Examinations
Anonymous Exam Taking and Grading
Examinations are given and graded anonymously. Before the end of each semester, the Registrar’s Office assigns each student a random number with which to identify his or her examination on all exams for that semester. The papers are graded and the grades are posted with that number only. Any deliberate breach of anonymity is a violation of the Honor Code.
Usage of Electronic Devices
Devices capable of accessing the Internet, storing unauthorized materials, or communicating with other persons, other than computers operating Exam4 Software, are prohibited in the room in which the student is taking the exam, unless there is prior permission granted by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. This provision is not intended to limit the provisions of the Code of Student Professional Responsibility.
Computers
Personal laptop or notebook computers may be used to take examinations at the discretion of the professor. Prior to taking any exam by computer, students are required to register online and must download and install exam security software.
The approved examination software must be used for all in-class examinations taken on computer. Students are required to have wireless internet connection capabilities on their computers as all completed examinations will be submitted by means of wireless internet.
Usage of the Electronic Classroom (E-Classroom) During Final Examinations
Law students intending to take their final examinations using the Exam4 Software are expected to provide their own laptop computer. The Law Center does not have a sufficient number of lab computers openly available for usage during final examinations. If a law student is prepared to take a final examination on his/her own computer but experiences a computer/software failure too close to the administration of the final examination to fix the problem or replace the laptop, as determined by the Law Center’s Information Technology (“IT”) Department, the student may use one of the 4 lab computers in the Law Library, Room L111. To use a lab computer for a final examination, the student must first verify the computer or software failure with the IT Department in Room 317 and also notify the Registrar’s Office. The E-Classroom computers are available on a first-come, first-served basis and availability is not guaranteed. Please make every effort to ensure your computer is in good working order well before the start of final examinations.
Exam Schedule
The examination schedule for each semester is contained in the registration information distributed by the Office of Admissions and Student Records and is also posted on the web. Both Upper-class and first-year exams exams begin at 8:30 a.m.
Exam Deferral Policy
Students may defer any exam that is scheduled to occur on the same day as any other exam. All deferral requests must be made in accordance with procedures developed by the Law Registrar.
To defer an exam, a student must complete the Exam Deferral Form (available on this page) in advance of the deadline established by the Law Registrar. Students will be allowed to alter deferral requests after any date designated by the Law Registrar only with the permission of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. In the event a student drops one or more courses, eliminating the same-day examination schedule that justified the deferral, the student must take the exams as originally scheduled. Students are bound by the Code of Student Professional Responsibility to notify the Law Registrar that the student is no longer eligible to defer an exam.
Except as approved by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, exams that are deferred will be administered by the staff of the Law Registrar’s Office at 8:30 a.m. on the first Monday following the last day of the scheduled examination period. Each student who takes a deferred exam must sign a written certification at the time the deferred exam is administered that the student has not discussed the content of the deferred exam with anyone or received information about the deferred exam from any source.
Rescheduling Exams
A student who is unable to take an exam due to serious illness or other extraordinary and unforeseeable circumstances may be permitted by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs to reschedule the exam for a later time. In order to preserve the anonymity of the exam process, the student should not inform the professor. The student must notify the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs or the Law Registrar before the exam is scheduled to begin. A doctor’s written excuse or other appropriate documentation is required. The doctor may be requested later to verify the seriousness of the student’s illness. Except in extraordinary circumstances, make-up exams will be administered after the examination period. Make-up exams for students with approval are handled by the staff of the Law Registrar’s office. Each student who takes a make-up exam must sign a written certification at the time the make-up exam is administered that the student has not discussed the content of the exam with anyone or received information about the exam from any source. A student who fails to appear for an exam at the scheduled time without notifying the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs or Law Registrar may receive a failing grade on that exam.
Review of Exams Papers
Once exams are graded and final grades are posted, students are allowed to review their exams. The procedure for reviewing exams usually differs with each professor. Professors normally post instructions for reviewing exams on their office doors.
