Two Catholic practices share almost the same name and are often mixed up: the evening examen and the examination of conscience. Both are a way of looking back at your life in God's presence. Both are old, simple and free. But they are not the same prayer, and knowing the difference makes each of them easier to keep.
In short: the examen is a short daily prayer about the whole day — the gifts as much as the failures — and it ends by looking at tomorrow. An examination of conscience is a fuller, more searching review before the sacrament of confession, usually along the Ten Commandments, so that you can name your sins honestly to the priest.
The evening examen: a daily look back with God
The examen comes from St Ignatius of Loyola, who made it part of his Spiritual Exercises in the sixteenth century; he is remembered for urging his companions never to drop it, even on days with no time for other prayer. It is usually prayed at night and takes a few minutes.
It has a simple shape. Most versions have five movements:
- Give thanks. Look back over the day and notice what was given to you — something small is enough.
- Ask for light. Ask God to show you the day as it really was, not as you would defend it or accuse yourself of it.
- Walk through the day. Go back through the hours. Where was there peace? Where was there restlessness, a sharp word, a turning away?
- Ask forgiveness. Bring what went wrong to God, plainly, without dwelling on it.
- Look to tomorrow. Choose one small thing for the next day and ask for the grace to do it.
Notice what the examen is not. It is not a list of sins. It starts with gratitude, and it looks at the whole day — the moments where God was close as much as the moments you would rather forget. Its goal is to grow more aware of God in ordinary life, a little at a time.
The examination of conscience: preparing for confession
An examination of conscience is what you do before the sacrament of penance and reconciliation. Its purpose is narrower and deeper: to see clearly where you have sinned since your last confession, so that you can confess honestly and receive absolution.
Because of that purpose, it is usually structured around a moral framework rather than the hours of the day:
- The Ten Commandments — your relationship with God, with the people around you, and with truth, property and your own body.
- The precepts of the Church — Sunday Mass, confession and Communion, fasting and abstinence, supporting the Church.
- Your state in life — your duties at home, at work, as a parent, spouse, friend or citizen.
It is more searching than the examen, and it is honest about sin in a way the examen does not need to be every night. But it is not meant to be harsh. A good examination of conscience asks concrete questions, lets you stop when you have what you need, and leaves the weighing of sin to the confessor.
The differences at a glance
The evening examen
- Purpose: notice God in the day and grow in awareness.
- When: every evening, in 2–10 minutes.
- Shape: five movements through the day, from gratitude to tomorrow.
- Focus: the whole day — gifts as much as failures.
- Ends with: one small resolve for tomorrow.
The examination of conscience
- Purpose: prepare to confess your sins.
- When: before confession, taking 10–30 minutes or longer.
- Shape: the commandments, the precepts of the Church, your state in life.
- Focus: sin since your last confession.
- Ends with: contrition, and then the sacrament.
Why it helps to do both
The two practices support each other. If you pray the examen most nights, the examination before confession becomes much less daunting: the days are already familiar, patterns have already surfaced, and you are used to looking at yourself honestly without despair.
And the examination of conscience feeds back into the examen. A question that hit home before confession — about patience at home, or about a habit you keep returning to — often becomes the thing you notice in the evening afterwards.
A realistic rhythm for many people looks like this:
- Every evening: a short examen, even two minutes.
- Before confession: a fuller examination of conscience, taking your time.
- After confession: carry one grace or resolution into the next week's examens.
Common questions
Can I use the examen instead of an examination of conscience before confession? It can help, but it is not designed for it. The examen looks at one day; confession looks back to your last confession and needs a fuller review. Use the examen to stay close to God day by day, and a proper examination of conscience before the sacrament.
Do I need to write anything down? No. Some people jot a note before confession so they don't forget, and then throw it away. Neither practice requires writing.
What if I find nothing to confess, or too much? Both happen. If you find nothing, the examen's first step — gratitude — is still worth praying. If you find too much, remember that you do not have to remember everything perfectly; say what you know and let the priest help you with the rest.
Is the examen only for Jesuits? No. It comes from Ignatian spirituality, but it has long been prayed by lay Catholics and by Christians of other traditions.
Praying both with Haven
Haven has both, as separate guides. The evening examen is free: five gentle movements, one verse of Scripture each, with an optional evening reminder, and nothing you pray is saved. The examination of conscience is part of Haven Premium: 61 questions along the commandments, the precepts of the Church and your state in life, where what you mark stays on the screen and is never saved.
If you are going to confession for the first time in a while, our step-by-step guide to confession explains what happens in the confessional and what to say.