Exam Etiquette & Tips

Exam Etiquette and Tips:
Everyone knows how stressful Exam time can be, here are a few tips that students should take into consideration to ensure a comfortable exam writing experience for not only themselves but for their fellow students:

Arrive on Time – Students may not enter the exam room until instructed to do so. This will be no sooner than 20 minutes before the exam is scheduled to begin.Give yourself plenty of time to get to your exam, ensure that you have checked the  Exam Centre Notice online which is posted two weeks before each exam session, this is very important since locations can change from one session to the next, it is your responsibility to know where you are going. It is very distracting to others writing when another student arrives late for avoidable reasons.

Cell Phones – Upon entering the room, students must place all belongings except allowable exam materials at the front of the room. This includes, but is not limited to cell phones and other electronic devices, coats, bags, knapsacks, and briefcases. All cell phones, blackberries, pagers etc. are to be turned OFF and put away.

Watches- Not all exam rooms have clocks. Please wear an analog watch to reference the time. Smart watches, cell phones, PDAs and other electronic devices are NOT permitted to be on your person under any circumstances during the exam.

Eating in the exam room – You will be surprised how distracting candy wrappers, sandwich wrappers, and chips can be to your fellow students.

No Nuts – If you must eat during the exam, we ask that you do not bring in items that may contain nuts since there may be a chance that a fellow student or invigilator could have a serious allergy.

Perfume/Cologne – Some students are very sensitive to the certain scents; we ask that you refrain from wearing any type of perfume or cologne in the exam room.

Respecting the Invigilators – All the students are mature and from the professional background, so we expect the professional behavior from them. The exam invigilators are CGAs who volunteer their time to ensure that you have an exam centre to write at that is relatively close to home. The invigilators do not make the rules of the exam room they simply enforce them. If you have an issue with one of the rules being enforced you should contact CGA-PAKISTAN exam department during business hours.

Noise in general – Please remember that you are not the only student writing an exam in the room, the constant clicking of pens, the over use of correction tape etc, can be very distracting to fellow students.

Dress Comfortable – Although the very best is done to ensure that the exam room temperature is adequate. It is recommended that you dress in layers in the event that the room is a little cooler or warmer than you were anticipating.

About Booklets- Once seated, you must leave your exam question booklets face down. You may enter your personal information in the answer booklets.

Exam Material- Students must supply their own pens, HB or number 2 pencils, erasers, rulers and calculators. All necessary stationery is provided.

End of Exam- You must stop writing once the exam is called to an end. Any student who continues writing after the exam is called to an end is subject to appropriate disciplinary action.

Other Exam Etiquette:

You must bring a government issued photo ID (i.e. driver’s license, passport, etc.) and proof of course enrollment which indicates your CGA ID number and your name (e.g. course receipt) in order to be admitted into your exam.

Write your identification number, course name, examination centre, language and date on each exam booklet. Ensure that you have the correct exam question paper. Do not write your name on the front page or within your exam answer booklet.

Talking, passing or receiving notes, or communicating in any manner with other students inside or outside the exam room is strictly prohibited. It is also an offense to leave completed or partially completed answer scripts exposed to the view of other students. Do not write notes to the examiner (i.e. ‘this is my final exam attempt,’ ‘my program time limit is up,’ etc.) in your exam answer booklet. If you write notes of this nature, you will be referred to the CGA-PAKISTAN’s discipline tribunal.

Descriptive portions (i.e. subjective and essay exam portions) must be written in ink. Calculations, journal entries, rough work and worksheets may be submitted in pen or pencil.

Only work written in the exam booklet provided will be marked. All formulae and calculations should be shown in the answer booklet for full marks. The examiner will refer to these if you have difficulty with a question and will credit marks accordingly. Full marks may not be awarded where only the final answer, even if correct, is given. Label the rough work clearly for the examiner’s reference.

Clearly number each exam answer. Begin a new page for each new answer. If your handwriting is difficult to read, print using block letters.

The exam supervisor cannot discuss the paper with you before or during the exam. If you believe there is a possible error, state in your booklet what assumptions you have made in answering the question.

Exam answer booklets are Institute property. Return all booklets, whether used or unused, to the exam supervisor. Booklets must not be removed from the exam room.

If you finish your exam within the first 90 minutes you may not leave the room until 90 minutes has elapsed. If you finish the exam within the last 15 minutes, you must remain seated until the exam conclusion.

If all students take the time to consider these tips, it might help to make an already stressful situation a little less stressful.

NOTE: Any breach of exam regulations will result in disciplinary action.

We wish you the best of luck with your examinations.

If you become ill or panic during the exam, leave the exam room and proceed to the front office. Advice and help will be provided to you.

AT THE END OF THE EXAM

Do not leave the exam room during the last 15 minutes of the exam. If you finish your exam during that period, please sit quietly at your desk. If you are using exam software and have submitted your exam electronically please leave it on the congratulations screen. Playing games and surfing the net is very distracting to your fellow student.

When the instructor advises that the exam is over you must immediately stop writing in your answer booklets or typing your exam answers. To continue writing or typing an answer after the invigilator has stopped the exam is cheating, and is a violation of the Policy on Academic Integrity. At that point, the only writing that you are allowed to do is to write your student number and booklet numbers (etc.) on the front of the answer booklets. The only typing should be mouse clicks to follow the instructions on the screen.

Note: All Question Papers must be returned to the exam assistant at the front of the room with your student number on them.

Exam Booklet Hand-Writers: At the end of the exam you must write your student number, course and Professor’s name on the booklets.

AFTER THE EXAM

Out of courtesy and consideration for other students, please leave the exam room quietly. During the final exam periods in December and April exams will be continuing for other students and our hallways echo and reverberate with noise when students congregate in them. For that reason, please do not talk to other students until you are either within the student lounge or front lobby.

Do not contact your instructor to talk about the exam after you have written it. If you do so, it is almost inevitable that you will say something that will breach the exam-writing anonymity policy. If you feel that something “went seriously wrong” during the exam and you need to talk to someone about it, see the Associate Dean’s office immediately.