How do you say EXAMEN SUPLETORIO in English?

Darn! I wonder if there's a Make Up exam for this Make up exam!
I remember that long ago I asked my distinguished and knowledgeable colleagues of that time to enlighten me and tell me the right English word for what we know in Ecuador as EXAMEN SUPLETORIO or EXAMEN DE RECUPERACION. 
After hearing Recovery exam or Supplemenary test and even Supletory exam, I was not convinced so I decided to go to a higher authority and looked up one of those encyclopedic dictionaries from Oxford or Cambridge university (these were the pre-browser times) and found the right expression is MAKE UP EXAM which is taken when an exam has been missed or when a student needs to change one score with a more favorable one.
The British say RECUPERATION EXAM which is perhaps more practical since to some people the term Make Up is confusing. Make-up is the word for the wearing of cosmetics. There are Make-up tests which are oriented to future Make-up artists.

Comments

Ginger Nicole Alvia González said…
Cool!! I did not about that term, it is interesting to know that Make up exam is the correct way to say Examen de recuperación. I always use recuperation exam, thank you for that information, I am going to use it.
June 7, 2021 at 5:09 PM
Genesis Medina said…
That is a little bit funny because if you think very carefully that exam make up your actual score. Don't you think?
June 7, 2021 at 5:13 PM
Blanca Landivar said…
It is very interesting, because sometimes we usually try to translate very literally .. Expressions or phrases known in each region ..! But that does not necessarily imply that this is the correct translation.!
Thank you.!
June 7, 2021 at 5:17 PM
Carlos León Moran said…
I learned this term last semester since I was not satisfied with my English test score, so I wrote internally to my teacher, and she was so kind to correct me and tell me which was the correct word, it was kind of weird to hear that term, but it is always good to learn from mistakes.
June 7, 2021 at 5:24 PM
Briggitte Vera said…
So interesting! It's incredible how through a short text we can learn new and useful things!
June 7, 2021 at 5:26 PM
Arly López said…
Reading this seems interesting to me because at first glance if I had read this term "Make up exam" I would have said it’s a final makeup exam about cosmetics or something like that but it is not like that, this remains for me to learn that some phrases in English aren’t literally what it means in Spanish.
June 7, 2021 at 5:26 PM
Kymberlyn Carriel said…
As I always say, we’re learning everyday single day.
I didn’t know that Examen de recuperación is known as make up exam, interesting information to be added to the vocabulary!
June 7, 2021 at 5:28 PM
Samuel Macías said…
This information is very interesting and brilliant because I never thought that there was another word, I also thought that the correct word was a make-up exam. We have been deceived but it is interesting to know the correct word even though it does not make sense.
June 7, 2021 at 5:28 PM
Samuel Macías said…
This information is very interesting and brilliant because I never thought that there was another word, I also thought that the correct word was a recuperation exam. We have been deceived but it is interesting to know the correct word even though it does not make sense.
June 7, 2021 at 5:33 PM
Ginger Rocafuerte said…
It is very common to translate and interprete the terms as they are said in our mother language. Therefore, this definition is very useful to expand our vocabulary and to make a correct use of the terms when talking with an english speaker.
June 7, 2021 at 5:34 PM
Juan Jesús said…
Lucin Preciado Juan Jesús.

