a detailed inspection of your conscience (as done daily by Jesuits)
<noun.cognition>
a critical study (as of a writer's work)
<noun.cognition>
Examen \Ex*a"men\, n. [L., the tongue of a balance, examination; for exagmen, fr. exigere to weigh accurately, to treat: cf. F. examen. See {Exact}, a.] Examination; inquiry. [R.] ``A critical examen of the two pieces.'' --Cowper.