Exams

Examination Policy

1. An examination will normally be required for every course taught at the University.
2. There will be an examination period at the end of each semester during which all examinations will be written as scheduled by the Registrar’s Office. Instructors may not schedule examinations outside of this examination period including the reading day.
3. The value of the examination must be at least 30 percent of the work of the semester, the exact value of each examination to be determined by the instructor in consultation with the department.
4. An examination must never provide more than 70 percent of the total mark for a course.
5. The student must have received at least one mark and/or evaluation in each course prior to the examination period in each semester.
6. The form of the examination—oral, multiple choice, open book, essay, etc.—will be the prerogative of the instructor in consultation with the department.
7. Exemptions for giving an examination in a course are subject to departmental policy on examinations and reporting. If a course is exempt from examination, this must be stated in the course outline, and the Registrar’s Office must be informed of the exemption.
8. No tests will be held nor assignments made due during the final two weeks of any academic term unless these tests and formal assignments are included on the course outline distributed at the beginning of each academic term. Examination scheduling is covered in items 2 and 7 above.

General Exam Rules for Students

1. Students should not take coats, briefcases, headsets, or large purses into the examination room, except in the case of an open book exam. If students must bring these articles into the examination room, they must be left at the front door of the room and not brought to their seats.
2. Smoking, eating and drinking are not permitted.
3. Students are not permitted to wear ball caps while writing exams.
4. Students are required to turn off cell phones, watch alarms and/or pagers while writing exams.
5. There will be no talking in the examination room.
6. Students must display their valid Mount Saint Vincent University Student ID Card during each exam.
7. Students may begin their exams as soon as they are seated; however, shortly after they begin their exams, a sheet will be circulated on which they must write their name beside the appropriate seat number.
8. No student may leave the examination room during the first twenty minutes of the exam. Latecomers will be admitted to the examination room only during the first twenty minutes.
9. Students requiring assistance should raise their hands and not leave their seats.
10. When students have finished their exam, they should write their row and seat number on the cover of the examination booklets, hand their exams to one of the proctors and sign the attendance sheet for their course. Students may be required to show their valid Mount Saint Vincent University Student ID Card at this time.
11. If a student misses an examination due to illness, she/he must inform the Registrar promptly and submit a medical certificate from a family physician or from the Health Office Nurse directly to the Registrar.

Examination Conflicts

If you have overlapping exam times, a work commitment that can not be changed, or are scheduled to write three exams in three consecutive writing times, an exam conflict form must be completed and submitted to the Registrar’s Office prior to the deadline.  Please note that documentation may be required.