That's cool, great expression, so I agree with it is a little confusing with cosmetics. So, in that case the best advice is to try to do all test and don't fall it because it is sad to do an make up exam and failed.
June 7, 2021 at 5:43 PM
Anonymous said…
Dave Criollo:
I think that this blog helps us to how to teach some words or expressions in Spanish that couldn't exist in English.I hope we could learn something new with the pass of the time.
June 7, 2021 at 5:54 PM
David Flores said…
It is kind of funny when you say "Make up exam" because as a Ecuadorian guy I am used to say to my mother: "No necesitas make up mamá, you are beautiful" (she knows what make up means) and seeing these words make me feel like I am going to do an exam about wearing of cosmetics.
June 7, 2021 at 5:59 PM
Eunice Rosado Rodríguez said…
These are the little things that make me even more sure that I have too much way to go and learn the language, the truth is that I had never thought about this in depth, but now I already know 2 different terms to call it.
June 7, 2021 at 6:04 PM
Karla Alvarez said…
I loved it!
It's incredible how we can learn new things about the English language when there's just a tiny doubt.
I like when words/phrases have different meanings which can be used in a bunch of diverse contexts. It's also interesting to know that "make-up" can be used in a lot of ways to express different ideas. Thanks for this helpful info!👌
June 7, 2021 at 6:27 PM
Nevárez Hoys Steven said…
It`s wonderful when you learn new words, I didn´t know it but from now on I will be able to use this word when i want and change my vocabulary.
June 7, 2021 at 6:27 PM
Alejandra Del Valle said…
Make-up exam. I've always used the "recuperation exam" term because that's what I've found on the internet. Although I remember thinking it sounded like broken English. But, come to think of it, sometimes the words that look like broken English, are in fact, the most formal ones HAHAHA like "converse", it sounds like a Latino person making up a word for saying "talk", but in reality, it's the most formal way to say "talk".
June 7, 2021 at 7:00 PM
LILIANA EDITH ROMERO MEDINA said…
Sometimes one thinks that the words that we do not understand and we ask other colleagues or students we say that it is the extra exam, but in dictionaries there are other terms either Make Up exam that has another derivative of Make up can be makeup, although in England they say recovery exam, they are words that carry out the same sound.
June 7, 2021 at 7:03 PM
Manuel Erazo said…
It's good to know a new word for our vocabulary because in the future it'll be useful, I'm pleased to learn a new word,and add it to my lexicon.
June 7, 2021 at 7:05 PM
Cynthia Ramón Casal said…
Due to the constant use of english and influence in our daily lives I think it is only predictable to try and translate as close as possible to meet the same purpose. Overall, I find it clever, to call it Make-up exam. Couples make up after a fight and women wear make-up and this is just another example of how many senses one word or expressions can convey, which is always useful and interesting to teach.
June 7, 2021 at 7:24 PM
Ferruzola Martínez Rita said…
That's cool and I like the way you help us to increase our knowledge. I have heard that phrase before Makeup in different contexts in British English but I was completely unaware of that term.
June 7, 2021 at 7:35 PM
Torres Alvear Odette said…
It is good information, I think that many students translate it literally when it is not the correct way, I can say that I have learned something new, because I was one of those students who said "supplementary exam". Thanks for sharing this information.
June 7, 2021 at 8:09 PM
Nicole Cedeño Gines said…
I find it interesting how some expressions in English can change depending on the context of what is being talked about. I did not know about this term. I also think it can be confusing to use the term "make up exam"; so personally, I would use the British term "recuperation exam" for a better compression.
June 7, 2021 at 8:20 PM
ENGLISH EDU said…
BRITNEY NAVAS:
¡wow!
It is incredible to see how a phrase that is usually used more in a single context, we are realizing that it can be used in a totally different context. This kind of information is really useful Mr. Bermúdes, thank you very much.
June 7, 2021 at 8:45 PM
Johanna Arteaga said…
I think it is curious how sometimes we do not realize some terms until you have the need for them, although I'm more used to using the term in reference to cosmetics I think the word makes sense, in any case, now we know which is the correct term to use and with that expand our academic vocabulary a little more.
June 7, 2021 at 8:57 PM
Maria Peralta Manzo said…
I would never imagine that MAKE-UP would mean recuperation as well. It's great to know it.
June 7, 2021 at 10:09 PM
Mendoza Párraga Martha said…
It is the first time I hear that word, it is good to learn new vocabulary to know what is the correct use of words. :)
June 7, 2021 at 10:18 PM
Anonymous said…
Erazo Cornejo Evelyn
It is a very interesting information which I did not know that there was a lot of confusion about this expression. Now I know the ways to say Examen Supletorio and it is cool.
June 7, 2021 at 10:20 PM
Ginger Morán said…
I thought this expression was only related to makeup until I learned the term make up a quizz which implies doing it again in the case of a test or exam that was not done well. Therefore, a make-up exam would be the same .
June 7, 2021 at 10:32 PM
Zamora Parra Anthony said…
This kind of information inspires me to hunger for translating some things that are in Spanish in my every day life into English. I didn't know this word and I use it a lot in Spanish. It is good to know that the words less expected are the ones more accurate.
June 7, 2021 at 10:55 PM
Saraí Pesantes Parreño said…
I remembered that my school and some of my high school teachers call that exam as Supplemental exam. It is good to know that it has its own name.
June 8, 2021 at 7:09 AM
Odalis97 said…
Make up ?! What?! Woow! I never imagined to use this expression as “supletorio”. It so interesting to know and to learn new vocabulary.
June 8, 2021 at 8:14 AM
Emily Saca Salinas said…
Though I had seen this term once or twice while reading some texts, I didn't remember it at all. For sure, knowing about this is a boost to my vocabulary.
Thanks for the helpful information.
June 8, 2021 at 2:37 PM
Cynthia Rizzo said…
Cynthia Rizzo Paguay
!Wow¡ it's interesting to learn new things, because I knew that ''make up'' has different uses, but I didn't know that we can use it to do an exam.
June 8, 2021 at 4:24 PM
Alejandra Coronel Guzhñay said…
I feel "make up test" is a reference to when an accountant has no chance of saving a balance and the only option is to make up it.
June 8, 2021 at 10:08 PM
Mayrene Pin said…
Interesting information, now I will use the correct word " make up exam" for "examen supletorio", thank you for such valuable information.
June 9, 2021 at 4:04 AM
Joselyne Fernández said…
Usefull! Thanks for the information, I didn't know about this traduction. Yes, could be confusse, but it sounds interesting, I Will use it.
June 10, 2021 at 8:50 AM
Ericka Zambrano said…
I haven't had used it before so that's an interesting new word;we never finish learning.
June 19, 2021 at 2:42 PM
Stephie said…
cool! I really appreciate your help. However, I wonder if it is possible to use the same term for EXAMEN REMEDIAL?

Regards
February 28, 2023 at 8:58 AM
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