Finals Grievances Forum

[jd7241]

What pissed you off the most during your exams? Was it a specific person? Proctor lose track of time or cut you short? Professor gave you questions with confusing errors because they didn't change all the facts for this year when they used the same question 2 years ago? Too little space to have your stuff out? People who pre-game in the exam room and intentionally try to confuse you before the exam starts? People who post-game and make you feel dumb for missing that "obvious" issue?

And if there is already a thread for this I apologize, but I feel extremely motivated to do this.

I have three:

1. The people who hid away an iPhone or Droid and went to the bathroom to use in the stall for quick research, I'm pretty sure that's what you were doing because I could see the phone imprint in your jeans and you got up multiple times. I looked at you, and you looked away. I hope you get caught.

Maybe we have to come to having the bathrooms monitored, or at least have a faculty member or something hang out in there to prevent this kind of thing? Sounds crazy, but you know people are doing this.

2. People who don't mute their laptops and then upload their exam during the last 15 minutes allotted for the exam so I have to hear BS Windows chimes while I am still working. When there are 120 people in the room, it gets old.

3. Oh yeah I forgot, people who leave their phone on in their bag at the front of the room so when it goes off all we and the proctor can do is just stare at it and wait for it to stop ringing.

[TTTLS]

People who pre-game in the exam room and intentionally try to confuse you before the exam starts?

Taking a few shots of whiskey can loosen you up before an exam.

Seriously though, I heard people crying towards the end of two exams and it made me feel terrible.

[DocHawkeye]

Ouch. At my school, mere possession of any unauthorized electronic device (including call phones of all types) is an honor code violation. Also, backpacks, bags, and briefcases are not allowed in the exam room (including laptop "sleeves"). They may be stowed in one's locker or may be left in the dean’s office. Makes for a quite, peaceful exam session.

[TTTLS]

Some schools treat their students like adults, whereas others they treat them like delinquents.

[lawyerwannabe]

I actually get up and leave the room for a minute or two after I finish just about every question to take a breather and give myself a quick break. Sitting down for four hours straight and typing frantically non-stop never really worked for me. You should probably simmer with the paranoia that everyone with a phone in their pocket got up to cheat.

[Hippononymous]

Some schools treat their students like adults, whereas others they treat them like delinquents.

This.

Plus, if someone has to run to the bathroom multiple times to look things up on their phone, they are probably not a threat.

[MrPapagiorgio]

Wow this makes me happy the the only annoying thing about my finals was the proctor who made me rewrite the envelope for my scrap paper/exam copy because I put my information in the middle instead of in the top right. Although, now that I think about it, pretty sure one chick cheated on my closed book property exam. Chick went to the bathroom 3 times in roughly 30 minutes.

[TTTLS]

Some schools treat their students like adults, whereas others they treat them like delinquents.

This.

Plus, if someone has to run to the bathroom multiple times to look things up on their phone, they are probably not a threat.

I keep telling myself that, but when it comes to the curve...

I don't want some kid to get two more points than me on an exam after he/she looked up something on his or her phone.

[Hippononymous]

Some schools treat their students like adults, whereas others they treat them like delinquents.

This.

Plus, if someone has to run to the bathroom multiple times to look things up on their phone, they are probably not a threat.

I keep telling myself that, but when it comes to the curve...

I don't want some kid to get two more points than me on an exam after he/she looked up something on his or her phone.

Alls I'm saying is this: two finals so far, and I have typed the entire time, except for reading/outlining answers and a brief bathroom break/walkaround at the midpoint. Any points gained by leaving to look something up are probably lost elsewhere in the time spent to do it.

Either way, don't rat. It's just a tremendously horrible idea.

[TTTLS]

Any points gained by leaving to look something up are probably lost elsewhere in the time spent to do it.

This is very true.

Okay I'll try to stop freaking out. It's hard not being neurotic around this time.

[AZN MegaPoaster]

the asshole in my conlaw exam who was passing malodorous gas throughout the entire three hour period with complete disgregard, or maybe even disdain, for the people sitting around him/her. wasn't able to pinpoint who it was, but god damn

[AVBucks4239]

I get up during the exam to piss multiple times. I also think there is probably a permanent imprint on my right jeans pocket where my phone usually is, considering I put it in the same pocket every day. But, my phone isn't in my pocket, and I'm going to piss because I'm on my third cup of coffee by the time the exam starts. Thus, I have to pee so bad I can't even concentrate.

To summarize, it's terrible to assume people are cheating. This is especially true when your entire focus should be on your exam.

[rayiner]

Some schools treat their students like adults, whereas others they treat them like delinquents.

So glad we don't have to deal with all that bullshit here. All self-scheduled exams after 1L, open everything, no ExamSoft.

[bazinga!]

had a professor who went completely rogue on the exam. nothing like the 3-4 previous exam he gave us. i think everyone stared in disbelief for a good 5 minutes on each question wondering where to even begin. supremely open ended, normative questions.

[presidentk1]

Some schools treat their students like adults, whereas others they treat them like delinquents.

So glad we don't have to deal with all that bullshit here. All self-scheduled exams after 1L, open everything, no ExamSoft.

this is the way if should be for every test, every year

[eandy]

If you think people are cheating because they go to the bathroom multiple times, you are way too paranoid.

