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Abstract The minimum bactericidal concentration test can be used to assess the ability of an antimicrobial agent to kill a bacterial isolate. Time‐kill assays can be used to study both concentration‐dependent and time‐dependent bactericidal activities of antimicrobial agents. Prior to performance of the time‐kill assay, concentrations of individual agents and combinations most likely to result in synergism are planned from data resulting from a checkerboard synergism test. The time‐kill assay can be used to study the dynamics of synergism or antagonism for a combination of antimicrobial agents by determining the number of viable bacteria remaining over time after exposure to each individual agent and various combinations. This method is used primarily to study organisms from patients with meningitis or endocarditis for whom clinical treatment failed or as a research tool to study novel antimicrobial agents.