Preliminary examination

Preliminary examination may refer to:

In education

 * Prelim, an examination that qualifies a student to continue higher level studies and/or allows a student to see how prepared they are for the looming examinations
 * Comprehensive examination, a required examination that a student must pass to continue a course of study
 * The Preliminary College Scholastic Ability Test in South Korea
 * PSAT/NMSQT, a national standardized test taken by high school students in the United States

Legal processes

 * An examination performed by an International Preliminary Examining Authority under the Patent Cooperation Treaty
 * Preliminary hearing, a court appearance to determine if there is enough evidence to bind the accused for trial

India Civil Services

 * A component in several examinations in the Indian Civil Services:
 * Civil Services Examination of India
 * Bangladesh Civil Service Examination
 * Karnataka Administrative Service examination