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entrance exam

entrance exam

10 3.4
A test that students take to get into a school or university
  • noun
  • /ˈɛntrəns ɪɡˈzæm/
translation icon : examen de admisión
  • The words "college-entrance exam" send shivers down the spines of many American high school students.
  • college entrance exams
  • high school entrance exam
  • entrance exam scores

Lsat's or the law school entrance exam is very important.

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Examples

  • Each year, some students write the university entrance exams at the end of grade nine.

    Academic text (1992)
  • It's only five weeks until the entrance exam and then you can play as much footie as you like over the summer holidays.

  • Your mom wants you to take the college entrance exam, so we have a lot of work to do.

  • I have a tough law school entrance exam coming up soon and I really should study, but... actually...

  • Chinese students must go through a series of rigorous entrance exams in order to get into a top university.

    Academic text (2004)
  • In Mexico, students must pass an entrance exam for high school and are then tracked according to their score.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Then there was the trip to Tokyo for my university entrance exams.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • The youngest, a high school student, failed his university entrance exams.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Students can even study for the SAT, PSAT, and ACT college entrance exams through their mobile phones.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Many students prepare diligently for the entrance exam that will determine their admission to university.

Synonyms

exam
vsentrance exam
611 1.0

A formal test of what someone knows or can do

is used specifically to decide if someone may enter a course
examination
vsentrance exam
115 2.3

A formal test that checks knowledge, usually with written questions

is used specifically to assess readiness for entry into a course
entrance examination
vsentrance exam
1 3.9

An exam that decides if a person can enter a school or course

is the shorter, less formal wording for the same admission test

How Difficult

comprehensive examination
  • Specialized
1 6.9
entrance exam
10 3.4
exam
611 1.0
test
1.0
quiz
128 1.3

Surface Forms

entrance exam singular

Morphology

entrance + exam

The meaning 'an examination for admission' is directly and transparently derivable from combining 'entrance' (entering/admission) with 'exam' (a formal assessment) — essentially 'an exam for entering'. This noun‑noun composition is a common, literal pattern cross‑linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Entrance exam comes from a simple picture: a test that lets you go into a school. The word entrance is about 'going in' and the exam is the test you must pass, so the phrase means a test for 'admission' to a course or university.