# Teachers <_____?> the test/exam



## Lun-14

Hi

We use the verb "take" for the students when we refer to a test/exam. I wonder what verb is used for the teacher when we refer to a test/exam.

Students* take* the test/exam.
Teachers <_____?> the test/exam.

Thanks a lot.


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## Copyright

Teachers administer the test.


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## Florentia52

What is the teacher actually doing, Lun-14? Reading the questions to the students? Simply sitting in the room to make sure no one cheats?


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## Lun-14

Florentia52 said:


> What is the teacher actually doing, Lun-14? Reading the questions to the students? Simply sitting in the room to make sure no one cheats?



There is a test of physics. The physics teacher has himself prepared the test and is himself in the room, watching the students (invigilating) so that no one cheats. He is himself in the room in order to clarify how (in what manner) his students are required to solve the questions and to correct the questions in case the students point out any mistake in misprinting etc.


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## london calling

In BE teachers 'invigilate' exams to make sure no-one cheats. I've been there, both as a student and as a teacher.


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## Copyright

I've been out of the American school system for decades, but when I was in, the word _invigilate_ was not used by students or teachers. Perhaps things have changed.


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## sound shift

I remember "invigilate", but it tended to be used intransitively, e.g. "Year ten have got an exam on Monday. I'm invigilating." - so it doesn't fit Lun-14's sentence.


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## TheCrociato91

Copyright said:


> I've been out of the American school system for decades, but when I was in, the word _invigilate_ was not used by students or teachers. Perhaps things have changed.



According to Oxford Learner's Dictionaries | Find definitions, translations, and grammar explanations at Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, "to proctor" is the AmE equivalent of "to invigilate". Can you or any AmE native speaker confirm that?


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## Lun-14

As I said in #4, my primary emphasis on the fact that the subject teacher has himself prepared the test and is himself invigilating the students in the test hall.

I don't think I need "invigilate": it _only_ means that the person is sitting/standing in the room and watching the students doing nothing other than that - he is not the subject teacher - he cannot correct the questions in case any error is found.


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## Copyright

I was about to suggest that – anyone, including non-teachers – can watch over students taking an exam. 

I still like "administer," although there may be a better word.


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## DonnyB

I don't think I've ever sat an exam where anyone has been able to correct mistakes in the questions _at the time_.    Certainly an "invigilator" normally can't.

Copyright's suggestion of "administer" the exam would probably fit that scenario.  Or maybe "supervise" the exam?


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## Enquiring Mind

> The physics teacher has himself prepared the test


 sets 





> He is himself in the room in order to clarify how (in what manner) his students are required to solve the questions and to correct the questions in case the students point out any mistake in misprinting etc.


 and supervises ...


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## TheCrociato91

I think "administer" is a good translation. I'm saying this because a while ago there were a couple of discussions on the Italian-English forum where someone asked how to say "somministrare un esame" in English; this Italian phrase I think means exactly what you're looking for, that is, a formal way to say "to give a test", which implicitly involves having prepared it beforehand ("to set a test"), having to watch over the students ("to supervise the students", "to proctor"/"to invigilate") and having to grade it once the student has finished it (do correct me if I misunderstood your question). 
To the aforesaid question, one of the suggestions proposed was "to administer a test/an exam".

I'll link those down below just for reference purposes. 

somministrare loro i test d’esame
somministrare un esame


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## kentix

Today is the very first day I've ever seen the word "invigilate". It sounds made up to my virgin AE ears. 

In the U.S. it would definitely be proctor.

But, for Lun's question, I also think administer makes the most sense.


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## RM1(SS)

TheCrociato91 said:


> According to Oxford Learner's Dictionaries | Find definitions, translations, and grammar explanations at Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, "to proctor" is the AmE equivalent of "to invigilate". Can you or any AmE native speaker confirm that?


Proctor or monitor.


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## TheCrociato91

Thanks for confirming.


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## Lun-14

Can I use "conduct" in my context?

_Teacher* *conducts* a test/exam.
_
I, once again, repeat that the teacher*, in my context, is both a test-maker (being the teacher of the concerned subject) and an invigilator.
A test-maker isn't necessarily an invigilator. And an invigilator isn't necessarily a test-maker.


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## heypresto

Even if one person does them all, the teaching of the exam subject, the setting of the exam, and the invigilating of the exam are three different things, and I don't think there is one single verb that comfortably covers all three. But I think 'administer' is probably the best compromise.


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## Lun-14

heypresto said:


> Even if one person does them all, the teaching of the exam subject, the setting of the exam, and the invigilating of the exam are three different things, and I don't think there is one single verb that comfortably covers all three. But I think 'administer' is probably the best compromise.



Thanks. Could you let me know the difference between _to administer an exam/test_, _to conduct an exam/test_ and _to set an exam/test_?


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## heypresto

_'To conduct an exam/test' _doesn't work.

