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The Testing is a 2013 science fiction novel by the American author Joelle Charbonneau. It is told from the point of view of Malencia (Cia) Vale, a sixteen-year-old girl who is chosen to participate in The Testing, a program to select future leaders for the United Commonwealth.

Setting
The story is set in the dystopian, post-apocalyptic United Commonwealth. The Seven Stages War, during which biological, nuclear, and chemical weapons were used followed by a series of natural disasters including hurricanes and earthquakes, has decimated the population and ravaged the environment. The Commonwealth is trying to rebuild society through recolonization, and Cia lives in Five Lakes Colony (near the present day Great Lakes).

Plot
Cia, having just graduated from school, is hoping she will be chosen for the Testing so she can attend the University like her father. She is excited when she gets chosen, along with Tomas, Malachi, and Zandri, but her father warns her that the Testing is much more dangerous than it seems. He tells her not to trust anyone.

The next day, Cia is taken by skimmer to Tosu City, the capital of the Commonwealth. When she arrives at Tosu City, she is assigned a room with a roommate named Ryme. The first section of testing, which takes place over the next two days, assesses topics such as math, science, and history. At the end of this section, Ryme is found to have committed suicide.

The second round of examinations is hands-on, and assesses skills and problem-solving. However, the candidates can be injured or killed for incorrect answers. For example, Malachi is hit in the eye by a nail when he makes a mistake repairing a radio.

The third round is a team test. Cia is put in a group with three other candidates, and they are told to split a series of problems amongst themselves, with each candidate entering a door at the end of a hallway corresponding to their problem. A Testing official notes that any candidate attempting to solve a problem that has already been completed will be penalized. The team decides that Roman will go first to answer. After a long wait, Annalise, next in the group, goes to answer her problems. Cia, growing suspicious of Roman, looks at a practice booklet he completed to decide his strengths. She finds that he efficiently solved the first problem, but wrote gibberish for the others. This leads her to the conclusion that Roman deliberately answered all 5 problems in an effort to get the other team members penalized for repeat answers. She decides to not take any chances and does not try to answer any problems. This proves the right strategy, as Annalise did not make it through alive.

The third round tests team and strategy skills. Cia is placed in a group with three other candidates, who must together solve five challenges. One team member, Roman, tries to trick the other members by completing all of the challenges instead of just the one he was assigned by the group. He plans to have the others removed from competition once they attempt their own challenges, since it is against the rules to repeat a challenge. Cia discovers his intentions and does not try any challenges, which keeps her in the Testing.

The final part of the Testing involves a trek cross-country from Chicago to Tosu City. The candidates are bounded by a pair of fences to make sure they interact with each other. Cia decides to team up with Tomas to help them both survive. When the test starts, Cia is shot at by someone with a crossbow but shoots back with her gun.

Later, when looking for water, Cia finds an oasis. She is suspicious because she believes the Testing officials planted it there as a trap. Tomas doesn't listen and gets punctured by a branch that he pokes the ground with. Cia helps him back to health with her medical kit.

Tomas then finds a pair of bicycles in disrepair. Cia spends a day fixing them, and the pair are now able to travel faster.

Major characters

 * Malencia (Cia) Vale – The novel's protagonist, from Five Lakes colony. Generous and trusting.
 * Zeen Vale – Cia's older brother. He finished at the top of his class, and works with his father to revitalize the land by genetically engineering new, hardier varieties of crops.
 * Tomas Endress – A Testing candidate along with Cia. He allies with her throughout the testing, and becomes a love interest.
 * Will – One of Cia's friends at the beginning of the Testing, from Madison colony. He later betrays her and Tomas by pretending to ally with them but later shooting at them.
 * Michal – A Testing official that discreetly tells Cia that she is being watched by cameras everywhere she goes.

Reception
The New York Times review called the novel "a chilling and devious dystopian thriller that all fans of  The Hunger Games  will simply devour."