Among the many political phrases being thrown around at the moment, you may well have heard the phrase “exit poll” being bandied about a fair bit.

Those in the know place a fair bit of faith in the results of an election exit poll.

So what is an exit poll?

Well an exit poll is a predicted election result based on thousands of interviews conducted up and down the country outside polling centres.

It measures the results of how people have said they have voted and uses them to generate a predicted result of how the vote will play out.

It works by asking people how they voted at specific sample points and then comparing this with surveys taken at the previous election .

Any changes in voting patterns are then used to help form a prediction.

When will it be released?

The exit poll is will be released at 10pm on election day, June 8.

The reason for this timing is that it is the earliest time that the law allows it to be released as 10pm is when the polls close.

Blue sky over the Polling Station at Toxteth Library

Is it accurate?

Unlike other more speculative polls in the run-up to an election, an exit poll asks people who have already voted - so it tends to be more accurate than others.

The exit poll at the previous General Election in 2015 correctly predicted that the Conservatives would be the largest party - but its prediction of 316 Tory seats was 15 short of their actual final total.

The previous two General Election exit polls were right on the money.