Information about Exam Procedures

Exam Numbers

Students will be issued one unique exam number each term (i.e.  Fall 2009, Spring 2010) for midterm exams, if applicable, and another unique exam number for final exams.  This unique exam number is to be used in place of your name for your examinations.   Your exam number will appear with your exam schedule in the Online Exam/Paper Management System (www.law.georgetown.edu/exams).   This exam number for Fall 2009 is not yet available but will be added to your schedule a few weeks before the exam period.   You will receive an email notification to your LawMail account when your exam number becomes available. 

Bring your exam number with you on the day of your exam, along with your Georgetown I.D.   Your exam number is the only identifier that you may put on your exam materials.

Handwritten Exams

If you plan to write your exams responses in longhand, rather than on a computer, please remember to register at least 24 hours before the exam start time.  Instructions are on the Registrar’s web page:  http://www.law.georgetown.edu/registrar/Exams.html.

Remember to bring your exam number with you to the exam room.

Please note that if you wish to access your notes on your hard drive or the Internet, you will need to take your exam in the laptop room.  In such cases, you would not request a handwriting room for that exam.  Exam books are always provided in every laptop room.

Use of Laptops

Professors may restrict or disallow laptop usage during an exam.  In addition, use of cell phone is prohibited, and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and other electronic storage devices may also be restricted or disallowed.  Students are not permitted to share equipment or materials.  Be sure to bring your laptop power cord to the exam room.

Before taking an exam on laptop, students must download an exam template.  Instructions are on the Registrar's web page: http://www.law.georgetown.edu/registrar/templates.htm.

You will be using the Online Exam/Paper Management System to access your exam numbers and rescheduled exam information, if applicable, and to submit your final papers and in-class laptop exams.   A slideshow with an overview of the system is available online at: http://www.law.georgetown.edu/registrar/Exams.html.   Text instructions are also available upon logging into the system and printed copies will be made available during exams.    

Before the Exam

In order to submit your final in-class exam online, you will need to be able to connect to the Law Center's wireless network.   Instructions on how to access the network is available online at http://www.law.georgetown.edu/ist/wireless/connectwireless.cfm.  If you have any questions regarding the wireless network or experience difficulty connecting to the wireless network, please contact the Technology Reference Desk at 202-662-9905 or helpdesk@law.georgetown.edu. 

Room Assignments

Room Assignments for exams are posted 30 minutes prior to the start of the exam on classroom doors on the first and second floors of McDonough Hall, in elevators, as well as outside the Registrars Office on the 3rd floor.   Please remember that your exam may not be administered in your regular classroom.   

Exam Day

It is important that you arrive on time.  No extra time will be given to students who arrive late. 

Exams at the Law Center are proctored.  You can expect one to three proctors in each room at all times.  Any questions or problems during the exam should be directed to a proctor immediately.  Exam proctors will start the exam, keep the official time for the exam and give you any instructions specific to your exam.  They will also give you verbal 5 and 2 minute warnings before calling time.  Please remember that writing, scrolling or otherwise operating your laptop after time is called is an honor violation.

Students are required to sit in every other seat during an exam.

The Exam Video Announcement will play in all exam rooms at the designated times and will provide additional exam administration information.   If the Exam Video fails to play, the proctor will read the Exam Announcement aloud.

Students may not communicate with other students during the exam.  Questions should be directed to the proctors.

Students are not permitted to remove any exam materials from the room during the exam or bring in any additional materials once the signal to begin the exam has been given.  You may leave the exam room for short periods of time, but you will not be given extra time for absences.

Emergency Procedures:  If the fire alarm sounds, you must exit the building immediately.  Leave all exam materials in the classroom.  Laptop users may take their computers with them, but they must close them and may not reopen them until instructed.  The proctor will stop the exam and write the time of the interruption on the board.  You may not discuss the exam during the emergency.  The proctor will add the lost time as a result of the emergency to the exam end time.

Types of Exams

Open Book Exam: You may have and refer to any books and printouts of notes you bring into the exam room, however, you may not share materials during the examination and, unless specifically authorized by the professor in the exam instructions, you may not use electronic devices or access notes or outlines on a computer’s hard drive or the internet.

