It shows a person who can concentrate and dedicate , has self discipline and self control, and can focus.Not just good memory.
Try to memorise Harry Potter word by word, I dare you.
Totally true. But the fellow still scored 19 points less than the one who did not, on the subject (biology) that has a direct relationship to the profession of Medicine/medical doctor. Like I said he is going for a Doctorate in Comparative Religion, all day give him the extra 20 points (if you must). But biology. Seriously.
How we can even argue these points with a straight face is baffling.
Next stop: I want a sniper in my sniper group who is a Hafiz showing his discipline and concentration, but tends to miss every 5th shot at 600yds. Whereas the guy who consistently hits every 5 shots I wont bring him into the team, because he is unable to, by memory recite the Quran. Brilliant logic and the exact reason why the Muslims are in the state we are.
Islamic enlightenment that started from our Prophet (PBUH) a very progressive man, who gave women and slaves rights that the West did not give till the 19th century, among so many other things (environment, animal rights). Then sometime around 400-500 years ago the Clergy in Islam that had become exceedingly powerful and almost an equal to the Khalifah - passed their judgements on Ijitihad. In a nutshell they said no longer are we going to separate religion from reason, which was Ijtihad and something Muslims practiced for centuries prior, but instead we are locking our code and conduct through a form of dogma (they called it Islam) that is now anchored in Taqlid. Precedent that cannot be changed. With this one move the Ulema and clergy, took away the power from the State (by extension people) and permanently made it part of their domain and control (thereby ceasing control of the social construct of our societies). That was the beginning of the end for the Islamic civilization. The Ulema and Clergy of the Courts and Ruling system, then became the final arbiters of social and civil systems. Religion came into everything, and the unraveling of the Islamic civilization began. These same charlatans have since survived through the Colonial years (serving the European Masters), and even today you can see this vein in Islam work with any status quo power (ala the Mullahs of India).
Till we go back to the principles of Ijtihad that guided the gilded years of Islamic civilization, we will remain in this squalor.
Sad part of this entire saga, Islam as a religion never proposed space for a professional clergy the way it exists today. Our religion is about our personal relationship with Allah, no intermediary, our Iman, and our judgement - not subject to another man's interpretation. Which is why we can pray, marry, bury (funerals) and conduct our ways without any religious clergy (which was unique amongst all religions of the world - every other religion has a codified Clergy (not Islam), from Hindus, Buddists, Christians and Jews). It is our own laziness and our enemies active support that we today have amongst us the more retrogressive power, the professional clergy.