Tips and Guidelines for Your Final Exams at The University of Texas
Are you about to take your final exams at the University of Texas? Read and understand these exam-taking tips for the University of Texas to minimize errors and increase your chances of scoring the best grades.
Every student should read, understand, and follow every exam instruction before attempting their exams. The University will subject students who fail to comply with the instructions to severe disciplinary action because that is considered a violation to the institution's honor code.
Students are required to electronically sign a student certification of exam performance agreement whenever they're retrieving their final examination identification number from their student portal. They should read and understand this document before signing it.
All students will sit in the same exam room, including typists and writers. This is to help the University manage the process more efficiently.
The University will penalize any student who doesn't arrive for the exam on time. The proctor won't award additional minutes to students who report late for the exam.
The University permits students to carry drinks in closed containers only. That means any form of eating, smoking, or chewing will not be tolerated. Legal action will be taken against students who fail to obey this instruction.
Students shall not carry any unauthorized electronic devices to the exam room. At some point, only computers that run Extegrity Exam 4 can be allowed into the room. Meanwhile, students shouldn't Carey any MP3 players, tablets, internet-enabled watches, and cellphones, among other electronics. Any visible electronics will be confiscated and submitted to the assistant dean for student affairs, pending disciplinary action.
In case you're an extegrity user, and you experience computer malfunction while taking your exam, you must report that case to your proctor. The University warns against rebooting your computer because only an SAO member is allowed to do so. Meanwhile, when you report your issue, you'll be provided with materials to start writing your exam.
When the proctor says it's time to stop, you must stop immediately. To explain this better, it means you can't add a full stop or even dot an "i." A student who doesn't stop writing when the proctor directs so shall be punished for violating the honor code.
If your exam requires you to use a Scantron form to answer part or all of your exam, you must carry an extra pencil with you because the University will only provide you with a Scantron sheet. You're also expected to bubble in all your answers within the deadline without fail. As a piece of advice, plan your time correctly to finish the exam earlier before the time is called so that you have time to go over the solutions and make necessary changes.
Some professors at the University of Texas don't have a problem with students leaving the exam room with questions after writing their exams. But some don't allow it. Therefore, it's imperative to read and understand each professor's instructions. If your professor requires you to return the questions with your exam answers, but you do otherwise, you shall be penalized for violating the honor code. In this case, you should contact the assistant dean of student affairs.
Students aren't allowed to leave the room while exams are in progress unless they want to use the restroom or there's an emergency. If you have permission to leave the room, you must not carry anything from the exam room to the outside. You must also sign out while leaving and sign in while returning. Your proctor will guide you on how to go about this. Meanwhile, you will not get extra time to complete your exam because you left the room.
The University doesn't allow communication between students sitting for their exams. This is in violation of the honor code, which is punishable. Students who have taken the exam should also not communicate the content of the exam with any student who hasn't taken the exam yet because it's also against the honor code.
The institution advises students to report anyone who violates the exam rules and regulations. For example, you're required to report anyone who uses a cellphone, carries unauthorized material, or writes beyond the allotted time for examinations to the assistant dean for student affairs or the proctor. While it's true that giving such a report can be difficult, you must do it to help maintain exam integrity. Please note that it's also an honor code violation if you do not report such incidents. Meanwhile, your proctor will award you the time lost while reporting such a case.
Students must start writing all take-home exams administered via Exam4 at 9:00 am on the exam date. Only students who have made arrangements with the student affairs office will be allowed to write their exams according to the agreement made between the office and the student.
The institution doesn't permit students to contact their professors about their exams because this is a violation of the Honor Code. Instead, students should contact the student’s affairs office (SAO) immediately.
If you're taking a Faculty Assistant-administered exam that obliges you to use Microsoft Word, always remember to save your work every five minutes. This way, you'll be sure that you don't lose your work whenever your computer experiences a problem. Also, budget enough time to print the exams if your professor wants them printed because printing time is part of the exam period. In case the printer experiences a hitch, the proctor won't allow you more time to compensate for the lost time.
Unless permitted by the student affairs office or your professor, you can't use a laptop to access your class notes or your course outline in exams that are administered in the classroom. In case you're allowed to use class notes or an outline, and you want to use them in your next exam, please ensure that you print the same before exam time.to avoid last-minute rush that could make you violate the honor code.
Students can't use laptops checked out from the institution's library to take in-room exams. Such computers can't load the necessary software for in-room exams. That's why such students should have their personal computers.
If any student wishes to postpone their exams, the institution has a distinct set of rules governing postponement. For example, the institution doesn't allow you to call your professor to request a postponement of the exams. Anyway, the institution only accepts exam postponement in case of:
- Medically documented illness
- Religious reasons
- Two exams that must be taken on the same day
- Rare special events like a close relative's wedding ceremony.
- Family emergencies range from illness and accidents to death. We need to verify the crisis before postponing it.
All floating exams ought to be taken strictly within the exam period. They may not be taken before the first day of any exam period. The exams must be turned in after 4:30 pm.