Test (law)

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title: "Test (law)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["legal-tests", "common-law"] description: "Commonly applied method of evaluation used to resolve matters of jurisprudence" topic_path: "law" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test_(law)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Commonly applied method of evaluation used to resolve matters of jurisprudence ::

In law, a test is a commonly applied method of evaluation used to resolve matters of jurisprudence.{{cite book | title = Responsibility in Law and Morality | first = Peter | last = Cane | publisher = Hart Publishing | year = 2002 | isbn = 1-84113-321-3

Tests are often formulated from the logical analysis of a judicial decision or a court order where it appears that a finder of fact or the court made a particular decision after contemplating a well-defined set of circumstances. It is assumed that evaluating any given set of circumstances under a legal test will lead to an unambiguous and repeatable result.

Kinds of legal tests

• Bright-line rule
• Balancing test

International law

• Berne three-step test
• Habitual residence test
• Caroline test

Common law

• "But-for" test

Canada

• Andrews test
• Air of reality test (see also R v Fontaine)
• Assumed Jurisdiction test
• Central management and control test
• Collins Test
• Community Standards of Tolerance test
• Conway Test
• Degradation or Dehumanization Test
• Denial of Bail test
• Gladue Test
• Grant Test (see also R v Suberu)
• Indecent conduct test (see also R v Kouri)
• Integral to Distinctive Culture test
• Interjurisdictional immunity
• Internal Necessities Test or Artistic Defense
• Meiorin test
• Law test
• Multiple Access test
• Necessarily incidental doctrine
• Oakes test
• Overbreadth test
• Patent unreasonableness test
• Pith and substance test (see also R v Morgentaler)
• Provincial Inability test
• Purpose and form test
• Real and Substantial Connection test
• Reasonableness Standard
• Sheppard Test
• Smithers test
• Sparrow test
• Test for Aboriginal Title
• Test for bias
• Test for confusion
• Test for detention
• Test for exclusion of evidence
• Test for the inclusion of hearsay evidence
• Test for materiality
• Test for material causation/contribution
• Test for new principle of fundamental justice
• Test for Infringement of Title
• Test for inducement or contributory patent infringement
• Tests for paramountcy – Express contradiction test & Frustrate the purpose test
• Test for patent infringement
• Test for peace, order, and good government (see also R v Crown Zellerbach Canada Ltd)
• Void for Vagueness test
• Waterfield Test
• Wigmore Test

European Convention on Human Rights

• Necessary in a democratic society

United Kingdom

• Bolam test
• Hicklin test
• Wednesbury unreasonableness test

United States

• Aguilar-Spinelli test
• Bad tendency
• Calculus of negligence test (Hand rule)
• Clear and present danger
• Consumer expectations test
• Daubert standard
• Frye test
• Imminent lawless action
• Insurance bad faith test
• Lemon test
• McDonnell Douglas burden-shifting framework
• Miller test
  • SLAPS test
• Mt. Healthy test
• Risk-utility test
• Reasonable expectation of privacy
• Sherbert test
• Shocks the conscience test
• Wambaugh's inversion test

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