Limited Material Exam: You may have and refer to only those materials expressly authorized by the professor and identified in the exam instructions.

Closed Book Exam: You have no access to outside materials.  All books, notes, outlines, coats, briefcases and other materials must be removed from the desk area and placed to the front, sides, or back of the room.

Materials Permitted and Not Permitted During Exams

Most, though not all, professors allow students to use laptop computers when writing their exam responses.  Students must download an exam template if they wish to use their laptops during exams.   The exam template can be downloaded from the Registrar’s website: https://www.law.georgetown.edu/registrar/templates.htm. 

Professors’ laptop usage instructions will vary.  Some professors will allow access to the hard drive and not the internet, some to both hard drive and internet access, and others will not allow access to either.  If you are not allowed hard drive or internet access, you will need to print out any allowed outlines or notes prior to the exam.  Prior to the exam, the Registrar will send the professors’ laptop usage instructions to students’ Georgetown email accounts.  Students may not share power cords, external drives or any other exam materials.  (Refer to the Registrar’s website for more specific instructions regarding laptop usage or registering to handwrite your exam responses.)

Calculators may be used during exams only if a professor has specifically authorized their use.  Because laptop usage is often restricted, students are strongly advised to have a separate calculator rather than relying upon one installed on a laptop.  Likewise, the calculator cannot be part of a PDA or other handheld device that can store notes or other information.  Students may not share calculators or any other exam materials.

Translation dictionaries may be used during open book, closed book, and limited material exams by students for whom English is a second language.  Students who wish to use an electronic translation dictionary must have the device approved by Office of the Registrar Staff prior to the exam.  Students may not share translation dictionaries or any other exam materials. 

Earplugs are provided for your exam and you may use earplugs to block out sound, but you may not use any headphones, ear pieces or other devices that produce sound.  Watches and pagers must be set to emit no sounds.

Cell Phones must be turned off completely and placed out of sight.  They may not be used as calculators or time pieces during the exam.

Take-Home Exam Procedures

Take-home exams are distributed and collected by the Office of the Registrar.   The distribution and collection rooms will be posted on classroom doors on the first and second floors of McDonough Hall, in elevators, as well as outside the Registrar’s Office on the 3rd floor.   

During the exam, remember to backup and print your document at regular intervals.  Additional time will not be given because of problems with your computer or printer.

A final printed document must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar for timely submission of your take-home exam.  Please note that the Office of the Registrar WILL NOT ACCEPT take-home examinations by facsimile, email, CD, disk or flash drive.  You will not be able to upload your exam through the Online Exam/Paper Management System.   Your final take-home exam must be submitted in person and in hard copy.

No extra time will be given to students who later discover that they submitted an incomplete exam.   Your exam may not be amended or reviewed once it is submitted.

After the Exam

You may not discuss the substance of the exam with the professor or with any other student until after the grades are published, and you may not identify yourself in any way to the professor as the author of an exam until the grades are published.

Student Disciplinary Code

The Student Disciplinary Code can be found in the Bulletin online.   Please familiarize yourself with the Code in order to avoid violations of the Code.  http://www.law.georgetown.edu/registrar/bulletin/conduct_policies/sdc.cfm. 

Exam Deferrals

Exam deferrals are not granted easily.

Exam deferrals are administered by the Office of the Registrar.   Do not contact your professor if you need to have an exam deferred.  The professor cannot grant an exam deferral. 

You may not indicate to the professor that your exam has been deferred.

Exams are not deferred for travel, vacation, personal or social plans.  If you become ill, or if there is a death or serious illness in your family, please notify the Office of the Registrar immediately. 

A student failing to present himself/herself for an exam must contact the Registrar on the day of the examination and before the exam begins.   In case of emergency, you should immediately notify the Registrar’s Office.   The number for the Registrar’s Office during office hours is (202) 662-9220.   If you have a medical or family emergency and need to reach the Registrar during the exam period when the office is not open, please call (202) 528-9636.