Exams

Guidance for 2023/24

DMU guidance for taking exams on campus

  • Any exam that is scheduled on campus will be of a fixed timed duration, will be fully invigilated and all normal exam room regulations apply.
  • Your module handbook will detail the examinations (and any other assessments) you are expected to complete, and their format.
  • Please refer to the Exams on Campus Student Guide for information on how exams on campus are organised and what to expect on the day. 

Online exams will follow the 24-hour model

  • Online exams will take place over a 24-hour period but this does not mean you have to use the full 24 hours to complete the exam.  An indicative duration time of the exam will normally be included in the exam instructions and this is a recommended time for you to spend completing the exam and how long the exam would typically take if you were able to focus on it in ‘standard’ exam conditions.

The 24-hour time period will start and finish at 9am UK time. It is important to leave yourself time to submit your work before the deadline. 

Some online exams are exceptionally scheduled for a fixed time duration. Your module handbook and LearningZone announcements will specify if your exam is to be taken on-line within a fixed time duration.  

Multiple Choice Questionnaire (MCQ) exam papers are slightly different as they will be of specific timed duration – check your module shell information for details. Once you begin the exam, the fixed time duration will start and this is the time you have to complete and submit your answers.

Examination schedules will be published on MyDMU and your module leader or module tutor on LearningZone can also provide information on when you are expected to take your examinations. 

Online Remote Exams Student Guide

Exam dates and timetables

Examination schedules are published throughout the year on MyDMU.  

Students can view examination dates and times by logging onto MyDMU, click on the 'Exam Schedule' tile and select the module prefix that matches the modules you are studying.

Staff can view the exam schedule.

Exam deferrals

If you cannot attend your exam due to sudden unexpected extenuating circumstances, you can apply for a deferral of assessment. You should seek advice from your Faculty Student Advice Centre to discuss your situation directly.

Extra support

For online exams, the 24-hour exam period allows students individual flexibility to plan and manage the time they need to complete the exam. This includes students taking the exam in different time zones and also incorporates any recommendations for additional time granted through the Disability Advice and Support assessment.

For online exams with fixed time durations, additional time will be added for students who have a confirmed Individual Exam Arrangement agreed with the Disability Advice and Support team by Friday 29 March 2024.

If you wish to discuss individual exam adjustments due to a disability, medical condition or mental health issue, you should contact Disability Advice and Support or the Mental Health Inclusion Team. Students can

Extra Support Deadlines

There are deadlines in place for extra support arrangements to be finalised however; please bear in mind that these deadlines are for the completion of the process. During your appointment, the Disability Advice and Support team may require further evidence, so our advice is that you apply as soon as possible and not leave it until near the deadline.

For students on standard undergraduate programmes taking exams in May 2024, the deadline for extra support arrangements to be finalised is Friday 29 March 2024. For students taking resits exam in August 2024, the deadline for extra support arrangements to be inalised is Friday 12 July 2024

Students on ‘block’ teaching must have the extra support arrangements finalised for their exams by the end of week four in each block of teaching.

Where extra support has been put in place for exams on campus, the Examinations Office will contact you to confirm all the details, your exam dates will not normally be any different to the standard exam dates.

For students on postgraduate, distance learning, semester based and nursing and midwifery programmes, the extra support deadlines are at least six weeks before the date of exam.

If you have had individual exam arrangements for previous formal examinations at DMU, these will automatically be in place for formal examinations during the 2023-2024 academic year.

Individual Exam Arrangements – on campus exams: ‘Stop Clock’ Breaks

Under standard examination arrangements held on campus, where a requirement for a ‘stop clock’ break has been confirmed through the Disability Advice and Support team, this will be put in place for formal exams.

Stop clock breaks give the student the chance to take a rest break during the exam, these breaks are flexible in that the clock can be paused any number of times up until the end of the exam and the total number of minutes the clock is paused for is added to the end time of the exam.

Students can only apply this during the standard length of the exam, for example:

An exam starting at 9.00 am until 11.00 am. The clock can be paused any number of times during 9.00 until 11.00.  At 11.00 the total number of minutes paused will be added to the end time of the exam.

So if a student pauses the exam for a total of 22 minutes, between 9.00 and 11.00, the exam will conclude at 11.22.

The clock cannot be paused after 11.00 (or after the standard end time of any exam).

If a student is permitted extra time in addition to stop clock breaks, for example, 25% extra time, the clock can only be paused up until the end of the exam, including extra time.

For example:

An exam starting at 9.00 am until 11.00 am with 25% extra time, so the exam will finish at 11.30 and the clock cannot be stopped after 11.30

Full exam conditions remain in place during stop clock breaks.

Stop clock breaks cannot be used by students for cigarette breaks.

 Examination regulations

Read the university regulations concerning examinations.

Examinations Office

The examinations office is responsible for

  • Scheduling exams and invigilators
  • Managing exam documents
  • Issuing and receiving exam documents to/from invigilators
  • Responding to queries about exams
  • Putting Individual Exam Arrangements in place

Our aim is to provide an examination schedule and service that is equitable to all students and in accordance with the University regulations concerning examinations.

The Examinations Office can be contacted on: examinationoffice@dmu.ac.uk or +44 (0) 116 250 6379