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The ‘Decision Rule’ Note Template: From Q-bank Miss → One Sentence → Retest

A copy-pasteable template that forces discrimination and makes your notes usable for retrieval practice.

Review date
Feb 2026
Reading time
8 min read
Author
Dr. Kola Tytler MBBS CertHE MBA MSt MRCGP
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Key points

  • Write fewer notes—make them sharper.
  • One miss becomes one decision rule + one discriminator.
  • Every rule becomes a retest prompt on a schedule.

The template (copy-paste)

<strong>Scenario:</strong> … <strong>My wrong move:</strong> … <strong>Correct rule:</strong> If X, then Y. <strong>Discriminator:</strong> Z is the feature that flips it. <strong>Retest:</strong> 72h + 7d.
Most ‘notes’ fail because they are too large to retrieve and too vague to guide decisions. The decision-rule template forces precision: what do you do, when, and why?
1

Write the scenario in 1 line

Just enough to trigger recall. Not a full vignette. You’re building a cue, not a textbook.
2

Name your wrong move

This is underrated. Your error pattern is the thing you must correct, not the topic label.
3

Write the rule as an action

‘If X, then do Y’ is operational. ‘Remember that…’ is not.
4

Add one discriminator

The single feature that separates the correct answer from the tempting distractor.
5

Schedule retests

Put it in your system immediately: 72 hours + 7 days. No scheduling = no learning.

Decision-rule standard

  • One scenario line only.
  • My wrong move is explicit.
  • Rule is an action (If X → do Y).
  • One discriminator included.
  • Retest schedule written immediately.
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Study methods · Article 33 of 48