testing
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
While testing, assessment, evaluation, and examination all involve measuring knowledge or performance, they differ in scope and purpose. Testing usually refers to a specific, concrete procedure — a written exam, a lab experiment, or a practical check — with clear right-or-wrong answers. Assessment is broader, covering any method of judging someone's abilities, including teacher observations, project work, and self-evaluation. Evaluation adds a judgment of overall value or quality, often used for programmes, courses, or products rather than individual students. Examination suggests a formal, high-stakes written test held at a fixed time, often at the end of a course. For example, a school may use continuous assessment throughout the term, hold a final examination at year-end, and conduct programme evaluation every three years — but the actual testing happens when students sit for the exam.
Common collocations
Nouns
- drug testing
- product testing
- animal testing
- software testing
- medical testing
- genetic testing
- standardized testing
Phrases
- go through testing
- conduct testing on
- carry out testing
- undergo testing
- put to the test
Prepositions
- testing of [something/someone]
- testing for [a disease/quality/trait]
Etymology
The word 'testing' comes from the noun 'test', which entered English from Old French 'test', meaning 'a small vessel used to judge the purity of metals'. This goes back to Latin 'testum' — an earthen pot used in ancient alchemy for melting and examining metal ores. The idea of using a container to check quality slowly shifted into the general sense of 'a procedure for measuring ability or quality' by the late 17th century. The adjective meaning 'difficult' developed in the 19th century, based on the idea that hard situations put a person's abilities to the test.