What is your school's exam policy? A Survey Forum

[CG614]

I am looking into different exam policies at different schools. After talking with some peers, I realized there are significant differences at various law schools and I am interested to hear of other policies.

I'll start. Here at CLS the registrar creates the schedule and emails it around during add-drop, but not before you pre-register. You may reschedule an exam for the following reason (outside of extreme circumstances, which I assume all schools allow): If you have three exams in a row, which total 9 units or more, you may have one moved. The registrar has sole discretion on which exam gets moved and they rigidly apply the rule to move your last exam one day back.

[blong4133]

Ours is the same, except they will let us move a final if we have 2 in a row. No matter how many credit hours. We are permitted at least 1 day between each final.

[monkey85]

GW is rigid: plan classes at your own discretion - the finals for each class fall on whatever day they have provided.
- We can have two in one day (or more)
- We can have exams on back-to-back days; or back-to-back-to-back days

The only exception are 24-hour take-home exams: these are with the professor's assistant from the beginning until end of finals. We can pick them up at our discretion, and turn them in 24 hours later.

[If someone else at GW has had experience with greater flex, feel free to chime-in. On another note, I have had no trouble with our finals schedule. It just makes me more vigilant in choosing my classes wisely.]

[Big Shrimpin]

GW is rigid: plan classes at your own discretion - the finals for each class fall on whatever day they have provided.
- We can have two in one day (or more)
- We can have exams on back-to-back days; or back-to-back-to-back days

The only exception are 24-hour take-home exams: these are with the professor's assistant from the beginning until end of finals. We can pick them up at our discretion, and turn them in 24 hours later.

[If someone else at GW has had experience with greater flex, feel free to chime-in. On another note, I have had no trouble with our finals schedule. It just makes me more vigilant in choosing my classes wisely.]

Our system suuuuuuuuuuuucks. Why have an honor code and no flex-scheduling? I've gotten pretty lucky with my finals, but I have a buddy who's got 2-5 then 6-9 on the same day next week. Brutal.

[desertlaw]

At Virginia...

1L exams are all at the same time. All 1L's take Crim the same day/time, and so forth with the other required classes. Spread out over exam period, which is like 10 days I think?

For 2L's and 3L's - everything is elective and it's "flex exams" so you can take the exams whenever you want over the course of the 10 day period (except Sundays I guess). Show up at the school, grab the exam, take the exam, submit, and go home. No take-home exams, but the flex exam format is nice so that you don't have to worry about schedule issues when you sign up for classes. You know that you can space your 3 or 4 exams over the exam period.

[Extension_Cord]

Our exams were spread out over 10 days aswell. Next semester is the same but with an additional exam.

[CG614]

GW is rigid: plan classes at your own discretion - the finals for each class fall on whatever day they have provided.
- We can have two in one day (or more)
- We can have exams on back-to-back days; or back-to-back-to-back days

The only exception are 24-hour take-home exams: these are with the professor's assistant from the beginning until end of finals. We can pick them up at our discretion, and turn them in 24 hours later.

[If someone else at GW has had experience with greater flex, feel free to chime-in. On another note, I have had no trouble with our finals schedule. It just makes me more vigilant in choosing my classes wisely.]

Our system suuuuuuuuuuuucks. Why have an honor code and no flex-scheduling? I've gotten pretty lucky with my finals, but I have a buddy who's got 2-5 then 6-9 on the same day next week. Brutal.

That is beyond brutal and I second your honor code sentiment. We are expected to keep confidential information the minute we leave school, but can't be trusted to take an exam when we want to during the examine period during law school (at some schools at least).

[kalvano]

SMU is like GW.

1L's have a fixed schedule, one every other day for two weeks.

2L/3L's get shafted. Exams are scheduled completely randomly from the class days and times. Most exams are either 8:30 in the morning or 6:00 at night. You can have two classes on different days and times, and the exams are conflicting. It sucks.

No rescheduling for any reason. Plan your exam schedule when you register for classes. I had two exams on the same day (the later one ran until 9:15 at night) and then had to take another one at 8:30 the following morning. Was not allowed to reschedule.

[thesealocust]

At Virginia...

1L exams are all at the same time. All 1L's take Crim the same day/time, and so forth with the other required classes. Spread out over exam period, which is like 10 days I think?

