Guidelines for exam candidates

1. Students are responsible for keeping themselves informed about Regulations relating to studies and examinations at The University of Stavanger and other instructions relevant to their exam.

2. Students are responsible for keeping themselves informed about exam dates, as well as the time and place of the examination.

3. Candidates must be present in the exam room 30 minutes before the exam starts. If students arrive later than this when they have a digital exam, they will not be granted extra time if they do not get logged in on time for when the exam starts.

4. During digital exams, candidates must have their own laptop, cf. Regulations on payment for universities and colleges § 3-3 (3). Candidates are required to prepare their machine in advance of the exam. The machine must be of recent date and updated so that it can be used for exam completion.

5. The University does not assume responsibility for damage to the candidate's own PC, any associated equipment, data or software for use during the course of the examination or while the equipment is in UiS's premises. The University is not responsible for loss of text / data due to power failure or malfunction of the machine. The candidate must make sure to take the necessary backup himself.

6. Candidates must have a valid ID placed on their desk during the examination (ex: student card, driver's lisence, passport, etc.). Without a valid ID, candidates will not be admitted to the exam. The student app  is not considered a valid ID-card. Mobile phones must be placed in designated areas of the room.

7. Bags and other items brought to the exam room must be placed in designated areas of the room. No headwear is allowed during the exam, except for religious purposes. Only soundreducing ear plugs are allowed.

8. Candidates are not allowed to wear a watch during the examination. All rooms will be fitted with clearly visible clocks on the wall.

9. Candidates should have nothing but writing materials, permitted exam aids and food on, or near, their desk. Permitted exam aids must be listed on the exam paper and placed on the desk for inspection. Invigilators may check this at any time.

10. Permitted exam aids, such as dictionaries, may not contain loose pages/sheets, notes etc. Marking and highlighting is allowed. Indications and underlinings are allowed. Aids that are not permitted, or that contain notes etc. will be confiscated. If this is discovered after the start of the exam, it will be considered as an attempt at cheating.

11. Incorporation of a Statute Book must follow the UiS' guidelines. These are listed in the course description online.

12. A candidate whose name is not the list of candidates must contact the main invigilator in the exam room. The main invigilator will then consult the Examination Office before authorizing the candidate to take the exam. The exam paper will not be assessed before it has been established that the criteria for taking the exam are fulfilled.

13. Exam candidates are not allowed to leave the room during the first 30 minutes of the exam. The candidate should inform an exam invigilator that they wish to withdraw. For digital exams there is a separate function for this in the exam system. For written exams the candidate should write "I withdraw for the the exam in ..." The candidate should then leave the examination room.

14. Candidates who arrive after the exam paper has been handed out must contact the main invigilator. Candidates may be admitted to the exam room up to 30 minutes after the official start of the exam. No allowance will be made for lateness in terms of extra time at the end of the exam. Late admission will not be granted if a candidate who has seen the questions has left the exam room unaccompanied by an invigilator.

15. Information about the duration of the exam is given in advance, and should also be stated on the exam paper. The given time period is including breaks. Candidates must stop writing when it is announced that the time is up. Candidates who do not stop writing when the time is up will not be allowed to hand in their paper. During written exams candidates have an additional 15 minutes to organize and hand in their papers (fill in headings, tear and organize sheets). Care must be taken not to disturb candidates whose exam time has been extended.

16. If carbonised answering sheets are used, one copy is for the examiner, one is for the teacher and one is for the exam candidate. To ensure that the copies are legible, it is important that the answers are written with a ballpoint pen (black or blue) or hard felt-tip pen. Carbonised answering sheets should not be stacked when written on, as this may lead to the handwriting being copied onto several sheets. The original set and the first copy set must be stapled and handed in, while the second copy set may be kept by the candidate. If a candidate has run out of time and hands in pages of rough paper, he/she cannot expect those to be copied and passed on to the examiners. Exam papers and sheets must be arranged so that the contents are not legible by other candidates. Under no circumstances should the papers be left on the floor.

17. At the beginning of the exam, the main invigilator will give a brief presentation of practical information for the exam. The main invigilator will remind candidates of the time both one hour before, and 15 minutes before the end of the exam.

18. During the exam, any communication between the candidates is strictly forbidden. All questions must be directed to the invigilators. A candidate wishing to leave the exam room temporarily will be accompanied by an invigilator throughout the absence. Candidates may not communicate with anyone outside the exam room. Candidates must abide by the instructions of the invigilator. Visits to the book shop or canteen during the exam will not be permitted.

19. If there are any queries regarding the exam questions the candidates must ask the invigilators who will contact the subject lecturer. It is up to the lecturer to decide what questions may be answered, and how. Information that is of relevance to the other candidates will be written on the board or handed out in writing to all candidates.

20. Candidates who are ill and unable to present themselves for the exam must submit a medical certificate no later than five working days after the exam. If a medical certificate is not handed in within the deadline the candidate will be registered as not having met for the exam and will have lost one exam attempt.

21. Candidates who become ill during the actual exam can choose to hand in their paper and have it graded, but if they do so they cannot hand in a medical certificate afterwards. If you choose to withdraw during the exam due to illness and submit a medical certificate within five working days after the exam then this exam will not be registered as an attempt. However, if you do not submit a medical certificate then the candidate will be registered as not having met for the exam.

22. Candidates wishing to hand in their answering sheets before the exam time is over, must stay in his/her seat waiting until all sheets have been checked by the invigilator, and then leave the exam room immediately. Once handed in, the answering sheets may not under any circumstances be returned to the candidate. Candidates wishing to hand in their examination response during the first half of the total exam time will not be allowed to take their paper with them when they leave.

23. Candidates must show consideration for other candidates in the room to avoid any disturbances. This also applies at the end of the examination for the sake of candidates who have been granted extra time. Failure to comply with this instruction may lead to immediate expulsion from the room.

24. Candidates who do not show up for the exam will be considered as having made an exam attempt. Candidates who withdraw during the exam have to fill out and hand in the cover sheet and remain seated until dismissed by the invigilator.

25. Cheating, and attempts at cheating, will immediately be reported to the Examination Office. Consequences of proven cheating or attempts at cheating will be dealt with separately by the university Legal Office.

These instructions are effective as of August 01, 2017.

Academic misconduct during examination or assessment

Rules and sanctions

In accordance with the Act of 01.04.05 no. 15 relating to universities and colleges, sections 4-7 and 4-8, academic misconduct or attempted academic misconduct, will result in the following consequences:

• The exam/assessment will be invalid
• The student in question will be excluded from the University of Stavanger, and he/she will be deprived of his/her right to sit for examinations at other institutions covered by the Act of 01.04.05 no.15 for a period of up to 1 year.

The following is considered academic misconduct:

• to bring illegal assisting material in relation to examinations/assessments such as books, handwritten or printed notes, allowed material with incorporated illegal notes, mobile phones, personal organizers, not approved calculators etc. to the examination/assessment. Illegal assisting material shall be defined as any conceivable form of material that is not specifically allowed under the particular examination/assessment or evaluation.
• to make use of or attempting to make use of the above mentioned material
• conversation or any other form of communication between candidates during the exam
• to copy, produce or submit work that is the subject of a previous evaluation or entirely or partially compiled by someone else without declaring the sources

Specifically, be aware that access to or use of mobile phones and/or personal organisers during the examination/assessment will be regarded as academic misconduct or attempted misconduct. This applies even if mobile phones are switched off. Mobile phones are to be placed together with bags, coats etc. at the designated area within the examination locality.