Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Damn. Uni exam falls right in the middle of my holiday!

277 replies

QuestionableMouse · 05/04/2019 05:59

Posting for traffic.

Uni exam date was released yesterday and it falls right in the middle of my holiday. Though technically it isn't a holiday as I'm away with the local youth group who I've been volunteering with!

I could just about drive back (distance/time wise) but it would mess the ratios up and I'm not sure if I can afford the extra petrol money. Also not sure if I'll have my own car with me. (Was meant to be driving down with all the food but it might be going in the minibus now)

I'm really not sure what to do. It's an important exam so I can't miss it but equally I can't just drop out of the trip because at this point there's no one to replace me. Going into uni today to speak to my lecturer but I'm panicking!

Any ideas?

OP posts:
ForalltheSaints · 05/04/2019 20:16

So when did you sign up without checking when there might be an exam. You seem a bit like the person complaining about only 10 days in school because of Easter, whose 2019 date was decided in 1752.

Original poster
QuestionableMouse · 05/04/2019 20:18

It you read the thread that's been explained.

OP posts:
HeronLanyon · 05/04/2019 20:21

Lots of skills modules have seen exams - student take away prepare and then attend to do something - ie music exams/drama/some legal skills/. Can be good also to
Allow research on notifies
Topics and then attend to write essay - those often called part seen cos question itself not known until day.

alittlesnow · 05/04/2019 20:22

Agree you will have to drop out. You must have had an idea of when your exams were coming up (roughly.) And as has been said, it's crazy to book ANYthing in term time, and especially during exam time!

Original poster
QuestionableMouse · 05/04/2019 21:21

I knew when the exam was and the trip was booked for the week before. The date changed. If you're going to lecture me, at least read the full thread.

OP posts:
Torridon19 · 05/04/2019 21:37

Kinda weird to be given a date in the module guide.......my Uni, last October, 2018 gives a span of dates for the following year's 2019 exams i.e mine says from April 23rd, to May 17th ..and students are told directly DON'T book any holidays for during these dates, as your exams will fall somewhere between those dates. Specific dates were published for individual subjects about four/five weeks ago....

RottnestFerry · 05/04/2019 21:40

University exam session dates are known to all at the start of the year

May be at some universities, but not all.

At mine the final timetable isn't published until after Easter.

RottnestFerry · 05/04/2019 21:42

Maybe

Original poster
QuestionableMouse · 05/04/2019 22:03

@Torridon19

When it was changed the module guide was updated too so it says the exam will take place in week x. Its now taking place a week earlier than that.

OP posts:
doIreallyneedto · 06/04/2019 00:36

@RottnestFerry - At mine the final timetable isn't published until after Easter.

Final timetables are published closer to the time. However, most universities will publish the exam period well in advance. The university I work in publishes at least 3 years in advance. However, all you know is that your exams will take place sometime in the 3 week period.

DoctorDoctor · 06/04/2019 01:52

Lots of odd things happening at wherever you are studying OP. Where I work, we would simply not be allowed to change an assessment from coursework to an exam partway through. No one would give a specific week for an exam either at the start of the year. It would just be that the exam would be some time in the exam period which lasts 2 or 3 weeks. And we certainly wouldn't have three different sittings.

Double0FeckingBollocks · 06/04/2019 05:52

Agree with DoctorDoctor OP. Where are you at University? A radical change in a assessment like that half way through a module is very dodgy. In my institution it would require a rationale and have to go through a committee and be approved.

sonjadog · 06/04/2019 06:44

Are you talking about A-levels rather than a degree course? All this talk about several exam dates, exam boards etc. make me think that we may be talking about different things here.

stucknoue · 06/04/2019 06:52

With universities they give an exam window initially and even where they have a date pencilled in its only confirmed nearer the time as the exams office is juggling the room schedules. It was issued last week here. Seen tests are slightly more flexible because they don't have to be sat simultaneously potentially. There's no boards at universities though so that's confusing, they set their own curriculums and exams. Here there's a resit week in July for those who either failed or couldn't sit first time but not sure this would get a "first attempt" in July (it might class as a fail and resit)

NicoAndTheNiners · 06/04/2019 06:56

My uni has what's referred to as "the exam board". They make decisions about resit dates, etc.

NicoAndTheNiners · 06/04/2019 06:57

Meant to say it's an internal exam board but it's still that terminology which is used.

Sn0wHailSunFun · 06/04/2019 07:31

If you are doing a 3 year uni course, your top priority should be to take and pass each module and exam.

doIreallyneedto · 06/04/2019 10:51

@stucknoue - There's no boards at universities though

We have exam boards. All results must be approved by the exam board before that become official. It's basically a meeting of Dean, academic staff and exams office. Grades will already have been approved be the external examiner. Once they're approved by the board, they are then released to students.

RottnestFerry · 06/04/2019 11:09

There's no boards at universities though so that's confusing, they set their own curriculums and exams

They do, and they also have their own exam boards. At my institution, exam boards are organised on a departmental basis and may sit several times a year.

Original poster
QuestionableMouse · 06/04/2019 11:28

Thanks for explaining the exam board thing.

So so many judgy people preaching at me though. I'm not a naughty toddler. I'm fully committed to uni and like I said, my grade average is 72%. If the exam hadn't have been moved I'd have been fine. (and for all of you who still think I'm irresponsible, I've just turned down a week in the sun with my friends at the end of April because we have module choice tutorials coming up along with some group work stuff.)

OP posts:
CatandtheFiddle · 06/04/2019 11:53

The exam period at most universities is part of the Summer term. Term dates are generally notified several years in advance.

If you were asking me, at my university, you’d have to do the exam. You shouldn’t have committed to something in term time. Students with part-time jobs, and part-time students with full-time jobs are expected to take leave in order to sit exams.

So it’s a No from me ....

Lweji · 06/04/2019 11:59

Going back a bit, you (and I imagine many students) would have cause for a complaint if the date was set previously and then changed. Unless the module guide only had a probable date, or probable week. In which case, again, don't commit to anything term time.

I'm also surprised that it was set earlier than advised.
I'd consult first with the course rep and see what other students think about this.

Original poster
QuestionableMouse · 06/04/2019 12:00

Please go back and read the full thread.

OP posts:
Lweji · 06/04/2019 12:01

I have since the start.

Orchidfeed · 06/04/2019 12:11

This is how it works at my uni:
If it’s an exam then you should get a resit chance but your mark will be capped at 40% unless it is agreed you have a valid reason for missing the original exam. That’s usually illness, bereavement, course-related absence. You could try and argue that the volunteering is course-related plus employability experience.

If you get capped for one assessment over the whole degree, hopefully it won’t affect your grade by the end

I switched from exams to online timed assessments (which are done remotely) to not have to deal with all the holiday & other excuses!

Lecturers usually do their best for their students - talk to them ASAP! 😊