In-person guidance
Students should read the examination policy ahead of sitting any in-person exams.
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Written proctored exams are closed book exams, meaning that they are completed in an examination venue with invigilators ensuring that examination rules are upheld. During such exams the usual rules on academic misconduct apply:
- You cannot take any prohibited items into the examination, such as communications equipment, notes in any format, books, or electronically stored data.
- Your exam answers must be entirely your own work and you must complete attendance cards and cover sheets according to the invigilators’ instructions.
- You may not remove examination papers, scripts or blank examination stationary from the examination hall.
- You must follow the rules for an examination and announcements made by invigilators.
It is imperative that you are aware of the rules governing academic misconduct by familiarising yourself with both the examination policy and the Good Academic Practice policy. If you are in any doubt what constitutes academic misconduct, contact a member of teaching staff, such as your tutor, module coordinator or your School's Academic Misconduct Officer (AMO) before the exam.
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Candidates must bring their St Andrews matriculation (ID) card to all examinations. This must be kept face up and fully visible on your desk during the examination.
You should arrive at your examination venue in good time, 20 minutes before the published start time of your exam. Invigilators will instruct when you are permitted to enter the examination venue.
In the examination venue, you must leave any bags, coats and personal items, other than those required to complete the exam, in a designated area of the examination hall, as instructed by the invigilators.
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You must bring your St Andrews matriculation (ID) card to every examination and keep it fully visible on your desk.
You are not allowed to keep any electronic devices on your person during your exam. This includes mobile phones and smart watches. If you bring a mobile phone or smart watch to your exam venue, you must turn it off prior to exam start and leave it in a designated area in the examination venue. However, the University recommends that you do not bring any electronic devices with you at all, so that they do not get lost or damaged. Ensure that you familiarise yourself with the policy on permitted materials and electronic devices in examinations.
You may bring the following materials with you into your examination:
- Pens and pencils: these may be carried in a transparent pencil case or bag. Any non-transparent pencil cases must be left in a designated area in the examination hall.
- Water in a transparent plastic bottle, from which all labels have been removed. Non-transparent bottles and glass bottles of any kind are not permitted.
- A non-programmable calculator, if you require a calculator to complete your examination.
If your native language is not English, you may apply to use a non-technical, printed dictionary between English and your native language. You must obtain permission to use such a dictionary from the Examinations Officer in your School in advance, and you must provide their written permission to the invigilators at the start of your examination.
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The invigilators announce when you are allowed to turn over your examination paper and begin writing. At the end of the examination, they will instruct you when you have to stop writing and they will collect your examination materials. There are clocks in all examination venues.
If you wish to leave your examination, even temporarily, you must raise your arm and wait for an invigilator to come to you. They will accompany you out of the examination venue. Note that you may not leave the examination venue during the first 30 minutes of your exam.
Ensure that you complete your exam according to the instructions on the examination paper and any instructions announced by the invigilators. Depending on your exam, you will write your exam answers in one or several script books, a multiple choice question card, or the exam paper itself.
You will be issued with the materials you need to complete your exam, such as script books, multiple choice question cards, and data cards. You must complete the cover sheet of each script book, and complete and seal the anonymisation flap. If you have multiple script books, you must fasten them together with the provided treasury tag at the end of your exam.
You should normally write on both sides of the page. Any rough work must be included within the script book and clearly crossed out. You may not separate any pages from the script book or use any other paper, unless supplied by the invigilators. If you require an additional script book, please raise your arm and wait for an invigilator to come to you.
If you identify any irregularities in the provision or content of the exam, please complete the exam as best you can. Please also report your concern to the invigilators, so that it can be passed on to your School.
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If you are unable to sit the exam due to ill health, please submit a self-certification as soon as possible through MySaint and communicate with the School directly to discuss options which may be available to you.
Exam deferral
Schools may consider granting a deferred assessment based on the reasons for your request. Reasons for deferral would be expected to be significant and usually supported by appropriate evidence. Exams may be deferred until the end of the current examination diet, to the next full examination diet or to the August reassessment diet, at the discretion of the School concerned.