Gold standard (test)

A gold standard test is an experiment or procedure that is accepted as the best possible way to find out the truth. It's like the gold standard in gold coins - the gold coin is accepted as the best money that can be used to pay for something. Gold standard tests are accepted as the best way to get reliable information about something, like a disease or a process. For example, if you wanted to find out if a person had a certain type of cancer, the gold standard test would be the one doctors use to find out for sure if a person has the disease.