Note flipping sharp learner in examination (7)
I believe the answer is:
medical
'examination' is the definition.
(medical is a kind of examination)
'note flipping sharp learner' is the wordplay.
'note' becomes 'me' (**).
'flipping' says the letters should be written in reverse.
'sharp' becomes 'acid' (I've seen this before).
'learner' becomes 'l'.
'acid' in reverse letter order is 'dica'.
'me'+'dica'+'l'='MEDICAL'
'in' is the link.
(Other definitions for medical that I've seen before include "Examination of physical health" , "Thorough health check" , "Relating to the art of healing" , "Check-up - declaim (anag)" , "Of the healing sciences" .)