Classifying epilepsy by seizure type alone leaves out other important information about the patient and the episodes themselves. Classifying into syndromes takes a number of characteristics into account, including the type of seizure; typical EEG recordings; clinical features such as behavior during the seizure; the expected course of the disorder; precipitating features; expected response to treatment, and genetic factors.

Epileptic syndromes can be either idiopathic (of unknown cause) or symptomatic of underlying brain damage or disease. In general, idiopathic forms have a better prognosis in terms of both seizure control and eventual remission than do symptomatic forms.