Student Affairs
Policies and Procedures Governing Exams
Examinations
Please read this handout carefully before the exam period begins. If you need further information or have any questions, please contact Deans DeVigne, Johnson, or Monroe at (202) 994-8320, e-mail at rdevigne@law.gwu.edu, djohnson@law.gwu.edu, or mmonroe@law.gwu.edu, or fax at (202) 994-3696.
Exam Schedule
The Spring 2009 exam period begins on Monday, April 20, and ends on Friday, May 1. Exam locations are posted on the first-floor Stockton Hall chalkboard one hour before the scheduled start time of each exam. Student misunderstanding about the date or time of an exam is not a valid excuse for missing an exam.
Exam Administration
The Records Office and Dean of Students Office administer exams. During the exam period, the Records Office is open from 9:00 a.m. until evening exams conclude Monday through Thursday, and 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. on Fridays. A dean is available to students at all times when exams are administered. The Records Office telephone number is (202) 994-6261, and the Dean of Students can be reached at (202) 994-8320.
Rescheduling Exams
Students may not reschedule an exam. The exam schedule is provided at the time of registration, and students are responsible for avoiding exam conflicts. Professors cannot reschedule exams for individual students under any circumstances. All questions about exam scheduling must be addressed to the Office of the Dean of Students. Do not contact professors.
Emergencies Before the Exam
In the event an emergency (such as hospitalization or a death in the family) prevents you from taking an exam, to be excused from the exam you must immediately contact the Dean of Students Office. Students are not to contact professors. Documentation will be required. Students who are absent from an exam and not officially excused will receive a grade of F for the course. For more information, please see pages 14-15 of the Law School Bulletin.
Emergencies During the Exam
Immediately inform the proctor if an emergency, such as severe illness, occurs during an exam. The proctor will contact the appropriate Law School officials. Students who leave an exam without contacting the proper Law School officials will not be eligible to finish or otherwise retake the exam at a later time.
Academic Integrity Matters (NOTE: integrity violations may result from non-compliance)
Anonymity
Students are prohibited from contacting their professors regarding personal exam issues/emergencies or providing professors with any information that would compromise anonymity. All issues, questions, or emergencies that arise regarding exams must be directed to the Dean of Students Office.
Breaks
If you need to leave the exam room, you may not take any materials with you and you may not bring any new materials back into the exam room. You may not confer with anyone about the exam or consult materials while you are outside the exam room.
Materials
Strictly adhere to the professor’s rules about notes, outlines, and other materials that are allowed in the exam. Laptop computers or any other electronic data storage devices are not allowed under any circumstances in an exam room for accessing notes or other information. Cell phones must be turned off and may not be used during an exam. Please sit every other seat in the exam room to the extent possible.
Questions
Proctors will contact the professor, via the Records Office, to ask any questions about the content of an exam question. Under no circumstances should you ask for assistance from another student taking the exam or other officials.
Controlled Exams
"Controlled" exams must be returned to the proctor at the end of the exam. Students who fail to return controlled exams risk receiving an F or No Credit.
End of Exam
Each student is responsible for monitoring the time during the exam. Proctors are not required to remind students of elapsed time. At the conclusion of the exam, as announced by the proctor, all writing must stop immediately. Students may not continue to write after time has been called except to exit the Extegrity program. Specifically, do not finish a sentence.
Numbering books or adding your student number can be done only in the presence of the proctor. In addition, students are responsible for ensuring that all flash drives, blue books, scantron sheets, and/or other exam responses are turned in to the proctor.
Identifying Exams
Do not write your name anywhere on flash drives, blue books, scantron sheets, or via laptop. Only use your GWID number to identify yourself.
Take-home Exams. Adhere to take-home exam instructions and return the exams in a timely manner. The Records Office and Law School officials are not responsible for submitting a student’s take-home exam to a professor if the exam instructions are not followed. Please note that the Records Office closes on Friday evenings at 5 p.m.; therefore, a 24 hour take-home exam must be picked up no later than 5 p.m. on Thursday evening.
Use of Laptop Computers During Exams
To use the Exam4 software for Spring 2009 exams, please download the version 9.2 (expires 20 JUN 2009)from www.extegrity.com. All other versions have expired. Please practice on the software to become familiar with the program.
- Exam4 software is available for Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Apple Macintosh.
- Exam ID - Use your GWID number (e.g. G12345678). You can find your number on the web portal.
- Exam Mode - While practicing or during the exam, type CLOSED.
At the completion of your exam, you will be asked to submit your answers through the law school wireless network. The autosave on Extegrity saves your exam every 10 seconds, with an additional five minute backup, so there is no risk of losing your work. Make sure your PC is connected to the wireless network (GWLAW) before launching Exam4.
If you do not have a wireless card, you may save it on a USB flash drive provided by the proctors.
If you cannot access the wireless network (GWLAW), please bring your laptop to the Student Computer Help Desk located in Room B204.
Laptop exams are the default so you do not need to “sign up” on the web portal unless you wish to write your exam in bluebooks. Effective this exam period, students using bluebooks will be in the same exam room as laptop users. Signing up for the bluebook option will alert the Records Office to supply bluebooks in the combined laptop and bluebook rooms.
Please [email] Jack Heaton at if you have any questions about Exam4.
The Law School is not responsible for any equipment failure during an exam, will not provide a back-up laptop, and will not allot extra time to enable students to address equipment failure. Students who experience equipment failure will simply continue by writing in blue books in the laptop room. All other exam rules above pertain to laptop users.
Best wishes for a successful exam period.