The difficulties of neurological examination techniques are often over-estimated. It is feared that the large number of individual symptoms cannot be disentangled. But if the principles of classification are known, the individual findings can easily be interpreted and evaluated. If several functions are disordered the disturbance must be sought where the tracts or groups of cells serving these functions lie close together. The investigation of motoricity and sensitivity, the testing of reflexes, coordination, cerebral nerves, circulation in the head and the higher cerebral functions are presented in detail. The significance of the simple clinical examination is considerably increased if the individual symptoms can be seen as an integrated whole.