I just discovered the term prompt engineering while studying for the AI-102 exam and wanted to share the way I use AI chat (Grok, Copilot, Chat GPT, …) to learn faster.
You can use AI chat as your personal tutor. For the preparation of my exams I've been using AI chat almost daily and apparently I'd been "prompt engineering" the whole time without even knowing the term existed. Turns out the way I was asking questions to get exactly the answers I needed for exam prep was already prompt engineering.
Why prompt engineering matters:
Better prompts = better answers. These techniques help me get accurate, structured responses.
My Strategy for Azure Exam Prep
- Learn basics (videos + labs).
- Take a practice exam.
- Review wrong answers carefully → find weak areas.
- Ask focused questions, request examples, comparisons, mnemonics, or even more practice questions on that exact topic in AI chat
Examples:
1: Light Priming + Specificity
Instead of "Tell me about scalability," I'd ask:
"Explain the difference between scalability and elasticity in cloud computing, with one real-world example for each."
→ The phrase "in cloud computing" primes the context, and asking for examples forces clearer answers.
2: Format + Quantity Constraints
"Give me 10 multiple-choice practice questions on Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) that match the exact format of the real Microsoft exam."
→ Telling the AI exactly how many and what format I wanted saved me tons of time.
3: Length & Structure Limits
"Summarize the six responsible AI principles (AI-900) in bullet points."
4: Comparison + Word Limit
"Is it better to use Azure Key Vault or Managed Identities for storing secrets in an Azure App Service? Explain why in under 200 words."
Tip: Just adding: "for AI-102 exam" is priming, it makes answers exam-focused.
Let me know your prompt engineering techniques in the comments.