Exams: what to expect and how to prepare

Find out how to check your timetable.

Email the Assessment and Progress team at examinations@leeds.ac.uk to report issues if you have:

• two on campus exams timetabled for the same time
• three consecutive exams, two in a day and one the next morning
• any problems.

Make sure you include:

• your name
• student number
• module code
• titles of the exams.

Definition of consecutive exams

An exam or exam period has two exams a day.

If you have three consecutive exams it means you have two exams in a day followed by one the next morning:

• Monday morning exam (9am start)
• Monday afternoon exam (2pm start)
• Tuesday morning exam (9am start).

Make sure you know where your exam will be.

Find out more about exam venues at the University.

Aim to arrive 30 to 45 minutes before your exam begins to allow for:

• travel delays
• ID checks
• checking the seating list and finding where you need to sit
• where an exam is in more than one venue.

Your student ID card is the ID used to verify who you are. You must bring it to all exams and leave it on your desk.

You must not:

• change the photo on it
• change any dates on it
• tamper with it or change it in any way.

If you do not have your student ID card:

• your details will be recorded by the invigilator
• an ID check will be done and you cannot leave the exam room until it is done
• you may be excluded from exams if you attend more exams without your student ID.

If you wear a face covering you may be asked to remove it briefly so the exam invigilator can verify your identity.

If you leave your student ID in the exam room it will be taken to the sub-office. You will get an email to tell you what to do to collect it.

If you lose your student ID you need to get a new student ID. 

You will need to check the seating list outside your exam venue to find where you need to sit.

If your name is not in the list and there is a statement "If your name does not appear here, please see the supplementary list" then check the supplementary list to find out where you need to be.

If you are not in the supplementary list showing your name in a different venue you should let the invigilator know.

You can enter the exam room at least five minutes before the time listed on the timetable.

If you need to use the bathroom go beforehand.

Go to your seat and sit down. The exam will start when all students are seated.

Leave your student ID on your desk.

Your invigilator will verify your identity by checking your student ID. You need to leave this on your desk during the exam.

If you are sick you need to do to your doctor and get a medical note to say you are not well enough to go to your exam. You need to give this to your school as evidence of mitigating circumstances.

You should also check mitigating circumstances guidance if you can’t go to your exam due to extreme weather or other emergencies.

Lost property will be taken to the nearest exam sub-office.

At the end of the exam period uncollected items will be moved to the Assessment and Progress office in the Marjorie and Arnold Ziff Building.

If you have a query about a specific item left in an exam venue, email the Exams Lost Property team at examinationslostproperty@leeds.ac.uk. You should include:

• the exam venue where the item was lost
• when the item was lost
• a clear description of the item.

Student ID cards left in exam venues will be treated the same as other lost property.

If you do lose your ID card and it hasn’t been handed in at the sub-office, then you can apply for a new student ID card.

Find out which sub-office is responsible for the administration of your exam and where the office is. 

Exam supervisors will help you with any exam problems.

You must stop writing when you are told to. Stay quiet and in your seat until all script books have been collected and the chief invigilator tells you to leave.

If you’ve used more than one script book you should tie them together with the treasury tag.

If you needed to use a multiple choice question card for your exam you need to make sure you write your student ID number on it. Do not attach it to your script book.

Don’t take any unused exam stationery with you. If you do this it may be considered as breaking the rules.

If your course or module requires it you can use basic calculators.

In some cases the question paper will tell you what type of calculator you can use. You should check with your school.

Calculator covers or lids should not be taken into exams.

You should only use black or blue pens unless you are using multiple-choice answer cards which must be filled in using a HB pencil.

If you do need to use a pencil you need to make sure you have:

• a pencil sharpener
• a spare pencil
• an eraser.

Check with your module leader before the exam if you are allowed to use a dictionary.

It will say on the front cover of the exam question paper if you can use a dictionary or not. You can request one from the invigilator by raising your hand.

If you use your own dictionary it must not have:

• annotations or any notes
• highlighted text
• underlined text.

You must check with your module leader if you are allowed to bring a textbook into your exam.

