Meanings
plural challenge exams
- An examination that assesses a person's existing knowledge rather than coming at the end of a taught course.
Take “challenge exams”, such as a college-level equivalency exam: You can convert knowledge learned outside the classroom into credits toward a college program. This can save you time and money.
2016 After the Military Handbook (page 41)1 more example
In other words, if you think that your learning in human anatomy is equivalent to what is being taught in a course in human anatomy, some schools will invite you to take a challenge exam in that subject.
1997, Lois S. Lamdin, Earn College Credit for what You Know, page 76
Cite this entry
challenge exam. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/challenge%20exam
“challenge exam.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/challenge%20exam. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “challenge exam,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/challenge%20exam.
Source: challenge exam on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.