by Amit Shekhar · 8 May 2026
Context Engineering
Context Engineering - what it is, why it has become the most important skill for building reliable AI applications, how it differs from Prompt Engineering, the components that make up the context, common patterns like RAG, few-shot examples, tools, and memory, and the best practices and common mistakes to keep in mind.
Read on Outcome School ↗then come back to lock it in
Before you read, guessHow does the text characterize an LLM's memory and the role of context engineering?
Ten seconds, a guess, then read — a wrong guess still makes the answer stick.
What this article covers
- What is Context Engineering?
- The Big Picture
- Why Context Engineering Matters
- Prompt Engineering vs Context Engineering
- The Components of the Context
- Common Patterns in Context Engineering
- Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Best Practices
The article lives on outcomeschool.com. Read it there, then come back: the tutor in the margin has read it and will answer questions, and the questions below check what stayed.