exzamen/zachet

[Alina Israeli]

>OK, this makes good sense, but I struggle to accept the contrast
>"exam/test" = "экзамен/зачет" because the English pair does not convey
>the contrast you outline here.

As a rule, зачет - zachet precedes the exam, and pertains to the practical
side of the course. Whithout passing the "zachet" one will not be admitted
to the oral exam. So if the zachet part is "akademichaskaja zadolzhennost'"
(incomplete) or in student's parlance "xvost", the whole course is an
incomplete.

The other difference is that exams are always for a grade, while all
zachety correspond to the American pass/fail system - zachet vs. nezachet.

There are accasionally "less important" course for which there would not be
an exam, only zachet, so it less demanding as far as evaluation, maybe no
oral examination, or maybe there would be one, but it would be called
"zachet". In this case it corresponds exactly to the pass/fail system.

_____________
Alina Israeli
LFS, American University
4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20016

phone:  (202) 885-2387
fax:    (202) 885-1076

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