Advanced Reasoning Techniques
Master advanced reasoning techniques for AI agents including chain-of-thought, tree of thoughts, and self-consistency
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0 / 5 completedKey Takeaways
Chain of Thought (CoT)
Step-by-step reasoning improves accuracy by 25-50% on complex tasks. Use "Let's think step by step" for zero-shot or provide examples for few-shot prompting.
Tree of Thoughts (ToT)
Multiple reasoning paths with backtracking enables solving problems that single-path CoT cannot. Cost: 10-20x more tokens, but 70% accuracy gain on strategic tasks.
Self-Consistency
Generate 5-10 reasoning paths and vote on answers. Reduces errors by 30-50% compared to single CoT. Best for high-stakes decisions where accuracy is critical.
Combining Techniques
Use CoT+Self-Consistency for best results: generate multiple CoT paths, then vote. Balances accuracy (high) with cost (moderate). Ideal for production systems.
Cost Considerations
Standard: 1x cost. CoT: 2-3x cost. ToT: 10-20x cost. Self-Consistency: 5-10x cost. Choose based on task complexity and error tolerance.
Performance Benchmarks
GSM8K math: 65% → 92% (CoT) → 95% (Self-Consistency). Game of 24: 4% → 74% (ToT). Multi-step reasoning shows biggest gains.
When to Use CoT
Use for: Math problems, logical reasoning, multi-step tasks, explaining decisions. Cost-effective for most production use cases. Start here.
When to Use ToT
Use for: Strategic planning, games, creative writing, exploration tasks. Only when single-path reasoning fails. Accept 10-20x cost increase.
When to Use Self-Consistency
Use for: High-stakes decisions, medical diagnosis, legal analysis, financial advice. When error cost exceeds token cost. Combine with CoT.
Implementation Tips
Start with CoT. Add Self-Consistency if accuracy insufficient. Try ToT only for strategic tasks. Monitor token usage. Use temperature=0.7-0.8 for diversity in Self-Consistency.
What You've Learned
✓ How to implement Chain of Thought prompting for step-by-step reasoning
✓ When to use Tree of Thoughts for complex strategic tasks requiring backtracking
✓ How to apply Self-Consistency voting to reduce errors by 30-50%
✓ Cost-accuracy trade-offs for each reasoning technique
✓ How to combine CoT with Self-Consistency for production systems