For 2L's and 3L's - everything is elective and it's "flex exams" so you can take the exams whenever you want over the course of the 10 day period (except Sundays I guess). Show up at the school, grab the exam, take the exam, submit, and go home. No take-home exams, but the flex exam format is nice so that you don't have to worry about schedule issues when you sign up for classes. You know that you can space your 3 or 4 exams over the exam period.

This schedule fucking rocks (this semester I'll be done with exams over a week before the 1Ls, suckerrrsssss). It also sucks a lot (last semester I procrastinated and did like 50 exams and 8 papers in a 72 hour period and the end of the exam weeks).

[forty-two]

For Emory, we get the exam schedule when we sign up for classes, and exams are only scheduled for 9am or 2pm. You can also get an exam moved if you are scheduled to take two in a 24 hour period or have three in a row (like 9am on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday).

[romothesavior]

Wow, I think we may have the best exam schedule of all (sounds about the same as UVA). 1L exams are scheduled, same subject on the same day for everyone. However, 2Ls/3Ls have almost complete discretion for taking exams, with usually a couple of scheduled exams as exceptions.

So for me, only 1 of my 3 exams was scheduled. The other two I could take on any day I wanted, and I didn't even have to sign up beforehand. I literally just showed up, handed my ID to someone from the registrar, and they give me my exam. If the night before or the morning of I decided, "Nah, I'm not ready," I can just show up during the afternoon session or take it the next day. The only other limitation is the 1L schedule, since we can't take exams while 1Ls are taking them, but other than that we have pretty much free reign to take them anytime throughout the 2 week window. It's a cool system.

[shepdawg]

1L's have a fixed schedule where they take one exam every other day for 8-9 days.

2L/3L have finals scheduled at the beginning of the semester. Students can have 2 exams in one day with an hour break in between. Students can bump an exam if they have 4 or more back to back. If an exam is moved, the student must sign a form promising not to talk about the test to anyone.

[CG614]

Two exams in one day is not right. Any other policies out there?

[keg411]

At Rutgers-Camden - 1L's all have finals on the same day; there are usually a few days in between each final (last year in both the Fall and Spring it was: Wednesday - Monday - Friday). 2L's/3L's, it's "at your own risk", but there are a lot of take-homes where they give a spread of days.

At Michigan - 1L's all go on the same day, but I'm not sure of the spread. 2L's/3L's it's at your own risk. The scheduled exams are at 8am or 1:30pm (or something close to that) and if you have three back-to-back (am-pm-am or pm-am-pm), then you can reschedule one, but that's the only case. There are also plenty of self-schedule take-homes and paper-only classes.

For both schools, the exam schedule is basically available during registration, so you don't get "stuck" with back-to-backs that aren't your choice.

[seattlegirl]

Northwestern's policy is really cool!!!

For 1L, you have a set time to take the exam but can take it from anywhere on campus...so you don't have to take it in the same classroom as everyone else. This can make it feel less stressful I think.

For 2L/3L, you have 10-15 days (the exam period) to take all your exams. You logon to a website, downlod the exam, and upload it after the allotted timeperiod (my exams were each 2.5 to 3 hours long). You can take your exams from anywhere and at any time during those days. No need to go to school to take them. If you wanted to take exams from a beach in Mexico or Hawaii that had internet access, you could (though I would advise against that since it would definitely conflict with your motivation). I have friends who are planning to take exams fom cabins and other countries (eg China). Once you have uploaded your exam...you are done.

Efficient, elegant, seemless are words that I would use to describe Northwestern's exam policy...though you have to manage your time or you could get hosed with having to take all exams at the very end.

[romothesavior]

Northwestern's policy is really cool!!!

For 1L, you have a set time to take the exam but can take it from anywhere on campus...so you don't have to take it in the same classroom as everyone else. This can make it feel less stressful I think.

For 2L/3L, you have 10-15 days (the exam period) to take all your exams. You logon to a website, downlod the exam, and upload it after the allotted timeperiod (my exams were each 2.5 to 3 hours long). You can take your exams from anywhere and at any time during those days. No need to go to school to take them. If you wanted to take exams from a beach in Mexico or Hawaii that had internet access, you could (though I would advise against that since it would definitely conflict with your motivation). I have friends who are planning to take exams fom cabins and other countries (eg China). Once you have uploaded your exam...you are done.

Efficient, elegant, seemless are words that I would use to describe Northwestern's exam policy...though you have to manage your time or you could get hosed with having to take all exams at the very end.

