Rote memorisation is essential. Not _all_ there is to achievement, but as you say the other parts are difficult to test. Without memorisation ("Just google", a

Rote memorisation is essential. Not _all_ there is to achievement, but as you say the other parts are difficult to test. Without memorisation ("Just google", as many comments seem to suggest), you are severely limited in what you can come up with, and how you can contribute. If you don't have foundational knowledge (memory): 1) you don't know what to google; 2) within a discussion concepts will go over your head so you can't contribute; 3) you don't have the components to play around with and mix and match in your head to generate new ideas. If your work is dreadfully formulaic, sure, you can probably get by with limited foundational knowledge and just searching. If your work in any way is knowledge work, then you need _knowledge_, not just access to a vast reference.