From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishexamex‧am /ɪɡˈzæm/ ●●● S1 noun [countable] 1 EXAM/TESTa 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?► see thesaurus at test2 American EnglishSE the paper on which the questions for an exam are written Do not open your exams until I tell you.3 American EnglishMH a set of medical tests an eye examCOLLOCATIONSverbstake/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 examIf you fail the exam, you can retake it.do well/badly in an exam British English, do well/badly on an exam American English: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 American English: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 + exama chemistry/French etc examI knew I wouldn’t pass the German exam.a written examThere 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 British English:I knew I had to do well in the end of year exams.high school examsGreg 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 + NOUNexam resultsThe school achieves consistently good exam results.an exam paperI’ve still got dozens of exam papers to mark.an exam questionRead the exam questions carefully before writing your answers.exam revision British English:I have to do my exam revision this weekend.exam practiceSchools 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 marksPupils were divided into classes with a similar range of ability, based on their previous exam marks.COMMON ERRORS ► Don’t say ‘make an exam’. Say take an exam or do an exam.
Examples from the Corpus
exam• Students are not allowed to talk during the examination.• He's upstairs, revising for an exam.• At one point, Fred cheated on an exam.• We have a biology exam tomorrow, and I haven't done any work for it yet.• a chemistry exam• In Japan, entrance exams are very important, and many children go to extra classes to prepare for them.• Final exams will be just before Christmas.• Proving that I could do it, and do it well, was finally my sole motivation when I began my exams.• Study past exam papers, noting the exam format, the choice of questions, and the all-important time limit.• The task force recommends physical exams every one to three years, essentially duplicating the screenings for the younger group.• We were then given a simple exam which consisted of crossing out stupid answers in order to leave the least stupid one.• She says many things other than exam results make a good school.• The exam covered the material they had read; they were allowed to use their notes.• How did you manage to fail all those exams?• How did you do in your exams?in your exams• I had come first in our exams and tests.Origin exam (1800-1900) examination 