Exams are complicated enough when you know they’re coming up. However, if you’re writing about them and you don’t know what verb works out of “write,” “take,” and “give,” you’re left in an even more tricky situation. This article will help you understand all you need to know!
Do You “Write,” “Take,” Or “Give” An Exam?
The one who creates the exam paper will “write” the exam. The person who hands out the papers ready for people to answer “gives” the exams. The students who are required to answer the questions in the exam will “take” it.
The three verb forms are all correct. However, we need to make sure we understand the difference.
Nine times out of ten, “take an exam” is the correct verb choice. This works best when we are set to fill out the questions of an exam, and we “take it” to find out what our score is based on the knowledge we’ve received from previous lessons.
What Does It Mean To “Write An Exam”?
While “take an exam” is the most obvious choice, “write an exam” is still correct in certain cases.
“Write an exam” means that somebody has created an exam for other people to take. This is usually dependent on the teacher (if it’s a small exam for a classroom) or an exam board (if it’s a larger exam that will be taken nationally).
Typically, the exam will not exist until it is “written.” Once it is “written,” it is time to give it out to the pupils who are destined to take it.
What Does It Mean To “Take An Exam”?
“Take an exam” means that someone will try their best to answer all the questions in an exam. This is the most common verb choice for “exams” because it is what most people do when trying to get the answers right.
There are no other verb choices used when talking about someone who is answering an exam. Only “take” makes sense to native speakers, and it is the only one you’re likely to come across.
What Does It Mean To “Give An Exam”?
“Give an exam” has its purpose, but it’s still not as popular as “take an exam.” Let’s see how it works.
“Give an exam” means that someone is physically distributing exams to the people who will be taking them. This could refer to a teacher who is handing the exams out for their class or to the exam board who created the exam and sent them to schools or colleges.
Once an exam has been “given,” it’s up to the people in charge of distribution within schools to make sure they’re given to the correct students at the correct times.
Examples Of How To Use “Write An Exam” In A Sentence
Check out some of these examples to see more about how the verb choices differ:
- The exam board has managed to write an exam that no one seems to be able to answer properly.
- I did not mean to write an exam that was impossible, but somehow I managed it.
- You have written an exam to give out to your students, which is what I was hoping you would do.
- He writes our exams whenever he gets a chance to, and I think he enjoys the power he gets from it.
- The exam board writes an exam once a month to check whether their methods are still appropriate.
- You need to write an exam yourself to find out how difficult it is to structure one.
- I should write the exam next time because then I’ll know all the answers!
Examples Of How To Use “Take An Exam” In A Sentence
“Take an exam” is the most common and works as follows:
- Please do not panic before you take an exam because it could lead to unfortunate mistakes.
- I need to take an exam before I’m allowed access to the building, which is strange.
- I think you should have taken an exam before doing this, but what do I know.
- I took an exam the other day, but I did not want to learn what my score was.
- You will have taken an exam by the end of the week, and I’ll make sure that it gets sent off at the correct time!
- I took an exam to make sure that I got the correct score when it was sent back.
- I need to take an exam again, even though I didn’t fail it!
Examples Of How To Use “Give An Exam” In A Sentence
Here are some examples to show you how we might “give an exam:”
- The teacher gave an exam to my friends and me, but no one else got one.
- I would like to give an exam to my teacher for a change, but I doubt they’ll find it funny.
- The exam board gives the exams to the school, which then funnels them down to the students.
- I need to give an exam to my children about their conduct in school because I do not trust them.
- Could you give me an exam that is actually challenging next time, please?
- I gave an exam to my students, and they all found it too difficult!
- I should give him an exam when I get a chance because it would test his knowledge which he seems so confident about.
Is “Write,” “Take,” Or “Give” An Exam Used The Most?
Finally, let’s check out some statistics to see which is most common. If you’ve paid close attention, you might already have a good idea of what you’re about to find out!
According to Google Ngram Viewer, “take an exam” is by far the most common verb choice for exams. We use it to show that pupils and students participate and answer the questions presented in an exam format.
“Write an exam” and “give an exam” are far less popular. They both seem about even with each other in usage, but neither one is entirely popular. That mainly comes down to how context-dependent they both are.
Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here.