Phase 2: Thinking & Reasoning Techniques · 30 min · ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini

Reasoning Models vs. Standard Chat Models

Different models need different prompts. Knowing which kind you're talking to is the first step.

Real-world application: What changes when you use this: you adjust your prompting style based on the model you're using instead of using the same approach everywhere — which means better output from every tool.

What you will learn

Tell reasoning models apart from standard chat models
Understand how prompting changes for reasoning models
Know when to use a reasoning model vs a standard model
Adjust prompting style based on the model type

Introduction

Reasoning Models vs. Standard Chat Models

Objective

Run the same complex problem on a standard model and a reasoning model (or two different standard models) and compare output quality, speed, and iteration needs.

Different models need different prompts. Knowing which kind you're talking to is the first step.

Unlock the full lesson

You've read the first 2 sections. The rest of this lesson covers The Problem, The Concept, Build, Check Yourself, Key Terms & Next — plus a hands-on lab, quiz, and project artifact.

Create a free account — the opening phases of 29 of 35 courses are free, no credit card.