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Examination rules for candidates

All University examinations are governed by the following Examination Rules. All students must ensure that they have read and fully understand the Examination Rules before sitting examinations.

Enrolment for examinations

  • Candidates may present themselves for an examination only if they are duly registered for the module concerned.
  • All matriculated students are entered automatically for the rDecembe and May degree examination diets.
  • Students not in attendance at the University and students making a second attempt at an examination are required to enrol and to pay the required fees by the date specified.

Examination dates, times and venues 

  • The examination timetable will be displayed on the University website in accordance with the dates given on the Examinations Office webpage.
  • Candidates must carefully check their provisional examination timetable as soon as possible after it is published. Whilst every effort is made by Schools and the Examinations Office to prevent timetable clashes, these can on occasion occur. Where such a clash is identified, the candidate must notify the Examinations Office at the earliest possible opportunity, and prior to the publication of the confirmed timetable (normally two weeks after the provisional timetable appears).
  • Candidates are responsible for noting correctly the dates, times and venues of their examinations. No extra time will be granted to candidates who arrive late at the examination venue because they have noted the examination date, time or venue incorrectly.

Special examination requirements

  • Candidates who have a disability / medical condition and may require special examination arrangements must ensure that they have registered with the Student Services Disability Team by the end of November for the January examination diet and by the end of March for the May diet.
  • Failure to register with the Disability Team prior to these deadlines may result in the Examinations Office being unable to provide the candidate with special examination arrangements.

Academic misconduct

  • Candidates must ensure that they are familiar with the contents of the University’s Academic Misconduct Policy. 
  • Academic misconduct in examinations or class tests can include (but is not restricted to) the following prohibited activities:
    1. taking communications equipment into the examination;
    2. use of prohibited equipment, software or materials during the examination;
    3. taking information (including notes in any format, books, electronically stored data or illegitimately annotated copies of dictionaries, set texts, annotations made on or concealed on parts of a student’s body, etc) into the examination;
    4. impersonation or attempted impersonation of a student (including, for example, failing to fill in attendance cards or cover sheets of scripts in a way that accurately identifies the author);
    5. providing University staff with incorrect or misleading information prior to, during, or after the examination;
    6. removal of an examination script or blank examination stationery from the examination hall except by a person with designated authority to do so;
    7. any unsupervised absence from the examination hall during the period of an examination (Note that student(s) who have left the examination hall without permission and/or without supervision will not normally be allowed back into the hall.);
    8. unauthorized and undeclared acquisition of examination questions prior to an examination, whether or not that examination is to be sat by the student concerned;
    9. failure to follow the rules for an examination, in a way that might result in the gaining of an academic advantage.

Admission to the examination room

  • Candidates must bring their St Andrews matriculation (ID) card to all examinations.Candidates should be present at the examination venue 20 minutes before the examination start time.
  • Candidates may not enter the examination room until instructed to do so by the Chief Invigilator.
  • No candidate will be permitted to enter the examination room more than 30 minutes after the official start of the examination.
  • Only in exceptional circumstances and at the discretion of the invigilators will a candidate who arrives late be granted extra time at the end of the examination.

Permitted materials

  • No candidate may take into the examination room books, papers or other aids intended to assist with the examinations, unless with the prior permission of the School/department concerned and of the Examinations Officer.  
  • Candidates are not permitted to keep any electronic devices on their person during examinations -unless with the prior written permission of the Examinations Officer (see section below on Electronic Devices in Examinations)
  • Bags and other such articles must be left in designated areas at the front or back of the examination hall (depending on the venue concerned and the number of candidates). 
  • No candidate may bring any food or drink into the examination hall, with the exception of water in a plastic bottle.  
  • Calculators:
    • The use of programmable calculators and those with text, symbolic or graphic capabilities is not permitted at examinations.
  • Dictionaries
    • There is no objection in principle to the use of a dictionary by a student whose native language is not English at class and/or degree examinations. This applies also to all non-graduating students whose native language is not English.
    • The dictionary to be used on such occasions should normally be a non-technical, one-volume (two-way) dictionary between English and the student's native language.  The use of electronic dictionaries is not permitted.
    • A student eligible to use a dictionary on this basis must obtain a note from the Head of School concerned confirming that the use of a dictionary has been authorised and should present it to the Chief Invigilator in the examination hall at the start of each examination. This note would apply to all examination papers in all examinations in that subject for that session, unless otherwise stipulated by the Head of School.  Similarly the Head of School should stipulate whether the use of any particular dictionary is authorised or prohibited for a particular examination or paper.
    • Students allowed to use a dictionary should normally be required to sit at the back of the examination hall or block of students for a particular examination (to minimise disturbance to other candidates).
    • Any departure from the general policy set out above should require prior authorisation by the appropriate Faculty Officer who should inform the Examinations Officer of any special arrangements approved
    • Any unauthorised material will be removed by invigilators and returned to candidates at the end of the examination.