_'To set an exam/test' _is to write the questions.

'_To administer the test_', in my opinion, can have a slightly broader meaning than merely to invigilate the test. It can also include some organising of it.


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## Lun-14

heypresto said:


> _To conduct an exam/test' _doesn't work.



Do you really think that it doesn't work in BE?

I've just asked a friend and she's told me that "conduct" is used in reference to the examination board (which gets the question papers ready by the examiners and organises other functions, i.e. setting the exam centers, getting marking of the exams done etc)


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## Loob

And what does your friend say about _set - invigilate - proctor - monitor - administer_?


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## london calling

Lun-14 said:


> Do you really think that it doesn't work in BE?
> 
> I've just asked a friend and she's told me that "conduct" is used in reference to the examination board (which gets the question papers ready by the examiners and organises other functions, i.e. setting the exam centers, getting marking of the exams done etc)


I would 'conduct an oral exam' (i.e. I would examine students orally) but I wouldn't use 'conduct' the way your friend uses it.


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## DonnyB

Lun-14 said:


> Can I use "conduct" in my context?
> 
> _Teacher* *conducts* a test/exam.
> _
> I, once again, repeat that the teacher*, in my context, is both a test-maker (being the teacher of the concerned subject) and an invigilator.
> A test-maker isn't necessarily an invigilator. And an invigilator isn't necessarily a test-maker.


I agree with LC (post #23): "conduct" might work in the context of an_ oral _exam, where the teacher asks the questions and listens to the answers, marking them as right or wrong.


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## heypresto

Lun-14 said:


> Do you really think that it doesn't work in BE?


Yes. Although I agree with the others that it might work with oral exams.



Lun-14 said:


> I've just asked a friend and she's told me that "conduct" is used in reference to the examination board


Which examining board?


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## Lun-14

heypresto said:


> Which examining board?



Sorry, I meant "an examination board", _not_ "the examination board".

I see many instances of " conduct " being used for the examination boards/institutions:

UPSC _conducts_ many exams including Civil Services Examination, . . . [Union Public Service Commission - Wikipedia]

Another example: 
[Competitive exams in India, Exams in India]


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## heypresto

If 'conducts' fits your context, and you are writing for Indian English speakers, then use it.

It's not the right word in BE, for what I, and I think others, understand your context to be.


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## GreenWhiteBlue

When I was teaching high school, I would say that I _gave_ my students a test.  I only _proctored _tests (such as the New York State Regents Exams) that I did not write or create by myself.


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## JulianStuart

Lun-14 said:


> There is a test of physics. The physics teacher has himself prepared the test and is himself in the room, watching the students (invigilating) so that no one cheats. He is himself in the room in order to clarify how (in what manner) his students are required to solve the questions and to correct the questions in case the students point out any mistake in misprinting etc.


I think if the teacher has prepared the questions (and will presumably mark them) , what he does in the classroom is simply to supervise the students taking the test.  This is not a formal exam (like those from examination boards) so the more formal words would likely be inappropriate.  There's also the possibility that Indian English has different usage of some of these terms,


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## Barque

Lun-14 said:


> I see many instances of " conduct " being used for the examination boards/institutions:


Your original question was with respect to a single individual teacher who sets the test questions and then watches over the students who write the test. Your examples in #26 refer to examinations being arranged and administered by an organisation.


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## Lun-14

Barque said:


> Your original question was with respect to a single individual teacher who sets the test questions and then watches over the students who write the test



Though I have been given a verb for it, I would like to know what verb _you_ would use in such a situation.
Thanks.


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## DonnyB

Lun-14 said:


> Sorry, I meant "an examination board", _not_ "the examination board".
> 
> I see many instances of " conduct " being used for the examination boards/institutions:
> 
> UPSC _conducts_ many exams including Civil Services Examination, . . . [Union Public Service Commission - Wikipedia]
> 
> Another example:
> [Competitive exams in India, Exams in India]


In BE, where exams are administered by an examining board, then it's the board who set the questions, mark the answers and award the grades.  All the teachers do is invigilate to prevent cheating: they play no other part in the process.

So that's a completely different scenario from the one you described in your posts #4 and #9.


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## Barque

Lun-14 said:


> Though I have been given a verb for it, I would like to know what verb _you_ would use in such a situation.


If the situation is setting the test, invigilating and providing clarifications when needed, I don't think there's a specific single word. If I had to make it clear that those three things were involved, I'd specify all three.


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## dojibear

Lun-14 said:


> Students* take* the test/exam.
> Teachers <_____?> the test/exam.



Students *take* a test and teachers *give* a test. These are the terms most commonly used in the US.

Of course there are more complicated words, and you can describe more complicated situations. There are once-a-year or once-a-lifetime nationwide tests, very formal. But for the everyday tests, that students in the US *take* every week, a teacher *gives* them.

Edit: here *give* means "administer": hand out test papers, watch, collect papers at the end.


