'non-exam-based' originates from English, specifically formed from the prefix 'non-' meaning 'not', the noun 'exam' (short for 'examination') and the adjective 'based' (from 'base'), collectively meaning 'not based on examinations'.

'exam' is shortened from 'examination', which comes from Medieval Latin 'examinatio' (from Latin 'examinare'), while 'based' comes from the noun 'base' (Old French/Latin roots); the compound 'non-exam-based' is a modern English formation combining these elements.

Initially, 'examination' referred to the act of weighing or testing (from Latin), and over time it came to mean a formal test; 'non-exam-based' has developed recently to label assessments or decisions that explicitly avoid formal exams.