Arrange the steps of a controlled material test in order.

1. State the single question the test is meant to answer
2. Decide which one variable will change and which will be held
3. Label and date every panel before anything dries
4. Photograph every sample under identical light beside a colour target
5. Record the result against the prediction, including where they differ

The last step is the one that turns a test into evidence. Recording what you expected, and then where the result differed, is what makes a surprise visible; without the prediction, an unexpected outcome is quietly reinterpreted as what you thought all along.