Crossword Genius

Final exam over, covered in mistakes (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

tripos

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'final exam' is the definition.
'tripos' can be an answer for 'exam' (tripos is a kind of exam). I'm not sure about the 'final' bit.

'over covered in mistakes' is the wordplay.
'over' becomes 'o' (cricket abbreviation).
'covered in' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'mistakes' becomes 'trips' (trip is a kind of mistake).
'o' inserted within 'trips' is 'TRIPOS'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for tripos that I've seen before include "important examination" , "university exam" , "Final honours exam for Cambridge BA" , "Cambridge honours examination" .)

I've seen this clue in The Sunday Times and The Times.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.