Exams

1.  Students are bound by the Honor Code of the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law which can be found in this Handbook and on the Student Resources Page of the web.

2.  More specifically:

      a.  A student is prohibited from engaging in action that invades or attempts to invade security maintained for the preparation and storage of examinations.  If a student comes in contact with examination questions which are subject to examination security, the student must immediately inform the Director of Registration and Enrollment who will decide whether or not the student may take the examination questions under consideration.

      b.  Only a student registered for a course or otherwise specifically authorized may take the examination given for the course for credit.  No student or other person may take an examination in a course for another, nor may a student knowingly permit another person to take an examination for him or her in a course.

      c.  A student may neither consult nor refer to any books, notebooks, outline, paper, notes, computer memory or electronically available resources of any kind during the examination period unless specifically authorized to do so by the professor giving the examination. Computers may not be used without express permission of the instructor.

      d.  A student may neither read (except for the cover sheet instructions) nor begin work until the person in charge of the examination has given permission to begin work.

      e.  A student may neither give, receive, nor obtain any form of aid during an examination.  The term “aid” means information or help of any nature not specifically permitted by the professor, from whatever source derived.

      f.  A student who is taking or has taken an examination may not discuss that examination with anyone whom he or she knows is taking or will take, for example rescheduled exam takers, that examination.  The student may not discuss any part of any examination with any student or with anyone else under circumstances in which he or she should know the discussion will likely endanger the security of questions which continue under examination security following the examination.

     g.  A student may not engage in any conversation or communication about the examination during its administration except with the person administering the exam.  Under no circumstances may an examination, examination book or other exam answer materials be removed from the exam room(s) by a student during the hours of the exam, except to authorized use rooms.

     h. Overflow room students must complete and return to the primary/exam distribution room and submit the exam to the proctor within the allowable time and according to the clock in the primary/exam distribution room. Computer/Exam4 users must complete and submit their answers within the allowable time; they may wish to use the Exam4 timing function.  Exams submitted late will be marked late; the instructor will be notified of the additional time taken.

     i.  No student may add to or amend his or her examination books/answers after they have been turned in.

     j.  The following exam announcements (with variations relevant to the specific examination) and procedures apply to in-school exams:

  • All student academic work, including examinations, is governed by the honor code of the School of Law.
  • Read only these instructions and the exam administrative instruction page until told to start work.
  • You may setup Exam4 to the point within the program where you are told to WAIT until instructed to begin.  Do not click Begin Exam until the proctor gives a start work announcement.
  • Mark exam number on blue books, machine-graded answer form, answer sheet, in the Exam4 program and envelope.  Sign your name legibly and print your name only on exam questions cover sheet.
  • Handwriters must return to the primary/exam distribution room and submit the exam to the proctor within the allowable time and according to the clock in the primary/exam distribution room. 

    Exam4 users must submit their exam answers within the allowable time and then promptly return exam questions to the proctor. Indicate on the exam questions cover sheet whether the exam was taken electronically (all or in part).  Only if any part of the exam answer is handwritten or if scantrons are used will a student also submit an exam envelope.

    If you take more than the allowed time for your exam, you may be subject to penalty.

    Do not put exam questions in the envelope. Do not seal the envelope.  Exam envelopes are only to be used if a student handwrites any part of an answer or uses a scantron answer sheet.
  • Students completing their exams early should turn in their exam materials to Suite 280, Office of Registration and Enrollment/Office of Student Affairs.
  • Sign out and in when you leave the room (including students using the handwriting/computer overflow rooms).
  • Please respect the need for quiet; turn off cell phones and pagers. Because cell phones must be turned off, they may not be used as timing devices.
  • Students may not use iPods and other electronic listening/communication devices during the exam.
  • If you need an exam proctor, call ext. 6-2045 (ask for permission to use the phone at the security officer’s desk or use the campus phone located across from the stairwell in the classroom wing on the 1st floor) or go to the Office of Registration & Enrollment/Office of Student Affairs (Suite 280).

The language stated above is also found on individual Exam Number Sheets provided for each exam class.  An example of that form may be found at Exam Number Sheet Guide

3.  It is the responsibility of each individual student to ensure that all examination booklets/exam answers or electronically submitted answers are received by the examination proctor or are submitted electronically in a timely fashion according to approved instructions.  To this end, each student must place all completed examination answers (whether blue books or multiple-choice responses) in an envelope provided for this purpose,  hand in the envelope to the exam proctor and/or submit answers electronically in a timely fashion and according to approved instructions.  No student will be permitted to turn in any part of an examination after the examinations have been collected at the announced time.  Grades will be based solely on materials handed in at the appropriate time, and no provision will be made for grading materials handed in after the announced time.

