Exam Date Change?

[AaaaghExams]

i work in a totally different sector, so am just wondering if this is the norm in HE

DS is taking second year exams, finishing tomorrow with two deferred Christmas exams scheduled for June. (deferred for health reasons)

Found out yesterday that the two deferred exams are being brought forward a fortnight, to now take place at the end of a two week compulsory work placement period, which starts on Monday.

DS is devastated. They’d anticipated and planned for two clear weeks of revision, which has now been wiped out. There’s little chance to make up this time, owing to the placement.

University are apologetic but seem unworried about the impact on students. It just seems unfair and left me wondering if it had happened to others?

Yes, my dd is doing a vocational degree and this kind of thing has happened many times. The uni move placements around with seemingly no thought as to when the exams are, so some students are severely affected and others benefit. There’s no apparent rota as to which students/ placements/ exams are it’s just pot luck!

How long were the exams originally timetabled for the later time?

To continue: were official timetabling slots given for the deferred exams, or was it simply agreed that they would be timetabled during this exam period?

Just trying to see what you have to work with here

Yes, these dates were given months ago, along with all the other year 2 exam dates : two timetabled deferred examinations with dates, times and rooms. It’s for medicine. DS is on hospital placement now from Monday until a week Thursday, when he has to sit the first of the two rearranged (and substantially brought forward) exams.

Thank you for your answers. I work in law and I’m trying to get my head around if this is the norm in the HE sector. I’m coming to the conclusion that it’s not seen as unfair or problematic within institutions. Amazing!

I had/ have two kids doing medicine and pharmacy, it’s normal I’m afraid. In the end they learn to be prepared for anything at any time. It’s really awful. If you’re seen as a complainer it’s even worse apparently!

This sounds really wrong to me. It would not stand at my (Russell Group) university. Students plan their lives around exam dates and have every right to do so.

One possibility is that someone else taking these exams objected to the timings and the squeaky wheel got grease. This is still no justification, but points up the potential problem that now everyone will need to agree on a time, or so it will be said.

I think your DC’s best bet is to approach both the Student Union and his Y2 Class Reps. Given that the exams were officially timetabled - and I presume he has evidence of this - the changes you have described are really unfair, and I say that as someone inclined to think that today’s student’s can be a bit precious over exams. Good luck with this!

PS I am not in Medicine so do take @Pinkypinkyplonk ’s wise words regarding the culture under advisement.

Thanks both! He’s not a complainer but I will encourage a bit more research as to why this is happening. DH is a medic and says he has to get used to getting used to things. I really don’t agree and am glad to hear your views. Thanks again.

I work in law and I’m trying to get my head around if this is the norm in the HE sector. I’m coming to the conclusion that it’s not seen as unfair or problematic within institutions. Amazing!

Your DS's peers have already sat these exams. The deferred exam sitting will be considered a first sitting for your DS. The purpose of deferred exams is to give your DS an opportunity to sit an exam that he were prevented from sitting due to unforeseen exceptional circumstances such as illness and that the exam is considered a first sitting. The purpose of deferred exams is not to give your DS the advantage of additional time to study and prepare in comparison to his peers.

@JocelynBurnell I would have thought it was obvious what our issue here was.

The university has published a timetable which a number of students have been working towards. At very short notice, this has been changed.

it’s not about giving an advantage. If anything, this move has disadvantaged them, as students who sat the original examination were able to take the original examination on the stipulated day and time.

But I think the argument is that he should have been prepared for the original exams, was ill, so unable to sit, unfortunate. So now he should be prepared, and is actually getting extra revision time!
At least that’s how my two think their med schools see it!!

If the exam timetable had been released on short notice and DS had the bad luck to have these exams early, I would agree he would need to suck it up. I could envisage students on placements thinking that situation unfair, and I would disagree with them.

But students do plan their lives around exam timetables. The DS presumably hasn’t thought about these modules since 2023. Two weeks of revision may be a piece of good luck. It may or may not be ‘extra’ revision depending whether he was in a fit state to do any revision previously. (These exams will be marked and scaled independently of the earlier ones so no overall advantage should accrue.)

The key feature of the situation has nothing to do with this. It is that the university promised the students the exams would be held at certain times in certain places, and it reneged.

These are deferred exams. Two or three weeks' notice is certainly not considered 'very short notice' for deferred exams as his classmates have already taken these exams.

As you say, your DH is a medic and says he has to get used to getting used to things. Medicine is a tough and demanding profession. I think your DH is right and your DS needs to get on with it.

Didn’t realised I’d stumbled into AIBU?

We’ve moved on.

DS spoke to staff today who explained that the mistake was with university timetabling. The deferred exams were scheduled outside of the academic year and needed to be taken before the end of term. Bizarrely, nobody realised until this week. They realise that this is not acceptable and will give all students the right to appeal for performance for the deferred exams. They appreciate it is not the way they would choose to work and want affected students to know that it’s beyond their control and do not want them to think it’s the norm.

There is no expectation they should ‘get on with it’.

DS has never been looking for extra time. He was hospitalised before Christmas and only returned to his course two weeks into term. He has since been catching up and was advised by his tutor and wellbeing to concentrate on his health and to keep up with this term’s work and use the time after the first batch of exams to revise for his deferrals. I’m very proud of him. And very worried by some of the comments on this thread. I’ve not drip fed as I think his own circumstances are irrelevant; any student who has been given the right to defer their exams for whatever reason deserves the right to revise for and sit their exams on a scheduled date @poetryandwine explained this perfectly.

@JocelynBurnell I’m perfectly aware of the challenges of a life in medicine. My husband is a Consultant as were both my parents. I was purely looking for advice on the current HE sector and how it worked. Are you student facing?

Thank you all. I’ve been here since before DS’s older sister was born and it never ceases to amaze me how much I rely on mumsnet.