This work aimed at comparing the efficiency of six different tests in evaluating the physiological quality of pea (Pisum sativum L.) seed lots. These tests were: standart germination test, first count of germination test, seedling vigor classification, electrical conductivity, accelerated aging and field emergence. Twelve seed lots of two cultivars (Majestic, Caprice) were evaluated from April to December, 1988, at two month interval, at the Escola Superior de Agricultura ?Luiz de Queiroz? Seed Testing Laboratory and Experimental Field, Piracicaba/SP, Brasil. Among the tests compared, the seedling vigor classification and the first count tests were the most efficient in discriminating pea seed lots of different qualities including the seedling emergence potencial under field conditions. The accelarated aging test proved to be too drastic, at least for the conditions under wich they were conducted, while the efficiency of the electrical conductivity test varied according with the cultivar.