/ ɪgˈzæm; NAmE / (also formal exam·in·ation ) noun
1.
a formal written, spoken or practical test, especially at school or college, to see how much you know about a subject, or what you can do :
to take an exam
to pass / fail an exam
an exam paper
I got my exam results today.
A lot of students suffer from exam nerves .
( BrE )
I hate doing exams .
( BrE , formal )
to sit an exam
( BrE )
to mark an exam
( NAmE )
to grade an exam
( BrE )
She did well in her exams .
( NAmE )
She did well on her exams .
2.
( NAmE ) a medical test of a particular part of the body :
an eye exam
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MORE ABOUT
exams
Exam is the usual word for a written, spoken or practical test at school or college, especially an important one that you need to do in order to get a qualification. Examination is a very formal word. A test is something that students might be given in addition to, or sometimes instead of, regular exams, to see how much they have learned. A very short informal test is called a quiz in NAmE . Quiz in both NAmE and BrE also means a contest in which people try to answer questions:
a trivia quiz
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a quiz show.