Crossword Genius

Most rigorous examination following poor crits (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

strictest

'most rigorous' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'examination following poor crits' is the wordplay.
'examination' becomes 'test' ('test' can be a synonym of 'examination').
'following' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'poor' indicates anagramming the letters.
'crits' with letters rearranged gives 'stric'.
'test' put after 'stric' is 'STRICTEST'.

(Another definition for strictest that I've seen is " Most rigorous".)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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