1. Caffeine makes you have to go more often
2. Adderall makes you super thirsty so that you end up having to go more often
3. Anxiety makes you have to go (fight or flight response is to dump everything in your body to make you run faster)

A large portion of your classmates probably have one of those three things or combination thereof happening.

[AZN MegaPoaster]

If you think people are cheating because they go to the bathroom multiple times, you are way too paranoid.

1. Caffeine makes you have to go more often
2. Adderall makes you super thirsty so that you end up having to go more often
3. Anxiety makes you have to go (fight or flight response is to dump everything in your body to make you run faster)

A large portion of your classmates probably have one of those three things or combination thereof happening.

i literally stop drinking water the night before the exam and i only drink 5 hour energy drinks and use energy strips the day of so i dont have to risk losing time to go to the bathroom. 6 exams this year and didnt question going to the bathroom once

[Pretzel_Logic]

I get up a zillion times during exams because dear lord, caffeine. I also brought in about 48 oz of fluid into each exam and drank them all, soooo

As for getting up multiple times in 30 minutes, maybe she was sick. A friend of mine got killed on our Contracts I final because she had an anxiety attack and kept having to leave to puke during the exam.

[FeelTheHeat]

Some schools treat their students like adults, whereas others they treat them like delinquents.

This.

Plus, if someone has to run to the bathroom multiple times to look things up on their phone, they are probably not a threat.

I keep telling myself that, but when it comes to the curve...

I don't want some kid to get two more points than me on an exam after he/she looked up something on his or her phone.

[ben4847]

1. The people who hid away an iPhone or Droid and went to the bathroom to use in the stall for quick research, I'm pretty sure that's what you were doing because I could see the phone imprint in your jeans and you got up multiple times. I looked at you, and you looked away. I hope you get caught.

Or, they could just leave the phone at home, and go outside to their locker and get their laptop?

[jd7241]

Would your answer change if I told you what happened last week?

Last week he had it on a belt clip, on the outside of his pants, had a tucked in shirt. This phone and clip were hanging out there. It vibrated during the exam, he un-clipped it. Looked at it for sure, may have even responded (speculation). Then snapped it back on his belt. During the course of the exam he went to the bathroom 4 times in 3 hours. Proctor is about 75ft away and is face-booking so hard she doesn't notice. She did look up the SECOND time it vibrated and looked behind her expecting it came from a bag. Didn't happen again after that. That was last week, today was the pocket. Taking a phone to the bathroom to cheat on a test probably happens many times a day all across America, it's arguably built into the overall "system" if you look at from a broad perspective. The take home message is my school does not respect the students enough to stop this kind of thing, plus the tuition is hellacious. I would like to transfer.

[AZN MegaPoaster]

Would your answer change if I told you what happened last week?

Last week he had it on a belt clip, on the outside of his pants, had a tucked in shirt. This phone and clip were hanging out there. It vibrated during the exam, he un-clipped it. Looked at it for sure, may have even responded (speculation). Then snapped it back on his belt. During the course of the exam he went to the bathroom 4 times in 3 hours. Proctor is about 75ft away and is face-booking so hard she doesn't notice. She did look up the SECOND time it vibrated and looked behind her expecting it came from a bag. Didn't happen again after that. That was last week, today was the pocket. Taking a phone to the bathroom to cheat on a test probably happens many times a day all across America, it's arguably built into the overall "system" if you look at from a broad perspective. The take home message is my school does not respect the students enough to stop this kind of thing, plus the tuition is hellacious. I would like to transfer.

so what the fuck are you gonna do about it

[AVBucks4239]

Would your answer change if I told you what happened last week?

Last week he had it on a belt clip, on the outside of his pants, had a tucked in shirt. This phone and clip were hanging out there. It vibrated during the exam, he un-clipped it. Looked at it for sure, may have even responded (speculation). Then snapped it back on his belt. During the course of the exam he went to the bathroom 4 times in 3 hours. Proctor is about 75ft away and is face-booking so hard she doesn't notice. She did look up the SECOND time it vibrated and looked behind her expecting it came from a bag. Didn't happen again after that. That was last week, today was the pocket. Taking a phone to the bathroom to cheat on a test probably happens many times a day all across America, it's arguably built into the overall "system" if you look at from a broad perspective. The take home message is my school does not respect the students enough to stop this kind of thing, plus the tuition is hellacious. I would like to transfer.

None of that means he is cheating. It's probably easy to cheat on an exam using your phone, but just because somebody has a phone on them (yes, it's stupid) doesn't mean they're cheating.

And seriously, like I said earlier, you should be in such a zone that you shouldn't notice all this shit.

[JoeFish]

you should be in such a zone that you shouldn't notice all this shit.

Never in my life has three hours passed more quickly than during each of my law school exams this year. I mean, I noticed when people left for about .2 seconds. And, geeze, I don't care what they do when they're out there.

Here's how you deal with dudes sneaking out and checking stuff on their phones: know your stuff so well inside and out that, when they leave the room to look up Rule X, you've already written a paragraph about it.

[AZN MegaPoaster]

you should be in such a zone that you shouldn't notice all this shit.

Never in my life has three hours passed more quickly than during each of my law school exams this year. I mean, I noticed when people left for about .2 seconds. And, geeze, I don't care what they do when they're out there.

Here's how you deal with dudes sneaking out and checking stuff on their phones: know your stuff so well inside and out that, when they leave the room to look up Rule X, you've already written a paragraph about it.

moast definitely. Everytime i saw someone get up during an exam i loled inside about it