Exam Information

Out-of-Sequence Dates: Please see the final exam schedule for out-of-sequence dates.

All students must take their examinations on the officially designated date and time at the officially designated place. Students should consult the examination schedule on the exams page each semester for examination times and rooms. Examination times and rooms are not necessarily the same as the time and room of the class during the regular semester.

Students must also arrange their work and personal schedules so that they can attend their scheduled examinations. If an examination must be rescheduled due to an emergency (weather, technology, etc.) the Registrar’s Office will make every effort to schedule the make-up examination during the normal examination period. For this reason, students must plan to remain in residence during the entire period in which they have scheduled examinations.

No student may take an examination before the examination’s officially scheduled date and/or time. This policy may not be overridden by individual professors. A student, however, may request permission to take an examination out-of-sequence after the date and time of the original exam for the following reasons:

1) The student has two (2) in-class or 24-hour take-home examinations scheduled on the same calendar day, or

2) The student has three (3) in-class examinations or 24-hour take-home examinations scheduled on three (3) consecutive calendar days, or

3) The student has a conflicting academic obligation that cannot be rescheduled (e.g. moot court competition, clinic court appearance, etc.)

4) The student has serious medical reasons verified in writing by appropriate medical personnel, or

5) The student has a personal emergency supported by documentation.

For exam scheduling purposes, “calendar day” is defined as 12:01 AM to 11:59 PM on a single calendar day. For example, if a student has two in-class, two 24-hour take-home or one in-class and one 24-hour take-home that are both on Monday, the student could petition to reschedule one of the exams. If a student has one exam on Monday and one exam on Tuesday, the exams would not qualify for rescheduling as they are not on the same calendar day. Papers, projects and take-home or online exams with multiple-day availability do not qualify for rescheduling.

Examinations Rescheduled for Reasons One (1), Two (2), or Three (3):
Students who seek to change an examination time for reasons one (1), two (2), or three (3) above must seek permission via the out-of-sequence petition form available here. If a student requests an out-of-sequence examination based on an in-class and take-home exam, the Registrar’s Office will reschedule the examination as follows: (a) in-class exams take priority - the online exam will be rescheduled; (b) if both exams are in-class or online, the exam that is scheduled second in time will be rescheduled. All exams will be rescheduled for a day and time closest to the originally scheduled exam that does not cause a subsequent out-of-sequence exam issue.

Examinations Rescheduled for Reasons Four (4) and Five (5) Above:
Students who seek to change an examination time for reason four (4) or five (5) above must seek permission from the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs by filling out this form. Personal emergencies do not include work-related responsibilities, but rather contemplate such events as a death in the family, or emergency medical situations that involve the student or family dependents. A student who seeks a rescheduled examination for reasons four (4) or five (5) must file a petition as soon as the medical situation arises or as soon as the student discovers the personal emergency. Students may be asked to provide additional information or forms to document the request.

Students who receive permission to reschedule an examination for reasons four (4) or five (5) must complete the examination as soon as possible and preferably within the normal examination period for the particular semester. In no event may a student reschedule an examination after the beginning of the next semester.

A general petition must be filed with the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs for any reason other than those listed above.

ADA Accommodations

A student with documented disabilities must first request accommodations through AccessibleDU: Student Disability Services (SDS). SDS reviews and approves all documentation and accommodations. Students can find the SDS handbook and forms here.

Students who receive accommodations should meet with a staff member in the Office of Student Affairs upon receiving accommodations from SDS to discuss how their accommodations are administered in the law school.

Take-Home & Online Exams:

For those approved for 50% additional time:

• If the exam is 1-12 hours, the student will receive 50% more time (time and a half)
• If the exam is 13-48 hours, the student will receive 25% more time (time and a quarter)
• If the exam is 49+ hours, no extended time will be granted
   

For those approved for 100% additional time:

• If the exam is 1-12 hours, the student will receive 100% more time (double time)
• If the exam is 13-48 hours, the student will receive 50% more time (time and a half)
• If the exam is 49-72 hours, the student will receive 25% more time (time and a quarter).
• If the exam is 73+ hours, no extended time will be granted
   

For those with an approved “Stop the Clock” accommodation: 

• If the exam is 1-12 hours, the student may use their “Stop the Clock” testing accommodation. 
• Any exam that is over 12 hours, “Stop the Clock” testing accommodation does not apply. 
   

Additional Time for ESL Students

Juris Doctor (JD) Students
No additional time is available for JD students.

