Tuesday 18-04-2023 - 13:20

By Josh Freestone, UG Academic Officer

Coming out of the pandemic, departments are trialing different exam formats. Whether you’re sitting online or on campus exams, the Durham Students’ Union is here to support you by offering some helpful advice on how to best prepare.

EXAM REVISION RESOURCES, at your fingertips

The university has created this very useful STUDENTS’ GUIDE TO ONLINE EXAMS AT DURHAM UNIVERSITY that answers any questions you may have. I would recommend that you look at it before you get deeper into your revisions as it may be helpful to know that this information exists and where it is located.

TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS

Advance preparation and budgeting your time are probably the most important ways to ensure exam success. Be sure to allow yourself time to decompress between exams, if possible. And please make sure you allow plenty of time in advance of the deadline to upload your exam. You want to leave yourself time to deal with any technical problems that may arise (they do happen) and avoid the stress this causes. By starting your online exam at the beginning of the time window, you should have enough time to deal with any distractions that may occur. If you do encounter problems, try not to panic, and read about your various options here, including how to contact your department and the IT Service Desk.

ONLINE EXAMS

Create a study space that works for you

Most students will be well acquainted with online exams, having sat them in previous years or at A-Level. However, they can still be an exhausting process and we are here to help with that.

If you are sitting your exam at home, it is important to create a suitable study space, catered to your own unique learning style. Some people enjoy ambient music, others a warm brew. Online exams mean you can tailor the way you do your assessment to whatever works for you.

Mock exams are not just an invaluable form of practice, but they are great for experimentation as well. Work out which study conditions suit you.

Make a list of things you’ll need to know on the exam day and get prepared by checking them in advance, as well as your department's requirements around style guides and referencing.

You might also want to explore Learn Ultra and Turnitin beforehand, so you're already familiar with them by the time you need to submit your exam. This offers some very useful advice about how a little advanced preparation can save you a lot of stress during your exams.

ON CAMPUS EXAMS

Many students will be sitting in person exams for the first time since before the pandemic. Therefore, it is entirely normal to feel concerned or anxious. Assessments are always going to be a challenging period for students, especially when the format is new.

However, something that may be of some reassurance is that the university will be providing departments with live marks and historical papers. This will give departments the ability to see whether students’ marks are in keeping with the results of assessments already done. Consequently, if after having sat your (in person) exam your mark is inconsistent with your previous work, your grade can be scaled so it is in accordance with your prior assessments. Hopefully, this means no student gets unfairly disadvantaged due to a new form of assessment.

FAQs (and answers) about 2022-23 exams can be found here

WHAT IS THE CURRENT EXTENSION POLICY?

The Covid-19 pandemic was unique in academia and led to a lot of exceptional circumstances. As such, departments were more generous with extension requests, however, this will no longer be the case. The university is hoping to grant far fewer extensions this year, returning to a pre-Covid norm.

Extension requests will only be accepted in serious and exceptional circumstances.

What does this mean?

• Unexpected events beyond a student’s control such as illness, bereavement, or household emergencies

Extensions will not be granted for:

• Poor time management
• Help in pacing deadlines (this may change depending on DSN)
• IT or computer-related issues

Please be aware, there is absolutely no guarantee students will be granted an extension.

USE AVAILABLE STUDY SPACE

If you are in Durham and in need of extra study space, there are options available to you.

PSA: You need to take revision breaks!

Whether revising from home or at the many university study spaces, please do not forget the importance of taking breaks and making sure to get fresh air.

Of course, not every problem is fixable with fresh air, so the SU have put together information about the support available to you throughout the exam period. This includes support related to your mental health and wellbeing, and specific academic support and mitigations.