FIRST YEAR

EXAM INFORMATION

SESSIONNovember 2016

All information is posted on the SAO website:

http://www.mcgill.ca/law-studies/courses-

registration-exams/exams

FIRST YEAR

EXAM INFORMATION SESSION

General Guidelines for Exams

Accommodations

SofTest (Sit-down Exams)

ExamSoft (Take Home Exams)

EXAMS

EXAM SCHEDULE POSTED ON THE SAO WEBSITE

ASK YOUR INSTRUCTORS ABOUT EXAMS NOW

ROOM LOCATIONS - AVAILABLE ON THE SAO WEBSITE & POSTED DAILY ON THE BOARD OUTSIDE MOOT COURT

FINAL EXAM CODES

FOR ANY EXAM RELATED QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT THE SAO

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MEET WITH A STUDENT ADVISOR, CONTACT THE SAO.

BACK UP

All work whether it be an assignment, term essay, take-home exam, course summaries...

The loss of any data may not necessarily result in a deferral or an extension.

Multiple forms of back up, e.g. USB, forward to McGill email Account, network space. Students have a 100MB limit on their P: drives.

OPEN BOOK EXAMINATION

all permitted course material must be brought into the exam room as hard copy;

SCRAP paper is always provided by the invigilator;

French/English translation dictionaries are provided by the invigilator in every exam room;

Other language dictionaries must be vetted and approved by the SAO;

Materials from Libraries are not permitted.

CLOSED BOOK EXAMINATION

means that no material whatsoever may be brought into the exam room except pencils, pens and the like. You must leave your book bag and coat in your locker.

French/English translation dictionaries will be provided by the invigilators.

RESTRICTED OPEN BOOK

EXAMINATION

means you are permitted to bring in only those materials noted by the instructor. This information is provided by the instructor prior to the examination.

If necessary, the invigilator may request the presence of the instructor in the exam room.

CLEAN CODES/STATUTES

means that only underlining and cross-references are permitted. Hand written notes are generally not acceptable. If unclear, please speak to the instructor in class.

EXAM ROOM

Present your McGill ID card at the door of the exam room.

Seat number (random selection) will correspond to the desk where you MUST write your examination.

McGill ID and seat card must remain on the desk through-out the examination.

Attendance will be taken within the first 15 minutes of the exam starting.

Upon completion of the exam, you MUST sign out.

STUDENTS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO

LEAVE THE EXAMINATION ROOM

without the invigilator’s permission;

until one hour after the examination has begun, and under no circumstance before attendance has been taken;

during the last fifteen minutes of the exam;

raise your hand to request assistance from the invigilator.

THE INVIGILATOR IN THE EXAM ROOM

KEEPS THE OFFICIAL START/END

TIME OF AN EXAM.

When the invigilator announces the end of the examination you MUST STOP WRITING.

Invigilators have been instructed to report the names of students who continue to write/type to the SAO.

This is a serious offence and will not be tolerated.

DURING THE LAST 15 MINUTES

OF THE EXAM

ALL STUDENTS MUST REMAIN SEATED until the invigilator(s) is ready to collect the exams.

You MUST sign out and return ALL exam material.

Invigilators have been instructed to report the names of students who do not respect this policy.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD

STUDENTS CONTACT INSTRUCTORS

IN RELATION TO THEIR EXAMINATION

Do not approach instructors:

BEFORE THE EXAM - if you feel you may miss the exam due to illness or any other reason – contact the SAO immediately. You may inadvertently divulge your exam code and compromise your anonymity by contacting the instructor.

AFTER THE EXAM, until grades have been released -contact the SAO to relate any concerns or comments about a particular exam.

Cell phones, ipods, MP3 players – all electronic devices (such as Fitbit, smart watches) may not be used during an exam. They must be turned off and stored away in your bag or locker.

If found these items will be confiscated by the invigilator and turned over to the SAO.

The use of a laptop is restricted to “Softest” only.

EXTENSIONS

If there is a medical or analogous reason justifying an extension, students must obtain supporting documentation (e.g. medical certificate). Please contact the SAO.

Students will not be permitted to submit any additional work or an alternative version(s). Only the initial submission will be forwarded for grading.

First-time Final Exam Deferral

Pilot Project 2016-2017

A number of Faculties and Service Point/Enrolment Services have agreed to grant a student’s first time deferred final exam request without supporting documentation. This policy will apply to new and current students’ first time ever deferred final exam request.

Si vous êtes dans l’impossibilité de passer un examenfinal pour cause de maladie ou autres circonstancesatténuantes et vous n’avez pas d’examens différésantérieurs, vous pouvez, une seul fois durant le cadre du programme, déposer une première demande d’examendifféré sans soumettre de documents justificatifs.

First-time Final Exam Deferral

Pilot Project 2016-2017

Who is eligible ?

The request is limited to one exam only (excludes 1st year December midterm exams, Exchange, Visiting and Special students) during the entire Law program; if multiple exams need to be deferred, supporting documentation will be required.

Quelles sont les marche à suivre?

1. Soumettre la demanded’un exam différé sur Minerva

2. Completez, signez et déposez le Deferral Application Affidavit et First time Final Exam Deferral Application Request form au SÉA

3. Prendre rendez-vous avec une Conseillère aux Affaires Étudiantes.

DEFERRED EXAMINATIONS

Contact the SAO if you are unable to write your exam.

Be prepared to provide documented support.

