post-testn.adj.
/ˈpəʊs(t)tɛst/, U.S. /ˈpoʊs(t)ˌtɛst/ (in sense B.)Brit. /ˌpəʊs(t)ˈtɛst/, /ˈpəʊs(t)tɛst/, U.S. /ˈˌpoʊs(t)ˈˌtɛst/ Originally Psychology.
A. n.
A test taken after a programme, course, etc., and designed to measure its value or effectiveness (usually by comparing the results with those of a test taken before such training).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > psychology > developmental psychology > acquisition of knowledge > test of mental ability > act of testing > [noun] > follow-up test
post-test1942
1942 Jrnl. Higher Educ. 13 34/2 This plan would make it possible to give each form to half the students as a pre-test and to the other half as a post-test, thereby actually providing a 90-minute sampling of understandings possessed by students at the beginning and at the end of the year.
1973 J. S. Bruner Beyond Information Given xviii. 321 This was followed by some training trials and then there was a posttest.
1986 S. M. Hinchcliff Teaching Clin. Nursing (BNC) 139 It is important to determine, by a pre-test, the students's background knowledge. A post-test will disclose what the student has learnt from the programme.
1989 Appl. Linguistics 10 344 Analyses of covariance were conducted on post-test scores, using pre-test scores as a covariate.
1994 Appl. Linguistics 15 267 After the treatment in experimental classes, immediate post-tests, followed by delayed post-tests one month later, were administered to all five classes.
B. adj.
That comes after or is subsequent to a test.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > psychology > developmental psychology > acquisition of knowledge > test of mental ability > act of testing > [adjective] > following a test
post-test1943
1943 Jrnl. Business Univ. Chicago 16 71 In the post-test period, when chocolate milk was made available again, the average per capita consumption reverted to the pretest level of 1.67 half-pints.
1966 Jrnl. Personality & Social Psychol. 4 175 60 male and female college Ss were..tested..in a social pressure plus reinforcement session and again in a posttest reinforcement session 2 wk. later.
1972 Jrnl. Social Psychol. 86 12 Endler..observed posttest behavior consistent with his reinforcement schedules.
1993 Byte Mar. 118/1 Our posttest interviews indicated that the less computer literate found GDSS meetings more effective than did their high-powered colleagues.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.adj.1942