A dynamic piston-on-three-ball experimental technique has been developed for a biaxial flexural strength test of thin ceramic substrates at high loading rates. Analytical modeling of the technique guided the experimental design and was used to judge the validity of experimental results. Thin ceramic substrates made of 1-mol%-Al2O3-doped 8-mol%-yttria-stabilized zirconia (8YSZ) were tested using this experimental technique, as well as its standard counterpart-the quasi-static piston-on-three-ball technique. Results show that the mean biaxial flexural strength increased from similar to322 to similar to465 MPa as the average loading rate was increased from quasi-static to dynamic (830 GPa/s) level.