Online exams
You might sit your exams entirely online, entirely in-person, or a mixture of both.
Ensure you have checked your exam timetable carefully.
Read the Guidance Relating to Misconduct in Online Exams.
Online exams will fall into one of the following four categories.
Looking for information about the other type of exam?
Open Exam within 24 hours
- Will be released at a specified day and time, and will be available for the following 24 hours
- Can be started at any point during the 24-hour release period
- To be completed at any point within 24 hours of the start time, and answers must be uploaded within that timeframe
- Spending any more than the allotted time for your exam is unlikely to bring significant benefit - students should aim to complete the exam within the recommended timeframe (found at the start of your exam paper)
Timed Exam Within 24 Hours
- Students will be made aware of the exam duration before the start of the exam
- Exam will be released at specified day and time, and will be available TO START for the following 24 hours
- Starting will initiate a countdown timer
- Students must complete and upload answers both:
- within the timed period specified (i.e. before the countdown timer expires), and also
- within the 24-hour period
- The timer will not continue beyond the 24-hour period; students should therefore start the exam with sufficient time before the timer runs out
Timed Exams - Fixed Start Time
- Will have a fixed start time (GMT) and duration
- Students will be informed of the specific time and duration before the exam
- Students must complete and upload work within the specified timeframe
- Students should log in to Moodle with plenty of time in advance, in case of any technical issues
- Make sure you leave enough time to submit your exam without leaving it until the last minute
Seen Exam - 24 Hours to Submit
- Questions will be released prior to the official exam start time – timing is dependent on individual School discretion
- Students will have time to prepare and write their exam answers before the 24-hour submission window
- Exam will have more requirements for referencing/word counts – refer to School guidance
- There will be a specific 24 hours in which students can upload their answers
- Students must submit their work within the specified 24-hour time period – answers will not be accepted after this time period
- Ensure you leave sufficient time to upload your exam answers - don't leave it until the last minute
Using your time wisely in an online exam
The length of your exam determines the time you should take to build, create and write your exam answers. That is to say, if you have a two-hour exam, you should look to spend no longer than two hours completing the work for the exam. Your exam markers will be looking for evidence of your ability to answer questions in a succinct, concise and coherent format; as a result, spending a longer period of time on your exam papers can undo any work towards this concision.
A longer submission will not necessarily provide a stronger, more coherent answer. Lengthy answers risk becoming overly long or convoluted, and being concise is an important academic skill. Use the rough exam time allocation to judge the quantity of work required to succeed in your exam answers.
Spending your energy trying to find particular pieces of information, facts or quotes is not the most effective use of your time through the exam. Instead, make use of your exam time - and your prior study - to put together answers that are most applicable to the specific exam questions.
1 hour exam
You will receive:
- 1 hour to complete the exam
- Additional time assessed by disability services
- 30 minutes to upload answers
Late submissions will be graded H (zero) - see Online Exams and Late Submission