To sit an exam
Hello, again. I am trying to guess how I must say "faltar a un examen" in English. I have the following information. I suppose everything is correct. If you see something incorrect, I would thank you to correct it.
To sit an exam.- presentarse a un examen
To resit an exam.- volver a presentarse a un examen
To resit an exam.- recuperar un examen. (Is this correct?)
And how do you say "faltar a un examen" in English?.
Thank you, as always.
5 Answers
I agree with what Marianne, Amy and Lorenzo have already said on the matter. These are all ways to express the various statements that you have presented. I just wanted to make a comment on the use of the word "test" vs "exam" (at least in the sense that it is commonly used in region of the United States in which I grew up).
In secondary school (i.e. high school) each school year is divided into two semesters, and each semester is further subdivided into nine-week periods. "Exams" or "tests" are usually given at irregular intervals throughout each nine-week grading period. Each of these tests, which occurs in the middle of a grading period is usually simply referred to as a test (although occasionally one might hear the word "exam" used). For example:
?"I have to take a test in biology on Friday/I have a biology test on Friday"
?"I missed my biology test last Friday because I was out sick with the flu"
?"I have to make-up my/a test in biology today because I missed it on Friday/I have to make up my biology test today (due to my being absent from class on Friday)"
?"I am going to stay late after school today because my teacher is letting me retake my biology test (on account of the fact that I made a low score on the test the first time I took it)"
In addition there are usually tests given at the end of each nine-weeks grading period and at the end of each semester. Often, these tests are cumulative exams (i.e. the test on the entire scope of material that has been presented up to that point), and are often thought of as "major tests." It is probably more likely that the word "exam" will be used in reference to this sort of test than is true of the other tests mentioned earlier. That being said, tests that end a grading period/semester are probably more commonly referred to as "nine-weeks tests/exams" or "final exams," respectively; however, probably the most commonly use expression would to simply call them "finals (with the word "exam" being omitted entirely)."
?"I have my finals this week/I'm taking finals this week"
?"I missed my biology final on Friday because I had a stomach virus."
? "I had to make up my biology final because I missed it on Friday
? "My biology teacher said that he is not going to let me retake my final, even though I had to leave early when I took it the first time."
In college (post-secondary school), according to my own experiences, the terminology is pretty similar, except that each semester is not subdivided into nine-week sections. Additionally, in college there are often (although not always) two so-called "major" or cumulative tests—the semester final exam and the semester midterm exam. In this case, these exams are simply referred to as a "final" or a "midterm," respectively.
Again, I am pretty sure that this particular terminology might not necessarily reflect what is used in other parts of the English speaking world (UK, New England, etc); however, this is what one will commonly encounter in the area of the U.S. that I live in.
This is what's common in American English:
To sit for an exam / To take an exam
To retake an exam.
To miss an exam (faltar a un examen)
In British English we take an exam or you may hear people say they are doing exams (although take sounds more correct to me). En Perú al menos eso sería el equivalente a presentarse a un examen o dar examen.
Then, if we must do the exam again again, we resit it. This would be recuperar.
I would agree that faltar un examen is to miss or not sit an exam.
In American English you take an exam. Then you can take it again or retake it.
faltar a un examen = miss a test
faltar a un examen could this also be "to need an exam" ??
or "to be missing an exam" in other words you need another exam in order to graduate for example?