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## Lun-14

dojibear said:


> *give* means "administer": hand out test papers, watch, collect papers at the end



Thanks. Here, "give" also means that the teacher has themsef made the test?

The teacher that I referred to in post#4
 i) makes the test,
ii) hand out test papers,
iii) watch,
iv) collect papers at the end
v) and mark them herself later on.


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## GreenWhiteBlue

Lun-14 said:


> Thanks. Here, "give" also means that the teacher has themsef made the test?
> 
> The teacher that I referred to in post#4
> i) makes the test,
> ii) hand out test papers,
> iii) watch,
> iv) collect papers at the end
> v) and mark them herself later on.



Lun, go back and read my post at #28.  The marking process is part of all that, although I could imagine separating that out in some circumstances and saying "I just gave a test to my class, and now I have to mark the papers."  Keep in mind, though, that it makes no sense for a teacher to give a test that will not eventually be marked!


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## JulianStuart

Lun-14 said:


> Thanks. Here, "give" also means that the teacher has themsef made the test?
> 
> The teacher that I referred to in post#4
> i) makes the test,
> ii) hand out test papers,
> iii) watch,
> iv) collect papers at the end
> v) and mark them herself later on.


Good description and context.  Now, did your OP ask about a single word for the whole thing from i to v, or only some part of it?


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## Lun-14

JulianStuart said:


> Now, did your OP ask about a single word for the whole thing from i to v, or only some part of it?



I needed a _single_ word for that.

I hope you're not insulting me...


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## JulianStuart

Lun-14 said:


> I needed a _single_ word for that.
> 
> I hope you're not insulting me...


(No insult: I asked about the whole thing or just some part of it, because from post # 9 it was not clear what you wanted one word for)


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## Lun-14

JulianStuart said:


> (No insult: I asked about the whole thing or just some part of it, because from post # 9 it was not clear what you wanted one word for)



What single verb would _you_ use for that i to v scenario?


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## JulianStuart

In the general context of a teacher at a high school, the word "give" would probably do, since the teacher would typically do it all him/herself, with no outside help, from creating the test to ultimately marking/ grading it, so we'd interpret "give" to cover all those functions.  In a particular sub-context, give might be restricted to supervising the students as they take the test.


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## Barque

I see you have gone up from three things to five in #35. I'm not sure why you seem to think there has to be a single word for it. While "give" could cover all those things, it needn't. If I heard that a teacher had "given" a test, I wouldn't assume that he/she did all the five things listed in #35.


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## DonnyB

Lun-14 said:


> What single verb would _you_ use for that i to v scenario?


I suspect "_give_ a test" is the nearest you're going to get to a _single_ word covering that particular scenario.


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## Lun-14

Barque said:


> I see you have gone up from three things to five in #35. I'm not sure why you seem to think there has to be a single word for it. While "give" could cover all those things, it needn't. If I heard that a teacher had "given" a test, I wouldn't assume that he/she did all the five things listed in #35.



Thanks. I just needed to know whether it could be the equivalent of the BE's "administer", as almost everyone above has suggested "administer". I thought that "administer" has a wider meaning than "give", because it involves organising the test too, which probably "give" doesn't. So I was unsure as to which verb could best describe my context.


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## Hermione Golightly

The technical word for writing the test is, or used to be, _to set _a test/exam. There's a big difference between end of term or end of year, school exams, external exams, and classroom tests.

I don't know any word for the whole process. The subject teacher  was rarely if ever the invigilator. Exams were conducted in absolute silence. Nobody talked in class tests either.
I agree that 'giving a test' is the best verb if it is the subject teacher testing her class, or even simply 'testing'.

"Next lesson, I'm testing vocabulary, so revise what you have learnt over the past four weeks."


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## suzi br

kentix said:


> Today is the very first day I've ever seen the word "invigilate". It sounds made up to my virgin AE ears.



It's not made up - it's even a full-time job during exam periods, now the law of the land has prohibited teachers being in the room for national exams like GCSEs and A-levels.  It's a great relief to teachers - I was never so bored as doing three hours of invigilation during the exam season!

Need a job:
Invigilator Jobs, vacancies | Indeed.co.uk


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## natkretep

_Administer (an exam)_ has a narrower meaning than _give (a test).
_
For me, administering an exam means doing those things associated with invigilation (checking that the question papers and answer sheets/booklets have been correctly distributed, checking that the candidates are the ones who are supposed to be sitting the exam, ensuring that they are not cheating, collecting and counting exam scripts). It might also involve things not associated with invigilation (_eg_ collecting the question papers from another location). The person administering an exam is often not the teacher.

The teacher is the person who _gives_ the test (and would be involved in setting it, marking it and so on).

_ADDED_
I confirm with suzi that _invigilate_ does not raise eyebrows here; I grew up with the term at school, and I'm still asked to invigilate exams at the university.


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