The next big test is the suit brought by the state of Washington in September.

ECONOMIST: The tobacco wars

"Throughout his 20-plus year professional career, Mr. Armstrong has been subjected to 500 to 600 drug tests without a single positive test, " the refiled suit reads.

CNN: Lance Armstrong refiles suit against anti-doping agency

If the Federal Reserve is requiring banks to run a stress test, that should be a heads up to take their lead and follow suit with our own personal financial stress test.

FORBES: Banks Pass Fed Reserve Stress Test -- The Question Remains, Would You?

But the real test will be Mr Lerach's suit against Enron and its advisers, as this has a far more ambitious goal: the way in which Wall Street underwrites securities.

ECONOMIST: Face value

Worse, a bankruptcy suit, seen as an important test of new clean-up procedures, was tossed out of court this week.

ECONOMIST: Asian economies

Examiners will struggle too, to produce a single test that measures the same level of ability in children of different ages. (In music tests all candidates for a given grade play the same pieces: in an English test, quite different reading texts and writing topics would suit an eight-year-old than an 11-year-old.) The changes might even have the perverse effect of making children sit more tests.

ECONOMIST: School examinations

In her suit, she said she passed a lie detector test and also she included a statement from her doctor saying she never used steroids.

NPR: BALCO Plea Deal May Keep Stars Off Stand

Instead of being handed a hit or miss pill, your doctor will do a test and then prescribe a drug that will work, because it will be specifically designed to suit your particular genes.

BBC: Scientists hope to develop individually-targeted drugs

Muralitharan, who became the first bowler to take 800 Test wickets on the final day of his Test career last July, would pose a real threat to the England batsmen on a surface which is likely to suit the Sri Lanka slow bowlers.

BBC: Cricket World Cup: Muralitharan ready for England match