Words used with: test and exam

[Richard]

preposition:
which one is correct?
on/at/in the exam
on/in/at the test

Let me know if you have any suggestions.
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Global Marketing

[Alan]

Hi Richard,

In the test/exam = suggests something you see in the written test/exam - I came across this word in the test/exam

At the test/exam = describes something during the test/exam - There were twenty candidates at the test/exam

You can't really use 'on' except with 'test' on its own used to mean examination/investigation - My car battery is on test at the moment to find out what's wrong.

Alan
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Present Simple

[Richard]

Hi Alan

Today I came across these sentences in Barron's(TOEFL ibt) book:

1-professor: I'll be watching out for those two-part questions on your exams
2-on the final, I'll spend more time reading the questions before start to answer them.
3-student: I did pretty well on the midterm...

As far as I know midterm is an American English word, which means a test that students take in the middle of a semester or quarter

Therefore, It seems reasonable to assume that there is some differences in this case between American and British English.
Am I right?
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Global Marketing

[Esl_Expert]

Hello Richard_Jack.c,

Yes, those usages of "on" would be quite natural in the US.

We also say things such these:

- There were 50 questions on the test/exam/midterm/final.
- Do you think that question will be on the test/exam/midterm/final?
- Good luck on your test/exam/midterm/final.
- The highest score on the test was 96.

There are a few differences in the way prepositions are used in BE and AmE. For example, saying that "my car battery is on test at the moment" sounds unnatural to my American ears. LOL
:wink:
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"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug." ~ Mark Twain

[Alan]

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Hi Richard,

There are indeed differences in English the way prepositions or of course particular words are used in different countries. There are indeed differences within the scope of my small island sometimes separated by just a few hundred miles.

Alan
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English as a Foreign Language
You can read my EFL story Progressive Forms