Effect of Selection Format on LLM Performance

This paper investigates a critical aspect of large language model (LLM) performance: the optimal formatting of classification task options in prompts. Through an extensive experimental study, we compared two selection formats -- bullet points and plain English -- to determine their impact on model performance. Our findings suggest that presenting options via bullet points generally yields better results, although there are some exceptions. Furthermore, our research highlights the need for continued exploration of option formatting to drive further improvements in model performance.

Publication Details

Journal
ArXiv.org
Published
2025-03-10
Primary Topic
Topic Modeling
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article
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article

Effect of Selection Format on LLM Performance

ArXiv.org
Topic Modeling
article

Effect of Selection Format on LLM Performance

article en

Abstract

This paper investigates a critical aspect of large language model (LLM) performance: the optimal formatting of classification task options in prompts. Through an extensive experimental study, we compared two selection formats -- bullet points and plain English -- to determine their impact on model performance. Our findings suggest that presenting options via bullet points generally yields better results, although there are some exceptions. Furthermore, our research highlights the need for continued exploration of option formatting to drive further improvements in model performance.

ArXiv.org
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Topic Modeling
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Effect of Selection Format on LLM Performance · ArXiv.org (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS