Definition
An assessment given before instruction begins, used to measure what a student already knows about a subject so the instructor can tailor the lesson, identify knowledge gaps, and establish a baseline for measuring later progress.
Plain English
A test given before training starts, so the instructor can see what the student already knows and what still needs to be taught.
Context Anchor
Seen in aviation instruction, lesson planning, ground training, and flight training progress checks.
Derivation
From the prefix 'pre-' (Latin, meaning 'before') combined with 'test'. The prefix is what carries the meaning here: the test happens before instruction, not after.
Why Pilots Care
Allows the instructor to adjust the depth and pace of training to the student’s actual starting point, preventing wasted time on known material and avoiding gaps in needed knowledge.
Intuition Check
A pretest is not a final exam or a punishment for not knowing something. It is an early check used to find the right place to begin.
Example Sentence 1
Before starting the weather unit, the instructor gave a short pretest to see which topics the students already understood.
Example Sentence 2
Pretest scores showed the class had solid knowledge of basic aerodynamics, so the instructor skipped the introductory review.