Examination FAQs
When are the examinations?
The 2012/2013 examinations are scheduled as follows:
Autumn Semester Examinations: Monday 14th January - Saturday 26nd January 2013
Spring Semester Examinations: Monday 20th May - Friday 7rd June 2013
Resit Examinations: Monday 22nd August - Wednesday 30th August 2013
There are 3 examination sessions each day (09:00, 13:30, 16:30) Monday-Saturday
How do I check which exams I will be entered for?
Check your module entries on the My Courses Section of the
Portal, should you identify any errors in the information held on the Portal or if you have to change your selected modules (subject to Academic Approval) please download a
Module Entry - Exceptional Amendment Form.
IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT YOU CHECK YOUR MODULE ENTRIES. Please note that once the timetable is published students will be unable to change their examination entries
When will the examination timetable be available?
The examination timetable for each semester will be available approximately 6 working weeks before the examinations begin. For the Autumn semester examinations this will be in mid November, and for the Spring semester examinations this will be in mid March. The timetable will also be published on the Exams Office web site in examination code order. Students
must access their individual examination timetables from the 'My Course' tab on the
Portal to ensure they are aware of when their examinations will take place. Room locations and seat numbers will be published three weeks before the start of each exam period
. Please note that once the timetable is published students will be unable to change their examination entries.
How do I find out what exams I am registered for?
By checking your individual examination timetable on the
Portal. Please note that if you have adjustments to examination arrangements it is your responsibility to ensure that you check that you have been allocated to alternative locations for your exams and that if not you inform the Exams Office immediately..
What if I can not access my individual examination timetable?
If you are unable to access the Portal you should contact IS Support (student-IT-helpline@nottingham.ac.uk), telephone (0115) 951 6677. If you can access the Portal but are unable to access your examination timetable, please contact the Exams Office in the first instance. We are located on the top floor of the new extension of the Portland Building, telephone (0115) 951 5747 or email examsoffice@nottingham.ac.uk
What do I do if I'm registered for the wrong examination?
If there is an examination missing or an examination listed that should not be there you should check that your module entries are correct when viewed on the My Courses Section on the
Portal. If your entries are correct, you should find out the date and location of the exam from our
web site. Turn up to the exam and explain to one of the invigilators you are not registered for the exam, and they will find you a spare seat and desk in the exam room. Please ensure you take your Student ID card with you.
If your entries are incorrect, you should contact your School IMMEDIATELY for further advice. Please note that once the timetable is published you will be unable to amend your examination entries.
What is an on-line Exam?
This is an examination that is conducted entirely on a computer. The questions will be presented on screen and you will be expected to enter your answers directly on screen which are saved to the university server. If you are to be examined in this way you will be given an opportunity to practice using the software before the examination date.
I am due to sit an on-line examination but there is no seat number showing on my timetable on the portal. How do I know where to sit?
In on-line examinations, you are not normally provided with a seat number. Instead, you will be admitted into the examination room where you may settle yourself at a workstation of your choice.
How is the examination timetable produced?
Examination timetables are produced in line with University Policy, within constraints dictated by student choice, room sizes, a commitment to no more than two examinations per day and the avoidance of consecutive examinations within a day where possible.
Why are there exams on the first day of spring term?
Examination and revision periods have been moved around so as to create a one week revision period prior to the summer examinations and a less squashed up examination timetable in the summer. From 2009, the Christmas vacation period has also been extended by a week, to four weeks, to allow longer for revision.
Why do I have 2 examinations in one day?
The logistical difficulty of scheduling a large number of examinations involving many thousands of students to take place in a limited number of days makes it inevitable that some students will have two examinations on the same day. University policy therefore does permit this to be the case. Where possible we try to ensure that the examinations are not consecutive.
Why do I have examinations on consecutive days?
Due to the difficulty of scheduling a large number of examinations involving many thousands of students to take place in a limited number of days it is impossible to avoid students having examinations on consecutive days, sometimes over several days, and for this reason University policy permits you to have examinations on consecutive days.
Why are all of my examinations scheduled close together?
The difficulty of scheduling a large number of examinations involving many thousands of students to take place in a limited number of days makes it is not always possible to spread them evenly over the examination period.
Can the location of an examination change?
Locations of examinations are published with the timetable. The location of an examination is very unlikely to change from the location printed on the timetable. Very exceptionally a location may change, if so the change will appear on the amendments to timetable website, and the students registered for the examination informed separately.
My examination is being held within my school, why is this not appearing on my timetable?
This module is not examined by a centrally scheduled exam, instead it will be held as an 'in class' exam and so will not appear on your timetable. You should contact the module convener for further information.
What time will I need to arrive at the exam location for an on-line examination ?
You must arrive at your allocated examination location 15 minutes before the published start time of the examination. This gives you time to leave your belongings at the front of the room, take your University card to your desk, find a workstation, settle yourself, and log into the system.
What if I am late to my on-line exam?
In most instances the standard University procedure applies and you can enter the examination room up to 1 hour after the start of an examination. Once this 1 hour mark has elapsed, you will not be permitted to enter the room.
What will I need to bring for an on-line exam?
You will need to bring your University card, a pen/pencil (if you wish to make any notes during the exam), and any additional stationery that you have been notified to bring to the examination. Any materials present on your desk or person that are not outlined in the examination rubric, and may be relevant to assist your performance in an examination, will be confiscated by an invigilator. An Academic Misconduct form will then be completed and a copy will be sent to your School.
What will the examination room look like for on-line exams?
The examination will take place in a computer lab. Each workstation will be provided with an anti-plagiarism barrier to ensure you are granted privacy while you complete your examination. You will not be permitted to use any workstations without a barrier.
What will be provided on the day for on-line exams?
You will be provided with a login prompt sheet, and a blank piece of A4 paper. The login prompt will instruct you how to log in. This will consist of two logins. The first login will be a mandatory username and password, which will activate the secure desktop. You will then be required to enter your University username and password. You should not log into the workstation using your University username and password unless otherwise instructed.
I am taking an on-line exam. How will my alternative examination arrangements be catered for?
Alternative examination arrangements must be in place by the set deadline for the forthcoming examination period. Below is the link to the deadlines for the 2012/2013 academic session:
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/academicservices/currentstudents/examinations/adjustmentstoexaminationarrangements.aspx.
You will be allocated an alternative room to the main cohort, and this will appear on your Portal prefixed with ‘AEA’. If you choose to sit the examination in the main location, you will forfeit your alternative examination arrangements.
Your alternative examination arrangements will be reflected in the on-line exams system (Rogo). Rogo’s settings can change the format and appearance of your examination paper, be it increased font size, a different coloured background, and a different font style. Students with additional time will also have these arrangements reflected on the Rogo system. All other alternative arrangements will be monitored by an invigilator within the examination room.
What happens if my computer crashes mid way through an on-line exam?
If your workstation should fail during the course of the examination, the Rogo-trained invigilator present in the room will assist you. If the issue cannot be fixed on the original workstation, you will be moved to a spare workstation. An invigilator will then check that you are happy to continue, and he/she will award with you with additional time for the disruption.
What is corralling?
In some instances, the cohort for an examination may be too large to be seated in one room altogether. Usually, the cohort would be split across a number of rooms via an alpha split. If there are no additional rooms available to do this, the cohort would have to be ‘corralled’. This entails splitting the cohort into segregated groups to ensure no collusion between candidates, and then a process of releasing one cohort, and admitting the next until the whole cohort has completed the examination.
When and where do I get my examination results from?
The Examination Office is unable to give assessment results. Your School will advise when results will be available for collection. Results are available later by going to My Course Section of the Portal.