Commonly Confused Words

Take vs. Pass an exam

1 min read

Take and pass are often confused when talking about exams. The difference is simple: take means you do the exam, while pass means you succeed.

Take an exam → do the exam

Use take when you sit the exam, regardless of the result.

I will take the exam next week.
She took the test yesterday.
They are taking their final exams.

You can take an exam and fail it.

Pass an exam → succeed

Use pass when you get a good enough result.

He passed the exam.
She hopes to pass her driving test.
They have passed all their exams.

Fail an exam → not succeed

I failed the exam.
He didn’t pass the test.

British vs. American English

In British English, people often say sit an exam instead of “take an exam”.

I will sit my exams next week. (British)

Key difference

Take → the action (do the exam).
Pass → the result (success).

Typical mistake

❌ I passed the exam yesterday. (if you mean you did it, not the result)
✔️ I took the exam yesterday.

💡 Tip

You take an exam first.
Then you pass or fail it.

Test your knowledge 📝

Question 1 sur 10Score: 0/10

I will ___ my final exam next week.

Discover the app: Shaky English

Join 100,000 people who are improving their English skills on the Shaky English app

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Commonly Confused Words

Take vs. Pass an exam

1 min read

Take and pass are often confused when talking about exams. The difference is simple: take means you do the exam, while pass means you succeed.

Take an exam → do the exam

Use take when you sit the exam, regardless of the result.

I will take the exam next week.
She took the test yesterday.
They are taking their final exams.

You can take an exam and fail it.

Pass an exam → succeed

Use pass when you get a good enough result.

He passed the exam.
She hopes to pass her driving test.
They have passed all their exams.

Fail an exam → not succeed

I failed the exam.
He didn’t pass the test.

British vs. American English

In British English, people often say sit an exam instead of “take an exam”.

I will sit my exams next week. (British)

Key difference

Take → the action (do the exam).
Pass → the result (success).

Typical mistake

❌ I passed the exam yesterday. (if you mean you did it, not the result)
✔️ I took the exam yesterday.

💡 Tip

You take an exam first.
Then you pass or fail it.

Test your knowledge 📝

Question 1 sur 10Score: 0/10

I will ___ my final exam next week.

Discover the app: Shaky English

Join 100,000 people who are improving their English skills on the Shaky English app

Other similar rules

Common mistakes

Reporting Verbs & Backshifting

Common mistakes

Using “will” vs. “going to” for future

Common mistakes

Modal Verbs for Advice (should, ought to, had better)

Conjugation

Countable vs. Uncountable Nouns (e.g. informations, advices)

Conjugation

What Is an Appositive?

Common confusions

Who's vs. Whose

Agreement rules

So vs. Such

Common confusions