resit

American  

[ree-sit, ree-sit] / riˈsɪt, ˈriˌsɪt /

verb (used with or without object)

• resits,
  present (3rd person singular)
• resat,
  past participle,  past
• resitting
  present participle

1. to retake (a test or examination).

---

noun

• resits
  plural

1. a test or examination that is retaken.

resit British  

verb

1. to sit (an examination) again

---

noun

1. an examination taken again by a person who has not been successful in a previous attempt

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• resits
  plural

Participles

• resitting
  present
• resat
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• resit
  simple
• resits
  simple
• have resat
  perfect
• has resat
  perfect
• am resitting
  progressive
• are resitting
  progressive
• is resitting
  progressive
• have been resitting
  perfect progressive
• has been resitting
  perfect progressive

Past

• resat
  simple
• had resat
  perfect
• was resitting
  progressive
• were resitting
  progressive
• had been resitting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will resit
  simple
• will have resat
  perfect
• will be resitting
  progressive
• will have been resitting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of resit

First recorded in 1925–30; re- ( def. ) + sit ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

resit resits resat resitting

She said this year's resit figures were "disappointing and slightly demoralising for everybody" but not a "huge surprise".

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

She said her message to others who might be stuck in the resit cycle is: "Keep at it".

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

It said it would "give students the essential knowledge and skills" before they resit their GCSEs, and then "only be entered into exams when they are ready".

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

Jill Duffy, the head of the OCR exam board, said there was a "resit crisis".

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2025

However, it said international students had a greater choice of courses, and on foundation programmes had “more opportunities” to succeed through resit than A-level or Scottish Higher students.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2024

The government said it wanted to stop the "endless treadmill of unnecessary resits".

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

While some of those would have been mature students sitting them for the first time, most would have been school- or college-age pupils taking resits after failing them when they were 16.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2025

Here is everything you need to know about results, appeals and resits.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2025

Here is your guide to this year's results, appeals and resits.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2025

By heating resols, resitols are formed which, on further heating, are finally converted into resits.

From Synthetic Tannins by Georg Grasser

Ultimately, the crew resat him elsewhere, but the ordeal took some time.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 10, 2026

But a growing proportion of those opening results are older, having resat the English or maths GCSEs that they didn't pass the first time around.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2025

He has also gained an apprenticeship and resat Maths and English.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2024

"It's horrendous making him keep doing it. I don't think it's fair, the pressure on them to keep resitting it," mum Marriane said.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

Pupils resitting are far less likely to pass than those sitting the exams for the first time.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2025

If you want to explore resitting a subject, you should speak to your school or college about the best course of action.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2025

In England, most students who took exams in November will have been resitting English or maths.

From BBC ● Jan. 10, 2024

This meant resitting six exams the following year, and a fixed fee of £150 per exam was agreed.

From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2023