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examen

ehk-SAH-mehn/ekˈsa.men/

“examen” means “exam” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

exam

Also: test, paper
NounmA1
A child sitting at a wooden school desk, concentrating intensely while writing with a pencil on a sheet of paper, representing an academic test.

📝 In Action

Tengo un examen de historia mañana y necesito estudiar.

A1

I have a history exam tomorrow and I need to study.

El profesor nos dio los resultados de los exámenes finales.

A2

The professor gave us the results of the final exams.

Hacer un examen oral me pone muy nervioso.

B1

Taking an oral exam makes me very nervous.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • prueba (test, proof)
  • evaluación (evaluation)

Common Collocations

  • aprobar un examen – to pass an exam
  • suspender un examen – to fail an exam
  • hacer un examen – to take/do an exam

analysis

Also: medical check-up, scrutiny
NounmB1formal
A person in a white lab coat holding a large magnifying glass to closely inspect a small, detailed object on a workbench, symbolizing thorough analysis.

📝 In Action

El médico ordenó un examen completo de sangre.

B1

The doctor ordered a complete blood analysis (or check-up).

La comisión sometió el documento a un riguroso examen.

B2

The commission subjected the document to a rigorous scrutiny.

Tras un examen detallado, encontramos la causa del problema.

B2

After a detailed review, we found the cause of the problem.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • análisis (analysis)
  • revisión (review)
  • inspección (inspection)

Common Collocations

  • examen físico – physical examination
  • examen de conciencia – self-reflection / examination of conscience

🔀 Commonly Confused With

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "examen" in Spanish:

analysis→exam→medical check-up→paper→scrutiny→test→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: examen

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence correctly uses the plural form of 'examen'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
examinar(to examine, to test) — Verb
examinador(examiner) — Noun
examinable(examinable) — Adjective
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

Comes directly from the Latin word *examen*, which originally meant 'a weighing' or 'the tongue of a balance' (the part that shows equality). By extension, it came to mean 'testing' or 'scrutiny,' reflecting the idea of carefully weighing something to judge its value.

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: examinationFrench: examenPortuguese: exame

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'examen' masculine or feminine?

'Examen' is always a masculine noun. You should use the masculine articles: 'el examen' or 'un examen'.

Why does 'examen' not have an accent, but 'exámenes' does?

In Spanish, words ending in N, S, or a vowel are naturally stressed on the second-to-last syllable (examen). When you make it plural, the word gets longer, and the stress moves back to the third-to-last syllable, breaking the natural rule. Spanish uses the accent mark (tilde) to show this unexpected stress: exá-me-nes.