yes...no
so much of school is just regurgitating useless bits of information. put yourself in this situation: its your last semester of school, you have 3 tests to study for, 2 are in your major field of study, the other is some BS class. you only have time to study for 2. are you about to fail a class and not graduate because you fail some test in some BS class?
too many teachers emphasize remembering facts, as opposed to learning and understanding the concepts the convey. The teachers that really 'get it' allow you to bring a note sheet or an index card with a few things written on it. The point of school is to LEARN, not just to memeorize facts. I can honestly say i learned much more from the professors in college that allowed us to bring a sheet or note card with us, because i was able to spend less time memorizing things, and more time UNDERSTANDING them.