exam _noun

ADJECTIVES

difficult, stiff • easy 
・The exam was very difficult, with many challenging questions.

entrance, matriculation, placement
・To get into this prestigious university, I had to take an entrance exam.

final, end of term/year • midterm
・The final exam is scheduled for next week.

chemistry, history, geography, English, etc.
・She spent hours studying for her chemistry exam.

driving, bar, medical board, etc.
・I passed my driving exam on the first try.

professional, school
・She stayed up late last night preparing for the school exam.

practice, mock • external
・The teacher gave us a mock exam to help us practice

written, oral, multiple choice, practical
・I prefer written exams because I can explain my answers in detail.

VERBS

have
・I have an important exam tomorrow. 

prepare for, study for, revise for
・I need to prepare for my biology exam.

do, sit, take 
・Taking an exam can be a stressful experience.

retake, resit
・She decided to retake the exam to improve her score.

pass, do well in, scrape through 
・I hope I do well in the chemistry exam.

fail, do badly in, flunk
・I failed my exam, but I'm going to retake it.

cheat in 
・Cheating in an exam is a serious violation of academic integrity.

administer, invigilate • set
・The professor will administer the final exam in the lecture hall. 

mark, grade 
・The teacher marked each question carefully.

EXAM + VERB 
begin, start
・Please be in your seats before the exam begins.

be over, finish 
・I'm glad the exam is over.

go
・How did your exam go?

cover
・The final exam covered a wide range of topics.

NOUNS 

preparation, practice, revision
・I need to focus on my exam preparation this weekend.

paper, question
・Be sure to read the exam paper carefully before answering the questions.

marks, results • regulations, guidelines
・Have you received your exam results yet?

failure • pass
・After months of studying, I finally conquered my fear of exam failure.

nerves, phobia, anxiety
・His exam phobia is so severe that he couldn't even enter the exam room.

format, technique
・The professor announced that the exam format would consist of essay questions.

time, date • fee
The exam date is set for next Friday at 2 PM.

venue, hall, room
・The exam venue was a large hall with rows of desks and chairs.

timetable, schedule
・The exam timetable is posted on the school's website for everyone to see.

week, period
・I didn't get much sleep during exam week.

proctor, invigilator
・The exam proctor reminded us to keep our eyes on our own papers.

board
・The exam board is responsible for setting and grading the national exams.

exemption
・He received a special exam exemption due to his exceptional performance.

PREPOSITIONS

in, on
・Time management is crucial in the exam.
・I need to take an exam in mathematics next week.

during
・You should double-check your answers during the exam.

for 
・The final exam for the chemistry course is on Friday.

Usage Notes

'In an exam' is used in Britih English, 'on an exam' is used in American English. ・I made a few mistakes in the exam. ・I made a few mistakes on the exam. 'Sit an exam' and 'do an exam' are used in Britih English, 'take an exam' is used in both American English and British English. ・I'm going to sit/do an exam tomorrow. ・I'm going to take an exam tomorrow. 'Mark an exam' is used in Britih English, 'grade an exam' is used in American English. ・The teacher marked the exams. ・The teacher graded the exams.