offers a series of substantial advantages the holding of round test elements in the gripping device is self centering the design of the storage container in form of a magazine fig5 is easier and the relation between the sample application surface area 18 and the overall area of the test element 1 is particularly advantageous generally however a rectangular or even asymmetrical shape of the test elements 1 is possible here the z direction running perpendicular to the test field plane which in case of a rotation symmetric test element coincides with its axis of symmetry is designated u201c axial direction u201d even for non rotation symmetric test elements similarly the designation u201c radial u201d is used for a spatial direction parallel to the test field plane away from the center of the test field 5 or from its border towards the center the liquid sample is applied to a sample application side 6 of the test element 1 it penetrates into the test field and reacts with the reagents contained therein for the shown calorimetric test the reaction leads to a photometrically measurable color change which is characteristic for the analysis in an evaluation zone of the test field on the evaluation side 7 of the test element 1 opposite to the sample application side 6 within the evaluation instrument not shown completely in fig1 the test elements 1 are.