Electronic devices in examinations

  • Candidates are not permitted to keep any electronic devices on their person during examinations (unless with the prior written permission of the Examinations Officer). 
  • Electronic devices include (but are not limited to) mobile telephones, music players and electronic wristwatches.
  • It is a breach of the Examination Rules for the student to have any form of electronic device on their person during an exam, even if the device has not been accessed during the exam. Any student who breaches this rule will be subject to the Academic misconduct policy (students)
  • Students who do bring electronic devices to the exam venue must leave them in their bag at the back of the exam room.
  • The University accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage to mobile telephones or other electronic devices while in the exam room. For this reason, the University recommends that students do not bring any electronic devices to the exam venue, and instead leave them at home.

Beginning the examination

  • Candidates may not turn over the examination paper until instructed to do so by the Chief Invigilator.  
  • Candidates may begin writing only once the Chief Invigilator has completed the announcements and officially started the examination. 
  • Candidates must keep their matriculation card face up at the top right hand corner of their desk throughout the examination. 

Completion of examination materials

  • At the start of their examination, candidates are provided with the necessary materials on which to answer the examination questions.
  • Candidates may be required to answer their examination in one or more script books, on a multiple-choice question card or on the examination paper itself.  
  • Candidates are required to answer their examination in accordance with the instructions on the front of the examination paper, and in accordance with any instructions issued by the Chief Invigilator.  
  • Candidates are required to write their answers in English, unless either it is clear from the question that a foreign language is to be used or special arrangements have been made in advance.  
  • For examinations where candidates are required to complete their examination using one or more script books:
    • Candidates must complete and seal the anonymisation flap on the right of each script book.
    • Candidates must ensure that their matriculation number is entered on the front of each script book and that it remains clearly visible.
    • Candidates must write on both sides of the page.
    • Rough work must be included in the script book and clearly crossed out. Where, with prior permission from Student Services and the Examinations Office, candidates are permitted to use loose paper for rough work, all sheets of paper used should be included with the completed script book at the end of the examination, again with the rough work crossed out.
    • No other paper, unless supplied by the invigilators, should be used during the examination.
    • No part of the script book should be torn off.
    • Where candidates use multiple script books, they must fasten together all the books in order of use with the treasury tag provided.

Conduct during the examination

  • Candidates are required to comply with any instructions issued by the invigilators.   
  • Any candidates requiring assistance during the examination must raise their arm and wait for an invigilator to come to them. They should not leave their desk. 
  • Communication of any kind between candidates during an examination is forbidden.  
  • Smoking is forbidden in the examination hall. 
  • No candidate may place examination script books or other material on the floor.  
  • A candidate whose conduct is, in the opinion of the Chief Invigilator, disturbing to other candidates and who persists in such behaviour after receiving a warning from an invigilator shall be required to withdraw from the examination hall.  
  • In the event of an emergency, candidates must follow the instructions given by the invigilators.

Leaving the examination

  • No candidate may leave the examination hall during the first 30 minutes of the examination, save in exceptional circumstances and at the discretion of the invigilators.
  • Candidates wishing to leave the examination (temporarily or otherwise) must raise their arm and wait for an invigilator to come to them.
  • Candidates wishing to return to the examination may not leave the examination room unsupervised.
  • Only in exceptional circumstances may a candidate leave the examination hall during the final 30 minutes of the examination. In order to minimise disturbance to other candidates, all candidates should remain in their places until the examination has officially ended and they have been given permission to leave by the invigilators
  • At the end of the examination:
    • All candidates must stop writing when instructed to do so by the Chief Invigilator.
    • An invigilator will collect the examination materials. Each candidate must ensure that they hand in all examination materials (script books, multiple choice question cards etc.) and the examination paper if required to do so.  Candidates should be aware that any examination script or related material that is removed, even inadvertently, from the venue without authority will be deemed invalid.
    • Candidates must remain in their seats until all examination materials have been collected and the invigilators have instructed them to leave.
    • Candidates must leave and disperse quietly once their examination is over, particularly if there are other examinations still taking place in the room or in adjacent areas.

Absence from examinations

  • Absence from Examinations due to illness or other exceptional circumstances should be reported to the Examinations Office IMMEDIATELY that you know you will be unable to sit an examination. This should then be followed up by completion of a Self-certification of absence via e-Vision and, if necessary, a medical certificate.

Examinations Office
January 2011