Non-JD Students
Non-JD students for whom English is a second language may petition the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs for additional time and/or the use of a non-legal English translation dictionary for midterm and final exams. To complete the petition, please visit the Office of Student Affairs (Suite 115).

1. Students must submit an ESL Student Registration form.

2. You will receive a response from the Office of Student Affairs after completing the ESL Student Registration form.

3. Students should download the Exam 4 software and take a practice exam prior to arriving for the actual exam.

4. The Student Affairs office will be in touch with each student about the date, time and location of exams at least 72 hours in advance. Please note that ESL exams are always on the same date.

5. If the professor changes any details about the exam, please alert the Registrar’s office.
    

The Assistant Dean in his or her discretion may grant an additional twenty (20) minutes per hour on examinations and/or the use of a non-legal translation dictionary.

No additional time is available for papers, oral presentations, or take-home examinations whose original length is greater than ten (10) hours.

Students receiving additional time for ADA or ESL accommodations will be notified via DU Law email of the time, date, and location for each midterm or final examination. Unless students have specific ADA accommodations for a separate room, study rooms and designated classrooms are considered limited distraction environments. The Student Affairs Office may place more than one student in a suitably sized room.

All requests for extensions of time in which to submit extended take-home examinations or papers should be submitted to the Registrar’s Office. Timed online take-home examinations may not be rescheduled unless the student has a medical or family emergency. Students must submit a request at least one day in advance of the due date of the take-home examination. Failure to make such requests and also to notify the Registrar’s office of such timely requests will result in point penalties or failure at the discretion of the course professor.

Don’t communicate with your professor about any issues during examinations. Contact the Registrar’s Office via phone (303-871-6132) or email (registrar@law.du.edu), and we’ll assist. This includes medical or personal emergencies, issues with take-home or online exams, and other questions. Don’t chance breaching anonymity for grading purposes by contacting your professor.

Please be considerate of others This includes activity in and out of the exam rooms. Please remember that others may not have finished the exam if you leave early and that there are other exams in other classrooms if you are talking in the hallways. The study rooms on the second and third floors of the law school are used for special exams so please keep noise to a minimum there as well. You may use study rooms for take-home exams or studying, but registrar’s staff may ask you to move if we need the room. Room 145 is reserved for take-home exam takers who wish to stay on campus. During this exam period, there will be technicians in some of the rooms upgrading the podium equipment. You can study in these rooms but there may be noise associated with the upgrade.

Know the location and time of your exam. Exams aren’t held at the same time as classes, on the same days or in the same rooms. Check the information on the exam schedule at the link included above. Any emergency location changes will be updated on the schedule and notification will be sent via your DU email.

Know what you can bring to an exam. Check to make sure you know if your exam is open or closed book and what items you may have with you in the exam. You can bring water or a snack but be sure not to make noise that would disturb others. Do not bring electronic devices with you such as iPods with headphones, and silence your cell phones before the exam. You may leave to use the restroom but please do not take anything with you and don’t bring back any items.

Please be ready for your exam. Download the software ahead of time (http://www.exam4.com), do a practice test and be in the exam room 5 minutes early so everyone can get started on time. Make sure you bring your power cord and that your computer is working correctly. If your professor requires a word count, that will be explained at the beginning of the exam. If you’re taking an online exam, take the “trial” exam that is sent to you in your email so you know how to use the software. If you have an emergency, again, contact the Registrar’s Office. Know the due date of your take-home exams and when/how you can submit them. Registrar’s Office hours are posted on the exam website as well as on the front door.

Notify the Registrar’s Office if you have an issue. We can’t assist if we don’t know there is a problem. If you become ill, let us know. We cannot stop an exam and restart it on a different day. Staff will state at the beginning of each exam that if you have a problem with your computer, please let us know immediately. We want you to have the full time for your exam but we can’t help you if you report issues after you’ve submitted your exam answer.

Use your exam number, select the correct course/professor, turn in your exam questions and make sure you submit. Staff will walk you through the stat up process at the beginning of the exam. Make sure you use your Exam ID and NOT your student ID. Write your Exam ID on anything you submit including the exam questions. MAKE SURE YOU RETURN YOUR EXAM QUESTIONS. Professors require that you return the questions before they’ll grade your exam. If you’re using Exam4 software, make sure you select the proper class name/professor so we can find your exam. Sometimes submitting an exam takes a few extra seconds. It may take up to a couple minutes if you are using a Mac. We recommend Ethernet cords for the best connections. If the exam doesn’t submit immediately, wait a few seconds and submit again. If you continue to have issues, turn in your exam questions to your proctor and come to the Registrar’s Office.

Exam FAQ for Professors