pretest

American  

[pree-test, pree-test] / ˈpriˌtɛst, priˈtɛst /

noun

1. an advance or preliminary testing or trial, as of a new product.

2. a test given to determine if students are sufficiently prepared to begin a new course of study.

3. a test taken for practice.

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verb (used with object)

1. to give a pretest to (a student, product, etc.).

verb (used without object)

1. to conduct a pretest.

   to pretest for consumer acceptance.

pretest British  

/ priːˈtɛst /

verb

1. to test (something) before presenting it to its intended public or client

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noun

1. the act or instance of pretesting

Etymology

Origin of pretest

First recorded in 1945–50; pre- + test ¹

Example Sentences

It did not require a pretest dose supervised by a physician as the previous studies did.

From Science Daily • Apr. 9, 2024

The bees' response to the ambiguous stimulus depended on whether they received a treat before the test: those that got the pretest sugar approached the intermediate color faster than those that didn't.

From Scientific American • Jun. 16, 2023

You administer a pretest to a group of students at the beginning of the semester, and a posttest at the end of a year’s instruction using this textbook, and compare the results.

From Textbooks • Sep. 19, 2013

Many now pretest their programs and advertisements using a system called the Harding Flash and Pattern Analyser.

From Slate • Nov. 29, 2011

The first thing they did was take a vocabulary pretest to see how many of the thirty-five words for the week the kids already knew.

From "Frindle" by Andrew Clements