Phrases with the word exam

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‘exam‘ also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

Давайте отразим тему экзаменов в английском. Объяснения фраз даю на английском и на русском.

Before the exam — До экзамена

During the exam — Во время экзамена

What sort of student are you?

British schools

In Britain, pupils wear a school uniform. As well as a particular skirt or pair of trousers, with a specific shirt and jumper, they also have a school PE kit (clothes that they wear to play sports at school).

Most children go to state-run primary and secondary schools. Schools are mostly mixed (girls and boys sit in the same classes), although there are some single-sex schools (schools for girls or boys only) and a few schools are private, where parents pay school fees.

Schools try to have clear rules for acceptable behaviour. For example, pupils (school children) have to show respect to their teachers. Often they have to stand up when their teacher comes into the classroom and say «Good morning». If pupils break the rules, they can expect to be sent to the headmaster or headmistress, or to do detention, when they stay behind after the other pupils go home.

Most schools have lessons in the morning and in the afternoon. Pupils can go home for lunch, or have their lunch in school. Some have a packed lunch (where they bring lunch from home, such as sandwiches, fruit etc) and some eat what the school prepares. These «school dinners» vary in quality, and there has recently been a lot of media interest in providing healthy school dinners for pupils.

Pupils can expect to get homework for most subjects, and there are regular tests to check progress. At the end of each of the three school terms, teachers give each pupil a report. Schools also have a parents’ evening each year, when the parents can meet the teachers to discuss their child’s progress.

School isn’t just lessons and homework though. Most schools arrange a sports day once a year, as well as school trips to places of interest.

Useful phrases — Полезные фразы

Seeing as a large number of schoolchildren in the UK are currently in the midst of external exams – whether that’s GCSEs, AS levels or A2s – a blog post covering idioms about exams seemed to be the obvious contender for the next in my series.

As you would expect, most of the sayings in this list are focused around effort, success or failure.

For those of you like me who are interested in the etymology behind the idioms, I’ve also included some links to more information.

English idioms about exams: studying and results

Ace a test = obtain a very high score or an excellent result

Bone up on = study hard, usually in preparation for a test

Burn the candle at both ends = stay up late into the night and then get up early next day to carry on working

Burn the midnight oil = work late into the night

Come up trumps (or turn up trumps) = unexpectedly produce just what’s needed at the last moment

Dead cert = something that’s certain to happen or be achieved

Draw a blank = fail in attempts to remember something

Hit the books = begin to study hard

In a brown study = daydreaming or deeply contemplative

In the bag = virtually guaranteed; success assured (derived from the ‘game bags’ used to collect small game on hunting trips)

Keep your nose to the grindstone = apply yourself conscientiously to your work

Knuckle down = focus on a project or a task

Learn something off by heart = learn something in such a way that you can say it from memory

Make a pig’s ear of = botch something up; make a complete mess of something

Make the grade = be satisfactory and of an expected level

Moment of truth = critical or decisive time when you find out if your efforts have succeeded (i.e. results day)

On course for = likely to achieve something

Pass with flying colours = do very well in a test or exam

Rise to the occasion = manage to do something successfully in difficult circumstances

Sail through = succeed in doing something without difficulty.

Study animal = someone who studies hard (the opposite of a party animal)

If you enjoyed this collection of idioms about exams, you might also be interested in my post on school idioms.

Over to you

As usual, I learnt a couple of new idioms while putting this list together. I certainly hadn’t heard of “in a brown study” or a “study animal” before.

How about you? Any phrases here that were new to you? Or any idioms about exams that you think should be added to the list?

(students image courtesy of Ambro via Freedigitalphotos.net)