Tutor always holding test (4)
I believe the answer is:
oral
'test' is the definition.
(oral is a type of examination)
'tutor always holding' is the wordplay.
'holding' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue.
'ORAL' can be found hidden inside 'tutor always'.
(Other definitions for oral that I've seen before include "Exam using speech" , "Spoken exam" , "Type of exam" , "Via the mouth" , "Like some tradition" .)