that needs structure, evidence or a proper edit.

/essay — build an essay structure.

/essayplan — build a full, detailed essay plan.

/thesis — draft or sharpen a thesis statement.

/introduction — draft or improve an introduction.

/conclusion — write a strong conclusion.

/paragraph — build a well structured paragraph.

/argument — develop an argument for the essay.

/counterargument — generate counterarguments to consider.

/evidence — point out what evidence the argument still needs.

/citation — format the citations correctly.

/academic — make the writing read more academic.

/simplifywriting — make the writing clearer and easier to follow.

/proofread — catch grammar and spelling mistakes.

/rewrite — rewrite a passage while keeping the meaning intact.

/paraphrase — paraphrase a passage.

/shorten — cut the word count down.

/expand — expand an idea with more useful detail.

/structurecheck — review how the piece is structured.

/argumentcheck — stress test the argument for weak points.

/professorreview — critique the writing the way a professor would.

Science

Use these for diagrams, lab work and any concept that is easier to grasp with a process broken into stages.

/3ddiagram — describe a concept as a 3D style diagram.

/diagram — turn an explanation into a diagram.

/flowchart — turn a process into a flowchart.

/process — break a scientific process down into stages.

/labnotes — turn an experiment into organised lab notes.

/labreport — structure a full lab report.

/hypothesis — suggest testable hypotheses.

/variables — identify the independent, dependent and controlled variables.

/experiment — design an experiment for the topic.

/errors — identify likely sources of experimental error.

/biology — explain a biology concept simply and visually.

/chemistry — explain a chemistry concept or reaction.

/physics — explain a physics concept step by step.

/equation — break down a scientific equation piece by piece.

/mechanism — explain the mechanism driving a process.

Mathematics

Use these to work through a problem properly instead of only getting a final number.

/solve — solve a maths problem step by step.

/hint — give a hint only, not the answer.

/nextstep — give only the next step, not the whole solution.

/checkmath — check a piece of maths working for errors.

/finderror — find exactly where a solution went wrong.

/formula — identify the right formula for the problem.

/proof — explain or build a mathematical proof.

/graph — explain or describe a graph.

/geometry — break down a geometry problem.

/algebra — work through an algebra problem.

/calculus — explain a calculus problem.

/statistics — explain a statistics concept or calculation.

/probability — solve a probability problem.

/wordproblem — turn a word problem into equations.

/mathpractice — generate practice questions that get progressively harder.

Coding and computer science

Use these for reading, writing and testing code, whether it is a first program or a class assignment.

/codeexplain — explain a piece of code line by line.

/debug — find the bug in a piece of code and explain it.

/pseudocode — turn an idea into pseudocode.

/algorithm — design an algorithm for the problem.

/flowcode — turn the logic of a piece of code into a flowchart.

/codequiz — generate coding questions.

/codingpractice — generate programming exercises to practise on.

/testcases — write test cases for a piece of code.

/complexity — analyse the time and space complexity.

/sql — explain or write an SQL query.

/python — help with a Python concept or piece of code.

/javascript — help with a JavaScript concept or piece of code.

/htmlcss — explain an HTML or CSS concept.

/git — explain a Git command or workflow.

/csnotes — build computer science revision notes.

Languages

Use these for translation, grammar and building vocabulary in a new language.

/translate — translate a piece of text.

/grammar — explain what is wrong with a piece of grammar.

/vocab — build a vocabulary list around the topic.

/synonyms — suggest useful synonyms.

/antonyms — suggest antonyms.

/languagequiz — test your knowledge of the language.

/speaking — practise a conversation with you.

/pronunciation — explain how a word is pronounced.

/essaylanguage — improve the language of an academic piece of writing.

/memorizewords — build exercises meant to help you memorise vocabulary.

Visual learning

Use these when a topic is easier to hold in your head as a picture, a map or a diagram than as a paragraph.

/visualize — turn an abstract idea into a visual explanation.

/infographic — structure the information the way an infographic would.

/poster — turn a topic into an educational poster layout.

/studywall — build a wall-style study sheet.

/conceptdiagram — visualise how the ideas in a topic relate to each other.

/anatomy — build an anatomy learning visual.

/mapstudy — turn a geography topic into a study map.

/visualtimeline — build a visual timeline.

/cycle — visualise a cycle or a recurring process.

/layers — explain a topic one layer at a time.

Productivity

Use these to plan the work around the exam or the deadline, not just the content of it.

/studyplan — build a study plan around a deadline.

/timetable — build a realistic study timetable.

/pomodoro — break a task into Pomodoro sessions.

/prioritize — rank your tasks by urgency, importance and effort.

/focus — turn a study goal into one focused action plan.

Common mistakes when using ChatGPT commands for learning

Writing the instruction differently each time. Saving one version in your notes app and typing a slightly different version into chat each session cancels most of the benefit, because ChatGPT is now working from a fresh definition instead of the one you refined.

Setting up all 150 in one sitting. Pick the handful you will actually use this week and add more once those are proven, or the whole set becomes another tab you never open again.

Never rewriting a command that is not working. If a command's output is not what you wanted, twice in a row, rewrite the instruction behind it rather than repeating the same trigger and hoping.

Copying a teacher's command set for student use, unedited, or the other way round. A command written to grade essays needs different wording to one written to help a student practise alone. Copy the shape, not the exact instruction.

Treating exam-mode commands as a substitute for studying. /mocktest and /viva are useful for practice, not for skipping the studying they are meant to test.

FAQ

Are these official ChatGPT commands?

No. ChatGPT has no built in slash command system for arbitrary shortcuts like these. Each one is a plain instruction you write yourself, once, and ask ChatGPT to keep following.

Do I need to set up all 150 to get value from this?

No. Start with a small set covering notes, explanations, practice questions and writing, and add more only once those are genuinely part of your routine.

Will this work on the free ChatGPT plan?

Custom instructions and projects are both available on the free plan, so most of this list works without paying anything. Building a shareable custom GPT, useful for a teacher handing the set to a whole class, needs a paid plan.

Can a teacher share one command set with an entire class?

Yes, that is what a custom GPT is for. Build it once with the commands written into its instructions and share the link, and every student who opens it gets the same behaviour without setting anything up themselves.

Do these commands carry over into every new chat automatically?

Only if they are saved in custom instructions, which apply everywhere, or inside a project or custom GPT, which apply only to chats started there. A one-off chat with nothing saved will not remember them.

In short

ChatGPT will not recognise any of these 150 commands until you tell it what each one means, once, inside custom instructions, a project or a custom GPT. After that one-time setup, a short trigger like /eli5 or /mocktest gets a student consistent notes, explanations and practice questions, and gets a teacher the same consistency for lesson prep and grading, without retyping the instruction every single time.