ex ‧ am S1 /ɪɡˈzæm/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ exam , ↑ examination , cross-examination, ↑ examiner ; verb : ↑ examine , ↑ cross-examine ]
[ Date: 1800-1900 ; Origin: examination ]
1 . a spoken or written test of knowledge, especially an important one:
At the end of each level, there’s an exam.
How did you do in your exams?
2 . American English the paper on which the questions for an exam are written:
Do not open your exams until I tell you.
3 . American English a set of medical tests:
an eye exam
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ take/do an exam ( also sit an exam British English )
We have to take exams at the end of each year.
▪ pass an exam (=succeed in it)
Did you pass your final exam?
▪ fail an exam
If you fail the exam, you can retake it.
▪ do well/badly in an exam British English , do well/badly on an exam AmEː
Maria always did well in her exams at school.
▪ study for an exam ( also revise for an exam British English )
She has to study for her exams.
▪ sail though an exam (=pass it easily)
Don’t worry - I'm sure you’ll sail through all your exams.
▪ scrape through an exam (=only just pass it)
He managed to scrape through the exam and stay on the course.
▪ flunk an exam American English informal (=fail it)
I flunked all my first year exams.
▪ cheat in an exam British English , cheat on an exam AmE:
She was caught cheating in the exam.
▪ retake an exam ( also resit an exam British English ) (=take it again because you did not do well the first time)
If you don’t do well, you’ll have to resit the exam in January.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + exam
▪ a chemistry/French etc exam
I knew I wouldn’t pass the German exam.
▪ a written exam
There is a written exam at the end of the course.
▪ an oral exam (=in which you answer questions by speaking)
I have my French oral exams next week.
▪ a mock exam British English (=one that you do to practise for the real exams)
He did well in the mock exams.
▪ a practical exam (=in which you have to make or do things)
There’s a practical exam as well as a written one.
▪ a final exam (=at the end of a course)
The students take their final exams in June.
▪ the end of year/term exam BrE:
I knew I had to do well in the end of year exams.
▪ high school exams
Greg got good grades in all of his high school exams.
▪ an entrance exam (=in order to enter a school or university)
Jane passed the entrance exam but decided not to go.
▪ a professional exam (=to qualify in a profession, for example to be an accountant)
Once you’ve passed your professional exams, you can start to build up your experience.
▪ the bar exam (=in order to become a lawyer)
He is studying for the bar exam.
▪ board exams American English (=in order to become a nurse or doctor)
He failed his board exams in psychiatry.
■ exam + NOUN
▪ exam results
The school achieves consistently good exam results.
▪ an exam paper
I’ve still got dozens of exam papers to mark.
▪ an exam question
Read the exam questions carefully before writing your answers.
▪ exam revision BrE:
I have to do my exam revision this weekend.
▪ exam practice
Schools say they have to spend too much time doing exam practice.
▪ an exam essay/script (=that someone has written during an exam)
I’ve brought in some old exam scripts for us to look at.
▪ exam technique (=good ways to succeed in exams)
Mr Frasier gave us some useful tips on exam technique.
▪ exam marks
Pupils were divided into classes with a similar range of ability, based on their previous exam marks.
■ COMMON ERRORS
► Do not say ' make an exam '. Say take an exam or do an exam .
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ test a set of questions or practical activities, which are intended to find out how much someone knows about a subject or skill:
I have a chemistry test tomorrow.
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Did Lauren pass her driving test?
▪ exam ( also examination formal ) an important test that you do at the end of a course of study or class or at the end of the school year:
He’s upstairs, revising for an exam.
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When do you get your exam results?
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There’s a written examination at the end of the course.
▪ quiz American English a quick test that a teacher gives to a class, usually to check that students are learning the things they should be learning:
We have a math quiz every Monday.
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a pop quiz (=a quiz given by a teacher without any warning)
▪ finals British English the last exams that you take at the end of a British university course:
During my finals I was revising till 3 o'clock in the morning most days.
▪ final American English an important test that you take at the end of a particular class in high school or college:
The English final was pretty hard.
▪ midterm American English an important test that you take in the middle of a term, covering what you have learned in a particular class in high school or college:
He did badly in the midterm.
▪ oral exam ( also oral British English ) an exam in which you answer questions by speaking, instead of writing, for example to test how good you are at speaking a foreign language:
Nicky got an A in her Spanish oral.
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You can either take an oral exam or do a 25 page essay.
▪ practical British English an exam that tests your ability to do or make things, rather than your ability to write about them:
The chemistry practical is on Monday.
▪ mocks/mock exams British English informal tests that you take as practice before the official examinations:
She did well in the mocks.
▪ paper British English a set of printed questions used as an examination in a particular subject, or the answers people write:
The history paper was really difficult.
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The papers are marked by the other teachers.