The ability to accomplish simple administrative tasks can indicate whether students will succeed in their exams, according to research from Sheffield University published in this week's British Medical Journal .
Medical students at the university were asked to provide a passport photo at the start of a module in paediatrics. A total of 366 (93 per cent) of students handed in the photo. Of the 29 who failed to do so, 13 went on to fail their end-of-year exams.
The paper, by Neil Wright, lecturer in paediatrics, and Stuart Tanner, professor of child health, says the research supports the view that disorganised learning is one of the most important predictors of examination failure.