Once you enter an exam room and start the exam,

accommodations may not be possible.

If you become ill during an exam, please alert the

invigilator.

Accommodations for deferred December midterm exams

for 1st year students are arranged in January with the

SAO and instructor.

SIT DOWN WITH SOFTEST

You will use your McGill Student ID Number and your

current Term Specific Final Exam Code (ALPHA).

Ensure laptop/computer meets the minimum

requirements for the software SofTest. Tablets or iPads

are not permitted.

Download the software and run a mock exam (Mock

Demo->Nov 21, 1:00-2:30 Moot Court)

Nous voulons nous assurer que le logiciel

SoftTest fonctionne correctement sur votre ordinateur.

LE JOUR DE L’EXAMEN

Amenez à votre examen

votre carte d’étudiant de McGill

votre ordinateur portable

votre câble d’alimentation, au besoin une rallonge électrique

présentez-vous à la salle d’examen au moins 15 minutes avant l’heure prévue de l’examen.

branchez votre ordinateur à une prise électrique, si besoin, allumez votre ordinateur et suivez les instructions qui vous sont données.

PENDANT L’EXAMEN

Tous les étudiants recevront une copie papier du questionnaire d’examen ainsi que des cahiers d’examen dans la salle d’examen.

Si vous ne rédigez pas à la main votre examen, les cahiers seront repris par les surveillants. (Scrap paper)

Dans le cas d’un problème technique qui ne peut être réglé dans un laps de temps de 5 minutes ou moins, l’étudiant (e) doit commencer à rédiger à la main le reste de ses réponses d’examens.

Le temps passé à résoudre les problèmes informatiques une fois que l’examen a commencé ne sera pas ajouté au temps alloué à l’étudiant(e) pour terminer son examen.

…PENDANT L’EXAMEN

Troubleshooting If your laptop crashes…

YOU MUST:

1. IMMEDIATELY advise the invigilator.

2. Receive an Exam Booklet from the invigilator

3. Complete the examination by hand in the Exam Booklet.

YOU CANNOT:

START MS Word or any other word processing software.

• After the exam you must go to the SAO with your Laptop !

*NO EXTRA TIME WILL BE GIVEN IF YOU ATTEMPT TO REBOOT!*

Dépannage Si votre ordinateur portative

tombe en panne…

VOUS DEVEZ:

1. Aviser IMMÉDIATEMENT le surveillant d’examen.

2. Obtenir un livre d’examen du surveillant.

3. Rédiger à la main le reste de votre examen dans le livre d’examen.

VOUS NE DEVEZ PAS:

Démarrer MS Word ou d’autres logiciels.

• À la fin de l’examen, prière de vous présentez au Secrétariat des études en droit avec votre ordinateur portatif!

*VOUS N’AUREZ PAS DE TEMPS SUPPLÉMENTAIRE, SI VOUS ESSAYEZ DE REDÉMARRER VOTRE ORDINATEUR!

TAKE HOME EXAMSOFT

Log onto www.examsoft.com/mcgill using your McGill student ID number and your assigned ExamSoft password.

You will download the exam questionnaire file from the ExamSoftwebsite and then upload your exam answer file through the same website before the given deadline . NO SOFTWARE IS USED.

Download the questionnaire only when you are ready to begin writing.

Save it to a location that can be easily accessed as you will not be able to download a second time.

We encourage you to save your Exam Answer file as ‘final version”, this will ensure that you will submit the correct document to ExamSoft.

Note the duration of take home exams as this varies based on the course. If you don’t know now, ask your instructor.

The countdown clock begins once the exam questionnaire is downloaded.

You will write your responses in a word processing program such as Microsoft Word.

TAKE HOME EXAMSOFT

Exam answer files can be uploaded 24/7, any day of the week as long as you respect the time constraints of the exam and are within the examination period.

Identification of a take home:

Use the cover page provided on the SAO website.

Clearly name your exam file: “ABCD_Name of Course_Fall2016.doc”, where ABCD is your exam code

Do not provide any identifiable information besides your exam code (i.e. no name, student number)

Re-read instructions provided by instructor before submitting. i.e. word count

The SAO will not confirm receipt of your exam nor will you receive an email from ExamSoft confirming upload.

EXAMINATION

AGREEMENT

The Examination Agreement is available on http://www.examsoft.com/mcgill, it involves questions designed to confirm that students agree to the terms of the laptop policy. Any attempt to disable or tamper with SofTest’s security features will be considered a violation and subject to disciplinary actions. It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with your equipment and the SofTest software and instructions provided by ExamSoft on its website prior to the start of your exam. Please allow yourself sufficient time to become familiar with your laptop and the application. Commencement of the exam will not be delayed due to a hardware problem with your laptop.

FIRST-YEAR MID-TERM

GRADES

• Students will have access to view their mid-term grades on MyCourses for a 2-week period in January 2017. Grades are posted as a class list by exam code. (Expected release date: Jan 16th)

• These grades are NOT final grades, and are intended to provide pedagogical feedback to students and instructors. The SAO does not provide written notice of these grades.

• The FINAL grade for first year courses will be visible on the student's transcript via Minerva at the end of the winter term (Expected date: May 14, 2017).

Questions?

TAKE AWAYS

SLEEP, EAT, EXERCISE, BREATHE

MOCK EXAM-> Monday Nov 21, 1:00-2:30.

WHAT WORKS FOR YOU

YOU WILL BE OK

SAO

GOOD LUCK!