Chapter 9:
Examinations

Taking Examinations

Throughout the semester, certain assessments may be administered by the Registrar's Office. The dates, times, and locations of final examinations are posted on the website of the School of Law Registrar’s Office, along with detailed exam procedures and rules.

Students are expected to begin their examinations on time. If a student arrives or starts an in-person examination late, the allotted amount of time may still be granted if: a) the student is no more than one hour late due to unavoidable and emergent circumstances, and b) the allotted time does not constitute extending the exam administration beyond regular office hours. In no event will time be granted beyond 5:00 pm. An Exam Incident Report noting the late start time and anonymous exam number will be submitted to the instructor and the Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for any further action needed.

Exam Monitoring, Protocol, & Security

The School of Law Registrar’s Office website details how exams are administered and monitored, along with details about exam security.

Exam Hardships

The Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (or their designee) may reschedule examinations in individual cases for an exceptional hardship. Final exams in close proximity to one another do not constitute an exceptional hardship unless a student is scheduled for three examinations on three consecutive days. In the event of an exceptional hardship, the make-up day will be determined by the Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs or the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, in consultation with the student.

The Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (or their designee) may grant special permission for hardships due to extenuating circumstances.

Early Examinations

Except for classes that have been front-loaded for a specific pedagogical purpose, no final exams may be given or handed out to a student or students (including take home exams) prior to the first day of the exam period of any semester without the approval of the Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (or their designee) and the instructor.

Exam Time and Language Barriers 

First-year JD students who do not speak English as a first language may request from the Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (or their designee) additional time to complete their examinations. The Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (or their designee) will make this determination on an individual basis to reflect the specific language barrier that the student faces. The amount of extra time granted to the student will ordinarily be reduced during the student’s second year, and no extra time will be granted during the third year.

Two-Year JD students who do not speak English as a first language will be granted an additional fifteen minutes per hour of a timed assessment during their first year in the program. After completion of one year (two academic semesters), no extra time will be given.  

LLM and SJD candidates are allowed thirty extra minutes per hour of a timed assessment.

LLM students and JD or Two-Year JD students who have been granted extra time for assessments are entitled to take into the exams a printed copy of an English translation dictionary or a translating application on a cell phone or other electronic device. Students must notify the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs of their intention to use such a dictionary or translating application in the exam before the commencement of the exam period in accordance with the exam procedures announced from time to time.

Inability or Failure to Take an Examination

To be excused from a required examination, a student must obtain the approval of the Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. Approvals will be granted only for compelling reasons. A student who is excused from a required examination will be given a grade of “I” for Incomplete. Failure to obtain approval will result in the Registrar recording a failing grade.

A student who is ill or has an emergency prior to the beginning of an examination should notify the Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, or the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs immediately. A student who becomes ill or has an emergency during an examination and is unable to continue should immediately notify any exam monitor, the Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, or the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs.

Examination Policy Violations

Any violation of exam policies, including policies prescribed by an individual instructor, should be brought to the attention of the Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs. Violations of exam policies may implicate the Honor Code, which can result in suspension, dismissal, or other disciplinary action as outlined in Chapter 11.

Anonymous Grading of Final Exams

All final exams in the JD, LLM, and SJD programs must be graded anonymously. Students may not sign their names or otherwise identify themselves on their exams or answers, except by their anonymous exam number. No instructor will have any knowledge of any student’s anonymous exam number until after final grades have been submitted. 

Custody and Storage of Exams

Instructors will keep students’ exam answers in their possession for a reasonable period following the exam to complete grading and allow student review. The School of Law will store student exam answers for one year and then may destroy the exam answers, absent any compelling reason to the contrary.

First-Year JD Exam Preparation Materials

In all first-year JD courses, each instructor will make available to the students materials representative of the final exam and a model answer or rubric. It need not be an entire current exam, but enough will be made available so that students can discern the typical format and content of the exam. Similarly, a professor need not provide actual answers; a detailed outline or an example of a good student exam answer will suffice.