Some phosphate soil tests (P-tests) are evaluated for their suitability to assess the phosphate status (P-status) of contrasting soils. A P-test at best only provides a relative estimate of the soil P-status, which may be thought of as the ability of a soil to release P either to a crop, or more specifically to a given plant root for a given period under optimum conditions with respect to all other growth factors. A P-test gives no direct information on the crop response to added P.The P-tests were evaluated on the basis of data from 29 published papers where the anion exchange resin method was among the P-tests used, and where plant P-uptake in pot experiments had been used as the evaluation basis.The evaluations ranked the P-tests in three groups: best group: anion-exchange resin method, intermediate group : water, and sodium bicarbonate methods, worst group: all 'acid' methods: acetate buffer, lactate buffer, citric acid, Bray-1, Truog and Bondorff methods.