fail (in) the exam

[SARDORBEK]

1) I failed my driving test the first time I took it. (no preposition)
2) Sanjar failed in the exam, but his sister got through.
3) He failed maths but passed all his other subjects.(no preposition)
4) I passed in history but failed in chemistry.
5) A lot of people fail their driving test the first time. (no preposition)

Is the preposition in optional after the verb fail?
In general, do we say [url]fail the exam[/url]or [url]fail in the exam[/url]?
Is there a difference between them?

Thanks a lot…

[Alan]

In an academic context, 'fail' is transitive. Otherwise, 'in' is normally required.
I'll leave you to work out which applies in each of your examples!