stress test

a test, especially one conducted in a laboratory, to determine how much pressure, tension, wear, or the like a given product or material can withstand.

Medicine/Medical. a test of cardiovascular health made by recording heart rate, blood pressure, electrocardiogram, and other parameters while a person undergoes physical exertion.

a simulation test to determine how a given institution, system, etc., would perform under greater than usual stresses or pressures: the government’s stress test for big banks; mandatory stress tests for nuclear plants; a Web site stress test that simulates peak traffic.