ex‧am S1 /ɪɡˈzæm/ 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

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

exam
noun
ADJ. difficult, stiff | easy | entrance, matriculation, placement | end of term/year, final | professional, school | chemistry, French, geography, etc. | external | mock I did badly in the mock exam but passed the real thing.
multiple choice, oral, practical, written
VERB + EXAM prepare for, revise for, study for I can't go out because I'm revising for end of year exams.
do, sit, take When do you sit your final exams?
resit, retake | do well in, pass, scrape through In spite of her worries, she passed the exam with flying colours. I wrote two awful essays and was lucky to scrape through the exam.
do badly in, fail, flunk | cheat in Candidates found cheating in any exam will be disqualified from all their exams.
set The final exam is set by a board of professors.
administer, invigilate | mark
EXAM + VERB begin, start | be over, finish As soon as the exams are over I'm going on holiday.
EXAM + NOUN practice, preparation, revision | paper, question | marks, results | failure, pass | technique | nerves Most students suffer from exam nerves to some extent.
fee | time There is a subdued atmosphere in the school at exam time.
format The exam format has been changed to include multiple choice questions.
board The regional exam boards all get together regularly to ensure equal standards.
PREP. in an/the ~ He did badly in his maths exam.
~ for an exam for school leavers
~ in an exam in chemistry

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

exam

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.
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 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.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

exam
noun
1.
BAD: It happened a few years ago when I was making my universityentrance exams.
GOOD: It happened a few years ago when I was taking my university entrance exams.

Usage Note:
take/sit (for)/have/do an examination (NOT make ): 'Of all the students who took the exam, only 45% passed.' 'I sit my final exams next July. Note that sit (for) an examination is not used in American English.

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2.
BAD: Unfortunately, I didn't pass in the exam.
GOOD: Unfortunately, I didn't pass the exam.

Usage Note:
pass/fail an examination (WITHOUT in ): 'She passed all six examinations at the first attempt.'
Compare: 'I passed the written paper but failed (on) the oral test.' 'She did well in chemistry but failed (in) maths.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

last [only before noun] happening or existing at the end, with no others after:
What time does the last train leave?
Our house is the last one on the right.
final [only before noun] last in a series of actions, events, parts of a story etc:
It’s the final game of the championship tomorrow.
the final scene of the film
closing [only before noun] used about the last part of a long period of time, or of an event, book etc that has been exciting or interesting:
the closing years of the twentieth century
Barnes scored the winning goal in the closing minutes of the game.
concluding [only before noun] used about the last part of a piece of writing, a speech, or an organized event, that ends it in a definite way:
the concluding section of the report
the judge’s concluding remarks
penultimate /peˈnʌltəmət, peˈnʌltɪmət, pə-/ [only before noun] the one before the last one:
the penultimate chapter
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.
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.
When do you get your exam results?
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.
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.
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.
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.
The papers are marked by the other teachers.

[TahlilGaran] English 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.
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.
When do you get your exam results?
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.
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.
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.
The papers are marked by the other teachers.
check to look at something carefully and thoroughly in order to make sure that it is correct, safe, or working properly:
I’ll just check the water level in the battery.
The immigration officer checked their passports.
We need to check the building for structural damage.
examine to look at something carefully and thoroughly because you want to find out something about it:
Experts who examined the painting believe it is genuine.
The police will examine the weapon for fingerprints.
inspect to look at something carefully and thoroughly in order to make sure that it is correct, safe, or working properly, especially when it is your job to do this:
The building is regularly inspected by a fire-safety officer.
Some insurance people have already been here to inspect the damage caused by the storm.
go through something to examine something such as a document or plan from beginning to end, especially in order to check that it is correct:
You should go through the contract before you sign.
I’ve finished my essay, but I just need to go through it to check for spelling mistakes.
double-check to check something again so that you are completely sure it is correct, safe, or working properly:
I double-checked all my calculations and they seemed fine.
Travellers should double-check flight information before setting off today.
monitor to carefully watch or keep checking someone or something in order to see what happens over a period of time:
Doctors monitored her progress during the night.
Observers have been monitoring the situation in Burma closely.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