Engineering

In engineering the test is traditionally used only to check noncritical parameters where the manufacturing process is believed to be stable and well controlled, and the tolerances are wide compared to the distribution of the parameter.

For example, the preceding launch status checks before a Space Shuttle liftoff had the flight controller perform a go/no-go check on each of the vehicle's critical systems.

Psychology

In psychology, go/no-go tests are used to measure a participant's capacity for sustained attention and response control.

For example, a go/no-go test that requires a participant to perform an action given certain stimuli (e.g., press a button) and also inhibit that action under a different set of stimuli (e.g., not press that same button).

Military

In the United States Army, drills and proficiency evaluation rubrics are based on a go/no-go (pass/fail) system. Evaluations involving numerical scores (such as the physical fitness test) convert raw scores to go/no-go based on cutoffs defined by the particular performance standard for that area. Within a given skills unit, the rubric often specifies go/no-go scoring for each individual item or concept a soldier is expected to be trained and evaluated on. Usually, a soldier must score "go" (i.e. perform satisfactorily) on all sections of an evaluation in order to advance to the next phase of training, pass the course, or attain the particular qualification.