As undergraduates, many of us could get away with a simple formula: Read → Retain → Reproduce for exams. But let’s be honest—how much of that knowledge stuck once the semester ended? 🤔
Here’s the problem: Retaining information for reproduction is not the same as retaining knowledge for application.
📌 Consider this example:
✅ If I ask you which cranial nerve innervates the tongue muscles, you might easily answer: Cranial Nerve XII, the Hypoglossal Nerve.
✅ If I ask you to list the functions of the intrinsic and extrinsic tongue muscles, you might also get that right.
That’s reproducing knowledge—important, but not enough.
💡 Now let’s take it a step further:
What if I ask you to describe the clinical findings in a patient with a left hypoglossal nerve lesion?
To answer that, you need to apply your knowledge:
- What muscles are affected?
- How does this impact tongue movement?
- What signs would you see on a physical exam?
This is the difference between memorisation and true understanding—between learning lists of facts and learning HOW and WHY things happen.
🔹 Strive for deep learning.
🔹 Always ask HOW does this connect? WHY does it matter?
🔹 Shift from memorisation to application and problem-solving—that’s what makes a great clinician!
