Shocks, blown or not?

[BS87]

Sorry if this has been covered, i might have used the wrong search terms. Is there any easy way to tell if shocks are blown/worn out if they are not installed on the car? Found an old pair of bilstein sports i'm keeping around since i think my front shocks are about to die, and i'll use them for a couple days until i can order new ones, if they are ok.

[Digitalwave]

Push down on them. They should have a LOT of resistance. If they are fairly easy to compress, they are blown.