What is the safeguard against cheating? For example, if its closed book, how do they prevent people from using a supplement or something?

[thesealocust]

Northwestern's policy is really cool!!!

For 1L, you have a set time to take the exam but can take it from anywhere on campus...so you don't have to take it in the same classroom as everyone else. This can make it feel less stressful I think.

For 2L/3L, you have 10-15 days (the exam period) to take all your exams. You logon to a website, downlod the exam, and upload it after the allotted timeperiod (my exams were each 2.5 to 3 hours long). You can take your exams from anywhere and at any time during those days. No need to go to school to take them. If you wanted to take exams from a beach in Mexico or Hawaii that had internet access, you could (though I would advise against that since it would definitely conflict with your motivation). I have friends who are planning to take exams fom cabins and other countries (eg China). Once you have uploaded your exam...you are done.

Efficient, elegant, seemless are words that I would use to describe Northwestern's exam policy...though you have to manage your time or you could get hosed with having to take all exams at the very end.

What is the safeguard against cheating? For example, if its closed book, how do they prevent people from using a supplement or something?

At most schools with flex exams, there isn't one except people's general sense of honor. In my experience most profs at schools with systems like this will thus not give particularly restricted exams for that very reason. I've only had one closed book exam so far at UVA, and it was for a 1L exam where there was more obvious supervision.

[romothesavior]

What is the safeguard against cheating? For example, if its closed book, how do they prevent people from using a supplement or something?

At most schools with flex exams, there isn't one except people's general sense of honor. In my experience most profs at schools with systems like this will thus not give particularly restricted exams for that very reason. I've only had one closed book exam so far at UVA, and it was for a 1L exam where there was more obvious supervision.[/quote]
I think we've got the same system as you guys do (based on what the above poster said). I think there is a little bit of a safeguard in that you may have other students from your class in the same room as you while you're taking it. You don't have that if you can take it anywhere. I'd imagine profs at NW don't really do closed book either.

[sbdivemaster]

I wish I had discovered this forum about 3 months ago! heh I'll be frequenting now...

I got a kick out of this inquiry. At our school, exams are comprehensive across subjects. I'm taking 3 subjects, so during finals week, we have exams on M/W/F, 3 questions, 3 hours each night. But the questions can be on any subject on any night.

Gotta stay on your toes all week!

[SilverE2]

I wish I had discovered this forum about 3 months ago! heh I'll be frequenting now...

I got a kick out of this inquiry. At our school, exams are comprehensive across subjects. I'm taking 3 subjects, so during finals week, we have exams on M/W/F, 3 questions, 3 hours each night. But the questions can be on any subject on any night.

Gotta stay on your toes all week!

Jesus what toilet is this

[071816]

I wish I had discovered this forum about 3 months ago! heh I'll be frequenting now...

I got a kick out of this inquiry. At our school, exams are comprehensive across subjects. I'm taking 3 subjects, so during finals week, we have exams on M/W/F, 3 questions, 3 hours each night. But the questions can be on any subject on any night.

Gotta stay on your toes all week!

I don't get it.

[SilverE2]

I wish I had discovered this forum about 3 months ago! heh I'll be frequenting now...

I got a kick out of this inquiry. At our school, exams are comprehensive across subjects. I'm taking 3 subjects, so during finals week, we have exams on M/W/F, 3 questions, 3 hours each night. But the questions can be on any subject on any night.

Gotta stay on your toes all week!

I don't get it.

I'm guessing they go in for an exam day, but they don't know what they're going to be tested on that day.

It sounds like something an unaccredited california night school would do.

[071816]

I wish I had discovered this forum about 3 months ago! heh I'll be frequenting now...

I got a kick out of this inquiry. At our school, exams are comprehensive across subjects. I'm taking 3 subjects, so during finals week, we have exams on M/W/F, 3 questions, 3 hours each night. But the questions can be on any subject on any night.

Gotta stay on your toes all week!

I don't get it.

I'm guessing they go in for an exam day, but they don't know what they're going to be tested on that day.

It sounds like something an unaccredited california night school would do.

Sounds rough.

[Cupidity]

At BU, if your examsoft crashes, you don't get extra time.

[SilverE2]

At BU, if your examsoft crashes, you don't get extra time.

Same at Vandy. You open a bluebook and start writing. I live in absolute fear this is going to happen to me with every exam.