Should an illness or emergency arise which prevents a student from getting to school to take an exam, the student must contact the Office of Registration & Enrollment at (410) 706-2045. (Students should not send an email in lieu of calling; emails may not be read quickly enough to permit timely response.) Students must present a doctor’s note before being permitted to take an exam rescheduled due to illness.

Students who leave an exam early due to illness will be graded on their answers produced during the exam; there will be no grading accommodation due to a student’s decision to discontinue taking an exam as a result of illness. Because students will be graded on their answers produced during the exam, students who are ill are advised to request postponement of the exam prior to picking up the exam.

Should an emergency arise during an exam the student must immediately contact staff in the Office of Registration & Enrollment. 

The online form must be completed and submitted no later than the Friday before the beginning of the exam period. Requests received after that date may not be considered.

Do not discuss exam rescheduling with your instructor, and do not discuss the exam with anyone subsequent to the exam's regularly scheduled administration or at any time which would give any student taking the exam an unfair advantage; doing so may be an Honor Code violation.

REQUESTED CHANGES MUST CONFORM TO THE FOLLOWING RULES:

  1. No student shall be required to take exams (take home exams included) on two consecutive days unless twenty-four hours intervene between the beginning of the first exam and the beginning of the second exam; e.g., exams scheduled on successive days at 1:30 p.m. are NOT considered to be in conflict.
  2. No student shall be required to take exams (take home exams included) on more than two consecutive days, e.g., a student with exams on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday may reschedule one.
  3. Evening division students with exams (take home exams included) on two consecutive days may reschedule one of the exams, e.g., an evening student with exams on Monday and Tuesday of the same week may reschedule one.
  4. Although the scheduling of take-home exams may result in conflict as described in 1, 2, or 3 above, the take-home may not be rescheduled; only the other exam in conflict may be rescheduled.
  5. Exams may not be rescheduled at a time earlier than the original time and date, unless there is a conflict according to rules 1, 2 or 3 above and when later rescheduling may not be feasible.
  6. Reasonable reschedule requests will be approved.  Generally reasonable means that Week 1 exam conflicts should be rescheduled for Week 1 unless the rescheduled exam being moved is on that 1st Week Thursday evening or Friday or for extreme hardship that can be demonstrated to justify a Week 1 exam reschedule until Week 2 of exams. 
  7. Appeal to health reasons as an excuse for rescheduling an examination, whether in advance or at the last moment, will be honored only upon receipt of a doctor's letter certifying the illness and the necessity of missing the scheduled examination.
  8. In general, the Office of Registration and Enrollment shall not recognize reasons other than health problems as excusing causes for missing a scheduled examination. If some serious and urgent problem arises, however, due consideration will be given. The presumption is that, except for health reasons, most requests received for rescheduling examinations will not be honored.
  9. The online form will permit you to request a time slot during which another regularly scheduled examination is administered. Although the time requested normally will be approved, other considerations may require approval of a time other than that requested. Requests which create another conflict may be denied. Requests should be made to cause the fewest reschedulings.
  10. Notices signifying approval or disapproval of requests will be emailed to students at your official law school email address.
  11. Rescheduled exams should be picked up from the Office of Registration and Enrollment, Suite 280, approximately 15 minutes prior to the rescheduled exam start time, and must be returned to the same office within the time limits of the rescheduled exam. You will be assigned a room when you pick up your examination.
  12. Unless a conflict would still occur with another examination, the rescheduled examination must be taken no later than the last day of the exam period.
  13. Students who do not take a regularly scheduled examination and are judged by the Director of Registration and Enrollment not to have had adequate reason to miss the examination will receive a grade of F.

Because facility with written and spoken English is necessary in order to successfully participate in our academic experience, applicants for whom English is a second language or not their primary language must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). English Proficiency is proven by an official TOEFL score of at least 600 paper-based or 90 internet-based, an official IELTS score of at least 7, previous attendance at a U.S. institution, or proof that English is the applicant’s native language. Request that scores be sent directly to the law school. Note: TOEFL and IELTS scores are valid for two years.