preliminary examination
2
7.0
- noun
- /prɪˈlɪməˌnɛri ɪɡˈzæmɪˌneɪʃən/
- Specialized
:
examen preliminar
- The graduate students must pass the preliminary examination before they can proceed to their thesis work.
Examples
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After completing their coursework, the students prepared for the preliminary examination that determined their future research paths.
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The results of the preliminary examination will help the committee decide who is ready for the next level of study.
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We did prepare something for you based on the preliminary examination.
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And, on the basis of my preliminary examination of the literature, that is exactly what we get.
Academic text (1991) -
On preliminary examination, all three of you are in remarkable health, though, of course, I'll continue more specific blood testing.
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He is here to perform a preliminary examination.
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As his physician, I thought that I should (at the very least) make a preliminary examination.
Fiction book (1998) -
A preliminary examination of the coded data indicated two issues:
Academic text (2015) -
My preliminary examination will show that none of the other state offices exhibited the same combination of positions along these dimensions.
Academic text (2002) -
For our preliminary examination, the coffin was brought down to a room on the museum's ground floor, and for the first time in nearly a century, the lid was removed.
Academic text (2006)
Synonyms
5
8.5
An exam graduate students take early to show they can continue their studies
1
4.9
An exam graduate students take to show they can continue their studies
Tests taken before the final exam to check if students are ready
Antonyms
How Important
2
3.4
- Specialized
2
7.0
- US
128
3.3
128
1.3
2
2.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an examination that is preparatory or introductory' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'preliminary' (preparatory) with 'examination' (a test). This adjective+noun composition follows standard English patterns and has clear equivalents in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The noun preliminary examination comes from the idea of a first, early test. The word preliminary means 'before the main event' and examination means 'a test', so it is a first test that checks if a student is ready to move on to advanced study or research.