PM-201b · Module 2

Multi-Pass Prompting

3 min read

Multi-pass prompting separates generation and evaluation into discrete stages. Pass one generates the draft. Pass two critiques it against specified criteria. Pass three revises based on the critique. Each pass has a distinct role, a distinct prompt, and a distinct output. This pipeline produces higher quality results than a single-pass generate-and-review loop, because each stage gets a clean context window focused exclusively on its task.

  1. Pass 1: Generate The generation prompt focuses only on producing the deliverable. Include role, context, task, and format. Do not include review criteria — save those for pass two. The generator's job is to produce the best first draft it can.
  2. Pass 2: Critique The critique prompt provides the pass-one output and a specific evaluation rubric. "You are a quality reviewer. Evaluate this output against the following criteria. Score each dimension 1-5 and provide specific feedback for any dimension below 4." The critic's job is evaluation, not rewriting.
  3. Pass 3: Revise The revision prompt provides the pass-one output and the pass-two critique. "Revise the draft based on the following critique. Address each point of feedback specifically. Do not change sections that scored 4 or 5." The reviser's job is targeted improvement, not a full rewrite.

Do This

  • Give each pass a distinct prompt with a distinct role and distinct criteria
  • Pass critique back to a separate revision call, not back to the original generator
  • Cap at three passes for most use cases
  • Use the critique output diagnostically — if pass 2 always fails on the same criterion, fix the generation prompt

Avoid This

  • Do not combine generation and critique in the same prompt if you want clean evaluation
  • Do not have the critic rewrite — it should evaluate and give specific feedback only
  • Do not run more than five passes without investigating why the generation prompt is failing
  • Do not skip documenting what the critique found — the critique is diagnostic data