conscious presence test
conscious-presence test. A method for judging whether a testator is in the presence of a witness to a will, whereby if the testator can sense the presence of the witness — even if the witness cannot be seen — the witness is present. Restatement (Third) of Property: Wills and Other Donative Transfers § 3.1 (1999). — Also termed conscious presence. See PRESENCE-OF-THE-TESTATOR RULE E.