1.14 Exam Policies
There are two main types of Law School examinations: in-class and take-home. Although faculty members decide which type of exam to require for their class, exam administration is executed by the Office of the Registrar. Students should note that the Law School expects to adopt exam software prior to the commencement of Autumn quarter exams. New exam procedures will be announced prior to the exam period.
In-Class Examinations
In-class examinations are scheduled for a particular day during the exam period. They are generally scheduled for three hours, although a faculty member may give students more or less time. A proctor is present in the room during the examination. In-class exams can be open book, closed book, or limited open book. Laptop use on exams—using the appropriate exam-taking software—is mandatory. Students are permitted the use of a single laptop during each in-class exam. The use of cell phones, tablets (iPads, etc.), second laptops, or other similar devices is strictly prohibited, absent use of such a device as an approved ADA accommodation.
Take-Home Examinations
Take-home exams may be taken on any day during the exam period. Take-home exams must be completed within eight hours (inclusive of travel time, breaks, meals, etc.), unless otherwise stipulated in the exam itself. There is no technical support between 5:00 p.m. and 8:30 a.m., and students are strongly advised to take exams during regular business hours. Students who do not heed this advice do so at their own risk.
On the final day of the take-home exam period, all take-home exams must begin by 9:00 a.m. and be completed by 5:00 p.m., or else students will have less than 8 hours to complete the exam.
Exam deadlines are rigorously enforced, and faculty members are notified of late submissions.
Anonymous Grading
Please keep in mind that the Law School follows an anonymous grading system, which means that faculty members do not know which student submitted a particular exam. In the event that any problems arise while you are taking an exam (you cannot take it on time, you have problems opening the exam, you uploaded the wrong document, you left off the word count, you took an exam with you instead of turning it in, etc.) YOU CANNOT COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY WITH A PROFESSOR THROUGH ANY MEANS. Instead, please contact the Assistant Registrar, the Registrar, the Dean of Students, or the Associate Director of Student Affairs, and one of them will assist you. Improper contact with a professor may result in a disciplinary action.
Exam Scheduling
Students are expected to take their examinations at the scheduled dates and times. Students must refrain from scheduling other activities (interviews, travel, etc.) during the overall exam period as published in the academic calendar (including official make-up days) until the detailed exam schedule is announced and they know the specific days and times of each exam. In case of illness, accident, or other last-minute emergencies, students must contact the Dean of Students, the Registrar, or the Associate Director of Student Affairs via email and by phone prior to the start of the examination. Because of the importance of anonymous grading, students should not discuss any exam scheduling or re-scheduling issues with faculty.
If a make-up is allowed for extraordinary circumstances, the Law School is guided by the contracts principle that students should be put in the position they would have been in had it not been for the illness/emergency. For example, a student who is incapacitated for two days during the examination period will normally be given two additional days to prepare for the examination. Students in these situations are instructed not to speak with other students about the examination.
Exam scheduling changes for conflicts with important scheduled event will be granted rarely. To qualify, the event must be a significant life event that requires your attendance (e.g., sister’s wedding), the selection of the date was out of your control, and you must have notified the Dean of Students as soon as the event is scheduled. (These major life events are NOT generally scheduled three days before the exam you wish to reschedule.) You must not make travel arrangements for such events until permission is granted.
If an exam falls on a religious holiday that you observe, you should notify the Dean of Students early in the quarter to arrange an appropriate make-up time.
PLEASE NOTE: You will be expected to provide documentation to support your request to re-schedule an examination (note from treating physician, verification of pre-scheduled events, etc.).
Petitions to reschedule an exam will be automatically approved by the Office of the Registrar under the following circumstances:
- Two proctored exams on the same day
- Proctored exams on four consecutive days
These petitions are available online at http://www.law.uchicago.edu/students/academics/petitions and must be completed no later than the first day of the reading period preceding the examination, although students are encouraged to complete the petition as soon as possible. Failure to complete the petition by that date may result in denial of a petition. The exam will be rescheduled to the following day in which the student does not have a proctored exam.
In all other circumstances, students must complete the Special Request section of the petition. The petition will be forwarded to the Dean of Students for consideration.
The decision of whether to grant a request to reschedule an exam will be made by the Dean of Students.
Record Keeping
All students are advised to keep an electronic copy of documents related to exam submission until grades are posted.
Faculty members often return annotated versions of students’ exam answers to the Office of the Registrar. These materials provide invaluable feedback, and students are strongly encouraged to collect them as soon as they become available. The Office of the Registrar keeps such materials until a student graduates or until a year has elapsed since the examination administration, whichever comes later.
Exams on Library Web Site
The D’Angelo Law Library maintains an online repository of past exams, students’ model answers, faculty memos, and other exam-related materials. The old exams may be accessed via http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/law/courses/exams/. As a matter of course, the Assistant Registrar will ask the Library staff to post copies of the student answers that received the two or three highest grades on the website, unless the instructor requests otherwise.