Online Exams

We recognise that for many of you, online examinations will be a very new experience so please take time to familiarise yourself how they will be operated.

The majority of Reassessment (Resit) exams will take place on the Exam Server with a few Professional Exams being held at Sighthill Campus.  The Exam Server will open for Resit students to check their access to the Server on Wednesday 20 July 2022 and Wednesday 17 August 2022 for Trimester 3 exams.

Exams are set with the expectation that student should be able to complete the task(s) in the time that they would have had if they were in an exam on campus, for example a two hour exam paper. This will be noted on the cover of the exam paper as the 'expected exam duration'.

The Exam Server will usually be open for twice this period of time to ensure all students have sufficient time to download/upload materials required, to mitigate against any temporary network issues/disturbances, and as a universal approach to ensure that students with individual learning profiles are not disadvantaged. This will be noted on the cover of the exam paper as 'total time available'.

There are two different types of examination:

• Timed exams with twice the normal time available
• Other exams where different arrangements are necessary to meet Professional Body requirements (e.g. 24 hour exams, on campus exams)

Some exam papers will set an indicative word count to give you additional guidance on the length of answers that you should be aiming to submit. In all exams you should read the instructions carefully and ensure you understand what is being asked before you start to answer questions.

Please allow yourself plenty of time to deal with any technical interface issues - the extended time should be used primarily by you to manage such matters if required, so you should aim to be working on your answers for around the same time as you would have for the original exam (e.g. around three hours writing for a three-hour paper). No additional time can be added and late submissions cannot be accepted.

Exams On-Campus

Why is this changing? Professional accounting bodies have always been clear that the shift to online exams was a temporary situation in response to the Coronavirus pandemic. A return to invigilated, on-campus exams was always going to happen at some point as this is the normal format for accounting exams.

Specifically, the Accredited Accountancy & Finance module exams will take place on campus: ACC07101, ACC07102, ACC07103, ACC08104, ACC08105, ACC08107, ACC09101, ACC09102, ACC09103, ACC09105, ACC09109, FIN08108. 

Why the change now, half-way through the year? The timing has been driven by decision making at the Financial Reporting Council, and the professional accounting bodies. Accounting bodies tend to work in calendar years rather than academic ones.

On the Day of your Exam – On Campus (Professional Exams being held on campus only)

Please ensure that you are prepared for your exam and that you have:

• All necessary stationery; including pens, pencils, calculators (if permitted) etc.
• Checked the exam timetable for the correct campus, date and time and allowing adequate travel time (entry to the exam room will be 15 minutes prior to the start time of your exam)
• Prepared for all aspects of your upcoming exam.

Please be advised no food or drink is permitted in the exam venue, with the exception of bottled water that should be in a clear bottle. Anything else will be removed by the invigilator.

Exams on campus will be written answers in an answer script book which will be provided to you. If you have a Learning Profile in place for the use of a PC, you will be given access to a University PC in a PC lab.

Exam Room Locations

You will find the room numbers for your exams posted at the Craiglockhart campus iPoint. Exam room numbers will be posted one hour prior to the start time of your exam. If you have been assessed as having additional exam requirements please make sure to report to the iPoint for your specific room number (please note you will not always be allocated the same room for different exams).

During your exam

• The invigilator will inform you of the start and end time of the exam
• You will be asked to place any mobile phone or Smart Watch in the bag provided and place this on the desk in front of you for the duration of the exam
• Once the exam has started, you may not leave the exam room until a period of 1 hour has elapsed from the start of the exam. You are not allowed to leave the room in the last 15 minutes of the exam
• If there is reading time you will not be permitted to make notes or answer the questions in your script book(s) during this period
• No unauthorised material may be brought into the examination room
• Communication between candidates or any other irregular practice is not allowed
• Sharing of any material is prohibited.

Calculators and dictionaries

In some instances calculators and dictionaries may be allowed during the exam. You should discuss this with your examiner. Programmable calculators are only allowed in appropriate exams, provided the memory facility has been cleared and the examiner has approved the use of programmable calculators. Mobile phones/Smart Watches must not be used as calculators. Please be aware that if you forget your calculator the Exams Office will not be able to supply a replacement.

At the end of your exam

• The invigilator will read a closing announcement to formally close the exam
• Please ensure your matriculation number appears on each script book and any additional materials which should be handed in
• At the end of the exam remain in your seat until the invigilator has collected your script book(s) from you
• Script book(s) will be anonymously marked
• Script book(s) are the property of Edinburgh Napier University and must not be removed from the exam room.

Support during exams

Under normal circumstances staff would be available at the exam room should there be any initial queries about the exam paper. We plan to set aside space on the Exam Server so you can raise questions which academic staff can then address in as timely a manner as they can. If you have any technical issues please contact exams@napier.ac.uk.

Timetabled Online Exams - FAQs

Many students will be asked to sit an exam at the end of some of the modules they undertake. These exams take place in two week blocks (diets) at the end of Trimesters 1 and 2 and over a one week block in Trimester 3. There is also a two week Reassessment (Resits) exam diet in the summer to allow students who have missed examinations to catch up.

Please note that in the School of Health and Social Care, Resit exams may be scheduled either during the Resit exam period or during the Trimester 3 exam period. It is important to check the Examination Timetables carefully to ensure you are aware when your Resit exam will take place.

Exams undertaken overseas

The start time for all examinations is 11am (UK time). This should allow students studying Edinburgh-based modules but who are currently located overseas to engage in the examination at the same time as UK-based students.

Further questions

If you have further questions about the exam process, please email exams@napier.ac.uk