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7 tests that determine if your relationship can last
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Don't get married unless you can pass these 7 tests. - photo by Melinda Fox
People always try to configure tests for their partners to pass. I can't say I prescribe to the practice of fashioning tests and assigning right and wrong answers. However, there are some situations that occur pretty naturally in most relationships that can teach you a lot about your partner and allow you to evaluate your compatibility.

Here are seven of those tests that teach you everything you need to know about the person you're dating.

Road trip

If you want to know if you can really hitch your wagon to his for the rest of your life, try spending together 72 hours straight of crazy mishaps and a stretch of road with no distraction from each other besides a CD player.

Running into an ex

The two of you should be able to survive a run-in with an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend without casualties. Are the both of you able to remain poised in this situation? Are you able to shrug the encounter off as no big deal, or does it turn into some kind of natural disaster?

The flu

It's really telling to discover how your partner acts when he or she is an invalid. Does she become utterly helpless or does she try too hard to keep going?

Also, it's great to learn how your partner responds to you in your sickened state. Is your partner helpful and caring? Is he repulsed by your puffy pink nose and clammy hands? Or is he willing to hold your hair for you while you barf your guts out?

A fight

There's no way you two are going to agree on everything, so it's good to see if your partner fights fairly. A fight reveals if your partner is considerate and good at seeing your side.

A fight also shows if she fights dirty or if he's willing to make compromises so the both of you can be happy.

Meeting the family

Meeting the family is the classic test every relationship has to pass.

Discover what kind of impression your partner makes and if he jives with your people. Learn what your girlfriend's family dynamic is like by seeing how her parents treat each other.

Assembling furniture

Building furniture together could be a metaphor for building a life together. By trying to put together all of the pieces of an Ikea bookcase, you can learn how your partner works through problems and if the two of you make a good team.

Competition

It's good to see how your partner acts in a competitive climate. You can discover if he's the kind of guy to give up or keep at it. Also, how does she react with the outcome? Is she a sore loser or a sore winner?