If they are allowed you must check if they can have annotations or notes in them.

You can check with your school or faculty about your specific exam.

For some exams you may find:

• script book
• question paper
• plastic bag
• treasury tag
• MCQ, MRQ, or EMQ answer sheets or cards
• graph paper
• chemistry data, code formula booklet, or statistical tables.

You can raise your hand to check with the invigilator if you do not have something you need.

You can take a white question paper away with you at the end of the exam.

You should answer some or all questions on the exam paper and you may have to write other answers in your script book.

The instructions on the front of the exam paper will tell you where to write your answers.

Write your student number and seat number on the front of the exam paper.

You need to hand in blue or yellow exam papers at the end of the exam.

You must leave the paper in the exam room. You cannot take this paper away with you.

All exam papers have a list of instructions on the front cover. When you are told to do so you must read the cover carefully before you start your exam. You should check the module code and module title are for the exam you expect to take.

The front page of your exam paper will include:

• module code
• module title
• school responsible for assessing it
• how much time you have to complete the exam
• how many pages are in the exam paper
• what you may need to complete the exam such as graph paper, MCQ card or a Cambridge Statistical Table
• if you can use a calculator or dictionary
• if you can use notes. 

It may also include:

• if there is more than one section
• how many marks each section is worth
• where sections should be answered such as on a blue exam paper or on a multiple choice answer card
• if there are more questions on the exam paper you need to answer
• if you need to answer a number of questions from one section.

Use a script book to answer exam questions if you need to.

They are available in different colours. Each desk will have one script book if it is needed for your exam question paper.

Read the information and fill in the front cover of the script book. You should write:

• your student ID number
• the date
• room
• seat number
• the module code on the exam question paper cover
• the module/exam title on the exam question paper cover
• the course or programme you are studying.

Until the invigilator tells you to you must not:

• make any notes in the script book
• make notes on anything else on your desk
• turn over any items on your desk.

You need to hide your name and details from the cover of the script book at the end of the exam.

1. Fold the edge of the front cover back towards the centre of the cover.
2. Take off the white tape from the front cover.
3. Press down the edge of cover to seal it.

Write which questions you answered at the bottom half of the front cover.

For some exams you need to use an answer sheet or card.

There are 3 types of multiple answer exams:

• extended multiple choice (EMQ)
• multiple choice questions (MCQ)
• multiple response questions (MRQ).

Each of these are used by different schools and some have their own designs on them. This may be confusing if you get different designs for different exams. The information needed for each will be the same.

For these exams:

• There will be five statements for each question.
• You need to fill in one or more of the five boxes. They will be labelled A to E.
• There may be up to 100 questions depending on the subject of your exam.
• Check the instructions on the front cover for how many questions you need to answer as the sheets will show 100 for all exams.

For some answers you may need to choose true or false.

These vary depending on your school. Check the instructions on the front cover of your exam and at the start of each section.

Usually these are:

• labelled A to P
• either have 5 answer choices A to E or 8 answer choices A to H
• anything up to 210 questions.

The instructions on the front cover will let you know how many you need to answer.

You should have the right sheet or card on your desk depending on your exam. The exam front page as well as the start of the multiple answer section will give you the instructions.

You should use a HB-grade or softer pencil.

Make sure you:

• don’t use ink, ballpoint or felt-tip pen
• don’t use ticks, crosses, or circles
• don’t fold, crease, or punch any holes in the answer sheet or card.

You should write in the boxes on the top left of your answer sheet or card:

• your name
• the date
• the module code from the top left of the question paper
• the exam title from the question paper.

Write your student ID in the section labelled student ID number on the top right of the answer sheet or card. This is a 9-digit number printed on your student ID card like 123456789.

Fill in the answers to the questions using the bottom half of the sheet or card.

If you make a mistake use an eraser to remove the pencil mark. Be careful as you do this and try not to smudge the answer sheet or card.

At the end of the exam make sure you hand in all your:

• sheets or card
• script books (if any)
• pink, yellow or blue question papers.