My son likes to watch the Food Network. By joining him, I’ve learned a lot about cooking. For example, I’ve learned about reduction, which involves simmering or boiling liquid down to thicken it and intensify its flavor. Reduction is what I think of when discussing an “outline of the outline” with students.

Thorough outlines have a good deal of content, such as rules, sub-rules, exceptions to rules, cases, hypotheticals, tips, and anticipated questions. The result can be quite lengthy and more than a student can work through in a single sitting. In that case, it is helpful to reduce the outline to make it a more effective study tool. 

Like most study skills, there is no one perfect way to reduce an outline. There is truth in the cliché that you need to do what works best for you. If you know a concept well, for example, you can reduce it to a few bullet points and eliminate the examples. For a concept like battery, your outline may include an explanation of the element of intent. You might specify the requirements for a single-intent state versus a dual-intent state and define the meaning of purposeful. You will likely have examples of cases in which intent was or was not met and hypotheticals that do the same. If you know that information well, perhaps it just appears as the word “intent” under the topic of battery in the reduced outline, with none of those distinctions or examples.

The goal is to know the course material so well that you can reduce it to its essence, just like a fine wine or rich sauce. The final result is a one or two page document containing the checklist of topics that may appear on the exam. Some students choose to memorize that list and write it down on their scrap paper before the exam begins. It bears repeating that you need to find the method that works best for you. Start practicing today!