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English (UK)
Cambridge Dictionary Online

Meaning of exam in English

exam
noun [ C ]
uk
/ɪɡˈzæm/ us
/ɪɡˈzæm/
(formal examination)
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A2
a test of a student's knowledge or skill in a particular subject :
take an exam American students ranked fourth in those taking the geography exam.
fail an exam I failed my physics exam, but I passed chemistry.
pass an exam The number of questions a student must answer correctly to pass the exam varies each year.
examination paper Helen turned over the examination paper and checked the clock.
exam results mainly UK Anxious students were standing around waiting for their exam results.
US
the act of looking at or considering something carefully in order to discover something, especially a medical examination of part of your body:
eye exam If you find yourself squinting to see, it may be time for an eye exam.
physical exam He gets yearly blood tests and a physical exam.
a pelvic/rectal/breast/neurological exam
an ultrasound/a polygraph exam
Synonyms
examination
test
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(Definition of exam from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

exam | American Dictionary

exam
noun [ C ]
us
/ɪɡˈzæm/
(also examination, us/ɪɡˌzæm·əˈneɪ·ʃən/)
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a test of a student’s knowledge or skill in a particular subject:
The final exams are scheduled for next week.
(Definition of exam from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

exam | Business English

exam
noun [ C ]
uk
/ɪɡˈzæm/ us
(also examination)
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a formal test that you must pass in order to earn a particular qualification or be allowed to do a particular job:
take/pass/fail an exam Candidates for supervisory jobs must take a written exam.
bar/civil-service/licensing exam
(Definition of exam from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of exam

exam
The rest of the exam involved free translation and composition, based on set texts decided upon by the university.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Officials considered the value of possible alterations to the gaze in the exam in light of both the effectiveness and overarching intent of the exam.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Mean time for one-way travel was 18.7 minutes; waiting room time was 16.9 minutes; and exam time was 50.8 minutes.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Various commentators have pondered the need for training standards, credentials, "certification" exams, and malpractice insurance for ethicists engaged in clinical consultation.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
As the protagonists of female education recognized from the first, the future advancement of women was indissolubly connected with the exams that they would take.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
How much do you like exams, competitions and performances?
From the Cambridge English Corpus
An initial screening exam was performed by questionnaire and by direct palpation of the forearm during requested finger motions.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Now, both the surprise exam argument and the backwards induction in the centipede game are problematic.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Immigration at other ports dwindled, and, for expediency, immigrant medical inspection was increasingly conducted as part of the quarantine exam.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Preparing language exams: an online learning system with dictionary and email tandem.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Clinical and instrumental standard conditions were adopted for each exam.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
The study found that using students' preferred learning strategies can be an effective way to help them prepare for high stakes international exams.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Furthermore, many women report pain and anxiety during the colposcopy exam itself, and fear of the procedures may pose an additional barrier (1;24).
From the Cambridge English Corpus
It seems clear that teacher attitude towards an exam plays an important part in determining the choice of teaching methods used.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Throughout the semester, teams of students learned and used design methods in lecture examples, exam questions, and original design projects.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

Collocations with exam

exam

These are words often used in combination with exam.

Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.

certification exam
Currently, 41 states have accepted this certification exam.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
clinical exam
A preliminary diagnosis can be made based on history, clinical exam and postmortem signs.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
comprehensive exam
Methods of assessment may include a comprehensive exam, unit exams, portfolios, research papers, literature reviews, an oral exam or homework assignments.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
See all collocations with exam
What is the pronunciation of exam?
 

Translations of exam

in Chinese (Traditional)
考試…
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in Chinese (Simplified)
考试…
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in Spanish
examen, examen‎‏ ‏‎ [masculine], examen [masculine]…
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in Portuguese
exame, prova [feminine], exame [masculine]…
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in more languages
in Marathi
in Japanese
in Turkish
in French
in Catalan
in Telugu
in Tamil
in Hindi
in Bengali
in Gujarati
in Polish
in Norwegian
in Korean
in Urdu
in Italian
परीक्षा…
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試験, 試験（しけん）, 検査（けんさ）…
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sınav, imtihan, muayene…
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examen [masculine]…
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examen…
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ప్రత్యేకమైన విషయంలో విద్యార్థికి ఉన్న జ్ణానాన్నిగానీ నేర్పును గానీ పరీక్షకు పెట్టడం…
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ஒரு குறிப்பிட்ட பாடத்தில் ஒரு மாணவரின் அறிவு அல்லது திறமைக்கான சோதனை…
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परीक्षा, किसी विशेष विषय में एक छात्र के ज्ञान या कौशल का परीक्षण…
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পরীক্ষা, একটি নির্দিষ্ট বিষয়ে একজন ছাত্রের জ্ঞান বা দক্ষতার পরীক্ষা…
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પરીક્ષા…
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egzamin, badanie…
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eksamen [masculine], legeundersøkelse [masculine]…
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시험…
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امتحان…
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esame…
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exaltation
exalted
exaltedly
exalting
exam
exam paper
exam results
examination
examination board

Word of the Day

comfort zone

UK
/ˈkʌm.fət ˌzəʊn/
US
/ˈkʌm.fɚt ˌzoʊn/

a situation in which you feel comfortable and in which your ability and determination are not being tested

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