Turning up halfway through test panicky is not ideal (5)
I believe the answer is:
inapt
'not ideal' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adjectives. Perhaps you can see a link between them that I don't see?
'turning up halfway through test panicky' is the wordplay.
'INAPT' is hidden backwards in amongst the letters.
However, I'm not sure how the hidden word is indicated.
'is' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for inapt that I've seen before include "Improper" , "Ill-chosen, not suitable" , "badly judged" , "unqualified" , "Inappropriate" .)