The examination in Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Adventure of the Three Students” is about Greek.
The story was first published in 1904 and later collected in The Return of Sherlock Holmes. Holmes is staying at a university college when an examination paper is accidentally exposed before the test. Three students had access to the room, and the tutor asks Holmes to determine which one may have cheated.
The academic setting gives the story a different atmosphere from London crimes and international conspiracies. Holmes examines physical traces in the room, including marks and disturbed material, while considering each student’s opportunity and knowledge. The investigation shows how his method can be applied to a small institutional mystery.
The title refers to the three students who become suspects, not to three separate examinations. The subject is classical Greek, a detail that reflects the educational world of British universities in Doyle’s period.