1. Exams are graded anonymously. Exam numbers will be available before exams begin. Put your exam number and not your name on any materials that you submit for your exam. Anything done by a student that lets a faculty member know or suspect his or her identity may be grounds for reducing a grade and may be considered a violation of the Honor System.
2. The Honor System requires that exams be pledged. It is sufficient simply to write the word "Pledged" on the cover of your exam answers unless your professor requires something more.
3. Be sure that you understand what, if any, materials you may bring into each exam and that you have no other materials with you. If your professor has not made clear what materials are permitted, be sure to ask.
4. Take careful note of the room assigned for each exam. That is where the exam will be handed out and collected. It is not necessarily the same room in which the class was taught. (The exam schedule may be viewed from the link above.)
5. Exams may be taken in the assigned rooms or elsewhere in the law school building, except as otherwise instructed by your professors. Regardless of where you take your exam, please remember that you must hand in your completed exam in the room in which the exam was handed out. Also remember that, wherever you choose to write or type your exam, you remain subject to whatever rules or restrictions your professor has chosen to impose.
6. Students studying in classrooms should respect their fellow students' need for quiet if they wish to take an exam in the same room. Everyone needs to remember to be courteous during this stressful time.
7. Computers may not be used for taking exams without express permission from your professor. If your professor has not announced whether computer use is permitted, be sure to ask. If you do wish to use a computer and are allowed to do so, you are responsible for providing your own machine.
8. If your professor allows computer use, be sure you understand clearly whether your answers must be printed within the time allotted for the exam or whether additional printing time is allowed. Your professor should also explain what he or she will do if you experience problems with your computer that prevent you from completing your exam within the allotted time.
9. Students who use computers to write their exams assume the risk of computer failure and are responsible for insuring against that risk. It is therefore essential that you periodically generate back-up copies of your exam. The simplest means of doing this is to e-mail a copy of the exam to yourself at reasonable intervals. Another option is to save back-up copies periodically to a network drive or a flash drive.
10. As a general rule, exams must be taken at the time indicated on the exam schedule. An exam may be taken at other than a scheduled time only for truly compelling reasons (a serious illness, a death of a close family member, or the equivalent) and with the permission of Dean Twitty, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. In addition, permission to reschedule an exam for reason of time conflict will not be granted unless you have two exams beginning within 24 hours of each other (e.g., exam A at 9 am and exam B at 9 am the following day) and you cannot avoid this conflict using the regular schedule. Such permission must be obtained before the regularly scheduled exam time unless an emergency precludes doing so. Rescheduling for medical reasons requires a doctor's recommendation in writing. No adjustments will be granted for such things as oversleeping or mistaking the scheduled time. Adjustments are also generally not available due to job interviews, travel commitments, and the like. Moreover, Dean Twitty will not reschedule an exam after the start of the exam period for a reason that existed before the start of the exam period. Any adjustment in the exam schedule is handled by the Dean's Office, not by the faculty. Do not discuss an adjustment with the instructor in the course as this may jeopardize your anonymity.
11. Finally, please be very careful not to discuss the content of your exams after you have taken them. Most exams are subject to multiple administrations; moreover, one or more students in your class may be taking the exam at an unscheduled time. Careless remarks that are overheard can give students who have not taken the exam an unfair advantage and may also implicate the Honor System.
Questions regarding accommodations, adjustments, exams or procedures should be addressed to Dean Brett Twitty, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. twittys@wlu.edu
Click here for exams on file.