Agentic activities · Custom bot

Build a personal CompTIA tutor bot you can come back to all week

Take what you learned in Workshop 2's CompTIA study activity and build a reusable tutor bot. Use Claude Projects, a Custom GPT, or Poe — whichever has a free tier that fits. Set system instructions once, reuse across every study session.

About 30 minutes. Everything you write stays in your browser.

In Workshop 2 you used AI as a CompTIA tutor by typing the same setup prompt every time. That works, but you forget context between sessions and end up restating your weak domains. A “custom bot” is the same AI, with your setup baked in. Set it up once, return to it nightly. Same tool, much less friction.

This activity uses three free options. Pick whichever you actually have an account on, or sign up for one. None of them require a paid plan to do this.

Pick your platform

Three free options. Same idea, different interfaces.

Claude Projects. claude.ai/projects. Free Claude account works. Set system instructions, drop in PDFs (your exam objectives PDF is a good one). Best for long study sessions.
Custom GPTs (in ChatGPT). Available to free ChatGPT users for use; creating a custom GPT requires ChatGPT Plus. If you have free only, use Claude Projects or Poe instead.
Poe. poe.com. Free Poe account. “Create bot” button. Choose a base model from the free options. Pick this if you want to share the bot publicly with study buddies.

Pick one and create the account if you do not have it yet. Then come back here.

Platform you picked + cert you are studying

Not saved yet.

Write the system instructions for your tutor

This is the prompt that goes in the “instructions” box of your bot, not in a chat. The AI reads it once and applies it to every conversation. Tune it for the cert you are studying.

System instructions to paste into your bot

You are a private tutor for the CompTIA [INSERT CERT, e.g., Network+ N10-009] exam. You are coaching one specific student through study sessions over the next 6 to 12 weeks.

Your style:
- Plain language. Never use jargon without defining it the first time, in five words or fewer.
- Patient. The student will ask the same question several different ways. That is the point.
- Worked examples first. If the student asks about subnetting, show one full worked subnet, then ask whether they want another with different numbers.
- Honest about uncertainty. If you are unsure whether a topic is on the current exam version, say so. Do not invent.

Your defaults:
- When the student says "quiz me," generate one practice question in CompTIA multiple-choice format: a 1-3 sentence scenario, four answer choices A-D, the correct answer letter, and a two-sentence explanation. Pause for their answer before moving on.
- When the student says "explain X," start by asking what level they want: a one-line refresher, a worked example, or a deep dive.
- When the student says "what should I study tonight," ask which domain they feel weakest in this week, then suggest 3-4 topics from that domain with the official exam objective number if you can name it.

Your hard rules:
- Do not generate practice questions copied from any specific paid practice exam product.
- Do not pretend to remember our previous sessions unless the student summarizes what we covered. (You may not retain context between sessions on the free tier.)
- Always remind the student to check comptia.org for the current exam version if a cert version question arises.

What the student will tell you up front (the first message):
- Their honest 1-5 self-rating per exam domain.
- Their target exam date.
- Hours per week available to study.

Wait for that information before suggesting a study plan.

Paste the instructions into your bot's settings

In Claude Projects: open the project, click “Set custom instructions,” paste, save. In a Custom GPT: GPT builder > Configure tab > Instructions, paste, save. In Poe: Create bot > “Prompt” field, paste, save.

If your platform allows you to attach files: download the official exam objectives PDF for your cert from comptia.org and attach it. The bot will reference it during conversations.

The instructions you used (in case you want to iterate)

Not saved yet.

Open a fresh chat and give it your inputs

Start a new conversation with your bot. Send one message with your honest self-rating (use what you wrote in Workshop 2’s CompTIA activity), your target exam date, and your weekly study hours.

The bot should respond with a study plan tuned to your inputs. If it does not, your instructions are not specific enough — go back and edit them.

The first study plan your bot generated

Not saved yet.

Stress-test the bot

Ask it three things and grade the answers honestly.

“Quiz me on a domain I rated 2.” Did it generate one question, then pause? Or did it dump 10? (Should pause.)
“Explain BGP route reflectors at the deep-dive level.” Did it ask which level first, or just dump?
“What should I study tonight?” Did it ask about your weakest domain this week before suggesting?

If any answer was wrong, edit your instructions. Repeat until the bot behaves the way you want.

Notes on the three tests

Not saved yet.

Plan your return visits

The point of a custom bot is reuse. If you build it and never come back, you wasted 30 minutes. Block three return visits this week before you leave the room.

When you will use this bot this week

Not saved yet.

Self-check: is this a real tool or a toy?

Check each one you can honestly say yes to. Saved to your browser.

The bot is on a free tier. I am not paying anything I cannot stop on demand.
The instructions name my specific cert and exam version.
The bot pauses before dumping 10 practice questions when I say 'quiz me.'
The bot asks which depth level I want before explaining a topic.
I have three return visits scheduled on my calendar this week.
I know how to edit the instructions if the bot misbehaves.
I never paste my real CompTIA voucher code, candidate ID, or paid practice exam content into it.

What to watch for

Free tiers have daily limits. Claude free typically caps at a few dozen messages per 5-hour window; Poe rotates points. If your tutor stops responding mid-session, you hit a limit. Switch tools or wait.
Free models change. The base model behind your bot may upgrade or change. Test your instructions monthly. What worked in February may need editing in May.
Custom GPTs are public-ish by default. The bot you build can be shared. Make sure your instructions do not include anything personal (your real name, real exam date, real test scores) if you might share.
Paid options earn their cost when: you study daily, you want to attach 100+ MB of PDFs, or your free tier limits hit you mid-study every night. Claude Pro is ~$20/month; ChatGPT Plus is ~$20/month. If you study an hour a night for 3 months toward Security+, paid is probably cheaper than retaking the exam.
Do not paste real certification voucher codes, candidate IDs, or any paid practice exam questions into a custom bot. Vouchers are credentials; pasting them into a public AI is a data leak. Paid practice questions are licensed; reposting violates the license.